Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Aug. 29, 2021

First Reading (Track One): Song of Solomon 2:8-13

During the first half of the Pentecost season during this Lectionary year we have followed the stories of Israel’s Judges and Kings in our Track One first readings. Now, we’ll devote most of the rest of the season to the Hebrew Bible’s wisdom literature – books of thoughts and advice on wise and proper living.

James the Just, the Brother of Jesus. Ancient Orthodox icon. (Click image to enlarge.)

Our wisdom journey begins this Sunday with a love poem. What an unexpected thing to find in the Bible! The Song of Solomon is a collection of love poems that tradition attributes to King Solomon himself, although they were actually written centuries later. These verses sing of deep love between a woman and a man who has just returned to her after a cold winter. The subject invites us to look for all sorts of metaphor, but remember sometimes a love song is just a love song.

First Reading (Track Two): Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9

Don’t do as we say. Do as we do. This simple wisdom is unveiled for us throughout Sunday’s Track Two readings. In the first reading last week, we looked on as an aging Joshua, facing the end of his life, called on the people to recommit to God’s covenant now that they were established in the Promised Land. This week we back up in time to Deuteronomy, listening in as Moses emphasizes the importance of following God’s covenant. By carrying God’s teaching through the generations, he tells the people, the Israelites will earn the right to live in the promised land, gaining the world’s respect for wisdom and discernment.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 45:1-2, 7-10

In the context of the Song of Solomon, these snippets from Psalm 45 are framed as a love song, too. A noble song fashioned for a king on the occasion of his royal wedding, it praises the king himself as the fairest of men, from whose lips produce flowing grace. But the narrative quickly turns to praise God, above the king. God is the Holy One who has anointed and blessed the king with an enduring throne and a scepter of righteousness. God has anointed the king because God loves righteousness and hates iniquity, the psalm tells us. Thus the king carries out God’s will and earns God’s blessings on earth.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 15

Echoing Moses’ wisdom in the first reading, the Psalmist – said by tradition to be King David himself – proclaims that those who live blamelessly and with righteousness and truth may earn God’s protection. Be honest, be trustworthy, be fair; protect the innocent. Follow these ways, the psalm advises us, and abide upon God’s holy hill. Honesty, kindness, and love of neighbor all make a difference: The way we live matters to God.

Second Reading: James 1:17-27

Following several weeks with second readings chosen from the letter to the Ephesians, we now turn to the letter of James for five weeks. Although this epistle is traditionally attributed to James, the brother of Jesus, it was more likely written in James’ name by a later Jewish Christian after the fall of the Temple, perhaps around the same time as Matthew’s Gospel.. This passage is akin to today’s other readings in its emphasis on God’s covenant: “Care for the widows and orphans in their distress.” Throughout the letter, the writer shows little doubt that we are called not merely to hear God’s teaching but to act on what we hear.

Gospel: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

After our summer digression into the bread narrative in  John’s Gospel, we now return to Mark for the rest of this liturgical year, picking up where we left off in mid-July. If you don’t pay attention, though, you might think for a moment that nothing has changed, as we find Jesus arguing with a crowd of Scribes and Pharisees just as we left him doing in John’s account. The law-abiding religious leaders have challenged Jesus because they saw his disciples ignoring the strict ritual practice of washing before eating. In response, Jesus quotes the Prophet Isaiah in a passage that showers scorn on those who honor God with their lips while their hearts are far away. The message: Do not thoughtlessly follow ritual; rather live in the spirit of God’s laws. It is not eating that defiles us, Jesus proclaims, but the sins that come from our mouths and our hearts.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Aug. 22, 2021

First Reading (Track One): 1 Kings 8:22-23, 41-43

When major life changes confront us, how do we decide? How do we find God in the process? We’ll hear this theme recur in Sunday’s readings.

Eucharistic bread (3rd century), painting in the Early-Christian catacomb of San Callisto on the Roman Appian Way. (Click image to enlarge.)

The story of the first kings of Israel reaches its zenith as the wise and wealthy King Solomon – son of King David – dedicates the first Temple in Jerusalem. The Ark of the Covenant, God’s sanctuary on Earth, has a permanent home at last. Solomon addresses the assembled leaders of Israel and Judah and reminds them of God’s covenant with his father David: “There shall never fail you a successor before me to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your children look to their way, to walk before me as you have walked before me.” Sadly, the people do fail in this vow to be just and righteous. The nation will decline and fall, the temple will be destroyed, and its leaders will be exiled as the prophets foretold.

