October 27 - Ordinary Time

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Jeremiah 14:7-10, 19-22 Psalm 84 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 Luke 18:9-14

Today’s Reflection: A few months ago Pope Francis caused quite a stir with his response to a social issue that has been a defining cause of the church in the last few decades. When asked a question about gay and lesbian people, he replied, “Who am I to judge?” In five words he summed up much of what Jesus tried to teach us: those of us who call ourselves Christian are God’s examples and the guides in the world for the world: God is the judge. Because we do not want to wait for his judgment, we prefer a system with an authority who provides an answer. Popes and many other religious leaders willingly accept the mantle of judge we hang over them. Each of today’s passages take us to an event when God is the judge and see the various responses to his judgment. By the fourteenth chapter of Jeremiah, the people of Israel have reached the point that they recognize the many sins they and previous generations have committed and they beseech God to forego the impending punishment. Their pitiful pleas go unanswered and they blame God (while still recognizing that he is the one true god). Their thinking followed the logic that even though they messed up, God - as God - could fix it. They missed the part of the confession that led to a right position (contrition, humility) with God. Instead they continued repeating the same sins. Paul, in these verses near the end of 2 Timothy, knows his execution will happen soon and accepts it as a judgment of man which he contrasts with the judgment of God. Though the human powers can take his physical life, he maintains confidence that God’s ultimate judgment will find him to have been a faithful servant who did as he was commanded. He saw himself as nothing more than a mouthpiece for God and by being that voice and nothing more he kept in the right relationship with God. If God spared his physical life as he had done in the past, there was more for him to do. If God did not, then his part of the work was complete. Jesus’s parable in Luke 18:9-14 puts the two approaches toward relationship with God in the characters of two individuals. The Pharisee held on to the same idea as the Israelites in Jeremiah: I am so much better (judgment) than everyone around (and it goes double because God made me this way). Meanwhile the tax collector, a person of some authority with his position, demonstrates the Pauline attitude, recognizing he is at the mercy of God. I cannot find any translation in which Jesus’s lesson is not absolute. The moment we take for ourselves any authority that belongs to God, we have moved into the wrong relationship with God and are the ones facing judgment. The rebels we want to be reject the law of the Old Testament. The humans we are seek rules for the New Covenant. Pope Francis’s statement about his role as judge, or rather his role avoiding judgment reminds us that we are God’s examples and guides in the world for the world. Christ’s Covenant is based on our relationship to him. Our charge to live his teaching as examples of Christ and guide people to him demand that we build relationships with the people in the world. The better we do at building relationships, the less judgment will be needed. I think God prefers relationship to separation; I know I do. When we keep this in mind it may be just a little easier to be and example of Christ in our next encounter.

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

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 Week - Wednesday

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Isaiah 50:4-9 Psalm 70 Hebrews 12:1-3 John 13:21-32

Today’s Reflection: If I were to ask believers about the things God does for them, protection from shame would probably not make the survey. The passages today make reference to worldly shame and dishonor God’s followers have faced since the beginning of time. God’s ways are not the ways of the world. Though the world subjects the faithful to punishment/persecution it considers shameful, the people who are truly faithful experience reward rather than shame. Such persecution continues, as often as not, from within the Church as believers challenge others who do not believe exactly the same way. Just as the perfection of our faith and the end of our ministry does not come until we reach Heaven, the rewards that overcome the persecution we face during life come as a part of eternity. In this life, we will continue to be tormented for our faith, but as Christ and the cloud of witnesses attest, we possess the strength to survive until that time.

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

Holy Week - Tuesday

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Isaiah 49:1-7 Psalm 71 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 John 12:20-36

Today’s Reflection: One of the common expectations for the Messiah in the time of Jesus was as a warrior who would rescue the nation from the occupying Romans. Isaiah, Psalm 71 and John all reflect this belief among the Jews across different periods. Jesus disappoints those who were gathered around him as he explained the Heavenly order for the events to come by using a wheat grain to illustrate his point. As a people oppressed, they sought someone who would bring relief in their lifetime. They did not want to wait for eternal rewards and they most certainly did not want a sacrifice. Nevertheless, Jesus continued under the direction of God and gave the people what they needed rather than what they wanted. The Corinthians passage argues that God’s order does not need a warrior to succeed. In fact, it would not have succeeded as a military action. During Lent, a similar Isaiah passage explained God’s knowledge over humanity’s knowledge. 1 Corinthians 1 brings that argument to salvation through Christ. The salvation through Christ changes people at the core of who they are, something that would not have happened if Jesus come with a military force. Military conquest does not change the heart. The permanence of spiritual salvation far exceeds the short term relief provided by military victory. With the weakness of human understanding, we can be thankful for a God who provides for our needs rather than our wants.

