September 1 - Ordinary Time

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Jeremiah 2:4-13 Psalm 81 Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 Luke 14:1, 7-14

Today’s Reflection: The start of school brings students to new schools with the challenge of finding their place. Unfortunately schools copy greater society with a social hierarchy and everyone finds, or is put in, their level. One new girl sat by herself the first few days. She was clearly shy as she hardly responded when I greeted her as I made my way around the tables. I make it a point to speak to every lunch table so no one feels left out and every student has some access to me each day. On the fourth day, I noticed a group of girls approach her table and invite her to join with them at lunch. They quickly engaged in “getting to know you” banter and asked the girl why she changed schools. She shared her story of being bullied and always left alone. The girls assured her she was safe with them. They, knowingly or not, lived Jesus’s directions for interacting with one another as found in the scriptures today. The Old Testament passages from Jeremiah and the Psalms relate times when the people’s relationship with God failed to live up to the covenant. God right away challenges the people to name the fault their ancestors found in him knowing there was no such fault. Nevertheless, the people in the time of the prophet Jeremiah had fallen far from the covenant by adopting gods and a culture taken from other peoples. Their actions took them away from God’s plan. God laments the direction of his people as they live in ways that do not honor him or lead to a prosperous nation. The people of Israel, just like the Christians today are challenged to keep the right relationship with God. One reason keeping the right relationship with God is such a challenge is because as Christians, we are called to reflect that relationship through the way we treat others. The Hebrews and Luke passages direct us to care for all people no matter what their circumstances - actually focusing on the care we should show for others in spite of their circumstances with mentions of those in prison, those being tortured, the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Despite the class system that so quickly sorts people in society, we are to ignore that system and carefully consider how we value ourselves against the standing society has determined. God is consistent and his promises are true. The passages direct us to care for those who have needs greater than our own for that care directly reflects our faith in the promises of God. While at first glance the focus of the Old Testament passages and the New Testament passages seem to have a completely different focus, upon reflection we see how closely tied our relationship to God is with our relationship with all people. When we lack faith in God, it becomes quite easy to ignore our duty to the poor, the ill, and the imprisoned for we ourselves fear becoming one of “them.” When our relationship is right with God, we live with the certainty that even if we become one of “them,” God’s promise to meet our needs remains, so we can meet someone else’s needs with joy.

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

August 18 - Ordinary Time

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Isaiah 5:1-7 Psalm 80 Hebrews 11:29-12:2 Luke 12:49-56

Today’s Reflection: The Scottish poet, Robert Burns, captured a universal truth in his popular poem “To a Mouse...,” “The best laid schemes of mice and men go oft awry.” The same idea is often expressed as Murphy’s Law: anything that can go wrong will go wrong. No matter how well-organized we think we are, we find ourselves making mid-event adjustments. The Biblical authors of today’s passages from Isaiah and Hebrews recognized that the same rules apply when it comes to our religion and its execution. The prophet in Isaiah 5 uses a parable recounting the woes of an exemplar vintner. The vintner used state-of-the-art practices in his vineyard yet the harvest was virtually unusable. Perfect execution does not always yield perfect results because some unrecognized element is missing. As a prophet, rather than leaving the meaning to interpretation, he reveals that the vineyard and vines represent Israel and Judah, and the missing element was faithful obedience to God’s plan. The societal outcomes failed to reflect the care God provided for his people across history. As the prophets frequently lamented across Israel’s history, the leaders and the people had religious practice and obedience to the letter of the law down to a science while forgetting genuine religious practice originates in the hearts of the people and forgetting the intent of the law. They went through the motions but missed the connection to God. The author of Hebrews, following a series of verses that extols the virtues of faith, adds depth to the concept by expanding the understanding of the reward that comes from faith. Faith saved some in life (physical, earthly life). Faith martyred others in life (physical, earthly life). Faith left some disappointed with life (physical, earthly life). Faith rewards all who have it with eternity. Most definitions of faith refer to words like “confidence,” “belief,” “religion.” If we only look at Hebrews 11:1 these would be good definitions. When I look at the entirety of the Hebrews passage on faith and other passages like the one in Isaiah, I define faith as our connection to God. No one mentioned in the passages was remembered for their belief; they are remembered because of their connection (or not) to God and the ways that translated (or not) into actions that reflect the Godly nature of the connection. The rules of “faith” often get reduced to the doctrine and dogma of a religious group. As such, those perfect plans do not lead to much. Recognizing that faith, as our connection to God, transforms our relationship with God into actions that reflect the relationship. The best laid plans of all creation oft go awry, but the plans of the Creator as completed by his people reflect his nearness and care for all of creation.

