UNIFORM LESSON FOR May 26, 2019 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Romans 12:1-8 The “therefore” in verse 1 marks a shift in Paul’s letter to the Roman church. Everything that has preceded this – the disclosure of God’s righteousness, the release from condemnation, the widening of God’s table to include the Gentiles – now culminates in this therefore. If the gospel is to spread to others, it must first take root in ourselves. Not just in our spirits, but in our bodies. Not just in our minds, but in our wills. Not just in the worship of our sanctuaries, but the worship of our lives. Romans 12:1-2 — A living sacrifice A while back, I spent a good hunk of time studying the book of Leviticus. I gained a new appreciation for the whole burnt offering in chapter one. If you lived in a nomadic culture, and if cattle served as the basis of your economy, and if an unblemished steer stood at the center of all your tribe’s production, you did not casually turn this cow into smoke. This … [Read more...]

UNIFORM LESSON FOR May 19, 2019 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Romans 11:11-24 This juncture in the spread of the gospel goes to the heart of the Paul’s ministry, and the heart of the tension between the church and the synagogue. How and why did God’s promise to Israel become a promise for the Gentiles (or non-Israelites)? Has God replaced God’s promise to Israel with a new promise to the Gentiles (a blasphemous doctrine known as supersessionism)? Or has God’s promise to Israel opened up in a way that includes others — including all or most of those reading this Presbyterian article? A great deal hinges on how we hear and interpret this passage. Romans 11:11-16 — God’s providential plan Some theologians refer to the story of Adam and Eve as “the fortunate fall.” Through the actions of these first human beings, a new chapter of grace and reconciliation opens up between God and all humanity, which includes God’s promises with Abraham and Sarah and all those bound into … [Read more...]

UNIFORM LESSON FOR May 12, 2019 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Romans 8:1-14 Having started in Romans 3, we now skip to chapter 8, still thinking about the theme of the spread of the gospel. As last week’s session kicked off with the good news that “the righteousness of God has been disclosed” (3:21; over, finished, complete), so this week kicks off with the declaration that “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (8:1; over, finished, complete). God is up to something big in the spread of the gospel — something as big as all humankind! Romans 8:1-3 — God’s work of salvation A few verses before our lesson, Paul’s letter seems to have come to a standstill. All human beings find themselves captives to sin. That’s sin in the singular, versus sins in the plural. Paul, as a representative of such captivity, cries out in despair: “Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (7:24). The implied answer is “Nobody!” — at … [Read more...]

UNIFORM LESSON FOR May 5, 2019 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Romans 3:21-31 One of the strengths of the Uniform Lesson series is that it skips around a lot. But one of the weaknesses of the Uniform Lesson series is that it skips around a lot. And here is a case in point: We are dropped down into Romans three chapters in. Paul is making a sustained argument that is related to the spread of the gospel, but which includes far more. Romans 3:21-24 — The righteousness of God Most preaching and teaching in the church seems to focus on the matter of human righteousness. How can sinful human beings become a little less so (with the help of the Holy Spirit)? But Paul’s concern is far bigger than this. How can the righteousness of God be disclosed (given the brokenness of all human beings)? There’s no need to spread any good news unless it’s really good news — not just for some, but for all. Right off the bat, Paul declares that this righteousness of God has now been disclosed … [Read more...]

UNIFORM LESSON FOR April 28, 2019 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Matthew 28:16-20 As the two women were sent away from the tomb last week, so the 11 disciples are sent down from the mountain this week. Ministry at its heart is sending, and this last overture in Matthew is perhaps the greatest sending of them all. Matthew 28:16-17 — On the mountaintop For centuries, this concluding passage in Matthew has served as the church’s rallying cry. It ends this first Gospel in the canon with a bang and may be one reason this Gospel was placed first in the sequence. It takes me back to early Sunday school days as we marched out of class to the tune of “Onward Christian Soldiers,” a hymn you can criticize for its martial language, but not its mobilizing effect. However, even here on the mountaintop, there are signals that this gathering is still very much like our gatherings today. First, there are only 11 disciples present. There seems to always be someone missing — at least … [Read more...]

UNIFORM LESSON FOR April 21, 2019 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Matthew 28:1-15 We finish up our unit on the call to ministry with the final chapter of Matthew’s Gospel. This week, we have the women sent out following the resurrection of Jesus. Next week, we have the disciples sent out following Jesus’ commissioning on the mountaintop. Our assignment is to ask how these two sendings can help us understand and live out our sendings today. Matthew 28:1-7 — God at work Though the story begins with Mary Magdalene and the other Mary on the move, the main actor in this story is behind the scenes. Suddenly, there is a great earthquake, an event over which human beings have imperfect knowledge and little to no control. Then, the earthquake is attributed to the visitation of an angel, who rolls back the stone and sits on it, showing that his work is now complete. This angel’s appearance is like lightning and his clothing “white as snow” (28:3), descriptions that often accompany … [Read more...]