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

Holy Week - Monday

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Isaiah 42:1-9 Hebrews 9:11-15 John 12:1-11

Today’s Reflection: If Holy Week had a theme, the one for 2013 could be the definition of Christ. The scriptures examine his purpose and the role he plays in the God/human interchange. We come to know a servant and a king, a warrior and a sacrifice, and a God and a man. Isaiah describes the functions Christ will accomplish while Hebrews names Jesus “high priest” and “mediator of a new covenant.” Identifying Jesus as the high priest held particular significance for Jewish readers. The high priest served as the intermediary between the people and God. Hebrews, without using the word, describes Jesus as the sacrifice that replaced all others. As both the high priest and the sacrifice, Christ alone could implement the new covenant that leads to eternal life. Unlike the high priests of antiquity, Jesus does not serve a limited term; he continues to be our connection to God. This Holy Week we can celebrate the direct go-between we have in Christ.

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

Sixth Sunday in Lent - Palm Sunday

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Psalm 118 Luke 19:28-40

Today’s Reflection: Palm Sunday has always baffled me. So much celebration fills the day. In the days that follow we remember the deepest despair in the church: our Savior is executed. After 2000 years we know the outcome and that despair does not dig nearly so deep into our souls as it must have for the apostles and the other followers of Jesus, yet as we consider the events, we do experience some degree of the overwhelming sorrow those believers must have felt. In the context of the day, the one verse that stands out most for me in the Psalm is twenty-four, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” The rejoicing bit can be a challenge. Every day we are flooded with the not-so-good news of the world around us and challenges faced by friends and family. Nevertheless, the Lord gives us reason to rejoice through the good things he has given us as named throughout the Psalm and other passages. Rejoicing may challenge us, but it when we do it right, it turns around those otherwise dreary times. Growing up on a farm, I know well the perils of riding an unbroken colt. For that reason, this passage in Luke has always been one of my favorites. The history, Psalms, and prophets all contain tales of God’s power over nature, but few of them are such common man-v-beast tales as Jesus sending for, and then riding a never-before-ridden colt. Even more amazing is that the colt remained calm as the crowds shouted praise, and waved cloaks and palm fronds in the path of the approaching Jesus. Even a well-trained horse could prove skittish in such a circumstance. All this celebration, of course, disturbed the Pharisees. Jesus’s answer that the stones would take up the cry if the disciples stopped did not make them any happier. That power over nature that Jesus, as God, had reminds us on this Sunday, just what was involved in the coming week. On this day when Jesus was riding his popularity with the crowds, the events that end the week seem impossible. When we see a Jesus who commands nature, even inanimate objects, to do his will, we begin to understand just how much of a sacrifice it was for Christ to let himself be taken, tortured, and crucified. The events in Jesus’s last week did not happen by accident or without purpose. Everything led up to the climactic overcoming death and becoming the New Covenant. Events like the triumphal entry into Jerusalem show us just how much the crucifixion later in the week was a gift to us all – one that we cannot afford to underestimate or overlook on our way to Easter. We need to rejoice today, mourn Friday and Saturday, so we can truly rejoice knowing that we need do nothing more than believe to enter into our ministry with him.

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

Third Sunday in Lent

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Isaiah 55:1-9 Psalm 63 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 Luke 13:1-9

Today’s Reflection: The Lenten season coincides with the start of gardening season - at least in my part of Texas. In recent months fruit trees have been pruned and garden beds readied for planting. Part of that preparation requires clearing out last year’s dead plants and fertilizing the ones that remain from previous years. The garden simply does not function well without this care. The passages today consider preparation we have to do in order to be faithful followers of Christ. One of the most familiar passages in Isaiah, 55:1-9, has always comforted me in times of trouble and troubled me in times of comfort. Verses eight and nine provide a pathway to peace when we are overwhelmed by the nature of a circumstance and desperately seek answers. Any other time I read the passage I wonder if it is not just God’s trump card keeping us submissive pawns as he plays with his creation. His ways and thoughts are so much higher we will never understand. Many other passages that attempt to explain God’s actions offer us a chance to understand at some point in the future: these verses withhold such hope. Fortunately these verses in Isaiah are not the only ones in the Bible that address the rationale for God’s actions. The passage in 1 Corinthians cites numerous instances when people (mis)behaved and God smote. We are encouraged to pay close attention to God’s actions in our lives because in even the most troubling time for us, God offers salvation from the trial. Much like the passage in Isaiah, we commonly turn to verse thirteen when we face overwhelming situations, and fortunately, it gives us the sustaining comfort we need. The closer we draw to him in his actions, the better chance we have. Jesus was often surrounded by seekers - people with theological questions attempting to get the answers. In the passage in Luke they asked about the sins of some who had been executed by Pilate. Contemporary teaching informed that those who suffered suffered in response to the sin and their degree of suffering reflected the degree of sin. Jesus refutes this with several other examples and a parable. In an era of sustenance farming, the farmer [famer = God] could not afford to have a fruitless tree [tree = sinful humanity] in his orchard and ordered such a tree be cut down, but the gardener (gardener = Jesus) intervened and asked for a chance to work the soil [work the soil = Christ’s ministry] and fertilize [fertilizer = knowledge] to see if it would turn fruitful. We do not know the outcome for the tree. The outcome for us remains undetermined as well. As we have been loved by Christ and learned about his ways and expectations, our fruitfulness still varies. Some have born plentiful fruit and others have remained barren. Many passages in the Bible offer comfort and create concern as they lead us to reflect on our relationship with God. The passages today, appropriate for the Lenten season, insist that we examine our relationship with God and determine what we need to do to make it the relationship God desires.

