Uniform Lesson for December 22, 2019 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Luke 1:39-56 Reading this Christmas story in the middle of our readings from 1 Chronicles provides us some interesting angles to think about God’s incarnation in Jesus Christ. As with the ark narratives from the Chronicler, here we have a story about honoring God’s presence in our midst; about the preferences the God we worship has regarding housing; and about the kinds of songs we must or should sing to recognize this God’s arrival. Luke 1:39-40 — Honoring God’s presence In the David stories, the ark is brought into Jerusalem with great fanfare, public parades and not a little trepidation. The ark makes tangible the very presence of the Lord God, and it therefore should not be handled carelessly or casually or for the wrong purposes. The ark is carried on poles; the Levites break out into song and music; and even the king dances and leaps in a way that is experienced as scandalous by one of his wives. … [Read more...]
God dwells with us (Dec. 15, 2019)
Uniform Lesson for December 15, 2019 Scripture passage and lesson focus: 1 Chronicles 17 and 21 David (with the help of the Levites) has honored God by bringing the ark into Jerusalem. Now the ark sits in a tent while David sits and sleeps in a palace. David (again, maybe with the help of the Levites) decides that this is not right. If David has a house, should not God have a house? A running dialogue ensues between God and David, built on the playful range of meanings in the Hebrew word bayit. Just as the “house of Richard” might refer to either my (and my wife’s!) domicile or my daughters, so the “house that David built” could be either a palace (and temple) or progeny. This pun provides an opportunity to think about how God likes to be housed — in David’s time and in ours. 1 Chronicles 17:1-8 — A tabernacle You would think that God would do what we should do when someone honors us with a gift. “Just say thank you,” I was taught — unless the gift comes with strings attached or … [Read more...]
Liturgy shapes a faithful people (Dec. 8, 2019)
Uniform Lesson for December 8, 2019 Scripture passage and lesson focus: 1 Chronicles 16 In 2 Samuel 6, David brings the ark into Jerusalem with shouting and the sound of the trumpet. Once inside the tent, David presents burnt offerings and offerings of well-being. Following the offerings, David blesses the people, gives everyone food and then all the people went back to their homes. David is in charge. David acts as a priest. All the people seem pleased — except for one of David’s wives! In 1 Chronicles, we get the full order of service, and some other names appear in the bulletin. 1 Chronicles 16:1-6 — A liturgy with liturgists Too often, history is simply the story of kings or prime ministers or presidents. Too often, worship is simply the story of preachers and sermons and hand-shakes at the door. The writer of Chronicles believes that honoring God in worship requires more than a faithful king. The writer of Chronicles thinks that proper worship requires more than an obedient … [Read more...]
Words of Love: Honor the Life-Givers (Horizons 4)
Love Carved in Stone: A Fresh Look at the Ten Commandments Lesson 4: Exodus 20:13 and Matthew 5:21-26 The training for the board of the nonprofit took an unexpected but meaningful turn. The trainer asked us why we serve on the board. Our answers to the trainer’s question were generally about helping those who are homeless and preventing cycles of abuse. Then a big, burly man – let’s call him Tom – answered. He said that his parents told him that he would never amount to anything and, of course, he believed his parents. As a boy, Tom had been a scout. His scoutmaster – let’s call him Miquel – was kind and praised each boy for small and large accomplishments. The boys were quick to follow Miquel’s instructions. The scoutmaster offered to pick up boys for church and Tom often went with them. From the messages at church and the encouragements from Miquel, Tom began to believe in a different future. A future that included college and a responsible job. Today, Tom is the chief … [Read more...]
23rd Sunday after Pentecost — November 17, 2019
Isaiah 65:17-25; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-19 Ordinary 33C; Proper 28 God’s cosmic and total transformation hovers, lurks and looms this week. Depending on which text one looks to first, the feeling evoked around this massive change is more or less hopeful. Isaiah’s description drips with joy and delight. Luke’s comes with more foreboding and suffering. The epistle lesson from 2 Thessalonians comes across more practical than mystical: get to work, keep working, do what is right, now, always, until Christ returns. So, what’s the end of this age and the beginning of the next one going to look like? What’s it going to take for God to get the wolf and the lamb to feed together? For weeping and tragedy to be obliterated? Luke tells us that before that joy and delight and rejoicing comes false messiahs and incorrect assessments of what time it is and all manner of wars and disaster. Further, Jesus’ followers are far from exempt from the fall out. No, they are, in fact, … [Read more...]
22nd Sunday after Pentecost — November 10, 2019
Haggai 1:15b-2:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17; Luke 20:27-38 Ordinary 32C; Proper 27 Our human focus fixates on matters perhaps inconsequential to God. This entire scene of religious leaders questioning Jesus reveals the radical disconnect between divine perspectives and human ones. We seek vindication. We want clear evidence of God being on our side. We look to Jesus to affirm our righteousness and rightness. Jesus tells us: You are asking the wrong questions for misguided reasons and unhelpful ends. The set-up to this exchange gives away much about the questioners. They ask Jesus, through this convoluted scenario, to speak to a doctrine they explicitly reject. The Sadducees do not care about whose wife this woman will be in the resurrection because they do not believe in the resurrection in the first place. What, then, is their motivation? Well, what’s ours when we ask a question that is really posed to reveal our (correct) opinions and our (superior) knowledge? … [Read more...]
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