Epiphany 3B

Posted on January 18, 2021 by Robin Garr

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 24, 2021

Listen for these themes in Sunday’s readings: God’s love is steadfast: When we do wrong, when we repent, return and hear God’s good news, God is quick to forgive and welcome us back.

Jonah preaching to the people of Nineveh (17th century), oil painting on canvas by Andrea Vaccaro (1604-1670). Museo de Bellas Artes of Seville, Spain. Click image to enlarge.)

In the first reading we hear the ancient story of Jonah, the reluctant prophet, who ran away when God called him to prophesy to the people of Nineveh, and ended up taking an unwanted journey in a giant fish. Now, spewed out on the beach, Jonah feels more cooperative. The prophecy that God commanded him to give has great effect: All the people of this great city accept Jonah’s call to fast and repent! Then God shows forgiving mercy, and decides not to destroy the people after all. (In the following verses that conclude this short book, Jonah is more than angry about this turn of events, but God’s mercy abides.)

Psalm: Psalm 62: 6-14

Wait for God, hope in God, the Psalmist sings. Trust God above all else. When all others fail, God, our strong rock and our refuge, will reward our trust in God’s power and steadfast love. Others cannot be trusted, the Psalmist tells us over and over again: “On the scales they are lighter than a breath.” But God is always there, always holding the power, always ready to repay us all according to our good deeds.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 7: 29-31

Much like last week’s reading from 1 Corinthians, Paul’s instructions to the Christians of Corinth sound daunting and harsh. Give up our husbands and wives? Don’t buy possessions, mourn our dead or rejoice our victories? This passage makes clear why we must be more than cautious about reading Paul’s directions to his First Century flock as if they direct our activity in the 21st. Hear these verses in Paul’s context: He was certain that this world was passing away as the Kingdom of God drew near; he was sure that Christ would return very soon, bringing a new way of life. Nothing was more important than that; not husbands and wives, not mourning or joy.

Gospel: Mark 1:14-20

The public ministry of Jesus as told by Mark has begun! On the first Sunday after Epiphany we heard Mark’s account of John baptizing Jesus in the River Jordan, when a dove came down from heaven declaring to Jesus that he is the son of God. Now in Sunday’s Gospel events are moving fast. John has been arrested, and Jesus has taken over John’s call to prophesy repentance and declare the good news of God’s kingdom. Then Jesus calls his first disciples, who follow him immediately without any discussion or question, and the long journey toward the cross and resurrection begins.

Epiphany 2B

Posted on January 11, 2021 by Robin Garr

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 17, 2021

First Reading: 1 Samuel 3:1-10

Sunday’s Lectionary readings prompt us to think about listening for God’s voice in the world … and about taking care to discern just what we hear.

Samuel Relating to Eli the Judgements of God upon Eli’s House (1780), oil painting on canvas by John Singleton Copley (1738-1815). Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, Connecticut. (Click image to enlarge.)

In the first reading, the boy Samuel – who will grow up to be a prophet when Israel becomes a kingdom under Saul – hears a mysterious voice calling him in the night. He thinks that it his guardian Eli, the high priest and judge (which was the title of the Israelites’ leader in the days before kings). But Eli, who was sleeping, eventually realizes that Samuel is hearing the voice of God. Eli advises the boy to respond, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” After Samuel reports what he has heard from God, Eli accepts it, even though it is bad news for Eli and his blasphemous sons who had corrupted the priesthood.

Psalm: Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17

It may be difficult for us to discern what God asks of us, the Psalmist sings, but we can rely on God’s full and complete knowledge of our every thought. God knows us, God knows when we move forward and when we sit down; God knows every word that we speak and every word that we think. Chanting, “How deep I find your thoughts, O God! How great is the sum of them,” the Psalmist assures us that, although we can never know all that God wills for us, there is joy and hope in listening for God’s voice.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

On a casual reading, this passage from 1 Corinthians might make us groan,“Oh, no, Paul is ranting about sexuality again.” If we check the context of these verses that seem to address immorality and sleeping around, though, we find – as we often do in Paul’s letters – he is addressing pastoral advice to a loving, but sometimes troublesome, church community. The Christinas of Corinth have been arguing. They’re split into factions. Some haven’t been behaving well. Some even believe that their baptism makes it okay for them to behave immorally! Paul’s direction is simple: Listen for God’s voice through the Holy Spirit. Remember that our bodies are parts of Christ and temples of the Holy Spirit, and honor God by doing the right thing.

