November 17 - Ordinary Time

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Isaiah 65:17-25 Isaiah 12:1-6 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 Luke 21:5-19

Today’s Reflection: One thing I like about working in education is that every school year comes with a fresh beginning. The previous year is boxed away (literally - grade and attendance documents are stored away until it is legal to destroy them) and teachers have new students and students have new teachers. Whatever happened the year before has been forgotten and we start the new year with new hope and energy. Unfortunately, the rest of our lives do not operate quite the same way, so we do have some hope when we see the hope a new beginning from God. The Isaiah passages consider God’s role in our lives and the world he wanted. The verses from Chapter 12 celebrated God’s forgiving power in that even when we are doing wrong, God loves us enough to put aside his wrath and be our salvation. Chapter 65 describes the right and orderly world, as God intended, that he will bring about for the well-being of the faithful. God’s care for us is intentional when we do as he expects. The passage in 2 Thessalonians reminds us that our work as Christians does not stop when we believe - that is where it begins. We all have a purpose and a job to do. Being idle or a busybody were people taking advantage of the generosity of the early church. The lived off the church without contributing anything to their own well-being. Others in the church worked to support themselves and then gave to the church. Paul reminded them, that regardless of his stature in the early church, he and his companions worked to pay their way, not expecting gifts from others. Jesus shares a world of chaos and calamity in the Luke passage. Wars, famine, earthquakes, plagues will happen on the earth but we should not be tricked into believing that any of those things mark his return to the earth. The people acting in faith will always find themselves at risk by powers, religious groups, and even their own families, yet he assures them that not even a hair on their head will perish. This was not a physical promise Christ made, but a spiritual one. Many were martyred - but their souls have eternity through enduring in the faith. New beginnings. Fresh starts. Our Christian faith, built on grace, accepts that none of us is perfect: we are human. Fortunately, we worship God who values us enough to let us be works-in-progress during our physical lives with the promise of becoming the perfect creation of his vision in the New Jerusalem.

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

 

October 20 - Ordinary Time

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Jeremiah 31:27-34 Psalm 119:97-104 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 Luke 18:1-8

Today’s Reflection: In my building I provide the first line of technology support. When a computer, printer, copier, phone, etc. does not work the way it is anticipated to work, someone yells for me (it is a small building). Very often fault lies in the “anticipated” way the machine should work because it does not match the way the machine actually works. A little bit of education resolves that problem. When there is an actual issue with a machine, my next step is to stare at it thoughtfully for a few moments, press a few buttons and then turn it off and back on. A simple reset almost always solves the issue with the machine. The readings today reflect times when God did a reset with his people. The Jeremiah passage begins with God about to turn Israel and Judah back on. They had been turned off because of the broken covenant. Conquerors overran the land and carried the people and livestock away. Because the people violated the prior covenant, God put in place a new covenant with the people coming to the land. This covenant bridged the first covenant with the people and the covenant we have through Christ. God promised he would not punish all the people for the sins of some, but that each person would be held accountable for his/her own sins because God placed the law in their hearts rather than restricting it to scrolls in the Temple. The law was not replaced; it became personal to each individual. By the time Jesus arrived, the religious powers had again turned the law from the personal guidelines God made to an oppressive black/white application of the law. With the absolute application of the law, some groups benefitted and some did not. Jesus’s parable of the old woman pursuing justice until the judge relented, giving her the justice she should have had from the beginning because her protestations wore him down, demonstrated how God’s justice for us all is swift, but that humankind can pervert the intention of the guidelines for that justice into ways that profit them at the expense of God’s justice. The widow’s faith/determination/persistence delivered the expected justice that did not always happen in the society. Jesus reminded those hearing that their faithful prayers would bring God’s justice - the key being the faithful prayers. In the passage from the second letter to Timothy, Paul recognized certain sacred writings extant throughout Timothy’s life that instructed people in the faith. He declared that they were able to perform for Christians under the salvation covenant what the law did for the Israelites before: teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. The teaching of salvation through Christ was the reset that came under this latest covenant. Instead of the law, the covenant was based on the relationship with Christ (God). Pauls history as a Jewish leader gave him experiences that few others had. When he warns the church about groups turning or twisting the teachings to their benefit he knows how this was done from first-hand experience. Jesus’s teachings only gave two rules; everything else was guidance on how to live and bring honor to oneself and God. Paul knew that whether it was law or teaching people would alter, interpret, or emphasize it in ways that would most benefit them and warned the church to beware of anyone whose teaching did not follow the intent of Jesus’s teachings. So many of Jesus’s parables, like the one today, pointed out how misguided people (religious leaders, judges) were by enforcing the letter of the law while completely missing the intent. God provided opportunities for nations and individuals throughout history to reset.  They realized (or were conquered and exiled to drive home the point) that they had strayed from God’s direction and then had the opportunity to return to the right relationship with God. What a great relief to know that when we break the covenant and stray from God’s intent we are always welcome back.

