Illuminations on the Lectionary readings for Aug. 28, 2022 (Pentecost 12C)

First Reading (Track One): Jeremiah 2:4-13

Last week we heard the youthful Jeremiah resisting God’s call to prophesy, fearing that he was too young for such a responsibility.

Reassured by God’s kind words and gentle touch, Jeremiah now assumes the prophet’s mantle and imagines God in an anguished reverie, a deep lament. What could have gone wrong with the chosen people? Did they find some wrong in God that led them to waste their lives on worthless things? More in sorrow than in anger, it seems, God reflects that the Chosen People have forsaken God’s living water, instead building cracked cisterns that won’t slake their spiritual thirst.

First Reading (Track Two): Sirach 10:12-18

Sirach is one of the deuterocanonical books, also known as the Apocrypha, that we find at the end of the Hebrew Bible. It was written late in the years before Jesus, after Israel had come under Greek rule, Sirach is also known as Ecclesiasticus (not to be confused with Ecclesiastes), a Latin name it was given after the reign of Constantine. By either name, it concisely sums up Torah – God’s teaching – in the genre of wisdom literature: brisk, memorable suggestions of spiritual advice. Sunday’s Track Two first reading follows the theme of the day’s readings: Pride leads to sin, and sin leads to no good end. In language that may remind us of the Song of Mary, the Magnificat, it warns that proud rulers will be overthrown and replaced by the lowly.

Alternate First Reading (Track Two): Proverbs 25:6-7

Open your Bible to the book of Proverbs some time. You’ll be intrigued by the nuggets of wisdom that you’ll see there, many of them still seeming fresh and modern. Tradition attributes Proverbs to King Solomon, but modern theologians understand it as a broad collection of some 500 small gems of ancient wisdom about life, love and morals. This very brief reading, an alternate option for Track Two, foreshadows Jesus’ parable in Sunday’s Gospel: “… all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 81:1,10-16

This resounding hymn of praise seems to reflect Jeremiah’s words: We sing with joy to God who is our strength, and we remember God bringing the people out of slavery and feeding them abundantly. But the people were stubborn, did not listen, and God allowed them to go their own way. Now we hear a grieving God, who would feed and nurture the people again, if only they would return.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 112

Sunday’a Track Two Psalm harmonizes with the First Reading and Gospel in its reflection on God’s covenants with Abraham and Moses. We are called to follow God’s commandments to be just, to serve our neighbors, share our wealth and provide for the poor. By living generously in this way, with right hearts and trust in God, we can be secure and live without fear.

Second Reading: Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16

Love one another as God loves us, and remember to do good, to share with one another, and to show hospitality (as we are told that the patriarch Abraham did when he hospitably received visiting angels). Sunday’s reading from Hebrews, concluding our four weeks with this letter, offers simple pastoral advice on living as God would have us live: : Love one another as God loves us, and remember to do good, to share with one another, to live simply and shun riches, and to hold hospitality as a virtue.

Gospel: Luke 14:1, 7-14

At first Sunday’s Gospel seems like useful advice from Jesus about simple humility in social settings: Don’t assume that the seat of honor is saved for you, or you’ll be embarrassed when the host tells you to move down. Better to take a humble place and then bask in a happy glow as the host comes and escorts you upward. But the words, as Jesus’s teachings so often do, prove to have a deeper meaning. Jesus isn’t just concerned about mealtime manners. He teaches us the way we should treat others, especially those who are unable to reciprocate in kind.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Sept. 1, 2019

First Reading (Track One): Jeremiah 2:4-13

When we place our own interests first, we lose sight of God’s way. Listen for this theme through Sunday’s readings.

In our Track One first reading, we see Jeremiah, now reassured that his youth is no bar to being a prophet, stepping into the role. Speaking God’s words aloud to humanity, he cries out in an anguished reverie, lamenting how the chosen people could have gone astray. Did they find some wrong in God that led them to waste their lives on worthless things? More in sorrow than in anger, it seems, God reflects that the people have forsaken the living water that they were given, building cracked cisterns instead that won’t hold what the people need to slake their spiritual thirst.