First Reading (Track Two): Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18

Our Track Two first reading turns to the book of Joshua, who led the people after Moses died. They have finally arrived at the Promised Land after years of wandering in the desert. Now, Joshua confronts them with a decision that will shape their future in the land: Will they return to the old gods of their polytheistic ancestors of ancient times? Or will they renew the covenant that Abraham and Moses made with God, who has led them out of exile in Egypt and brought them safely through the desert? Their response is clear: “We … will serve the Holy One, for he is our God.” These are good intentions; but Joshua knows the people’s long history: The verses that come just before and after this reading, and the verses that today’s portion skips over, offer hard reminders that to break the covenant brings real consequences.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 84

This lyrical hymn of praise celebrates the joy of worshiping in the temple that Solomon built. Those who decide to put their trust in God – the Holy One of hosts – will receive God’s grace and glory, the Psalmist sings. The people in exile who prayed for God’s favor and accepted God’s covenant lived in trust that God would welcome them home. They waited in hope for the protection, favor and honor given to those who had trust. As God provides nests for the small birds, the psalm goes on, so will God provide for us: As God provides pools of water for thirsty travelers, so will God hear our prayers.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 34:15-22

We have chanted Psalm 34 in sections over three successive Sundays. This is the final week,conclinding its hymn of thanks and praise to our merciful, saving God. Like the Israelites entering Canaan, its verses tell us, those who make the decision to follow God’s commandments will earn God’s protection against fear, sorrow and danger. Those who choose otherwise – the wicked and the unrighteous – will eventually be punished, the Psalmist sings. But those who choose to serve God can trust in God.

Second Reading: Ephesians 6:10-20

As we reach the last of seven Sunday readings from the letter to the Ephesians, we hear another call to make a choice: As a persecuted church, a tiny minority in the Empire of Rome, the people clearly understood that their struggle was not against “blood and flesh” but against the forces of evil that powerful earthly rulers represent. Put on the whole armor of God, this reading commands us: Our armor, breastplate, helmet, sword, belt and sturdy shoes of faith in God will protect us when we choose to boldly declare our faith.

Gospel: John 6:56-69

Our five-week journey through Jesus’ difficult discourse about eating his body and drinking his blood comes to its end this Sunday. We have seen the enthusiastic crowds that surrounded him at the start gradually dwindle away as they hear each new and troubling call to eat Jesus’ body and drink his blood in order to gain eternal life. First the skeptics and faithless, then some of the temple authorities, had turned away in disgust. Now the division grows as many of his own disciples become uncomfortable and leave. Only those closest to Jesus decide to remain with him no matter what. Their faith wins out over doubt, even if they don’t understand it, because they know Jesus as the Holy One of God. Peter asks, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Aug. 15, 2021

First Reading (Track One): 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14

What is wisdom? What is foolishness? How do we gain the one and learn from the other? Sunday’s Lectionary readings offer insight to wisdom.

Christ Accused by the Pharisees (1308-1311), tempera painting on wood by Duccio di Buoninsegna (1255-1319). Museo dell’Opera Metropolitana del Duomo, Siena, Italy. (Click image to enlarge.)

In our Track One first reading, we hear that David has died after 40 years as king. His son Solomon, the second son of David and Bathsheba, ascends to the throne, and he will go on to a majestic reign. Here at the beginning of this reading, though, Solomon is well aware that he is young and inexperienced. When God comes to Solomon in a dream and invites him to ask for whatever he might wish, Solomon chooses wisely: He asks not for long life or riches but for the wisdom to govern well. God is pleased, and rewards Solomon with wisdom and honor, asking only that he walk in God’s way. All will go well for many years, but Solomon’s reign, sadly, will come to a bad end when the lure of great power corrupts him.