Gospel: John 1:43-51

After his brief encounter with John at the Jordan, Jesus begins calling his apostles one and two at a time, according to the account in John’s Gospel. Andrew and Simon Peter first heard Jesus’s call. Then he called Philip, who in turn wants to get his friend Nathanael into the growing band. But Nathanael is wary at first. This Jesus comes from Nazareth? That’s not where the Messiah is supposed to come from! But when Jesus speaks to Nathanael in words that seem to echo the Psalm’s phrases such as “My body was not hidden from you.” Nathanael – who is named as an apostle only by John – hears Jesus’ call and delightedly accepts him as the Son of God and King of Israel.

Epiphany 1B/Baptism of Our Lord

Posted on January 4, 2021 by Robin Garr

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 10, 2021

First Reading: Genesis 1:1-5

We remember the Baptism of Jesus this Sunday, and all our readings speak of creation and new life through God in Word and Spirit.

The Baptism of Christ )c.1510-20), oil painting on oak wood by Joachim Patinir (c.1480-1524). Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. (Click image to enlarge.)

Our first reading presents the familiar opening verses of the ancient creation story in Genesis. Glimpsed through its firm monotheism, we can see an emerging idea of God in three persons: God the Creator presides. The Word that God speaks makes the light shine in the darkness. God’s spirit wind breathes over the face of the water. In the beginning God created heaven and earth, and it was good. In the beginning was the Word.

Psalm: Psalm 29

This striking, poetic psalm portrays God’s spirit wind as a majestic and powerful storm. Such a storm, breaking mighty cedars, shooting flames, and shaking the wilderness, might send us running for shelter. But it is also the kind of memorable storm symphony that might lead us outside to feel the rain and the wind touch our faces as the towering clouds roll by. It is an apt image for the God who reigns over all creation, giving us strength and peace.

Second Reading: Acts 19:1-7

In last week’s second reading we heard Paul pray that God would give God’s Spirit of wisdom and revelation to the Ephesians, enlightening their hearts. Now we turn to the Acts of the Apostles, written a generation or two later, and find Luke’s account of Paul in Ephesus, introducing a dozen Ephesians to the Holy Spirit. They had received John the Baptist’s baptism of repentance previously, but had not heard of the Holy Spirit. Now, as Paul baptizes them in the Spirit in Jesus’ name, they joyfully speak in tongues and prophesy as the Holy Spirit comes to them.

Gospel: Mark 1:4-11

Now God’s Spirit moves over the waters again, this time embodied as a dove coming down while Jesus emerges, dripping, from Jordan’s water, baptized by the prophet John. Jesus looks up, sees the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove, and he hears God’s voice from above, telling him that he is God’s Son, God’s Beloved, in whom God is pleased. Before all this, John defers to Jesus’ greater power to baptize with the Holy Spirit. He proclaims that Jesus is the more powerful one who is coming after him and whose sandals he is not worthy to untie.

Christmas 2

Posted on December 28, 2020 by Robin Garr

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 3, 2021

First Reading: Jeremiah 31:7-14

Merry Christmas! Yes, we are still in Christmastide: The 12 days of Christmas continue through Epiphany, January 6, and our readings, appropriate for the season, reflect thanksgiving, hope, and joy.

The Flight into Egypt (c.1570), oil painting on canvas by El Greco (1541-1614). Museo del Prado, Madrid. (Click image to enlarge.)

Even Jeremiah, often called “the weeping prophet” for the dire warnings of destruction that fill his prophecy, resounds with shouts of praise and joy today. The prophet offers hope for all of God’s people, even those weeping in sorrow and pain. God will comfort all, turn our sorrow into gladness, our mourning into joy. The Episcopal Lectionary offers a choice of three Gospels this week: Matthew’s account of the Holy Family’s escape to Egypt from King Herod’s wrath; Luke’s story of the boy Jesus in the Temple; and Matthew’s narrative of the visit of the wise men from the East.