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

July 21 Ordinary Time

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Amos 8:1-12 Genesis 18:1-10a Psalm 52 Psalm 14 Colossians 1:15-28 Luke 10:38-42

Today’s Reflection: The last few weeks have brought regular earnings reports from companies following the end of the accounting quarter. Many of the statements trumpeted positive profits. For those monitoring the broader scope of the nation’s economy those profits indicate the economy’s strength. Profit is good. Unfortunately in the drive for gain, some businesspeople skirt, stretch, bend, and break the rules. Such dishonest profits are not good. There is nothing unchristian about being successful in business; however, practices driven by greed, as we see in today’s passages, not only threaten the broader economy as we have experienced over the recent years, they violate God’s commandment. The passage in Amos described the collapse of the nation’s economy due to greedy business practices that targeted poor and needy. They stole from the most vulnerable by manipulating currency and measurement systems. Amos’s vision of the basket of summer fruit reflected the end of the productive season for the trees and symbolized the end of a productive season for the Israeli economy. God’s judgment disrupted the normal natural order turning day to night, celebrations to sadness, and wealth to poverty. Amos even offered a new order of famine: the absence of God and holy instruction. This famine assured dire consequences for a nation that lost its spiritual compass. The Psalm passages reinforce the prophet’s message. Amos’s Israel lost their connection to God. Genesis, Colossians, and Luke remind us that our relationship with God is direct and personal. Abraham prepared a meal for God (Genesis); Jesus sat and taught in small groups with people in the community (Luke); Jesus became a human embodiment of God to provide a way to reconcile God and humanity. Encounters with God throughout the Bible demonstrate the personal nature of God’s relationship with his creation. Every encounter with God, addressed a need of the person(s) involved. Nothing has changed: our relationship with God remains personal. The personal nature of our relationship with God dictates that our actions outside our place of worship reflect God’s expectations of behavior. Amos gives us the example from business of ways disobedience to God’s way leads to a break from the personal relationship, but the rules apply to all aspects of our lives. In the context of a prophet foretelling the fall of the nation, living according to God’s standards seems restrictive, but when we look at the wholeness of the scripture we find just the opposite. Wealth and fame in this life last only as long as this life. Permanent riches found through God only come with maintenance of a personal relationship. Gaining such security, is anything but restrictive; it liberates. God really does look out for the needs of each of us.

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

July 14 Ordinary Time

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Amos 7:7-17 Deuteronomy 30:9-14 Psalm 82 Psalm 24 Colossians 1:1-14 Luke 10:25-37

Today’s Reflection: I am the original owner of my house in what is actually a fairly small subdivision for Austin. Every time a new house was completed, those of us who already lived here welcomed the new residents. As the neighborhood filled we knew everyone up and down the street. Seven years later, my next door neighbor and I are the only people on the street still living here. Of the new neighbors, I only know the one who shares a fence with me and the one directly across the street. The people who lived in the time of Jesus could not have imagined the scale of the cities in which we live today, so the lawyer’s question that prompted the story of the good Samaritan rings especially true today: who is my neighbor? The conversation began, as so many of Jesus’s conversations with the Jewish leadership began, with a lawyer asking Jesus a rigged question in an attempt to make say something incriminating. The answer comes from scripture: love God completely and love your neighbor as yourself. Two very straightforward concepts. The first concept, the call to love God with all one’s heart, soul, strength, and mind is a call to love God the way God loves us. The second concept, the call to love one’s neighbor as oneself, though opened itself up to some interpretation. That is where the real challenge came to Jesus. How would he apply that concept? To make the point clear, Jesus told an illustrative story. By the time the story reached a conclusion, the questioner had only one conclusion to draw: the person who helped the one in need. We are neighbors to everyone in need. By the time all was settled we see that loving our neighbor as ourselves means loving him as God loves him. Loving everyone in need the way God loves them was not the answer the lawyer expected to get. It put him in a situation where he was required to act. It puts us in a situation where we are required to act. Jesus mentions love regularly. The story of the good Samaritan moves from love as a concept to love as an action. The idea that we love our neighbor in the same way that God loves forces love to be active. God’s love for us is not a concept, it is a daily action.

