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...]
God brings justice (April 5, 2020)
Uniform Lesson for April 5, 2020 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Isaiah 42:1-9 Reading Isaiah 42 in conjunction with Palm Sunday is not unusual. Christians cannot help but see the ways that Jesus fulfills the calling of Isaiah’s servant. But reading Isaiah 42 on Palm Sunday under the heading of “God promises a just kingdom” helps us see other ways that Jesus (and we!) should fulfill the promises of this king’s reign. Three times Isaiah stresses that this servant/king’s rule is centered on justice. How will this servant/king establish justice? For whom is this just kingdom intended? Isaiah 42:1-3 — A king who doesn’t break others Most earthly leaders are loud and aggressive. You know when they enter the room. You know better than to move too quickly toward them, or to make any gestures that might seem threatening. If they sense a foe is wounded, they finish them off. If they see that competitors are faltering, they snuff them out. This world is a battle of the powers, and only … [Read more...]
Purifying God’s people (March 29, 2020)
Uniform Lesson for March 29, 2020 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Malachi 2:1-9; 3:5-6 From Micah, we turn to Malachi. From one of the earlier prophets, we move to one of the latter ones. From a prophet concerned with justice long before Israel’s exile, we turn to a prophet who worried over justice following Israel’s return. The setting is very different, but the concerns are depressingly the same. There are problems in this world, and they have less to do with what is going on outside the community of God’s people than in. A messenger is coming. This messenger’s presence will burn like that of a refiner’s fire. Malachi 2:1-5 — Messing with the offering One of the main problems according to the prophet Malachi is the presentation of compromised cattle for the offering. “When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not wrong? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not wrong?” This looks like an easy charge for us to dodge. Number one, we don’t offer … [Read more...]
More than being nice (March 22, 2020)
Uniform Lesson for March 22, 2020 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Micah 3:1-3, 9-12; 6:6-8 Micah 6:8 may be one of the most beloved and remembered Old Testament verses. I’ve seen it woven into cross-stitch, painted as calligraphy and tucked into wallets as a reminder. Yet, how often do we pair it with the chapters that precede it? Instead, we twist its language about justice and kindness and humility to the point it simply means “be nice.” Micah 3:1-3 — Hyperbolic language? Many church people get upset by the graphic nature of some of Jesus’ rhetoric: “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. … And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off” (Matthew 5:29-30). This is not the language of polite company. It goes against any picture of a meek and mild Jesus. Jesus, however, was a prophet. And Jesus was as steeped in the language of the prophets as he was in the rhythms of the psalms. So, maybe we should be grateful that neither Jesus nor we … [Read more...]
Words of Love: Do Not Steal (Horizons 7)
Love Carved in Stone: A Fresh Look at the Ten Commandments Lesson 7 Exodus 20:15; Matthew 25:31-46 Which of the following would you consider to be stealing? Taking home office supplies from work; Gossip; Failure to provide a living wage; Giving 2.4% of your income to God through your church; Fraudulent business deals; Charging poor people much higher interest rates than those in higher income brackets. Incredibly, all of the above are stealing according to both Jewish and Christian interpretation of the commandment, “You shall not steal.” Withholding what is needed for the well-being of others is deemed stealing, as much as taking something that is not yours. Gossip is stealing a person’s good reputation. Not providing a living wage limits a person’s ability to provide for self and family. Giving a tiny fraction of our income to God robs us of the understanding that all things belong to God and cheats God out of the income necessary to further God’s purposes … [Read more...]
6th Sunday after Epiphany — February 16, 2020
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...]
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