Psalm: Psalm 84

The Psalmist sings a hymn of trust, praise, and joy. Even amid the joy of having the building restored, though, the real exultation rests not on a structure built by humans but on the grace and glory found in encountering God. God will protect the people and lead them back home. God will provide clear water in desolate places, protect them in the heights and serve as their shield against burning sun and raging enemy. And, home at last, they will know the joy of worshiping in God’s temple as Jeremiah had foretold, lavished with God’s grace and glory.

Second Reading: Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-19a

Paul offers generous, expansive praise in the opening pages of his letter to the people of Ephesus, then a Greek city on what is now Turkey’s Aegean shore. Paul praises the Ephesians for their faith in Jesus and offers them a promise similar to the one we heard in last week’s reading from Galatians: All are adopted as God’s children through Jesus, and in this way are freely given God’s grace. Like migrants received with a loving embrace in their new land, all receive a glorious inheritance of great spiritual riches that fosters hope.

Gospel: Matthew 2:13-23

This is a hard reading to ponder during the joy of Christmastide, and it gets worse if you look up the three verses that the Lectionary omits: The horrifying story about Herod’s genocidal slaughter of the infants in Bethlehem. This bloody event may not be historical, as neither Flavius Josephus nor other historians of the era mention it. Even without this passage, the story of the flight to Egypt out of fear of Herod frames an important reality: When Jesus is grown, he will seek to bring in the Kingdom of God by delivering good news to the poor and the oppressed. This mission will not always be received with joy and approval, and it ends with his crucifixion. There is risk in following Jesus, but do we really have a choice?

Alternate Gospel: Luke 2:41-52

The four gospels tell us little or nothing about Jesus’s childhood and youth. This disappointing gap is filled only by this short, fascinating story that appears only in Luke’s Gospel. Twelve-year-old Jesus disappears while the family is in Jerusalem, to the horror of Joseph and Mary, who find him three days later in the Temple, impressing the elders with his intelligent discussion. The child reassures his frantic parents, declaring that his place is in his “Father’s house,” the Temple. In the next chapter, in Luke’s account of the baptism of the 30-year-old Jesus by John the Baptist in the Jordan, we will hear the voice of God announce that Jesus is indeed God’s beloved Son.

Alternate Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12

One of the most memorable Christmas stories tells of the wise men from the East who followed a shining star to Bethlehem, the village that the prophets foretold as the birthplace of the Messiah. It might surprise us, though, to remember that Matthew doesn’t actually say there were three of them, or that they were kings. They are called “Magi,” or “magicians,” in the original Greek, and the New Revised Standard Version translates it as “wise men.” So they came, following the star. They bore gifts. They knelt and paid homage to baby Jesus as if he were a king … and then they thwarted evil Herod’s plan by heading home by another road.

Christmas 1

Posted on December 26, 2020 by Robin Garr

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Dec. 27, 2020

First Reading: Isaiah 61:10-62:3

Joy to the world! Christmas has come, and the Word that was present at the moment of creation now brings us the light of God and dwells among us.

Holy Family with St. John the Baptist (1580s), oil painting by Benedetto Caliari (c.1538-1598). King John III Palace Museum in Wilanów, Warsaw, Poland. (Click image to enlarge.)

In the first reading for the Sunday after Christmas Day, Isaiah’s great book of prophecy has reached its closing chapters. The people have returned from exile; even if there is plenty of hard work yet to be done, the mood is joyous and exultant. The prophet shows us appealing images of the people as a joyous bridal pair looking forward to a new life together, and of God as a nurturing gardener. The reading concludes by celebrating the new Zion’s righteousness and praise for God as an example to all the nations.

Psalm: Psalm 147

God’s promises have been fulfilled! Praise the Lord, or in the original Hebrew, Hallelujah! One of the six hymns of praise and triumph that complete the Psalms, these verses ring in harmony with the Isaiah reading for the day, exulting in the people’s return from exile to rebuild Jerusalem with God’s help. Here again we see an image of God as nurturing keeper of a divine garden, sending gentle rain for grass and crops and finest wheat, nurturing food for our flocks and herds and for us all.

Second Reading: Galatians 3:23-25;4:4-7

Throughout his short letter to the Galatians, Paul argues fiercely against some in the early church who demanded that gentile converts follow the strict Jewish law. We should be careful not to interpret these words as anti-Jewish or as suggesting that the new covenant abolishes the old. But we can all celebrate his ringing conclusion to this passage. These beautiful, hope-giving verses speak of God’s Christmas gift to all humankind: We are claimed as adopted children and heirs of God through our sisterhood and brotherhood with Jesus.