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

June 30 Ordinary Time

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21 Psalm 77 Psalm 16 Galatians 5:1, 13-25 Luke 9:51-62

Today’s Reflection: These days everything in life seems to come with conditions. People often ask their leaders to make a decision – something cut-and-dried, black-or-white – when what they really want is some shade of gray. We want the wiggle-room of indecisiveness. We like changing our mind when the circumstances change. In today’s passages, we learn that God does not give us the option: our response must be yes or no. After Elijah fled to the desert to escape Jezebel’s threat, the Lord revealed his replacement prophet – Elisha. He found Elisha busy in the work of the fields, passed by and put his mantle over him. Elisha requested that he kiss his parents goodbye (translated: finish the work before him) and then he would follow. Elijah made it clear that was not what God wanted, so Elisha instead killed his oxen and cooked them using the wood of his plow to irrevocably cut his ties to his past. In the same way, Jesus gives cryptic answers, yet ones that called for immediate action in direction to his followers. A response cutting someone off from burying his/her parent or saying goodbye to family seems harsh on the surface, but in reality, the response was, “I will follow you when it is convenient,” and Jesus was not asking them to follow him, “maybe.” Elisha and Jesus’s followers were all in the middle of living their day-to-day lives when they received the Lord’s call. We are all in the middle of living our day-to-day lives. I have commitments booked months in advance on my calendar: “Oh just let me finish _________.” will always be a line I could use. Life will always be an obstacle in doing that which God calls us to do, so he does not allow us a “maybe” or “later” response. The only answers he takes are “yes” or “no.” Fortunately for us, when God calls us, he only has good things in store for us. While we may have to give up a certain good thing (our present circumstance) on faith for a better good thing (found in God’s call), we do know that it will be good. Our first task, though, is to say, “yes!”

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

June 23 Ordinary Time

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C 1 Kings 19:1-15 Isaiah 65:1-9 Psalm 43 Galatians 3:23-29 Luke 8:26-39

Today’s Reflection: In a lifetime of working with others I have seen that some characteristics of human nature never change: we have a short attention span and we anticipate everything into a catastrophe. The prophets in Kings, Isaiah, and the people in Luke all encounter threatening situations and react as people do flee and/or whine. Despite the failings of human nature, God remains steady and his presence through the encounters shows us more about his care for us. Elijah had just completed his miracle of the wet altar when he found out that Jezebel declared war on him for defeating her priests and “killing them with the sword.” The passage showed the power of a woman scorned and the power of an oath. By declaring Elijah’s fate with the oath, she was bound to carry it out. Elijah laced up his sandals and headed for foreign lands. Just like Elijah, the prophet in Isaiah declared that the people do not want his message. He despaired at the situation in the same way Elijah did when the Lord’s messenger and the Lord came by. Elijah went from a manifest victory of the Lord’s power to hopeless despair within days. They catastrophized the situation by being certain the worst that could happen would happen. God responded to both, “Do your job and everything will be fine.” Consistently when Jesus came across a demon, the being from the spirit world recognized Jesus identity, power, and consequences for the contact. In the case of Legion, after the thousands of spirits fled into a heard of swine and free the man, the people in the area partially got it – they recognized Jesus’s power, but they did not see the opportunity in it. Instead they responded in fear and asked Jesus to leave. The spirits knew wholly who Jesus was while the people only understood partially and the responses showed the level of understanding. Jesus’s response to the man who desired to go with him was much like that of God to the prophets, “Stay here, spread the word, and all will be fine.” Regardless of the human nature response in each of the situation, the God presence in each passage remained the same: “Here is my way. Stay on the course I have given you and all will be fine.” That is the comfort we take in our relationship with the Lord. It does not matter how frantic we become, God’s stability and calm provides a way through the panic. Yes, the British were on to something: Keep calm and carry on – and all will be fine.

