The Epiphany

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Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013.

Adoration of the Magi

Adoration of the Magi

First Reading: Isaiah 60:1-6
God’s light dawns like a new day, and a virtual blanket of camels bearing gifts from surrounding kingdoms covers the nation’s earth as they trek toward Jerusalem. This song, concluding the prophecies of Isaiah, celebrated Israel’s return after years of exile. Now images of kings bearing gifts of gold and frankincense speak to us as Christians, too, as we celebrate Epiphany. What gifts can we bring to the Christ child?

Psalm 72
Today’s Psalm, too, attributed by tradition to King Solomon, celebrates Israel’s time of glory with images of kings of all nations bearing gifts. With God’s blessing, the Psalmist exults, Israel’s king earns the service of all nations. But with this glory comes an important duty to be righteous and just. The king “delivers the needy when they call, the poor and those who have no helper.” May we, too, remember to have pity on the weak and the needy, and to stand up against oppression and violence.

Second Reading: Ephesians 3:1-12
Biblical scholars (and seminarians!) debate whether the letter to the people of Ephesus, on the western coast of what is now Turkey, was actually written by Paul or by a later follower, or even if it was written to the church in Ephesus or to a broader audience of Christians. The message in these verses, though, clearly echoes two of Paul’s consistent themes: The Gentiles, and thus all humankind, are included in God’s chosen people; and it’s up to all of us as Christ’s body on earth to make God’s wisdom known.

Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12
“We three kings of Orient are …” Everyone loves this traditional carol of Christmas and Epiphany. Surely we all remember the familiar story of the wise men from the East, even if it might startle us a little to realize that Matthew doesn’t actually say there were three of them, nor that they were kings. They came, following a 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. Can we listen for God’s voice in our lives? How will you follow your star?

Christmas 1

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Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012.

"In the beginning was the Word"

“In the beginning was the Word”

First Reading: Isaiah 61:10-62:3
The prophet Isaiah sings of joy and exultation in this week’s reading. The book of Isaiah, one of the major prophets, is divided into three parts that speak of the times before, during and after Israel’s exile in Babylon. These verses reflect the people’s return to Jerusalem with joy and hope that God will restore the city and the temple. As we celebrate the Incarnation now in Christmastide, we too pray that God’s righteousness and justice will spring up like a garden in the world.

Psalm 147:13-21
Here is one of the final group of songs that ends the book of Psalms with triumphant praise. Echoing the reading from Isaiah, it sings of gratitude for God’s protection over Jerusalem and its temple, and acknowledges God’s reign over all humankind. As we pray in this chilly winter season, we can appreciate the power of God’s word to melt the snow and frost, of God’s spirit to make the waters flow.

Second Reading: Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7
Paul’s letter to the people of Galatia, in what is now Turkey, gives us a glimpse of the early church when Christianity and Judaism were separating. Paul has heard that other evangelists came to Galatia after him and told its Gentile converts that they must follow Jewish law in order to be Christian. Paul reassures the Galatians that God’s spirit comes to them – as it comes to all Christians – directly through Jesus and gives us all we need to grow into spiritual adulthood.

Gospel: John 1:1-18
The words that open John’s Gospel are so familiar that we may feel we know them, but it takes thought to discern their meaning. 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 ever and always fully divine, the Word was with God, and now lives among us. And, the verses tell us, John the Baptist was sent ahead as witness to tell the world.

Advent 4C

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Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012.

These readings are scheduled for the 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eucharist services at St. Matthew’s. At the 10 a.m. Eucharist, we will have a traditional service of Lessons and Carols. Come, join us at any service: Everyone is welcome here, no matter who you are or where you are on your spiritual journey.

The Magnificat, the Song of Mary.

The Magnificat, the Song of Mary.

First Reading: Micah 5:2-5a
Micah, one of the earliest Old Testament prophets, warned the people of Jerusalem that their injustices against the weak and the poor would bring down God’s wrath. Having foretold the destruction of the city by the Assyrians, he promises that a new ruler would come from the village of Bethlehem – the birthplace of King David – to restore peace to the surviving remnant. Christians read this as a promise of Jesus as Messiah, but its broader message tells us that God desires justice and will reward righteousness with peace.

Canticle 15 (Luke 1:46b-55)
Today we sing the Magnificat, the song of Mary, who celebrates her coming child, Jesus, the son of a powerful and merciful God who loves us and calls us to acts of mercy and justice.