First Reading (Track Two): Proverbs 9:1-6

It may be a gift to be simple, as the Shakers sang, but the authors of Wisdom and the Psalms don’t treat simplicity so kindly. Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, the word “simple” depicts a naive person, one who lacks experience or, well, wisdom. In the Track Two first reading, Wisdom – personified in the Old Testament as a woman, present with God at the Creation – sets the table for a great feast, and invites the simple to come and be made wise. Through wisdom, we hear, we gain insight and become mature. We learn to walk in God’s way.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 111

Once again we hear a Psalm that we read earlier in this Lectionary year (during the season after Epiphany), but when we have it in the context of different readings we hear it in new ways. One of the many Psalms that sing God’s praise with joy and exultation, Psalm 111 shouts out our thanksgiving for all of God’s work, for all God’s majesty and splendor, for all of God’s justice that lasts forever. God feeds us, the Psalmist sings. God’s covenant redeems us. The people shout “Hallelujah!” “Praise God!”

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 34:9-14

The terminology of “fearing” God quickly leads to misunderstanding. I remember as a child being puzzled and more than a little disturbed the first time I encountered this. I hurried to ask Mom: “What does fearing the Lord mean? Are we supposed to be afraid of God?” Happily, she promptly reassured me: Think rather of being in awe – awestruck by God’s love and righteousness. If you love life, the Psalmist sings, be wise and follow God’s way. Speak kindly and with truth; avoid evil and do good; work for peace.

Second Reading: Ephesians 5:15-20

Sunday’s passage from the Letter to the Ephesians continues where last week’s reading left off. It fits neatly into the pattern of this week’s readings with its focus on pursuing wisdom, not foolishness, and fearing God not in fright and alarm but with awe that inspires love. Follow God’s way, filled with the Spirit, it urges us, giving thanks for all our blessings in prayer and song to God in Jesus’ name.

Gospel: John 6:51-58

Over the five weeks that we spend with Jesus’ long “bread narrative” in John’s Gospel this summer, its tone has taken a turn. Initially, crowds were awed by Jesus feeding the multitude and followed him hoping for more, only to become confused. Then last week the discussion turned adversarial, as a crowd of Jewish temple authorities began questioning him. That argument continues in this week’s Gospel, but Jesus is steadfast. His audience seems horrified when he starts using a different Greek word for “eat,” choosing an earthy verb meaning “gnaw, crunch, or chew” to declare that all must “eat his flesh and drink his blood” to earn salvation and eternal life.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Aug. 8, 2021

First Reading (Track One): 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33

“Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will.” We’ll see this theme of Sunday’s Collect reflected in the week’s readings.

Death of Absalom (1753-1762), tapestry by Corrado Giaquinto (1703-1766). Palacio de Aranjuez, Madrid. (Click image to enlarge.)

In our Track One first reading, the child born of David’s rape of Bathsheba has died as the prophet Nathan foretold. Now we learn of the death of another of David’s sons, Absalom. Absalom had killed his half-brother, Amnon, for raping their sister, Tamar; then Absalom went to war against his father, seeking to wrest away Israel’s throne. David’s soldiers find Absalom trapped in a tree, and kill him despite David’s command to deal with him gently. Despite his son’s rebellion, David grieves him deeply. “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would that I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”

First Reading (Track Two): 1 Kings 19:4-8

When we are in trouble and despair, God provides us the physical and spiritual sustenance of the bread of life. This ongoing theme continues through Sunday’s Track Two Lectionary readings. In our first reading we find the Prophet Elijah torn by depression and fear. He has escaped the murderous anger of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, who had threatened to kill him. But now, alone in the stark wilderness and deeply depressed, he lies down under a broom tree and asks God to let him die. Instead, though, God sends an angel to tempt Elijah with hot cakes and water and loving support. This restores Elijah’s strength, and he resumes his prophesying.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 130

We often hear this Psalm of faithful hope in God in our Lectionary readings. In fact, it has been only a few weeks since we read it on the last Sunday in June! In the context of different readings, though, we may understand its verses in new and different ways. On June 27 we heard it alongside David’s grief at the death of his friend, Jonathan. Now we sing it in harmony with David’s grief over his son Absalom. God’s love and grace wait for us even when we are deep in grief, the Psalmist reminds us. We wait for God, just as in night’s darkest hours we wait for morning light.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 34:1-8

Our Track Two Psalm will present Psalm 34 in three parts this Sunday through August 22. Tradition holds that David himself sang this Psalm after he had narrowly escaped death at the hands of King Abimelech of the Philistines. Appropriately, it is a song of praise and thanksgiving for God’s protection in time of trouble. In an unusual sensory metaphor that has been adopted in a contemplative Taizé chant, we “taste and see” that God is good.