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

Ordinary Time June 16

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C 1 Kings 21:1-21 2 Samuel 11:26-12-10, 13-15 Psalm 5 Psalm 32 Galatian 2:15-21 Luke 7:36-8:3

Today’s Reflection: The passages from the Old Testament and the Gospel could have been written from the headlines with leaders from around the world replacing the names of the Biblical characters. The corruption that comes with power plays itself out in our news, literature, and scripture. Regardless of one’s view of the Bible as a literal history or a collection of stories for educational purposes, one fact that remains true is that human nature does not change. Likewise, fortunately, God’s love for us does not change either. The Kings and Samuel passages present two gross abuses of power by the king over Israel. Despite the king’s responsibility to protect the powerless and avenge injustice, both leaders let themselves be driven by their lust to do despicable acts. The justice that should have come at the hand of the king ended up coming at the hand of God. Paul, in Galatians, drives home the idea that we are forgiven through the grace of God, rather than through the law. We are incapable of living up to the law, so we are subject to God’s justice, but through grace, we still have access to God through Christ. During the dinner with the Pharisee, Jesus teaches how access to grace comes through demonstrating love. It is only through love that we gain grace through Christ. We are incapable otherwise of meriting anything from Christ. Our natures do not change. Neither does the nature of God. Justice will happen: that is the nature of God. It is necessary then, that we learn to love in the way God loves us.

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

June 9 Ordinary Time

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C 1 Kings 17:8-24 Psalm 146 Psalm 30 Galatians 1:11-24 Luke 7:11-17

Today’s Reflection: Each spring my garden begins (mostly) from scratch (depending on how cold the previous turned out to be). From time to time one of the plants survives the winter and grows out from the root. Even when that happens, I transplant the survivor to a new location because I rotate the garden plants each year – good stewardship of the land. Today’s scriptures are about transformation- from the replenishing bit of meal and resurrected sons to the turnaround of Paul’s heart from one zealous for the old ways to someone equally zealous for the Way. Despite an ongoing drought with no new grain the jar of meal and jug of oil never ran out in the story from 1 Kings. The widow had enough faith to follow Elijah’s command. She was prepared to make her last meal and then die with her son. Her gamble paid off: she not only had enough food for herself and her son, but also for Elijah. Her faith carried them through, but the depth of the faith was just enough for that. When her son became ill and died, she doubted the God who had saved them just to let them die. It was only after Elijah’s appeals to the Lord resurrected her son that she proclaimed, “Now I know that you are a man of God….” The Gospel passage includes a similar passage. A widow’s son has died. Jesus has compassion and resurrects the son.  The act created awe (fear) among the members of the funeral party. Each person present recognized the power of Jesus shared the story about him throughout the region. Their ideas about the presence of God in their world were changed and they believed again that God was with them. The most dramatic transformation in this week’s scriptures is that of Paul. In yet another passage he recalls his history of persecuting the followers of Christ because he so believed in the law and traditions of his people. He reveals a prophetic calling – “…God, who had set me apart before I was born….” It was only when he encountered Jesus that he realized the calling was for something different. That same zeal turned from persecuting believers to converting unbelievers – in particular non-Jews as he traveled around the Roman empire. We do not live in a world with prophets and messiahs resurrecting children out of compassion for their parents. For whatever reason, God has not continued those events into our time. What has continued, through the presence of the Holy Spirit, is the spiritual transformation as experienced by Paul. Each one of us has the opportunity to have our hearts and minds transformed to do the ministry for which we have been called. Like Paul, we were all set apart before birth to accomplish the work of God in our time. Whether we realize it or not, we are daily transformed. It is what we do with that transformation that speaks to our faith.