Second Reading: Hebrews 10:5-10
The Letter to the Hebrews, modern biblical scholars say, probably originates from the early 100s, after the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D., when Christianity was separating from rabbinical Judaism. Perhaps intended to reach backsliding Christian Jews, it seems to suggest that God abolished the “empty” sacrifices of the Jewish Temple, replacing them with Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. In modern times, especially after the Holocaust, we should try to avoid this view of Judaism as “abolished,” hearing instead the hopeful message that God’s promise to Israel at Sinai continues in us, the body of Christ, through Jesus’ incarnation, the Christmas miracle.

Gospel: Luke 1:39-45
This lovely short reading in Luke comes immediately before the Magnificat, the Song of Mary, which we heard earlier. Here we are told of Mary’s visit to her much older cousin Elizabeth. Both women are pregnant – Elizabeth with John, Mary with Jesus – and both conceived in miraculous ways, visited by angels with the news that they would give birth. When the women meet, Elizabeth feels her child leap in her womb with what she perceives as joy. Can we leap with joy as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas time?

Advent 3C

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Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012.

A medieval rendering of the Prophet Zephaniah

A medieval rendering of the Prophet Zephaniah

First Reading: Zephaniah 3:14-20
This week we light the pink candle on our Advent wreath, marking Rose Sunday or Gaudete (“Rejoice”) Sunday. Today’s readings call us to be joyful. Zephanaiah, a minor prophet who came before Isaiah and Jeremiah, prophesied of Jerusalem’s coming destruction, but now he promises that God will bring the righteous people home from the coming exile. God will restore their fortunes and their joy.

Canticle 9 (Isaiah 12:2-6)
Remember last summer’s drought that stunted corn crops and frightened farmers? Drought is serious business, even nowadays. In biblical times, drought meant life or death. Isaiah, the major prophet of Israel’s destruction, exile and return, knowing that water is one of the most important things that God gives us, tells us to thank God with joy when we draw precious, life-giving water from the springs of salvation. For what are we grateful today?

Second Reading: Philippians 4:4-7
In this short reading, Paul tells the people of Philippi to rejoice, for the Lord is near. Pray and give thanks, he advises, even in a difficult time, and “the peace of God, which passes all understanding” will fill their hearts and minds. In our world of stress and tension, what a blessing it is to enjoy a moment of peace. Can we imagine God’s peace, so wonderful that we can’t even comprehend it?

Gospel: Luke 3:7-18
Our Advent Gospel continues today with John the Baptist. The long-haired, ranting prophet, preaching and baptizing in the desert, declares that he is not the Messiah but prophesies that one more powerful (Jesus, even if John doesn’t know it yet, and who is also, according to Luke, John’s cousin) is coming to baptize with the Holy Spirit. The people ask what they should do, and John tells them: Share your clothing and your food with those who have none. Don’t cheat. Don’t be selfish! Soon Jesus will call us in a similar way: “I was hungry, and you gave me food … “

Advent 2C

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Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012.

Dedication of the Temple in ancient Jerusalem

Dedication of the Temple in ancient Jerusalem

First Reading: Baruch 5:1-9
We don’t often hear readings from Baruch, which is one of the “Apocryphal” or “Deuterocanonical books” found at the back of the Old Testament. Martin Luther dropped these books from the Protestant Bible, but we’re glad that Anglicans (and Catholics) chose to keep them. Legend holds that Baruch, who is mentioned briefly in Jeremiah, was a friend and scribe of the prophet. Here, Baruch speaks to Israel in exile, calling on the people to stop mourning and prepare to celebrate God’s glory in a promised return to Jerusalem. As Christmas nears, we prepare to celebrate the glory of the Incarnation.

Psalm 126
Baruch’s prophetic promise has been fulfilled, and this Psalm honors the occasion with shouts of joy. Historically, the emperor Cyrus of Persia, ruler of what was then the world’s most powerful empire, had taken power over Babylon and, in an act that would gain him a reputation for enlightened tolerance, allowed the Israelites in exile to return home to Mount Zion – Jerusalem – and rebuild the Temple. It was a dream fulfilled, and the people gave loud thanks to God. When our dreams are realized, do we remember to give thanks?

Second Reading: Philippians 1:3-11
In the formal style of Greek correspondence, Paul begins his letter to the people of Philippi in Greece with greetings, love, thanks for their friendship and prayers for their well-being. Recalling their eager acceptance of the Gospel, Paul prays for his Philippian congregation’s continued spiritual growth and insight, which he prays will lead them to a harvest of righteousness and justice in God’s love through Christ.