Second Reading: Ephesians 4:25-5:2

“Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.” This passage from the letter to the people of Ephesus still speaks good sense in modern times: Tell the truth. If you’re angry with your neighbor, work it out; don’t let anger divide you. Don’t steal. Work honestly, and share with those in need. Be honest, but be positive. Be gracious. Forgive one another. And at the end of the day, love each other as Jesus loves us, and try to live as Jesus would have us live.

Gospel: John 6:35, 41-51

The beloved verse that concluded last week’s Gospel is repeated as the first verse this week: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” These words describe our hope in the Eucharist so clearly that we often sing them in the Fraction Anthem before Communion. Here, though, the crowd following Jesus starts to push back. They know Jesus. They know his parents. They watched him grow up. Who is he to be talking like this? But Jesus stands firm, and will continue to do so as we continue through John’s extended exposition of Jesus as manna, the bread of life, for the next three Sundays.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Aug. 1, 2021

First Reading (Track One): 2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a

Last Sunday we heard a shocking story about King David, who raped the beautiful Bathsheba, then arranged to have her husband, Uriah, killed in battle so David could have Bathsheba for himself.

Israelites Gathering Manna (c.1490), tempera painting on canvas by Ercole de’ Roberti (c.1451-1496). National Gallery, London. (Click image to enlarge.)

This week we get the rest of the story: The prophet Nathan, following instructions from God, tells David about a selfish rich man who took away and slaughtered a poor man’s beloved lamb. Angry beyond measure, David curses the rich man and threatens to have him killed. Then comes Nathan’s charge: “You are the man!” A merciful God threatens David with serious punishment but spares his life. In the verses following these, though, Nathan foretells that the child of David’s illicit union must die.

First Reading (Track Two): Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15

From God’s gift of manna to God’s gift of grace through Jesus, our Track Two readings over the next few weeks focus on bread – the bread of life – as metaphor for God’s abundant love. In last Sunday’s First Reading, when the Prophet Elisha fed 100 people with a few small barley loaves, he recalled God promising the people that “They shall eat and have some left.” In this Sunday’s reading we go back to the verses of which Elisha spoke, when God provided abundant manna, a gift of bread in the desert.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 51:1-13

We heard this familiar Psalm passage a few months ago on the fifth Sunday of Lent, but it certainly bears repeating in the context of King David’s adultery and murder. The Psalm’s powerful narrative envisions David wracked in repentant guilt as he confronts his great sin. In poetic words that mirror the promises of God’s covenants with the people, David pours out his shame and grief. He makes no excuses for his wicked acts, but begs for God’s mercy and forgiveness. “Create in me a clean heart, O God,” the Psalmist begs in the assumed voice of David: create in us a clean slate upon which God can write a new covenant of love.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 78:23-29

The Psalmist remembers God’s gift of manna and gives thanks to the Creator who saw the people’s need and rained down on them all the bread and meat that they could eat. God filled them up; God gave them what they craved. The preceding verses of this pslam, which we don’t read this Sunday, add context: The Psalmist recalls how God led the people out of slavery in Egypt. God cared for them, and ultimately overcame divine anger and fed them with love in spite of their ungrateful complaints.

Second Reading: Ephesians 4:1-16

The author of Ephesians, writing in Paul’s name a generation or two later, seems to draw inspiration from Paul’s memorable metaphor in his in First Letter to the Corinthians. Like Paul, Ephesians envisions the Christian community as Christ’s body, in which each of us acts according to our gifts. We are all called to work together with humility and gentleness to make the body function, living in unity as one body and one spirit, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.”

Gospel: John 6:24-35

Huge crowds continue following Jesus around the shores of Galilee. Having watched his miraculous healings and shared in the bountiful loaves and fishes, they are fascinated by this remarkable rabbi. They want to know more about him, but Jesus quite bluntly tells them that they just want more bread. Don’t fret about the world’s bread that does not last, Jesus tells them. Continuing his extended discussion about the bread of life that we will hear in John’s Gospel through most of August, Jesuus declares in these beloved words: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for July 25, 2021

First Reading (Track One): 2 Samuel 11:1-15

If you wondered why the Lectionary skipped over the story of Jesus feeding the multitude in Mark’s Gospel last Sunday, this week provides the answer: We get John’s account of the loaves and the fishes instead, as our Gospel readings take a midsummer turn to John and the bread of life for the next several weeks.