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

Trinity Sunday

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31 Psalm 8 Romans 5:1-5 John 16:12-15

Today’s Reflection: There are some things in life I do not think I will ever understand.  Algebra, for instance. I use it (successfully) all the time in my job, but I do not understand it. I particularly frustrate math teachers by demanding to know how they can so degrade language by putting perfectly good letters into math problems. The same thing can be said for the Trinity we celebrate this Sunday. We know it; we accept it; we believe it; but we have great difficulty understanding it. Today’s scriptures do not necessarily help the understanding. The great Proverb’s discourse on wisdom almost makes wisdom sound like an alternate name for the Holy Spirit with the passage in chapter 8 discussing wisdom’s presence and role in the creation; however, wisdom recalls being the first of God’s creative acts. The Holy Spirit, as part of the Trinity was God from the beginning along with the Father and Son. As impressive as wisdom is, it does not rise to the level of being God. The passage in Psalm, too, gives a distinction to the Trinity by presenting a non-example. Humanity is identified as being less than God (…a little lower than God….). As precious as mortals are, we do not rise to the level of being God. My understanding of the Trinity can best be described as considering the function of each member: The Father as creator, The Son as teacher, The Holy Spirit as guide. All are God, but I have a different relationship and interaction with each. None is greater than any other: none is less than any other. The diagram helps show the interconnectedness of each member of the Trinity.  Even though I can understand my relationship with each part of the Trinity and have a profound connection to my faith in God, like Algebra, the Trinity is something I struggle to explain and fully comprehend. Not understanding is ok. It is part of the mystery that keeps me seeking as it has kept believers seeking since the beginning of time. My relationship with the Trinity, kind of like Algebra, works for me and I am happy about that.

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

Seventh Sunday of Easter

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Acts 16:16-34 Psalm 97 Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21 John 17:20-26

Today’s Reflection: Reading each of the passages today led me to make a list of questions: How would you feel if following God caused you to lose your means of income? How would you respond if following God caused you to experience physical suffering? How would you react if you were suddenly freed form the bonds that limited you? How would you live your life if you knew you were a part of God and God was a part of you? Each question comes up in the text of today’s passages and gives us reason to consider how deep our faith truly penetrates. Paul and his compatriots lived and answered the first three questions because they knew the answer to the fourth. The spirit that possessed a young girl recognized the power of God within the men. This is just one of many experiences when a spirit-power (demon) recognized the authority of God over all creation and responds to a command from him, though it is somewhat unique that the spirit proclaimed to the community that Paul’s message was the way to salvation. Despite the spirit’s recognition of the truth recognized that it was not a holy state for the girl and allowing such a spirit any kind of authority over man undermined their message that Jesus was the only way to salvation, so Paul cast the demon out. That spirit provided a good income for the girl’s owners and they were unhappy that the girl had been healed of her affliction. Throughout the Bible healing often brings unintended consequences: no good deed goes unpunished. Doing God’s will can prove costly as it interferes with the comfort zone many (including many who call themselves faithful) have built around themselves, and as a result, it often comes with resistance and consequences. Such was the response to Paul casting out the demon. No one in the community celebrated the healing of the young girl or the miraculous power behind it; they considered the impact on their own lives. The resulting uproar led to the beating and imprisonment of Paul and the others who accepted the consequences of doing what God commanded. They understood the unique relationship between God and humankind. Through Christ, we are a part of God and God is a part of us. It can be easy to forget the indwelling nature of the Holy Spirit as part of God, but it should be something continually on the mind of the believer as we decide how we are living our lives. When I consciously remember the presence of God, I know I reconsider what I am saying and the tone I use in saying it. I consider carefully what it is I am doing. Remembering God’s constant presence with us is challenging. I know I do not always do it as much as I would like to. Remembering God’s constant presence with us, though, gives the world the God it needs.

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

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Acts 16:9-15 Psalm 67 Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5 John 14:23-29

Today’s Reflection: When I was growing up, social networking was eavesdropping on a neighbor’s call on our party line. It is how all the community news spread. Today I no longer even have a landline telephone, much less one I share with four neighboring houses, and my cell phone is used more for texting and instant messages than it is for calls. Times change and our ways of communication do too. The way God communicates with us has changed over time as well and today’s passages examine some of the ways that communication takes place. The Old Testament is filled with examples of God interacting directly with his chosen leaders and prophets. From personal spoken conversations to visions to guiding natural phenomena, God’s message came directly from him to the intended audience. That much remains true today through the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, who Jesus spoke of coming into the world upon his departure. The Spirit came to “teach and remind” as the guiding voice of God on the earth. Rather than requiring an audible voice, the nature of the Spirit guides our conscience so that we know in the moment whether we are doing right or wrong. No matter the form of the communication from God, the message is personal and intentional. As Paul and many who have received a message from God know, the directions are not always easy, but they are the direction meant at the time.