Gospel: Luke 3:1-6
Luke continues the story of John the Baptist, now grown and beginning his public life as a prophet “crying out in the wilderness.” He begins with a detailed roster of Roman and Jewish leaders of the time, perhaps as a way to underscore the reality of this prophet to his contemporary readers. Then he utters a prophecy of Isaiah, interpreting it as his call to “Prepare the way of the Lord … make his paths straight.” What can we do in our time to prepare the way for the message of Jesus?

Advent 1C

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Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012.

The Fig Tree

The Fig Tree

First Reading: Jeremiah 33:14-16
It’s Advent now, and we start our journey toward Bethlehem and the Incarnation with a prophecy from Jeremiah. After the destruction of Jerusalem, the Israelites understood its promises of justice, righteousness and living in safety as assurance that they would return from exile to a restored city under God’s protection. For Christians, it becomes a metaphor for the justice and safety that we find in Christ.

Psalm 25:1-9
Just as the Jeremiah reading is a call for hope and trust in a time of pain, so does today’s Psalm ask us to put our faith in God’s love. The psalmist repeatedly calls for God’s compassion, using the Hebrew chesed, an emotion-laden word that may also be translated “faithfulness,” “kindness,” “mercy” or “grace.” It is reassuring to place our hope in God’s compassion when things look dark.

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
In so many of the letters attributed to Paul, he writes to a beloved community from afar, expressing hope that they will be reunited, and calling God’s blessing on their lives. With God’s help, he urges the people of Thessalonika, love each other and love everyone! He prays that God will strengthen their hearts in holiness. This is good advice for us, too: love each other and our neighbors as we await the coming of God’s kingdom.

Gospel: Luke 21:25-36
When I was young, growing up in an era when we feared that Russian missiles bearing mass destruction just might come flying over the polar darkness some night, the apocalyptic Gospels of Advent used to scare the daylights out of me; maybe that’s what they were intended to do. As adults, we can smile wisely and say we understand these scary stories as mere first century science fiction and fantasy, meant to underscore a point by exaggeration. But let’s not lose sight of that point: The kingdom of heaven, in cosmic terms, is drawing near. Are we ready? When events like 9/11 or Hurricane Sandy scare us, remember then that Jesus’s words stay with us.

Christ the King B

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Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Nov. 25, 2012.

Christ the KingFirst Reading: Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
It might seem a little strange to us as Americans, remembering our 1776 revolution against the British king, to view our God as monarch and Jesus as warrior king. Yet we do so today as we look to the culmination of history and Christ as king. Daniel portrays a mighty God of flame on a fiery throne. Many modern Christians might prefer to visualize a transcendent Creator whose very nature lies beyond our ability to imagine. For early Christians living in a time of empire, though, it must have been reassuring to imagine an all-powerful God giving dominion over all nations and peoples to “one like a human being,” who they would identify as Christ.

Psalm 93
God is king! God is majestic! God is powerful! How this mighty hymn must have thundered through the ancient temple, celebrating the power and the kingship of God in metaphors of sound and fury: Roaring floods and massive ocean waves thundering, calling out the glory of God our king. When we chant this psalm today, sing out in a mighty chorus!

Second Reading: Revelation 1:4b-8
There has been a lot of talk about End Times lately, including the popular “Left Behind” stories, and pop-culture talk of the Mayan Calendar wrapping things up for us all next month. The book of Revelation, originally written as a subversive sermon against ancient Rome and its pagan emperors, actually carries a hint of more rational hope amid the kingly metaphors: God our King, who was with us at the beginning and will be with us at the end, loves us and frees us from our sins through Christ.

Gospel: John 18:33-37
Finally, in John’s Gospel, Jesus makes his kingship clear. Or does he? Accused of declaring himself king of the Jews, an act of treason against the powerful Roman Empire, Jesus tells Pilate that his kingdom is not of this world. Is he a king? “You say so,” Jesus replies. But is his kingdom of this world or the next? That’s not so clear. Will God’s kingdom come in the future with trumpet blasts and fire and brimstone? Or do we build it every day when we act as Christ’s hands in the world?

Pentecost 25B

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em>Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012.

Hannah and Samuel

Hannah and Samuel

First Reading: 1 Samuel 1:4-20
Today we hear of Hannah, who is anguished and suffers verbal abuse because she can’t bear a child. She opens her heart in prayer … and discovers that God is with us in times of trouble and pain. Her prayers are answered. She finds joy, and later gives birth to Samuel, who will become a prophet and the last of the great judges who preceded the kings of Israel. When our lives are filled with “great anxiety and vexation,” let’s remember to look for God.