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

Christmas Eve 2012

Sometimes our view of God allows us to take the cop-out of expecting God to act alone without any participation on our part. We believe an omnipotent God can act alone in a vacuum and because of that power, we serve no meaningful role in the function of God's kingdom. His will be done. This season's Advent proves to us the exact opposite. As I reviewed my notes to the Scriptures of the season, three words kept coming up: connection, repentance, and salvation. As I studied and read across the weeks, I had no idea how many times the same concepts kept occurring from week to week. It does not surprise me, given the relationship between the words that they dominate the Advent lectionary. Our anticipation of the coming (returning) Christ comes from the connection God seeks with humankind. He desires that we repent for those things outside God's plan and accept the salvation through the New Covenant that came with Christ's coming. From Moses through through the prophets to Christ we see how integral God's connection to humanity is in his plan. Moses followed God's direction to set the Jews apart from the rest of the world through the giving of the law. The prophets kept the people on track and gave them directions to restored favor with God when they had gone astray. Christ recruited then sent the apostles to do his work. We cannot say we are not needed in the work of God. Tonight as we reach the climax in our anticipation of his coming we are called also to focus on the connection we have with our Lord. We rely on him, but he too calls on us. We cannot afford the cop-out of putting it all on God; he uses us! Today our anticipation could become a reflection of ways we are prepared to be used. Our connection to God allows him to accomplish his work through us and it allows us to receive the ability from him to accomplish his work. It is not just his coming in to us but also our going out to him. Anticipation encompasses both receiving and giving. This Advent season has prepared us for both!

Christmas Eve 2012

Sometimes our view of God allows us to take the cop-out of expecting God to act alone without any participation on our part. We believe an omnipotent God can act alone in a vacuum and because of that power, we serve no meaningful role in the function of God's kingdom. His will be done. This season's Advent proves to us the exact opposite. As I reviewed my notes to the Scriptures of the season, three words kept coming up: connection, repentance, and salvation. As I studied and read across the weeks, I had no idea how many times the same concepts kept occurring from week to week. It does not surprise me, given the relationship between the words that they dominate the Advent lectionary. Our anticipation of the coming (returning) Christ comes from the connection God seeks with humankind. He desires that we repent for those things outside God's plan and accept the salvation through the New Covenant that came with Christ's coming. From Moses through through the prophets to Christ we see how integral God's connection to humanity is in his plan. Moses followed God's direction to set the Jews apart from the rest of the world through the giving of the law. The prophets kept the people on track and gave them directions to restored favor with God when they had gone astray. Christ recruited then sent the apostles to do his work. We cannot say we are not needed in the work of God. Tonight as we reach the climax in our anticipation of his coming we are called also to focus on the connection we have with our Lord. We rely on him, but he too calls on us. We cannot afford the cop-out of putting it all on God; he uses us! Today our anticipation could become a reflection of ways we are prepared to be used. Our connection to God allows him to accomplish his work through us and it allows us to receive the ability from him to accomplish his work. It is not just his coming in to us but also our going out to him. Anticipation encompasses both receiving and giving. This Advent season has prepared us for both!