The Miracle of the Five Loaves and two Fish (1547-1548), oil painting on linden wood panel by Lucas Cranach the Elder, (1472-1553). National Museum of Fine Arts, Stockholm, Sweden. (Click image to enlarge.)

Before we get to the Gospel, though, our Track One first reading opens a dark chapter in the life of King David. In spite of the fame that David earned through his kingship and victories as a warrior, when he was bad, he was very, very bad. He is so attracted by the sight of beautiful Bathsheba bathing on her roof that he summons her, rapes her – no kinder term will serve for a person in his power taking her without her consent – and then arranges for the death in battle of her husband, Uriah, so he can take her.

First Reading (Track Two): 2 Kings 4:42-44

Just about everyone enjoys the story about the time that Jesus fed a crowd with loaves and fishes that mysteriously multiply to more than fulfill the need. This is surely one of the most familiar Gospel stories. In fact, it is Jesus’ only miracle that is told in all four Gospels; we hear John’s version on Sunday. You may not be so quick to recall the similar story of the Prophet Elisha feeding a similar, if smaller, multitude, though! Faced with a crowd of hungry people, Elisha directed that they be fed from a sack of food that a man had brought to sacrifice. He had only 20 loaves and a bit of grain for 100 people, which didn’t seem like much. But with God’s help it proved to be more than enough. Just as in the Gospel stories, there were even leftovers.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 14

Psalm 14 resonates with David’s heinous behavior in the first reading. The Psalmist, speaking in the voice of a disappointed king, laments that the people have turned faithless and corrupt, foolishly denying God as they commit abominable acts. God looks down to see if any wise people remain, but there are none. But even in these times of evil, the Psalmist sings, God remains with the righteous. God is the refuge of the just, and eventually will deliver the people and restore their fortunes.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 145:10-19

Like many of the Psalms, this hymn of praise and thanksgiving expresses gratitude to a God who is not only powerful but faithful and merciful too. God is always prepared gently to lift up those who fall and to support those who are oppressed, we hear in this portion of Psalm 145. Echoing the bounty that God provided for the hungry people in the Ezekiel reading and the hungry crowd that we will see on the mountainside in John, the Psalmist, too, celebrates God who gives us food; whose outstretched hands satisfy every living creature.

Second Reading: Ephesians 3:14-21

In Sunday’s passage from the letter to the Ephesians we hear the author kneel before God to lift up a prayer for the people being addressed: He prays that the people of Ephesus may receive strength through the Holy Spirit and have Christ living in their hearts through faith. Then this selection closes with a beautiful blessing that the Book of Common Prayer offers as a benediction in Morning and Evening Prayer: “Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.”

Gospel: John 6:1-21

Starting Sunday and continuing through the month of August, our gospel readings will turn from our year with Mark to visit the sixth chapter of John, in which Jesus discourses at length about the bread of life. We begin with John’s version of the familiar story of the loaves and fishes. John hints at the Eucharist in his account, in which Jesus blesses the bread, then distributes five barley loaves and two fish to 5,000 people. Somehow this small portion feeds everyone abundantly, with more left over than they had to start with. The crowds are so amazed that they clamor to make Jesus king, but he slips away, catching up with the startled disciples by walking miles across the water to join them in their boat.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for July 18, 2021

First Reading (Track One): 2 Samuel 7:1-14a

Our Track One first readings will continue following the life and acts of King David through mid-August, when we will turn to David’s son, Solomon.

The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes (1886-1896). Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper by James Tissot (1836-1902). The Brooklyn Museum. (Click image to enlarge.)

In Sunday’s reading David, having consolidated Israel and Judah under his rule, becomes concerned about the people’s long-standing custom of keeping the Ark of the Covenant in a tent. This practice, he believes, is not sufficient to reflect the greatness of God. David decides to build a great temple, but God, speaking through the Prophet Nathan, dismisses this idea. God tells Nathan that God’s home is with the House of David, the dynasty of God’s people. It will later fall to Solomon to build the first temple.

