UNIFORM LESSON FOR January 20, 2019 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Philippians 1:12-21 Paul’s single-minded focus on the joy he has been given in the gospel of Jesus Christ helps him to work against divisions within the community and double-mindedness in himself. And all of this takes place while Paul is in prison! This might get us thinking about who is truly “free” and who is not. Philippians 1:12-17 — Divisions in the community Any congregation who has had a member in jail, knows that division can ensue. Even if the member is there for reasons of political protest (perhaps we should say especially if the member is there for reasons of political protest!), divisions ensue. Some wonder if this imprisonment is truly related to the sharing of the gospel. Some question the person’s motives — perhaps a desire for fame and/or notoriety, or the need to be seen on the side of “righteous” causes. Some wonder if this person’s suffering is in some way a sign of God’s displeasure, … [Read more...]

UNIFORM LESSON FOR January 13, 2019 Scripture passage and lesson focus: James 4:1-10 Last week we wrestled with how our beliefs can lead to divisions. This week we must confront how our divided loyalties can lead to the same. Listen to 4:1: “Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from?” Oh, boy. Sounds like church, doesn’t it? The letter of James forces us to deal with this truth: If our love of God is divided, so shall our fellowship be. Only undivided love of God leads to undivided love of one another.  James 4:1-5 — Rival friendships One of the most slippery terms in the Bible is also one of the most frequent: “the world.” On the one hand, we are called to love the “world” as God does (“For God so loved the world,” John 3:16). On the other hand, the “world” can become a rival loyalty in our lives vis-à-vis our primary loyalty to God. This distinction is less a matter of priorities (“Love God first, then family and country”) and more a matter of worship … [Read more...]

UNIFORM LESSON FOR January 6, 2019 Scripture passage and lesson focus: 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5; 2 John 4-11 We now move to the epistles with the theme “Loving God by trusting Christ.” It should be readily apparent that we are in a different section of the canon, both by the relative obscurity of these passages, and the differences in vocabulary and themes. 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 — Propositional faith Though the same word for “faith” is used here as in the Gospels, this word takes on new (or at least different) meaning in the letters. “Faith” in the Gospels mostly refers to trust in Jesus, or trusting Jesus to be and do what he claims, especially regarding the nearness of the kingdom. By Thessalonians and the Johannine epistles, faith is much more propositional in nature. Faith is believing the right things about Jesus, particularly regarding his identity and status as the Son of God. Thus, 2 John begins to talk about deceivers who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in … [Read more...]

UNIFORM LESSON FOR December 30, 2018 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Matthew 25:31-46 The birth of Jesus begins a revolution that will turn everything in our hearts and lives upside-down. This week, we hear of another coming of this Son of man, this time in glory, accompanied by all the angels to sit on the throne in judgment (25:31). Once more, this is a story of surprises, in which thoughts previously hidden are revealed in actions or inactions, and our response toward those who have been brought low becomes the test of whether peoples rise or fall. This story can be read in at least three different ways. Matthew 25:31-36 — A story about kindness Most of the time I hear this passage quoted, it is in connection with individual acts of kindness and compassion. “Why,” somebody asks, “do you spend so much of your time visiting the sick, working in the clothes closet, and taking food to the shut-ins?” The person replies, “Because Jesus said, ‘Whenever we do this for the … [Read more...]

UNIFORM LESSON FOR December 23, 2018 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Luke 1:26-31; 2:22,25-35 As is customary, the Uniform Lesson Series “pauses” the Sunday before Christmas, and moves to a passage more appropriate for the season. While we might hear this passage as continuing the theme of “God commands our love, respect and obedience,” it does so only through the figure of Mary, with a “before” and “after” portrait of her “annunciation.” If any figure in the Bible, other than Jesus, embodies the command to love God with all our heart and soul and strength (and womb!), it must be Mary. However, from the beginning, Mary’s chosen-ness is a decidedly “mixed blessing.” Luke 1:26-31 — Favored one In the “before” scene, Mary is minding her own business when she is confronted by the angel Gabriel with this strange greeting: “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” While Mary may have recently heard of a similar “favor” bestowed by Gabriel on her kinswoman, Elizabeth (see … [Read more...]

UNIFORM LESSON FOR December 2, 2018 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Deuteronomy 6:1-9 This week we begin a series that will take us throughout the Bible. God’s people are poised on the east bank of the Jordan. Moses is delivering a hortatory sermon before we cross into the Promised Land. This part of the sermon serves as the “white hot center” for Jewish faith — and thanks to Jesus’ teaching, for Christians as well (Mark 12:29-30). Much is at stake — not only for us, but for our children and our children’s children. Let us hear and obey. Deuteronomy 6:1-3 — Hear, observe, love Even in English, it’s clear that the primary mode of address in this passage is the imperative. These are not suggestions or possibilities; they are commands, beginning with the most fundamental command “to hear” (from which comes the name of this passage in Hebrew, The Shema). As God spoke a new world into being in Genesis 1, so Moses, as God’s servant, is speaking a new nation into being in … [Read more...]