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

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Acts 11:1-18 Psalm 148 Revelation 21:1-6 John 13:31-35

Today’s Reflection: “Everything old is new again.” My profession is one in particular that runs through cycles. Many of the trends that were popular when I began 22 years ago are coming back into the profession. Today’s scriptures present follow that theme as they explain the return to the original creation as directed by God. Each of the scriptures either describe the creation as it was intended or laws that were put in place/removed to help mankind in their relationship with God and one another. Peter’s experience with the revocation of the food laws, Jesus boiling all the law down to “love one another,” showed that it was not about the letter of the law, but about the intent. God never intended the law to be a barrier between people and himself or between people and each other. By the time of Jesus, that is exactly what happened, so God gave the Holy Spirit to all who believe. Instead of limiting the “chosen ones” to a genealogy, the believers in Christ became the chosen ones. Peter testified to the Spirit as the leader of the Church by explaining how the Spirit was present even with the Gentiles. The Spirit became the direct connection to God for people: God with the people. Peter’s experience with the sheet and voice ending the dietary restrictions symbolized the change to a Spirit led faith instead of a law driven one. Psalm 148 and Revelation describe the creation as God intended it – and as it will be: God’s design will be. Sin and mankind interrupted that plan, but as it is with God’s plan – his will be done. The central idea behind it all is the relationship between God and humankind. Through Christ and the Holy Spirit the relationship became direct again. By the Holy Spirit, we have a personal encounter with God. Recreating the creation to operate as it was intended brings to life the saying “everything old is new again!” What a joy that we can proclaim this good news!

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

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Acts 9:36-43 Psalm 23 Revelation 7:9-17 John 10:22-30

Today’s Reflection: It is amazing how many times I sit through a lengthy policy meeting only to find that when I talk to colleagues about that meeting a few days later, they heard completely different things than I heard. We all enter into the meeting with our own lens and perspective – and find it validated or under fire immediately. Things have not changed from the days of Jesus and his interactions with the people: they heard what they wanted to hear. The passages today continue the themes of the past few weeks, salvation, resurrection, and God’s direction – whether it is what we want or not. I always refer to Psalm 23 as the “funeral Psalm” because it is recited at almost every service I attend. It is used for good reason as it provides a great deal of comfort in a time of so much grief. I like to keep it handy in times of stress. At times when I am tired. For those days when I am just frustrated. I just like it. In the John passage Jesus is confronted with a group of Jews who want a straight forward “yes” or “no” answer rather than listening to the depth of Jesus teaching: make it simple. As this was in the temple, the group was likely sent by the Pharisees in an attempt to trap Jesus into saying something they could call blasphemy. Rather than succumb to the quest for simple faith, Jesus challenged them to listen to his teachings and consider his acts. He uses the symbol of a shepherd who controls his herd in the hills and in the sty with verbal commands. He affirmed the promise of God for eternal connection. The Revelation passage tells of the completion of the promises found in John and Psalm 23. The saints are gathered together before God. All their cares are handled by the Lord, “the Lamb at the center of the throne….” Those who recognized Jesus as the savior and called on him (washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb) whether in good times or coming through persecution are gathered around the throne in such numbers that “no one could count.” The prophecy describes the fulfillment of the statement Jesus made in John that those who God called and gave to him could not be taken away. In Acts we see the transformed Peter – from firebrand to gentle pastor – as Jesus commanded in the passages last Sunday. Upon being called to a nearby city where one of the stalwarts of the church has passed away, he restores her to life and health. Based on evidence from the passage, she had been a powerful member of the church who had done much to care for others in the community: a Christian who lived by her beliefs. In caring for the church and being the new pastor that he became, he “shows her to be alive” which follows the language describing the resurrected Christ appearing to the disciples. As a Christian, it is easy to follow the direction God has for me when it is something I naturally agree with, but when challenged to do something or understand God in a way with which I am not comfortable makes it much harder for me to “do” his will. The Jews in his time, the disciples, and others all experienced what they wanted to experience: some got it right and some did not. We need to get it right by opening our eyes to see and our ears to hear the will of God for our lives.