First Reading (Track Two): Jeremiah 23:1-6

The image of a shepherd as metaphor for a caring leader who protects the flock recurs in several of our Track Two readings. First we hear the prophet Jeremiah speaking fierce truth to the power of Babylon, which had destroyed Jerusalem and the temple and was holding many of the people in exile. God is going to round up the remnant of his scattered flock and bring them home like a shepherd with his flock, the prophet declares, and the oppressors will be punished for their evil. Soon, the prophet adds, God will restore the glory of the lost kingdom, raising up a mighty new king like David.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 89:20-37

Our Track One Psalm portion follows the first reading with a celebration of God’s covenant with David and his descendants: God made this royal family to endure forever. David’s line will last even through the devastation of war and the pain of exile, the Psalmist sings. David’s line will remain even through God’s wrath when the nation breaks its covenant with God. The people’s iniquities might bring punishment, the rod and the lash, but their actions will never take away God’s love nor prevent the rise of a new David, Messiah and King.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 23

Our Lectionary rarely goes long without repeating the beloved 23rd Psalm. We come back to it five times in the three-year cycle of readings, allowing us to rest in the glow of its assurance that God’s goodness and mercy are always with us. If you’re feeling lost or uneasy, consider reading the 23rd Psalm in prayer: Sit quietly. Say the verses once or twice. Breathe deeply and relax. Close your eyes, and try to feel the comforting presence of the Shepherd. Stay with it silently, and be thankful for God’s restoring grace.

Second Reading: Ephesians 2:11-22

The author of the letter to the Ephesians seeks to assure formerly Gentile Christians in this small community that they are fully invested in the community, completely united with their Jewish Christian sisters and brothers without any need to follow Jewish law. All have become one through Christ Jesus, the cornerstone, who brings near even those who were once far away. At the time of this writing, late in the first century after the fall of the Temple, Jewish Christianity and rabbinic Judaism were splitting apart. The early church was actively seeking to bring in Gentile converts, and it was important to emphasize the truth that all had become one in Christ.

Gospel: Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

In the Gospel for the Sunday before last, we heard Jesus sending his disciples out in pairs to heal the sick, cast out demons, and teach the good news. Now they’ve returned home, eager to talk about their mission. Perhaps they’re worn out, too, as Jesus invites them go in the boat to a quiet place to rest. But the crowds following Jesus are too eager to wait, so they follow like a herd of sheep, and Jesus feels a shepherd’s compassion for them. Later, after the Lectionary skips over the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus and the apostles cross over the water and land at Gennesaret, where another large flock comes running to see Jesus. Of course this loving shepherd willingly touches and heals all who come.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for July 11, 2021

First Reading (Track One): 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19

King David, who now reigns over the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah, celebrates as the Ark of the Covenant, which had been in the hands of the Philistines, arrives in Jerusalem.

Herod’s Banquet (c.1470), tempera painting on wood with stucco reliefs and gold leaf by Pedro García de Benabarre (1445-1485). Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Barcelona. (Click image to enlarge.)

This portable shrine, which the people had built in the desert as a holy throne for God, stood at the heart of Israel’s worship. Its arrival was met with great celebration, music and dancing; David himself leaped and danced with all his might. In one curious verse, though, we discover that Saul’s wife, Michal, saw him dancing and “despised him in her heart.” What was that about? Later verses suggest that Michal didn’t think that David was decently dressed during his dance in front of all the people of Israel.

First Reading (Track Two): Amos 7:7-15

Amos never expected to be a prophet. He was a humble herder and tender of sycamore trees. But he heeded God’s call to tell the people of Israel to expect destruction because God had measured them and found them wanting. When Amos warned King Amaziah to expect destruction and exile, the angry King told Amos to get out of his sight, to go back where he came from. Amos learned, as did John the Baptist some six centuries later (as we hear in this week’s Gospel), that prophecy can be dangerous and can get a person killed. Nevertheless, both prophets heard God’s call and did not refuse to answer it.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 24

Bible scholars find hints of ancient liturgy in this Psalm. Thought to be a hymn to be sung in procession toward the Temple, it rhetorically asks how one earns the right to come in and worship. The priest calls out, “who shall stand in his holy place?” The crowd roars back, “Those who have clean hands and pure hearts!” “Who is the king of glory?” “The Lord of hosts!” All who come to the Temple with clean hands and pure hearts can count on the protection of God, the King of Glory.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 85:8-13

This beautiful Psalm segment gives us a moment of peace between the anger in Amos in the first reading and the violence of John the Baptist’s death in the Gospel. When God speaks, the faithful people hear peace. Heaven and earth meet in truth and righteousness; righteousness and peace share a tender kiss. God grants prosperity and a fruitful harvest, and all manner of things shall be well.