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

 

Pride in My Creation

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Jeremiah 18:1-11 Psalm 139 Philemon 1-21

Today’s Reflection: In Texas, September is a big month for Gay Pride festivals. We do know that most of the nation celebrates Pride in June, but it is simply too hot, so we delay to September in hopes of some modestly cooler temperatures. When Pride celebrations began, they made the statement that the LGBTQ community existed in our communities and deserved notice. Today they celebrate family and changing levels of acceptance. The scriptures from the September 8 lectionary fit the theme of pride and redemption well. In Jeremiah we see the potter molding and remolding the clay until it becomes the vessel he set out to make. The original material was quality despite the flaw that came about in the initial molding. Perhaps too much pressure was applied in one spot or the potter’s attention went away for a moment. Regardless of the flaw, the clay was pulled together and the right vessel was formed. The Epistle to Philemon tells one of the most powerful stories of human redemption in the Bible. We do not know the origin of the conflict that led to the separation of Onesimus and the church. What we do know is that in the time he has been with Paul, he has become a valuable companion and partner in service. The text makes clear that, despite whatever caused the separation, Onesimus belongs in the church and should be welcome there. Psalm 139 poetically reveals our ultimate connection to God – his knowledge and value of each of us. God knows us like no other. His direction for us is specific to us. No message of exclusion can stand against the message of attention God paid to each of us in our creation. When we fully understand the power in the message that God, and none other, personally knit together, every person what believer can label any person “less-than?” The more I have pondered this one idea, the more powerful I realize it is. As powerful as redemption and reconciliation are in the Biblical scale, the message of relationship as told in Psalm 139 overshadows them both. No theology can stand against a personal relationship with God, no matter how adamant the adherent. Much like Onesimus, the LGBTQ community has historically been pushed outside the community of the church for a long list of reasons. The passages in Jeremiah and Philemon are just two examples of the redemptive and inclusive nature of God’s love; the language here and elsewhere calls all persons to community in the church. Fortunately more and more churches are finding that message of the Bible and are becoming welcoming and affirming to ALL people. Forgiveness, redemption, and reconciliation are powerful tools of the church, but none of them match the relationship we have with God, and ultimately that relationship is what matters most.