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

Third Sunday of Easter April 14

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Acts 9:1-20 Psalm 30 Revelation 5:11-14 John 21:1-19

Today’s Reflection: Far too often in life, we find ourselves convinced that the long-range plans we have developed are flawless and beyond reproach - only to find our best laid plans collapsing around us as we observe, mouths agape, the carnage of our ideas. I cannot help but think of Robert Burn’s poem, “To a Mouse” with its line “the best laid schemes o’ mice and men.....” The more confidence we gain in ourselves, the more likely that confidence is to fail us. Today’s scriptures focus on two of the most powerful men in the Bible as they receive new directions from Jesus about the direction their life is to go. Acts 9 picks up the story of Saul, the sworn enemy of the Way and a Jew among Jews, as he heads from Jerusalem to Damascus with special directions for the purpose of persecuting anyone he finds who is following Jesus. His hatred of the Way was so deep he “breathed threats and murder.” I can only imagine that his companions struggled to keep up with him as the headed to Damascus at a brisk pace in order to get right into the hunt for those he could bind and return to Jerusalem for trial. In John 21 we see some of the disciples doing what they did before the arrival of Jesus - fishing. Jesus calls them to shore and they share a meal together. Peter, the strong, fiery, impulsive member of the Apostles finds himself challenged three times by Jesus (the same number of times he denied knowing Jesus) whether he loved him. Of course, being the fiery one, at the third time, he responded in his frustration. Saul’s march to Damascus was halted by a blinding light and the voice of Christ challenging his purpose. The ONE who fueled his passion suddenly called him to account for his actions and give him a new purpose in life. Instead of persecuting the fledgling church, he became the mouthpiece that took the church into places it would not have soon reached. Each time Peter answered that he did love Jesus, Jesus followed that assurance with a pastoral command. Peter’s personality was not best suited for that kind of pastoral care, yet Jesus explicitly directed him to “feed,” “tend,” “feed” - gentle, quiet care of the flock. Both Saul and Peter had different visions for themselves than were in the plans of Christ. As strong and powerful as they were, their lives were redirected by the transformative power of Christ. Whether motivated by hatred (fear) or passionate love God has in mind the ministry for each of us. We just have to watch, listen, and obey.

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

Second Sunday of Easter - April 7

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Acts 5:27-32 Psalm 118:14-29 Psalm 150 Revelation 1:4-8 John 20:19-31

Today’s Reflection: Following the weeks of Lent and then Holy Week, our lives have a way of returning to normal after Easter. After Easter services we collectively release a sigh of contentment, comment on how nice everyone looked in their Easter finery and how beautiful the Easter lilies were – oh, and the ham was especially good. Then Monday comes and we resume our pre-Lenten habits and routine. It is as easy to drop the spiritual disciplines we took up as it is to drop the latest diet (it can start right after this dessert). The apostles did not have that luxury as they were given a new command by Jesus when he first met with them in the upper room a week later. The disciples hiding behind locked doors fearing that they were the next targets of the Jews represented the powerlessness the believers must have felt during that time. In his ministry, Jesus talked about and demonstrated much power (as did the disciples when they were sent out in groups) through God. Yet, now that he had been crucified, did the power still exist? The removal of the leader did so much to shake the confidence of the believers. Faith may be strong, but when physical events demonstrate an (apparent) mastery over the message the faith proclaimed, it becomes increasingly harder to maintain the faith. In a flash it all changes. Despite the locked doors, Jesus is standing in their midst, showing them the wounds in his hands and on his side. THEN the disciples rejoiced. He blessed them and gave them the Holy Spirit with the command to go into the world preaching the Gospel. He gave them the authority of forgiving sins. This authority empowered the believers to defy the persecution and commands to stop preaching. The Acts passage has Peter and others called before the council which is reproaching them for their continued teaching. Between the resurrection of Christ and the time before the council, the apostles went from being powerless believers whose faith was shaken to the core to being the powerful believers who challenged the authorities who sought to persecute them. The strength that came to them from the Holy Spirit continues with us today. As Christians we have the authority to speak up for what is right and wrong and to resist persecution for the belief we have in Christ Jesus. We have to be careful about the Thomas story in the John passage. Before we stop to scapegoat Thomas for his lack of faith, we need to remember just a few verses before that Jesus appeared in the room and showed the disciples his wounds. They had all seen and THEN rejoiced.  When Jesus comments about not seeing and believing, he is talking about us, not singling Thomas out from the other disciples. We are blessed because we continue to believe though the wounded Christ has never been in our presence. We are equally blessed to continue to receive the Holy Spirit and work out the will of God in the world around us. As we move out of the Lenten and Easter times let us remember the gift and power that comes though the Holy Spirit and consider how quickly we want to give up the practices we grew during the last months.