1 Samuel 2:1-10
In place of our usual psalm today we sing the prayer of Hannah, who celebrates her joy at the birth of her child in words that we will hear reflected in the New Testament in Mary’s song, the Magnificat. Both prayers sing of God lifting up the lowly and the poor while casting down the rich and powerful, but Mary doesn’t echo the words of vengeance that we hear in Hannah’s song. When we enjoy God’s blessings after suffering conflict in our lives, let’s try to model Mary’s grace in victory.

Second Reading: Hebrews 10:11-14
Today’s lesson from Hebrews continues to celebrate Christ’s priesthood and Christ’s sacrifice as superior to the sacrifices of the old priests in the Temple of Jerusalem, whose sacrifices “can never take away sins.” Most New Testament scholars agree that the author of Hebrews is trying lure back Jewish Christians who had returned to Judaism to escape persecution. Still, it’s hard to envision Christ as waiting for his enemies to “be a footstool for his feet.” Would you rather think of Jesus in this way, or as gentle Good Shepherd, when you pray?

Gospel: Mark 13:1-8
Jesus’s words about wars, earthquakes and famines in today’s Gospel give us a taste of the apocalyptic prophecies that will draw our attention through Advent next month. Today, Mark tells of Jesus in Jerusalem on his final journey toward the cross. He foretells the destruction of the Temple, a prophecy that will soon be held against him before the high priest. As we prepare to celebrate Christ’s incarnation, we remember his death and resurrection.

Pentecost 24B

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Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012.

Elijah and the WidowFirst Reading: 1 Kings 17:8-16
It is fascinating that today’s lessons begin with a poor widow who answers a difficult call, and end with a similar story from Mark. Here, Elijah is hungry and thirsty, and God commands him to go to a poor widow who is a foreigner, not an Israelite – a directive that must have seemed strange. God commands the widow to feed Elijah, but she can’t understand, either. She has nothing but crumbs. There is a famine, and her son is dying. But they all trust in God, and a miracle follows. Her bit of oil and meal prove enough to feed everyone and to last until the drought ends. How will we respond when we have so little, yet God calls us to give so much?

Psalm 146
This opens the final quartet of Psalms, ending the book with ringing hymns of praise. It exults: “Praise God, O my soul!” But it also offers us quiet advice, as Americans conclude the messy business of electing our president. It’s fine to work within the system, and to celebrate if your candidate won. But the psalmist reminds us not to put all our trust in mortal princes … not even presidents. It’s God who will raise us up, God who will live forever. Praise the Lord!

Second Reading: Hebrews 9:24-28
As in last week’s reading in Hebrews, the author again highlights the differences between the sacrifice of Jesus and that of earthly high priests, who must sacrifice animals and repeat their sacrifices on our behalf over and over again. Jesus will return, he promises, not to deal with sin – that has already been done in Jesus’s sacrifice once and for all – but to save his faithful people.

Gospel: Mark 12:38-44
Jesus is in Jerusalem on his final journey, and he is challenging the establishment. First he scorns the scribes for their arrogance and hypocrisy. Then we hear the story of the widow’s mite: The poor widow has little, but unlike the scribes, she gives everything she has. That wins Jesus’s praise. Everything she has. Is Jesus repeating the advice he gave the rich young man in a recent reading? “Go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor.” Really?

All Saints B

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Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012.

LazarusFirst Reading: The Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9
(If you can’t find this book of Wisdom, look in the Apocrypha, also known as the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books at the end of the Old Testament. They are not in every Bible.)
As we celebrate with the readings of All Saints Day today, Wisdom reminds us of God’s promise of eternal life. This ancient text warns that “the foolish” face only the darkness of death, while promising that those who keep God’s ways and live good lives will “abide with God in love” forever.

Psalm 24
Today’s psalm, too, celebrates the rewards for those who live as God would have us live. Originally it might have been a responsive chant sung by priests and people as they approached the Temple for worship. The priest calls, “And 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?” How would you respond?

Second Reading: Revelation 21:1-6a
Continuing the All Saints Day theme of a glorious life after death for those who love God, Revelation describes a holy city coming down out of heaven, standing in stark contrast to what the writer, John of Patmos, saw as the dark and demonic earthly city of the time: Rome, portrayed as Babylon. Death and pain will be no more in the New Jerusalem, for God will be with us every day, wiping the tears from our eyes.

Gospel: John 11:32-44
Lazarus has died, and Jesus weeps. Jesus knew his friend was dead, so he took his time getting to Bethany, which angered Lazarus’s sisters, Mary and Martha. Maybe he could have done something, if only he had hurried. So often death in the family brings not only sadness but anger and rage. And then, whispering a quiet prayer to God, Jesus calls out and Lazarus answers. Death does not have the last word, and for us this offers hope.