Gospel: John 1:1-18

While Matthew’s and Luke’s Gospels start with the Christmas story of the birth of Jesus, and Mark’s begins with Jesus’ baptism. But John’s Gospel begins in a markedly different way, in poetic and spiritual verses that demand our attention. The book begins with the same words that begin the Bible in Genesis: “In the beginning.” This is no coincidence. John wants us to know that the same Word of God that brought the world into being now comes as Jesus to bring us the light through which we can see God. Fully human now, but always fully divine, the Word was with God from the beginning, and now lives among us. John the Baptist was sent ahead as witness to tell the world this wonderful news.

Christmas Day I, II, and III

Posted on December 22, 2020 by Robin Garr

Thoughts on the Lessons for Dec. 25, 2020

(Lectionary Selections I, II, and III are customarily used respectively for Christmas Eve midnight, Christmas dawn, and the main service on Christmas Day.)

First Reading, Selection I: Isaiah 9:2-7

Christmas has come! We see a great light and sing a new song as we behold with joy in the city of David the birth of a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.

Adoration of the Shepherds (1632), oil painting by Matthias Stomer (c.1600-c.1652). Palazzo Madama, Turin, Italy. (Click image to enlarge.)

In our first reading, we hear words of the prophet Isaiah that would inspire the composer George Frideric Handel in “The Messiah.” The prophet foretells a glorious future when the oppressor’s yoke will be broken and a child will be born for us, a son given to us, a Wonderful Counsellor will take the throne of David: Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

First Reading, Selection II: Isaiah 62:6-12

In this first reading from Isaiah, the exile is ending. Through the power of God’s strong right hand and mighty arm, the people will return to Jerusalem. Prepare the way, build up the highway toward home and clear it of stones, the prophet calls. No longer shall enemies harvest Zion’s grain and drink its wine; God will bring a glorious future of redemption and salvation that will last until the end of time.

First Reading, Selection III: Isaiah 52:7-10

Israel’s exile in Babylon is ending in this selection from Isaiah, and God’s messenger brings good news of peace and salvation. When God leads the people back to Zion, the temple on the mountain, Jerusalem, even the ruins of the devastated city will break into song. Such is the joy of God’s return to the holy city: God reigns, the people are comforted, and all the nations shall see the power of God’s holy arm and the salvation that it brings.

Psalm, Selection I: Psalm 96

All the earth sings a new song, blessing God’s name in this joyous psalm of praise. There is fascinating theology here, ideas that we may see reflected in the New Testament: We are called to proclaim the good news of God’s salvation; we are to go out and declare God’s glory, a great commission to show God’s majesty to all the nations. The whole earth, the heavens, the seas, the forests and all that is in them rejoice before our God.

Psalm, Selection II: Psalm 97

God is king, and all creation rejoices. This Psalm praises God in an image of power and might that echoes the fearsome God who led the Israelites through the desert and protected them there, surrounded by clouds, lightning and fire. This psalm shows us a God over all other gods, over all other nations, but it also reveals a God who loves the righteous, provides light for them, and cares for those who live justly.

Psalm, Selection III: Psalm 98

Again we are called to stand up and rejoice in a Psalm of praise filled with joyous music, harps, trumpets and horns. We sing a new song of praise for the victory won by God’s mighty right hand and holy arm. All the nations, not only Israel, shout with joy. Even the sea, the land, the rivers and the hills will rejoice when God comes to judge all the world with righteousness and equity. Lift up your voice! Rejoice and sing!

Second Reading, Selection I: Titus 2:11-14

Here’s a Bible trivia fact: Titus is the only book of the New Testament that does not appear in the regular three-year Lectionary of Sunday service readings. We read in it only on Christmas Day. Much of Titus’ short letter is spent warning the people of Crete to rein in their sinful behavior, an instruction that leads to a worthy conclusion: We should live well and renounce bad actions as we wait for the grace of God through Jesus Christ, who gave himself to redeem us and make us God’s people.

