December 5 - Advent

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Psalm 90 Isaiah 1:24-31 Luke 11:29-32

Today’s Reflection: In this first week of Advent, we have focused on the coming Christ by focusing on the things he commands us to do to carry out his kingdom. The Isaiah passage today reminds us that no matter how hard we work, we will not reach Godly perfection prior to Christ’s coming on our own. Some read the passage with the focus on the punishment aspect of it. It can also be read as a preparation for entering the presence of perfection.   Using terms from metallurgy, God talks about removal of the impurities found in substances, but completes the thought with a promise of restoration. It is not all destruction, but repair. While we anticipate the coming Christ, we also consider our innate imperfection and look forward to being made pure and whole in his presence.

Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org

 

December 4 - Advent

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Psalm 90 2 Samuel 7:18-29 Revelation 22:12-16

Today’s Reflection: One reason we remain in such anticipation of the coming of Christ is the personal nature of the relationship. The prayer of David and the revelations of Christ both remind us that the foundation of the faith comes through the connection we have directly with God.   David repeatedly invokes the promises from God in the connection between him, the people, and God. David’s recollections connected the relationship as mutually beneficial. As God’s grace flowed on the Israelites, they remained superior to the nations around them, and their gods. The more the Israelites followed God’s direction, the more they were blessed: the more they were blessed, the more other’s recognized God’s hand in it.   Jesus’s revelation in Revelation promises a similar future for those of us who follow him. We anticipate his return and by doing as directed until that day, we prepare for the rewards to come when he establishes his eternal kingdom. Keeping it personal fuels the joy of anticipation at his return.

Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org

 

December 3 - Advent

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Psalm 90 Numbers 17:1-11 2 Peter 3:1-18

Today’s Reflection: This time every year our patience tends to be tested more than any other. Looking forward to (or dreading) the holidays with all the busyness that comes along with them. Our impatience is nothing new. From early in the Biblical history people have questioned God, or his prophet, whenever what they want does not occur according to their timeline. Passages from both Testaments instruct us with regards to relying on our concept of time imposed on God’s understanding of time.   The passage in 2 Peter in particular helps us remember that as we wait for Christ’s return, God’s reason and the purpose behind the timing serve eternal purposes rather than our more selfish ones. Although, we look forward to Christ’s coming, our charge is to do the work we have been commanded until that time comes.   Patience through the anticipation should guide our demeanor, but our actions should ever be on the list of things we have been left to do. The more our minds remain on the task at hand, the faster our anticipation will be replaced with confidence in the joy of our salvation.

Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org

 

December 2 - First Sunday in Advent

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Jeremiah 33:14-16 Psalm 25:1-10 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 Luke 21:25-36

Today’s Reflection: Jesus’s statements sometime prove to be real head-scratchers. The prediction about his return in the passage from Luke exemplifies the vagaries his parables were known for. His prophesy combined with the parable mixes both a lack of specifics with absolute definites. What we want to be specific is not. Furthermore, some of the specifics, we know some 2000 years later are not what we would call specific. The passage though gives us insight in that the return of Christ will have both natural and spiritual aspects and we will know them when we see them.   Some religious leaders point to natural anomalies from time to time as proof of Christ’s imminent return, but the spiritual aspect is missing. Others claim a special spiritual revelation from God, but forget the natural aspect of the prophesy. Jesus did not deliver this parable to the religious leaders; it was for everyone and I read it to indicate all believers will recognize the coming, not just a random leader here and there.   Anticipation is work for the believer as supported by the encouragement in Jeremiah and 1 Thessalonians. Staying faithful does not mean just worshipping on Sunday, but being faithful the entire week and doing all the things God declares for us to do. Anticipation requires work and thoughtfulness. In this season of Advent, we take comfort in the constant encouragement of the scriptures to maintain the focus necessary for spiritual stamina.

Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org

 

First Sunday of Advent - December 2, 2012 - Year C - Roman Catholic Lectionary

 

December 1 - Advent

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Psalm 25:1-10 Nehemiah 9:26-31 Luke 21:20-24

Today’s Reflection: The celebration of the lectionary year sometimes provides a good reflection of the cycle of faith most everyone experiences. Such cycles in faith did not begin in modern Christianity. The Hebrews notoriously followed a typical faith cycle from the time they were delivered from Egypt. They did not even wait to make it to the relative comfort of the promised land; they began such cycles while in the desert which led to the forty years of wandering before the next generation was able to take ownership. The prophet Nehemiah illustrates the cycles in today’s passage by citing the times Israel rejected God’s laws and prophets, got into trouble, appealed to God, and were then restored to fellowship.   We follow the same cycles unless we remain vigilant. We have a time of ease. We reject the daily impact of God’s love for us. We get in trouble because we do not do things the way God wants. We beg for mercy. We are restored to right fellowship with God.   The remarkable aspect today, just as in the time of the Hebrews fresh from their wandering the desert, is that God’s infinite love infinitely forgives us when we enter the cycle and cry out to him yet again for salvation. In Advent, our lectionary cycle begins again as we look toward Christ’s return to us, but our personal faith remains uninterrupted as we turn the focus again to him.

Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org

 

November 30 - Advent

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Psalm 25:1-10 Nehemiah 9:16-25 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22

Today’s Reflection: Some say, “don’t sweat the small stuff,” but little things matter. My eyes widened and I experienced a genuine, “ah ha!” moment when reading the Nehemiah passage because it relates the details God remembered throughout the years of wandering the Hebrews faced before entering into the Promised Land – and equally important details when they arrived. In verse 21 the statement, “their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell,” first elicited a “Wow. They put that in the Bible?” reaction, but in rereading the passage it became a, “Wow! God thinks of EVERYTHING!” reaction.   My closet may be stuffed with more clothes that it can comfortably hold, but the Jews in the desert were not able to drop by Macy’s for replacements and they did not stop long enough for the cotton crop to reach maturity.   And their feet did not swell? How amazing is that!? I have resorted to only wearing shoes with hidden elastic to accommodate for my feet swelling after a day of walking around my workplace. Swollen feet may seem minor, but in unforgiving shoes – or barefoot – can change a good day to a bad one in a hurry.   Just as God thinks of everything, he wants us to be mindful of the details in our lives. As we anticipate Christ’s return, we have responsibility to act in the way he calls us to. The Thessalonians passage guides us in honoring one another through holding one another accountable in a loving way. We are instructed to maintain a faithful lifestyle, working toward Christ’s return with his to-do list.

Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org

 

November 29 - Advent

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Psalm 25:1-10 Nehemiah 9:6-15 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Today’s Reflection: Today inaugurates the studies of Advent, a time of joyful anticipation of the presence of God with us through the coming of Jesus Christ. Each passage today establishes that anticipation. The Psalm, in verses 4&5, gives us the reason for this time of reflective expectation: Make me to know your ways, O Lord….” What better way to start the season with an open heart and mind. Nehemiah completes the picture by reminding us of the God of creation and the God of the people we know from the Bible. The completeness of God surrounds us: he has been with us before.   The New Testament passage from 1 Thessalonians reminds us of the reason we as Christians have the season of Advent. Christ already came to earth and left the Spirit so that we can “know his ways,” but he also promised to come again. Our duty as Christians is to be every vigilant to Christ’s actions in this world. As we begin a liturgical year and move into the Christmas season, we remember the birth of the baby, but we also anticipate the final return of the Lord.

Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org

 

November 25 - Ordinary Time

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Book of Common Prayer Psalm 118, 145 Zechariah 9:9-16 1 Peter 3:13-22 Matthew 21:1-13

Today’s Question: How do I determine whether I am doing the right thing?

Today’s Reflection: Whenever I go to a big social event – it is rare, but it happens – I glance at the door panel of my truck, still unpainted Bondo four years after having it repaired. It looks bad but has nothing to do with the operations of the truck and somewhat reflects my view of a truck’s function: it works. A car, on the other hand, would have been painted right away. Still, when I go to that social function I feel a bit self-conscious about the entrance I make. Today’s passages foretell and describe the entrance of a triumphal Jesus and I feel a bit better because he comes in on the truck of his time.   This final Sunday in Ordinary Time and the liturgical year has us focus on the final Sunday of Christ’s physical life. He comes into town in the midst of great attention, energizing some and angering others. Some interpret the Zechariah passage as predicting a powerful warrior-king coming to retake the Holy Land with force. The passage though, with Jesus coming in on the donkey actually shows the anti-warrior-king, someone who neutralizes the warring forces and returns the land to covenant peace. The force of God’s presence proves sufficient to defeat those who would dominate the land with the sword (or power, or money).   The peaceful interpretation gets further fulfilled in the Matthew passage when the people respond to Jesus’s arrival at Jerusalem with peaceful celebrations and exultant joy. They connect to his lowly status and embrace his message of justice. The masses respond to the force of God’s presence and it proves sufficient to mobilize those in power against the prophet in their midst. Their positions are far too comfortable to be encumbered with his message and they are blinded by the work they have done to get into those positions to see how discrepant they are to the real work of God.   Jesus’s defiant cleansing of the Temple, particularly threatened those in power. The money changers and vendors within the Temple walls served those in power by taking advantage of the people coming to worship, charging them so they could worship and tithe following the Pharisees’ rules. Jesus, by throwing out the money changers, in a way baptized the Temple. He cleansed its spirit. 1 Peter describes that same effect on us through baptism. Baptism is not for the body, but for the spirit. As we face challenges, regardless of past sin, we are able to power through them, as Christ did, when we have a clear conscience.   Today’s scriptures remind us that the vehicle does not matter nearly as much as the message. Christ’s message changed his world because he lived the intent of the law instead of the letter. He demonstrated to all who saw and heard him that all of God’s commands came from a position of love and any other application violated the law. The law, followed to the letter without consideration of its intent, can actually do harm to the physical and spiritual lives of those upon whom it is inflicted. Jesus set the example for us, proving that the force of God’s presence is enough. Through our baptism, we access that force and are capable of doing anything he asks of us.

Today’s Prayer: Let us keep a clear conscience as we daily immerse ourselves in God’s will and labor with God’s intent.

 

Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe - November 25, 2012 - Year B - Roman Catholic Lectionary