December 12 - Advent

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Psalm 126 Isaiah 35:3-7 Luke 7:18-30

Today’s Reflection: As we come to the conclusion of week two of Advent and the focus on peace, we return again to the topics of repentance and salvation through descriptions of the ministries of John and Jesus. Both topics disrupt and change our lives so drastically. Such disruptions usually cause anything but peace; however, in the case of repentance and salvation, both bring exactly that.   The repentance symbolized in the ministry of John removes a weight and burden from the person making the confession. Removing the secrecy of sin, minor or major, removes the guilt that comes from the knowledge of having done wrong. Whether to God or another person, admitting that I have done wrong allows me to move beyond that guilt and keep an inner peace.   The salvation that comes from the ministry of Jesus leads to the ultimate peace. Knowing that no matter what happens we have the Lord’s promise of salvation that leads to eternal peace. Regardless of the life changing effects that come with salvation, that feeling of peace pervades every situation.   In the ministry of John the Baptist, we see a cleansed living that provides a pathway to God. In the ministry of Jesus, we see a restoration to complete living through gifts from God. Repentance and salvation both guide us into the peace that God desires for all of us. We need to embrace the joy that comes from each.

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

 

December 9 - Second Sunday in Advent

Today’s Scriptures: Lectionary selections from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Malachi 3:1-4 Luke 1:68-79 Philippians 1:3-11 Luke 3:1-6

Today’s Reflection: The second Sunday in Advent focuses on peace. Today’s passages though, point us to the concepts of repentance and salvation. Both of those concepts challenge us at the core of our daily living – not very peaceful. Which of these do we most seek if a choice is to be made?   The early passage from Luke describes the father’s reaction at the birth of his son (John the Baptist). Zechariah reflects on the prophet’s promise that one would come before the Christ. His son fulfilled the destiny to bring the faithful to repentance before the savior came with the offer of salvation – a continuity of the relationship with God.   Repentance and salvation are historically connected. Accepting the gift of salvation takes a repentant heart recognizing that one can never do it by one’s own actions. Throughout the Old Testament, prophets called on the people to repent before God intervened to save the people from certain destruction by more powerful enemies threatening the holy land. When the people failed to repent, God failed to intervene. Only after we recognize our limitations are we able to accept God’s limitlessness.   Repentance and salvation both challenge our independent nature. They challenge the free-will that makes us in the image of God. Repenting before God forces us to own our imperfection. We have own that regardless of how hard we try, we are independently incapable of living up to God’s standards. Yet despite such failure, God still loves us and gives us the opportunity for salvation. Ultimately, the only thing God asks of us is to accept our place in relation to his place. The ten commandments pale compared to this one, “take your place” demand.   The second Sunday in Advent focuses on peace. Today’s passages though, point us to the concepts of repentance and salvation. Both of those concepts challenge us at the core of our daily living – not very peaceful. Yet, the more I reflect on my life, the more I learn I am at my most peaceful when I know who, what, and where I am. When God calls for repentance in return for salvation he guides us to know exactly who, what, and where we are. Repentance followed by salvation does not distress us; it assures us. Nothing is more peaceful than an assurance from God.

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

 

Holy Week - Good Friday

Today’s Scriptures: Psalm 95, 22, 40, 54 Lamentations 3:1-9, 19-33 1 Peter 1:10-20 John 13:36-38, 19:38-42

Today’s Question: Why is it that today comes with so many different emotions?

Today’s Reflection: Good Friday brings us so many conflicting emotions. We are assaulted by the great grief as we humanize the death of Christ, connecting those emotions to others around us whom we have known and lost while finding in the middle of it the exhilaration that comes with reliving our salvation through the death and resurrection.  Today’s passages span the same range of emotions The Psalms range from a joyful call to worship to others that remind us of our low state in comparison to God. Lamentations begins to shift from being all about the punishment God put on the Israelites to a passage that closes with an optimistic outlook, declaring, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end,” and, “For the Lord will not reject for ever.” Just as today takes us to the depths of despair, we know Sunday is coming. The Epistle passage from 1 Peter calls us to live holy lives as Christ did in his example to us. We should discipline our minds and bodies to change our focus from those perishable things of the world and tradition to the imperishable blood of Christ. The Gospel passages in John focus on events on either side of Jesus’s death. First Jesus identifies that Peter will deny him to the people. The second part of the passage identifies the hasty burial shortly after Jesus dies. Beginning with Sunday, each day leading up to Good Friday marked a triumph of Christ in his ministry. Key events and powerful teaching made the events of Friday so much more devastating. Everything was going right. And suddenly it stopped. We proudly wave the palm fronds. We rejoice at the cleansing of the temple. We relish in the giving of the Lord’s supper.   And then we are faced with unimaginable violence.   And we confront the death of the perfect one.   And suddenly we are the worm David proclaimed himself to be.   Two thousand years later, we know how it turns out, but we, rightfully, cannot but feel the grief that comes as we remember the day. The heady joys of the week make the sadness that much more heavy which in turn makes the thrill of Easter that much stronger. Connecting with these feelings connects us again to God and provides a renewal, at least for a while, of our faith.

Today’s Prayer: Let us find our way through the grief of this day into a renewed, reconfirmed faith with the strength to take up our own cross.