Second Reading, Selection II: Titus 3:4-7

In this passage, Titus emphasizes that Jesus is God, our savior, the perfect manifestation of goodness and loving-kindness. Jesus saved us not because of any good that we had done, but entirely because he is merciful, giving us God’s grace through baptism by water and the Holy Spirit. Justified by God’s grace, we become heirs to eternal life through Jesus.

Second Reading, Selection III: Hebrews 1:1-4,(5-12)

The letter to the Hebrews begins with a beautifully poetic description of Jesus, chosen as the son of God, the perfect reflection of God’s glory, higher even than the angels. Indeed, it tells us, when Jesus was born into the world, multitudes of angels appeared in the heavens to worship him. Because Jesus loved righteousness and hated wickedness, says Hebrews, his throne is for ever and ever, and God speaks to us no longer through the prophets but through him.

Gospel: Luke 2:1-14(15-20), Selection I; and Luke 2:(1-7)8-20, Selection II

Now we come to the familiar Gospel story of Jesus’ birth. On the Vigil of Christmas we hear the nativity according to Luke. This is the Gospel that gives us the memorable stories of Mary giving birth, wrapping the child in swaddling clothes and laying him in a manger in Bethlehem – the City of David – because there was no room in the inn. Here we have the beautiful scene of baby Jesus and his parents suddenly surrounded by shepherds and their flocks. Angels sing gloriously overhead while the Lord’s angel tells them that the baby is a Savior and the Messiah.

Gospel, Selection III: John 1:1-14

There is no nativity story in this Christmas Gospel. Luke and Matthew, each in his own way, give us the familiar story of the newborn baby born in Bethlehem. But John introduces us to Jesus in a completely different way: It’s a poetic and spiritual passage instead, celebrating the unimaginable glory of God’s own word becoming flesh and living among us, lighting up the world. The Word that was in the beginning with God, when God said, “Let there be light,” is now, will be, and in God’s time always has been, incarnate as human flesh, Jesus, Messiah, God with us.

Advent 4B

Posted on December 14, 2020 by Robin Garr

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Dec. 20, 2020

First Reading: 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16

As we reach the fourth and final Sunday of Advent and turn toward Christmas, our readings trace the Messianic line of King David that Christians follow down the ages to Jesus.

The Annunciation (1597-1600), oil painting on canvas by El Greco (1541-1614). Prado Museum, Spain. (Click image to enlarge.)

In the first reading, King David, consolidating his earthly kingdom, was dissatisfied with the people’s custom of keeping the Ark of the Covenant in a mere tent. David wanted to build a great temple for God to live in. But God, speaking through the Prophet Nathan, dismisses this idea. God lives with the people. God’s home, David hears, is with the House of David, the dynasty of God’s people.

Psalm: Luke 1:46-55 (Canticle 15)

For the second Sunday in a row, the Magnificat, the surprisingly radical Song of Mary, is available as an alternative Psalm reading. As we hear in the Gospel for the week, the Angel Gabriel has told Mary that she will give birth to King David’s heir, the Messiah. In the verses of Luke following this Gospel, Mary goes to visit her relative, Elizabeth, who is pregnant with the child who will be John the Baptist. Elizabeth feels the infant John move with joy inside her when Mary arrives. Elizabeth declares Mary the blessed mother of God, full of grace. In response, Mary sings these starkly radical verses that foreshadow Jesus’ own teaching. She praises a God who scatters the proud, casts down the mighty, and sends the rich away hungry, while filling the hungry with good things.

Alternate to the Psalm: Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26

The Psalmist celebrates God’s covenant with David, a royal lineage that God established to last forever. Even through the devastation of war and the pain of exile, when Israel and Judah feared that God’s promise might have been revoked because the nation had broken its covenant by failing to be just and righteous, the Psalms sing of a new King David. This coming Messiah and King would rule the land forever, “from the great sea to the river,” from the shores of the Mediterranean to the Jordan.

Second Reading: Romans 16: 25-27

Throughout his powerful letter to the Romans, Paul has encouraged Rome’s Gentile and Jewish Christian communities to heal their differences and get along. Now, in a ringing doxology that concludes the epistle, he emphasizes that God’s covenant with the people, expressed through the prophets, is given for all humanity, all living forever in glory through Jesus Christ.