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

Easter - Resurrection of the Lord

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Acts 10:34-43 Isaiah 65:17-25 Psalm 118 1 Corinthians 15:19-26 John 20:1-18 Luke 24:1-12

Today’s Reflection: He is risen. He is risen indeed! Today we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and the final victory over death. As important as this is for us, the scriptures today help us to see the full meaning of a resurrected Lord and the beauty that comes from a restored creation. On Easter Sunday we find it very easy to focus on the rising, but the day is truly about so much more: what comes after the resurrection is what matters! Isaiah first mentions the new order of things to come. The new heaven and new earth come with a new set of rules which sound much like the original rules of creation before sin interrupted natural order of the world: all of creation functioning in harmony with the rest of creation. Acts and Corinthians reaffirm those ideas and extend the salvation to all mankind. We sometimes forget that in the garden, God created mankind as a companion. It was only after sin separated mankind from God that some were separated from him. The birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ restored that connection between humanity and God. Overcoming death and sin restored the vision God had for his creation in its entirety. The resurrection means much more than Christ overcoming death. It brought us back together with God. It gives us the vision of what is to come. God’s plan is for the perfect balance of all creation. Easter moves us toward that more perfect world. Today we remember the resurrection and look forward to the promises it makes possible.

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

Holy Saturday

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Job 14:1-14 Lamentations 3:1-9, 19-24 Psalm 31:1-4, 15-16 1 Peter 4:1-8 Matthew 27:57-66

Today’s Reflection: Every now and then I get caught up in a science fiction series. A well-crafted alternate world offers so many options that are normal for that universe but unimaginable in ours. Jesus’s teaching that he would rise from the dead on the third day did not pass the religious and political leaders unnoticed. While none of them likely believed in any type of resurrection life, they certainly did not want any of Jesus’s disciples to be able to claim it. They insisted that the crucified Jesus stay dead. The Jewish faith has not always endorsed a life in Heaven following death. The passage in Job hints at that belief. Dead is dead. Living a long-life to influence people in the community and descendants were the legacy that kept one alive after death. Between the time of Job and Jesus, while those ideas continued, the belief in an eternity entered the faith. The passage in 1 Peter reinforces the teaching of an ultimate judgment for all those living and dead. Through that judgment all will face the spiritual eternity. Following the crucifixion, the religious and political leaders wanted to limit the damage that could come from Jesus, dead and alive again. If he did return and people saw him it would remove all of their authority. Fearing this, they were happy to turn his body over to a wealthy man with a secure tomb in the hills. It was a sealed tomb, more to keep wild animals and grave robbers out than to keep the dead in, that well served the function of keeping Jesus dead and buried. Beyond putting the stone over the entrance, the guard of soldiers sealed the stone in place. It was the exclamation to their actions of the week, “and STAY dead!” I cannot help but wonder how much they actually believed Jesus’s teaching. They better than most knew the prophecies. They also had the most to lose in the fulfillment of those prophesies. They faced the same challenges we face today: we know what God wants, but it does not always work in our self-interest. At the end of Holy Week, after learning much more about who Christ is, we are compelled to consider which choice we would make.

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