1 Samuel 1:4-20; Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25; Mark 13:1-8 Ordinary 33B Proper 28 Occasionally, when the Outlook staff emails one another we begin with “Today’s sign of the End Times,” and follow it with an unexpected and strange request, response or article. This churchy humor helps us weather the ups and downs of being on the receiving end of many public comments and frequent scrutiny, some of it kind, some of it not so kind, some of it down right odd. But when I come to chapter 13 of Mark’s Gospel, I realize that our “signs of the End Times” are not Jesus’ signs of the End Times. Jesus’ signs do not call forth eye rolls, laughter, a chuckle or stress relief. Jesus’ talk of the End Times arrests us and causes us to question expectations and events roiling all around us. Jesus tells his disciples who marvel at the beautiful, imposing Temple (that same Temple and scribal system he has been railing against) that even an institution and edifice that big and that … [Read more...]

Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17; Mark 12:38-44 Ordinary 32B Proper 27 What obligation do we have to those in our society who cannot provide for themselves? What responsibility do those who follow the Triune God have for people systemically oppressed, marginalized and vulnerable? The texts appointed for this week will not let us dodge these basic questions of what it means to be faithful to the God who came to bring good news to the poor and let the oppressed go free. While our country roils with conflict, division, violence, vitriolic rhetoric and deadly acts, the Bible holds us accountable to how we treat the disinherited. Jesus takes sides and tells us with whom we are to stand if we want to be with him. The Scriptures require us to examine our hearts, actions and witness in the face of our current context and every shocking headline. Beginning with how we treat the least of these, the systemically oppressed and the situationally vulnerable, no matter who they are. How do we treat … [Read more...]

Hebrews 9:11-14; Mark 12:28-34 Ordinary 31B Proper 26 At first reading of the Gospel text this week, I marveled at the audacity of the scribe in Mark’s version of this story. The scribe says to Jesus, “You are right, teacher.” The scribe feels he has the authority to affirm Jesus’ response. The scribe grades Jesus, the teacher. I marveled too at Jesus’ response to the scribe’s presumptuous confirmation of his answer. Jesus tells this scribe, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” Jesus does not say, “Of course I am right!” or “Who do you think you are assessing my answer?” Jesus sees that this scribe understands the bottom-line bulwark of the faith: love God and neighbor. And therefore Jesus says, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” This affirmation of the scribe is particularly striking as it is the only time in Mark’s Gospel where a scribe gets a shoutout from Jesus. This exchange is no pleasant, churchy small talk. This back-and-forth between Jesus and … [Read more...]

Job 42:1-6, 10-17; Hebrews 7:23-28; Mark 10:46-52 Proper 25 Ordinary 30B I found myself getting emotional as I read and studied the texts appointed for this fall Sunday. Job, humbled, confesses to God: “I uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me. I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” In an age when humility is out of fashion and a time when, according to Jonathan Merritt in a recent New York Times article, words like “love,” “patience,” “gentleness” and “faithfulness” are “much rarer,” Job’s confession strikes a countercultural chord. Merritt sites a study in The Journal of Positive Psychology that revealed that the use of “humility words, like ‘modesty,’ fell by 53 percent.” Even people of faith resist repenting in dust in ashes, save for Ash Wednesday. Rarely do we acknowledge our ignorance, even when it comes to the mind of God. Job’s broken and contrite heart nonetheless resonates with those of us who have known despair, loss and the dark … [Read more...]

Job 38:1-7 (34-41); Hebrews 5:1-10; Mark 10:35-45 Ordinary 29B Proper 24 I feel for Job this week. We are on chapter 38 of the book of Job. Job has suffered much. In last week’s readings, he finally took God to task and cried that God refused to hear his complaint and was silent in the face of his suffering. This week God replies. Silent no more, God lets Job have it in a breathless “who do you think you are?” diatribe. These verses have an “and another thing, Job” quality to them. Just when you think God is finished taking Job to task, God adds another piece of evidence in the case against Job’s audacity: “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Who determined its measurements — surely you know! Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Well have they?!” God will go on for another entire chapter before Job responds. Even then, Job gets three verses before God gets going again for another chapter and a half. Clearly, if word count is any … [Read more...]

Job 23:1-9, 16-17; Hebrews 4:12-16; Mark 10:17-31 Ordinary 28B Proper 23 All three of the texts appointed for this Sunday involve seeing and being seen. Job contends that God refuses to be found. God hides, Job cries, and is unwilling to hear his complaint or heed his calls to be seen, heard and acknowledged. Hebrews makes the case that human beings cannot handle being fully seen by God. God’s word will reveal intentions of the heart, thoughts unspoken. Nothing will be hidden from the God who will judge us according not only to actions, but to mere intentions. Hence, humanity’s need for a High Priest, an intercessor, Jesus Christ to make a case on our behalf, plead for mercy, take on the punishment that should be our own. Mark tells the story of the privileged man, the one with power and possessions, wealth and influence, who comes to Jesus wanting an affirmation of all that he is and does, but gets truly seen, truly loved, yet unable to relinquish the image he has of … [Read more...]