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

Fourth Sunday in Lent

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Joshua 5:9-12 Psalm 32 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Today’s Reflection: “We’ve always done it that way,” grates on my last nerve when I hear it come from someone resisting a change I am trying to make. Of course, when someone else is trying to make a change, I am just as likely to respond with, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Change, especially a change of mind can be difficult. The passages for today focus on the change of heart and change of mind necessary to come into the right relationship with God. It is broke and we need to fix it. In Joshua we find the Israelites celebrating Passover in the promised land after forty years of wandering in the desert. They were able to provide all the ingredients for the meal from the crops in the land and with that provision, the manna from God ceased. The relationship shifted from provider/sustainer and dependents back to God and followers – the relationship we continue to seek today. The remaining passages all consider the idea of repentance and forgiveness. The psalmist rejoices in the relief of confession. After experiencing the weight of his transgressions, speaking of them to God removed that burden from him and he was able to resume worship again. While our guilt encourages us to hide our shortcomings, the relief of confessing the flaws takes away that guilt. Confession frees the heart to do its natural work: love. In the 2 Corinthians passage we again see a change of heart and the way it impacts the individuals’ worldview. The believer no longer focuses on things with humanistic perspective but with the perspective of Christ through the Holy Spirit. The writer talks of everything old being made new and it is when views shift to an eternal lens rather than the temporal lens of our physical beings and the limited time we have with earthly life. While the key idea is that change in perspective, the passage states and reinforces that the change comes about because of the way our relationship with God works through Christ.  The idea of reconciliation, when looking at the primary dictionary definition of the word definitely gives one pause when considering it in a faithful way. The primary definition is to make someone accept something they do not want. Christ did not come to force anyone into belief. He simply did not operate in that way. Looking deeper into the origins of the word and the remaining definition, give us the meaning we see in this passage. The remaining definitions include, “win over to friendliness,” “to compose or settle (as in a disagreement),” and “to bring into agreement or harmony; to make compatible or consistent.” Christ’s ministry and our ministry through him does just that – it brings people into agreement or harmony and compatibility with God from the point of being separated from the Lord. When we are in agreement with God, then everything does change. Our bodies may remain in the same physical form, but the way we see everything is different. Finally in Luke we read the often cited tale of the prodigal son. The story has been probed for years by likely every theologian to scan the book of Luke. The story has many layers of relationships and there are as many interpretations of who the players represent in the tale. One line in the entire story stands out: “But when he came to himself….” That moment was the moment of repentance, the moment of confession of his shortcomings (sins). In that moment everything changed. All that came before set it up. All that comes after makes us feel warm and fuzzy. He realized his failure before God, confessed, and changed his life. The Jews experienced the same sensation when they came into the promised land and had their own food. The psalmist felt it when he confessed his sin. The writer of 2 Corinthians knew the feeling upon accepting Christ. We too can know that relief when we reconcile ourselves to God. This Lenten season as we experience our sacrifice and practice new spiritual habits we may feel like we are carrying the slop for the hogs, but as it brings us to the moment that brings us right with God, those buckets may instead become pots of gold: everything has become new!

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

Holy Week - Wednesday

Today’s Scriptures: Psalm 55, 74 Lamentations 2:1-9 2 Corinthians 1:23-2:11 Mark 12:1-11

Today’s Question: How do we overcome the conflicts that arise from our human nature and human interaction?

Today’s Reflection: “Let death come upon them; let them go down alive into Sheol; for evil is in their homes and in their hearts.” And that is what David wished upon his friends! My biggest fights and most hurt feelings have come from disagreements with friends, but I cannot think of anyone I would wish into Sheol. Indeed, I rarely get angry at people who are not friends. I do not have the emotional connection with a stranger to invest the energy David’s level of rage demands. Today’s passages have in common discord between known people. Some of the complaints are listed, some are not, but the important lessons come from the response to discord, for as long as we are human, conflict will happen. The Psalms bring in conflict between friends. Equals of David are causing him much distress with things they are saying. The Lamentations record conflict between God and his people. The Corinthians passage cites an unnamed church member in conflict with Paul and others in the church, and the Gospel passage targets church leaders distance from God. The examples describe conflicts between people and other people, between people and God, and between people and other people and God. In some of the conflicts, we see the resolution. In others, we know the resolution, though it is not presented in the passage, yet in others, we are left with the resolution in the hands of God. God gives us the example – seek reconciliation as he does with his people. The passages in Lamentations come in a time of deep despair of the Jewish people, but in the end, their relationship with God is restored. Paul continues this direction in his letter to the Corinthians, telling them to forgive and console the one with whom they are in conflict. Poets, authors, philosophers have opined the price of anger and hatred. The Bible too warns us of the harms that come from holding on to these feelings. Paul adds to the price by reminding us that not only is the pain internal, but that it opens the door for Satan, the sower of strife, to disrupt the work of the faithful. Let us consider the costs we pay for our conflict and seek the way of resolution. Just as God is able to forgive us in all our sin against him, we are called to forgive others as completely and work to mend the relationship.

Today’s Prayer: Let us open our hearts to your healing power and wrap ourselves around the harmony you desire for the work of your kingdom.