Second Reading: Ephesians 1:3-14

Our second readings for the next six Sundays will be taken from the letter to the Ephesians, a letter most likely written by a later follower of Paul around the end of the first century. The Christian community in Ephesus was facing persecution. Many of its leaders were struggling to fit in to popular culture, and Ephesians may reflect that, as its pages include some difficult passages (which we won’t hear in our readings) that urge wives to submit to their husbands and slaves to obey their owners. In today’s reading, though, Paul’s concept of grace as God’s free gift through Jesus remains at the center. We also see hints of an evolving theology of Christ being present with God before the creation of the Earth.

Gospel: Mark 6:14-29

It did not take evil King Herod long to learn about the healings and miracles that Jesus and his apostles were performing in Galilee, and he was very likely both angry and afraid. Herod may have been troubled by a guilty conscience, as he had just had John the Baptist beheaded – at the insistence of his new wife and her daughter – and Herod wasn’t happy about that. Now that rumors are swirling about Jesus and his activity in Galilee, people are wondering if Jesus is John, brought back to life, and Herod wonders about that, too: “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”

\Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for July 4, 2021

First Reading (Track One): 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27

Last week we heard David mourn the deaths of King Saul and Saul’s son Jonathan, David’s beloved friend.

Christ in the synagogue (1868), sketch in oils by Nikolai Nikolaevich Ge (1831-1894). The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. (Click image to enlarge.)

Now David is called by all the tribes and elders to be formally anointed king over all Israel: both the Northern Kingdom with its capital at Hebron, and Judah, the Southern Kingdom, where Jerusalem is the capital. The elders, who had sworn fealty to Saul, now pledge loyalty to David, recognizing that God has called him to be shepherd over Israel. David will reign for 40 years, becoming greater and greater and earning for Jerusalem the title “City of David.”

First Reading (Track Two): Ezekiel 2:1-5

What is it like when we want to share something that’s important to us, but no one will listen … or, worse, people make fun of us for expressing our heartfelt opinion? Sunday’s Track Two readings touch in a way on this spiritual challenge. In the first reading, God calls Ezekiel to prophesy to Israel, an impudent and stubborn people who have rebelled against God. They may choose to hear or not to hear, God tells Ezekiel; but he is to speak truth all the same, so they will know that they have heard a prophet.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 48

Psalm 48 celebrates the founding narrative of Israel’s kingdom in Jerusalem, where the first temple would be built atop Zion, God’s holy mountain. The Psalmist sings praise to the greatness of God, who placed the city of the great king on this lofty hill, the very center of the world. Let the kings of the earth who might march on Zion in hope of conquest look and be astounded, the Psalmist sings. Let them writhe and tremble and run away, for God has established this citadel forever.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 123

Psalm 123 is one of many Psalms titled a “song of ascent,” traditionally regarded as processional hymns to be sung as the priests and people go up the hill toward the Temple. The Psalm calls on a merciful God to hear the prayer of a people whose voices have gone unheard by Israel’s “1 percent,” the contemptuous and scornful rich and proud.

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:2-10

This passage concludes our seven-week journey in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, and it leaves us with mysterious concepts. Even bible historians and theologians aren’t sure what Paul means about the “third heaven” or the “thorn” that troubles him but that he does not describe. Perhaps the third heaven describes his own spiritual experience, and the thorn an unnamed illness or disability. But Paul leaves us with no ambiguity as to his point: Through prayer and reliance on God’s grace through Christ, we all can struggle successfully, despite our weakness, to endure hardships that come from both within and without.

Gospel: Mark 6:1-13


Growing crowds have been following Jesus around Galilee as he teaches and heals, and now they follow him back home to Nazareth. His old neighbors and friends are astounded at first, too, by his teaching and preaching in the synagogue. But then they remember that they know this guy. He’s the carpenter’s son! What makes him so high and mighty? Indeed, as Jesus said, prophets are not without honor except in their home town. Then Jesus sends out his followers, two by two, to tell the good news, but he warns them to expect more of the same. Don’t dress up, he says. Don’t act special. If people won’t welcome you for the word you bring, move on down the road until you find people who will.