Exodus 24:12-18; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Matthew 17:1-9 Transfiguration Sunday Liminal space seems like prime territory for holy transformations. Disorientation, an unfamiliar location, limited vision and perhaps even fatigue from the climb up that mountain all break down our normal perceptions and obliviousness enough to open us to the voice of God and the instructions that come with it. Moses is enveloped in the cloud, away from his routine and community for 40 days and nights. Peter, James and John are led up that high mountain by themselves, the writer of Matthew tells us. Mark adds the adjective “apart” as if to emphasize the isolation and out-of-the-ordinariness of this hike. Something big, other worldly, pivotal is about to happen and in order to perceive it, even partially, ordinary human beings need to be jolted out of their comfort and, in Luke’s account, remain awake. Where is Jesus leading us, apart and away from our normal places and tasks, in order that we might … [Read more...]

Deuteronomy 30:15-20; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; Matthew 5:21-27 Ordinary 6A Here we go this week with God meddling in how we ought to behave on earth, telling us to whom to be loyal and how to treat one another! Jesus even says that those who follow him have a higher standard of conduct than the high moral mark of the law. In the wake of a few weeks where it looks like a “Lord of the Flies” mentality has taken over in our nation’s capital, perhaps pausing to ponder God’s call to obey the commandment of walking in God’s ways and Paul’s admonishment to the church at Corinth to remember our place as servants of God would be prudent.  Perhaps considering the “but I say” instructions of Jesus would be helpful, certainly in contrast to the race to the bottom we seem to be witnessing in our common life together. At base, what’s at stake in this week’s readings is acknowledging where our loyalty lies and how we will demonstrate that ultimate allegiance regardless of the circumstances, … [Read more...]

Isaiah 58:1-9a; 1 Corinthians 2:1-12; Matthew 5:13-20 Ordinary 5A Greatness, in the kingdom of heaven, consists of fulfilling God’s law, the law Jesus came to fulfill, the law summed up as loving God and neighbor. True worship and religious ritual pleasing to God entails feeding the hungry, freeing the oppressed and bringing the homeless poor into your home. Christ crucified is the wisdom of God, contrasted with the wisdom of this age and its current rulers. This is a week that calls into question much of our current cultural climate. When the headlines are hijacked by the political theatre happening in Washington and the word “great” has become synonymous with one end of the political spectrum and while we are watching (or not) the scrambling for political power unfold in every corner of our country, where is God’s law being fulfilled?  Where are Christians being salt and bearing light? What do we imagine is glorifying God? Perhaps disciples of Christ might start a … [Read more...]