Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for July 7, 2024

Jesus commissioning the Twelve Apostles (1481), fresco by Domenico Ghirlandaio (1449-1494). Sistine Chapel, Vatican City, Rome. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading (Track One): 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10

David has mourned the deaths of King Saul and Saul’s son Jonathan, David’s beloved friend. Now in Sunday’s Track One first reading, all the tribes and elders call David to be formally anointed king over all Israel.That includes 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 would 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

It’s frustrating when we have something to say, but people won’t listen. It doesn’t feel good, does it? Hold this thought as we hear Sunday’s Track Two readings, as each connects in some way with this spiritual challenge. In our Track Two first reading, God calls Ezekiel to be a prophet to Israel. God is not pleased with the people, telling Ezekiel that they are a nation of rebels who have rebelled against God: an impudent and stubborn people whose ancestors and they themselves continue transgressing against God. These rebellious people may choose to hear or not to hear, God tells Ezekiel, but he is to deliver God’s message of lamentation and mourning and woe.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 48

Psalm 48 offers a spiritual understanding of 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 the lofty hill of Zion, 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

Traditionally understood as a “song of ascent” to be chanted as the priests and people go up to the Temple in formal procession, Psalm 123 calls on a merciful God to hear the peoples’ prayer. They who have suffered the contempt, scorn and derision of the indolent rich and the proud now lift up their eyes to God enthroned in the heavens. They pray that God will show them mercy, for they have had more than enough of contempt.

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:2-10

These verses from 2 Corinthians are full of mysteries! 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 Paul’s own spiritual experience, and the thorn, Scripture scholars speculate, could be an unnamed illness or disability, or even a sexual temptation. In any case, there is no ambiguity in Paul’s conclusion: Through prayer and reliance on God’s grace through Christ, we can endure hardships that come from within and without.

Gospel: Mark 6:1-13

Jesus’s hometown neighbors and friends aren’t impressed with him. Oh, they were astounded at first by his teaching and preaching in the synagogue, his wisdom and deeds of power. But then they remember that this is nobody but just Jesus, the carpenter’s son! What makes him so high and mighty? Amazed by their unbelief, in Mark’s telling, Jesus responded: 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 kind of pushback. Don’t dress up, he told them. Don’t act special. If people won’t welcome you, move on down the road.

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 8, 2018

Jesus commissioning the Twelve Apostles (1481), fresco by Domenico Ghirlandaio (1449-1494). Sistine Chapel, Vatican City, Rome. (Click image to enlarge.)

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

David has mourned the deaths of King Saul and Saul’s son Jonathan, David’s beloved friend. 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 had called him to be shepherd over Israel. David was to 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

It’s frustrating when we have something to say, but people won’t listen. It doesn’t feel good, does it? Hold this thought as we hear Sunday’s Track Two readings, as each connects in some way with this spiritual challenge. In our 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, Ezekiel is told; but he is to speak truth so they will know that they have heard a prophet.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 48

Our Psalm echoes the founding narrative of Israel’s kingdom in Jerusalem, Royal David’s City, 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 the lofty hill of Zion, 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

Traditionally understood as a “song of ascent” as the priests and people go up to the Temple in formal procession, Psalm 123 calls on our merciful God to hear the peoples’ prayer. They have suffered the contempt, scorn and derision of the indolent rich – something like Israel’s “one percent” as seen from their lowly state. Now they lift up their eyes to God enthroned in the heavens, asking for mercy.

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:2-10

This passage is the last of seven readings that we have heard this summer in Second Corinthians. These verses are framed by Paul’s angry and sarcastic dissertation about a group of missionaries that he calls “super-apostles,” who apparently came to Corinth after he left, bringing ideas differing entirely from his own. Bible historians and theologians aren’t sure what Paul means about the “third heaven” or the unknown “thorn” that troubles him. But the ambiguity ends when he makes 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, Jesus said, prophets are not without honor except in their home town. Then he 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.

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 July 12, 2015

Feast of Herod with the Beheading of St John the Baptist, Bartholomeus Strobel, 1633; Prado Museum, Madrid.

Amos never expected to be a prophet. He was a humble herder and tender of sycamore trees. But he heard God’s call to tell the people of Israel to expect destruction, because God had measured them and found them wanting. Their holy places would be destroyed and the people sent into exile. Amos knew, as John the Baptist would know centuries later, that this prophecy was dangerous and could get him killed; but he heard God’s call and could not refuse.

Psalm: Psalm 85:8-13

This beautiful Psalm segment gives us a moment of peace between the violence surrounding two anger-provoking prophets. 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

We’ll spend the next six Sundays hearing verses from Ephesians, a letter most likely written by a later follower of Paul around the end of the first century. The Christian community 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 a 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 didn’t like it. Herod probably had 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 Herod wonders if Jesus is John, come back to life. He doesn’t get an answer, but in coming verses we will see crowds gather and grow as Jesus continues his public ministry.