Gospel: Luke 1: 26-38

On this Sunday before Christmas, we hear Luke tell the familiar story of the Angel Gabriel’s visit to a young Palestinian woman named Mary, betrothed to Joseph of the House of David. Through God’s Holy Spirit this young virgin will give birth to a son named Jesus, who will inherit King David’s throne and rule over an eternal kingdom. She responds to this amazing news with simple, trusting acceptance: “Let it be with me according to your word.” And then, in the following verses that we read in the first alternative for Sunday’s Psalm, she goes on to utter the poetic, prophetic words of the Magnificat, the Song of Mary.

Advent 3B

Posted on December 7, 2020 by Robin Garr

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Dec. 13, 2020

First Reading: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11

The third Sunday of Advent is sometimes called Rose Sunday, when it’s traditional to light the pink candle on the Advent wreath. The more festive color marks light in the darkness as our Advent readings turn from the hope and fear of end times and Judgement Day. Now our thoughts move toward the Incarnation, the Messiah, the coming birth of Jesus on Christmas Day.

Madonna of the Magnificat (1483), tempera painting on panel by Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510), The Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy. (Click image to enlarge.)

In the first reading, we hear the Prophet Isaiah speaking to the people returning home from exile in Babylon to a devastated Jerusalem. In words that share some of the coventantal themes that we also hear this week in the alternate to the Psalm, the Song of Mary, the prophet declares that God’s good news comes to the poor, the oppressed, captives and prisoners. This is the same passage that Luke’s Gospel says Jesus read in his first visit in the synagogue at Nazareth.

Psalm: Psalm 126

Just as Isaiah told the people in exile of God’s promise that justice and righteousness would be restored, here the Psalmist sings that God’s promise has been fulfilled. God has indeed restored the fortunes of the Temple on Mount Zion, the Psalmist exults. Every verse of this short Psalm contains a shout of laughter, joy, gladness, or praise. God has been good. God has turned the people’s tears into songs of joy; their weeping into a bountiful harvest.

Alternate to the Psalm: Luke 1:46-55 (Canticle 15)

In place of the Psalm assigned for this day we may sing the Magnificat, the beautiful Song of Mary. In this passage from the first chapter of Luke’s Gospel. Mary has just been told by an angel that she will bear the Messiah, and goes to visit her relative, Elizabeth. Elizabeth, pregnant with the child who will be John the Baptist, feels the infant move with joy inside her when Mary comes in. Elizabeth declares Mary the blessed mother of God, full of grace. In response, Mary sings these starkly radical verses that foreshadow Jesus’ own teaching. They are liberating verses that praise a God who scatters the proud, casts down the mighty, and sends the rich away hungry, while filling the hungry with good things.

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Closing his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul urges the people to be prepared in prayer and rejoicing for Christ’s return. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing,” he urges the people, telling them to give thanks for all things, stay faithful and be filled with the Spirit. Hold fast to what is good and abstain from every kind of evil, he urges them, so they will be ready, “sound and blameless,” when Jesus Christ returns.

Gospel: John 1:6-8,19-28

This Sunday we hear the story of John the Baptist from the evangelist John. This version, in contrast with Mark’s account, makes no mention of the Baptist’s attire or his dietary preferences, but opens on a tense scene: The Temple authorities, worried about the noisy crowds surrounding him, want to know who John is. He is not the Messiah, nor a new prophet nor Elijah, John says. Rather, he says – quoting from the Isaiah verses that we heard last week – he is the voice of the one crying out in the wilderness, calling on the people to make straight the way of the Lord. He baptizes with water, John says, not for his own sake but to make way for the one who is coming after him, who is so much greater than John that John is unworthy to untie his sandals.

Advent 2B

Posted on November 30, 2020 by Robin Garr

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Dec. 6, 2020

First Reading: Isaiah 40:1-11

God is coming, so make the way ready. God is coming, so make ourselves ready.

The Holy Children, John and Jesus, drinking water from a shell (c.1670), painting by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617-1682). Prado Museum, Madrid. (Click image to enlarge.)