First Reading (Track Two): Sirach 10:12-18

Sirach, or The Wisdom of Jesus ben Sirach to give its full name, is one of the deuterocanonical books (a.k.a. Apocrypha) that come at the end of the Old Testament. Written after Israel had fallen under Greek rule, Sirach had its name changed to Ecclesiasticus (not to be confused with Ecclesiastes) after the reign of Constantine. It sums up Torah, God’s teaching, in the genre of wisdom literature: brisk, memorable suggests of spiritual advice. Sunday’s Track Two first reading follows the theme of the day’s readings: Pride leads to sin, and sin leads to no good end. In language that may remind us of the Song of Mary, the Magnificat, it warns that proud rulers will be overthrown, to be replaced by the lowly.

Alternate First Reading (Track Two): Proverbs 25:6-7

When Jesus offered his simple wisdom to banquet-goers in today’s Gospel, perhaps he remembered this simple, ancient wisdom in Sunday’s alternate first reading from Proverbs: “It is better to be told, ‘Come up here,’ than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.” Both Luke and Matthew sum up this idea in almost identical words, “… all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 81:1,10-16

The theme of this hymn seems to flow naturally from today’s Jeremiah reading. The Psalmist shouts in joy for God’s strength, and like Jeremiah, imagines God speaking of having brought the people out of slavery in Egypt. God saw to it that they were fed and protected, only to see their stubborn hearts turn to their own ways and ignore God’s commands. Imagining God’s voice, the Psalmist laments, “O that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!”

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 112

Understood in the context of today’s lessons, the point in this Psalm is clear, and it clearly restates God’s covenant with the people: Follow God’s commandments and be blessed, and remember that the sum of that commandment is to be righteous and just, serve your neighbor, share your wealth and provide for the poor. Secure in God, there is no need to live in fear.

Second Reading: Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16

Our four-week visit with the letter to the Hebrews concludes Sunday with beautiful, poetic words. We are to love one another as God loves us. We must remember to do good, to share with one another, and to show hospitality, remembering that the patriarch Abraham once hospitably yet unknowingly received visiting angels. These verses offer simple advice on living as God would have us live. Keep our lives free from the love of money, and be content with what we have, for God will never leave us or forsake us.

Gospel: Luke 14:1, 7-14

Like so many of Jesus’ parables, this one seems to have an obvious, simple, message … and then a sudden turn makes us stop and think. Don’t assume that the seat of honor is saved for you, he tells the Pharisees at this banquet table, or you’ll be embarrassed when the host directs you to move down. It’s more prudent to take a humble place, then bask in a happy glow as the host escorts you to a better place. But then we find, as we so often do with Jesus’ teachings, that there’s a deeper meaning: Next time, don’t host a banquet for wealthy, influential people at all but for the least of these: The hungry, the thirsty, the ill and the oppressed. They can’t repay you as rich friends might, but your reward will be plentiful when God’s kingdom comes.

What are “Track 1” and “Track 2”?
During the long green season after Pentecost, there are two tracks (or strands) each week for Old Testament readings. Within each track, there is a Psalm chosen to accompany the particular lesson.
The Revised Common Lectionary allows us to make use of either of these tracks, but once a track has been selected, it should be followed through to the end of the Pentecost season, rather than jumping back and forth between the two strands.
For more information from LectionaryPage.net, click here.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Aug. 7, 2016

First Reading: Isaiah 1:1, 10-20

The opening verses of the great Prophet Isaiah echo the prophecies that we’ve heard in recent weeks from Amos and Hosea: God is angry because the people have failed to keep the covenant that they made with Moses at Mount Sinai. Once safe in the Promised Land, they failed to walk in God’s way as they had promised to do. Now, speaking through Isaiah, God makes clear what they must do to restore themselves in God’s love: “cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, and plead for the widow.”