This Advent theme, reinforcing last week’s readings, comes full circle this Sunday, beginning with the Prophet Isaiah and returning in the opening verses of the Gospel according to Mark. Last week’s Isaiah reading took us to the end of the book, when the people have come home to a devastated Jerusalem, filled with fear and hope. This Sunday’s verses – familiar through their use in Handel’s beloved “Messiah” – are set in exile, with the people looking forward to their return home. Using a poetic image of a gentle, maternal Messiah who holds the lambs closely and gently leads the mother sheep, the prophet prays that God will comfort us, lead us like a shepherd, gather us like lambs in God’s protecting arms.

Psalm: Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13

Sunday’s Psalm shares the joyful hope that we hear in the Isaiah reading. The Psalmist remembers the people’s time in exile, and rejoices that God did, indeed, come to the people with comfort and peace. Even though the people had been sinful and broken their covenant with God, God forgave their iniquity and blotted out all their sins. The straight highway that was built at Isaiah’s command has become a path for God’s feet.

Second Reading: 2 Peter 3:8-15a

The short second letter in Peter’s name, the latest epistle in the New Testament, was likely written a century or more after the crucifixion. After so long, Christ’s expected return had surely become a concern for the early church. What did this delay mean? Perhaps God’s time is not like our time, the writer suggests in the letter’s closing lines. They echo a theme in the Isaiah reading: “One day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.” Still, be patient, the author urges God’s people. Live holy and godly lives. Be at peace, and wait for God.

Gospel: Mark 1:1-8

Think about this: These words, the first words of the first Gospel written, were set down perhaps 40 years after Jesus died on the cross, around the time that the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. Mark begins with no mention of the birth of Jesus or of his death and resurrection. Rather, he declares the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, then immediately introduces John the Baptist, who proclaims Isaiah’s prophesy of a messenger who will make the way straight. Jesus, John says, is so powerful that John is not worthy to stoop down and untie his sandals. John declares that he baptizes with water, but that Jesus will baptize us with the Holy Spirit!

Advent 1B

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Robin Garr

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Nov. 29, 2020

First Reading: Isaiah 64:1-9

It is Advent now, the first season of the new church year, and our Gospel readings for the year turn from Matthew to Mark. Our Hebrew Bible readings this year will take us through an anthology of Israel’s ancestral legends and its earthly kings.

Profeta Isaia (Prophet Isaiah), 18th Century painting by Antonio Balestra (1666-1740). Castelvecchio Museum, Verona, Italy. (Click image to enlarge.)

Sunday’s readings sound a consistent Advent theme: God is coming. God may come quietly and quickly; God may come with fire and upheaval. We must be ready. In our first reading from Isaiah, the people are returning home to Jerusalem from exile at last. They must face up to harsh reality: This is not the city they knew, but a devastated landscape with a destroyed Temple and a remnant of defeated people. Oh, God, the prophet cries, come down! Show your might, restore your people. Make us new, and forgive our sins.

Psalm: Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18

The Psalm, too, calls on God to hear the people’s prayers, set aside God’s anger, and restore Israel. The people have suffered. God’s punishment has forced them to endure their enemies’ derision and laughter. They have eaten and drunk their tears like bread and water. Please, God, the Psalmist pleads: Shine the light of your countenance upon us, save us, and we will never turn from you again.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Paul’s first letter to the people of Corinth, a busy Greek seaport city, is a deeply pastoral epistle that will address serious fractures in a small but passionate Christian community. Paul begins with no hint of conflict, addressing the people in the formal style of ancient Greek correspondence. He sets the scene by greeting the community with grace and peace. He reminds them that grace has come to them through Jesus and enriched them, filling them with spiritual gifts. Because of this, Paul assures them, they will be ready, strong and blameless when Christ returns.

Gospel: Mark 13:24-37

The Prophet Isaiah spoke of his hope for God to come and bring justice after the first destruction of Jerusalem. Now we hear a similar call from the evangelist Mark soon after the Romans have destroyed the city and the temple again. As Mark anticipates Jesus’ return in power and glory, it is no wonder that he uses apocalyptic language. Mark imagines Jesus speaking of the signs and portents that will accompany his return: In three quick images, Jesus warns of a tumultuous time; advises his followers to watch for signs of his return; and urges them to be on the watch. Be ready, be awake, be alert, he warns, for we do not know the time or the hour.

Illuminations

Welcome to Illuminations. We hope these brief reflections on Sunday's readings will help you prepare thoughtfully for worship.