First Reading (Track Two): Genesis 15:1-6

In recent weeks we’ve heard about Abraham, the patriarch of the chosen people: God promising that Abraham and Sarah would have a son; Abraham bargaining with God over Sodom and Gomorrah’s fate. Now we turn back to an earlier time. We meet Abram, not yet named Abraham, who is surely frustrated that he and his wife, Sarai, are still waiting for the heir that God has repeatedly promised them. Abram hopes for God’s reassurance, and God responds, reiterating the promise that their descendants will be as numerous as the stars.

Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23

In a way, this Psalm expands on the prophecy we heard in Isaiah. God is not tired and angry about the people’s offerings of thanksgiving and sacrifice, but God expects us to keep our covenant of faith. God calls us to be thankful, to practice righteousness and justice in our lives. God’s expectations of the people are clear and firm: Those who forget God literally risk being torn apart, but those who keep God’s way and remember Israel’s covenant will know salvation.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 33:12-22

Think of how grateful Abram must have been after he heard God’s reassurance that his descendants would be more numerous than the stars. In similar feelings of gratitude the Psalmist sings of relief, joy and thankfulness for God’s love and care. As the prophets consistently shout, the nations and people whom God chooses will be happy; God’s eye remains on those who wait for the Lord. Those who trust in the Lord’s name will know God’s loving-kindness.

Second Reading: Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

As we begin a four-week lectionary visit with Hebrews, let’s hold it in historical context. It was probably written late in the first century, directed toward new Christians who were considering a return to Judaism in the face of severe persecution. To that end, Hebrews will lay out an extended argument that Christianity is the better way. In today’s verses, the author speaks well of the faith of Abraham, pointing out that the patriarchs were faithful even before God’s promises were revealed through Christ. Watch this theme in coming weeks, appreciating the letter’s faith while taking care not to read it as modern anti-Judaism.

Gospel: Luke 12:32-40

On first hearing, this passage and parable may feel troubling. Jesus gently assures his little flock of followers not to fear, for God’s kingdom is coming; but the instructions that follow seem daunting. Sell what you have, make sturdy purses, and, like a master’s slaves staying awake to guard against thieves, be ready when Jesus calls, day or night. The kingdom may come when we least expect it, but it will bring us “unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.”

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, July 28, 2013.

First Reading: Genesis 18:20-32
This may come as a surprise: The “grave sin of Sodom” might not be what you think it is. God’s wrath with the Sodomites did not have to do with sex but righteousness: As the Prophet Ezekiel will later cry out, “This was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy.” This covenantal call to righteous action runs through the Bible from Moses through the prophets to Jesus. Even God was willing to bargain with Abraham and save the entire city if only 10 righteous people could be found.

Psalm: Psalm 138
We often pray when we’re in need.  In time of trouble and of fear, we call out in our helplessness and beg God to come to our aid.  But how often do we remember to thank God?  Thanks for a specific blessing, or thanks for our blessings in general: As our mothers taught us, saying “thanks” is the right thing to do. The Psalmist reminds us today that God responds when we call; God loves us and is faithful to us. For this we are truly thankful.

Second Reading: Colossians 2:6-15 (16-19)
The author of Colossians, who may have been a later follower of Paul, reminds us to be thankful, too, for the faith and blessings we receive through Christ.  This letter to the people of Colossae, a community of new believers who may have been wrestling with pagan beliefs from their Greek culture, warns of false teachings, “festivals, new moons or sabbaths,” which, he points out, are only a shadow of what is to come through  Christ. 

Gospel: Luke 11:1-13
Abraham spoke up and argued with God. Jesus showed us all how to talk to God when the apostles asked him, “Teach us to pray.”  What did Jesus say? His prayer calls us to be righteous,  just as God told Abraham: Share our food, forgive our debts, do to others as we would have them do to us. Do these things and help open God’s Kingdom, not only in Heaven but right here on Earth. Talk to God. Argue if you must. Ask, and it shall be given to you.