Uniform Lesson for October 20, 2019 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Luke 7:1-10 God’s faithfulness toward us inspires our faithfulness toward one another.  In this week’s lesson, the faith of an outsider is seen to exceed the faith of all the insiders. But the healing that concludes this story requires a chain of faithful actions — extending from slave to master, master to elders, and elders to Jesus.  Jesus has the authority to act over and beyond this chain.  But Jesus also has authority to act with the help of such humanly fragile networks. Luke 7:1-5 — Faithful intermediaries At its heart, this is simply a miracle story involving a military leader and a powerful prophet.  But this story requires a cast of characters — extending back from the soldier toward his slave, and out from the soldier toward the elders, who alone approach and summon Jesus. There is much about this chain of command that we might question.  Why doesn’t Jesus heal the slave of slavery as well as … [Read more...]

Uniform Lesson for October 13, 2019 Scripture passage and lesson focus: 1 Kings 17:1-24 Many of us easily forget that food insecurity is still a problem even in rich places like the United States. As such, our privileged position takes away the power of biblical stories that describe God’s miraculous reproduction of food and life for those who are on the margins and struggling. The story about Elijah and the widow challenges us to look anew to the suffering of those around us who are in a similar situation. 1 Kings 17:1-6 — A prophet in the midst of drought This story begins in a time of dire need. Israel and its surrounding countries are undergoing a drought and, as a result, there is a famine. That there would be a famine in this period makes sense considering that Israel is under the rule of King Ahab. As kings in the ancient Near East were seen as responsible for the protection and fertility of the land, the famine during Ahab’s reign shows that he is not a good … [Read more...]

Uniform Lesson for October 6, 2019 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Deuteronomy 4:1-14, 5:1-21 Most of us do not like to be told what to do and what not to do. Yet even the most rule-loathing among us realize that sometimes rules stem from love and concern — that they are meant to help us and keep us safe. This joy of such rules or instructions is evident in Deuteronomy 4, which celebrates the giving of God’s commands to the Israelites. Deuteronomy 4:1-14 — God’s instructions The first few chapters of Deuteronomy (literally “the Second Law”) consist of Moses’ farewell speech to the Israelites before their entrance into the Promised Land and before Moses’ demise. Like all good leaders, Moses has some advice for the people he will be leaving behind. And in this chapter, Moses warns them that in order to succeed they must keep God’s commandments and instructions. Moses begins by stating that the Israelites are not told to blindly follow God’s rules. Rather, Moses recounts the … [Read more...]

Uniform Lesson for September 29, 2019 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Numbers 14:10b-23 The relationship we have with our parents or parent-like figures is crucially important and influential. And for many of us, it takes a long time and much suffering, perhaps even a good deal of counseling, to come to terms with this relationship. The story about the Israelites’ travels in the wilderness is comparable. The relationship between the Israelite people and God is fraught, filled with disappointment and angry outbursts. The Israelites are portrayed as faithless, weak and whining, while God is depicted as violent, rash and angry. In the middle of this stressed relationship is the key role played by Moses who acts as a mediator and intercessor between God and the people. Numbers 14:10b-20 — Divine anger and the Israelites’ unfaithfulness The pericope that begins here continues the story in Numbers 13 about how the Israelites, on the cusp of conquest, sent spies to Canaan who … [Read more...]

Uniform Lesson for September 22, 2019 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Numbers 13:1-14:10a In 2016, a very popular book called “Grit” argued that in order to achieve and succeed, one needed more than just talent. Rather, one needed preservation and hard work — what the author described as grit. Numbers 13 describes how the Israelites whom God has led through the wilderness under the leadership of Moses still lacked the grit to take the land promised to them. Balking at trying to conquer the Promised Land of Canaan, the Israelites whine and desist, angering God once again. Yet from a modern point of view, this story of conquest is problematic as it raises uncomfortable concerns about the ways in which theology and religion are used to justify colonialism, violence and takeover. Numbers 13:1-24 — Spies and the conquest of Canaan The Israelites – after a lengthy, dramatic and fraught journey in the wilderness under the leadership of Moses – finally arrive at the Promised Land, … [Read more...]

Uniform Lesson for September 15, 2019 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Ephesians 5:21-6:4 God is faithful in training Abraham, sparing Lot and providing shelter for the stranger. God is faithful in strengthening the weak, lifting up the lowly and providing prophets to partner with kings. But God is also faithful in more mundane and daily ways, such as providing God’s people bread to eat. Such providential provision is a revelation of God’s glory, a test and a gift. Exodus 16:1-3 — A revelation of God’s glory No doubt God would prefer a people who are bowled over by the wonder of daily provision. Every congregation has a few saints who are grateful simply to be up and out of bed, breathing and alive, and blessed with enough food to get through the day and enough shelter to get through the night. Then there are the rest of us! We look back on past days, when we had much less freedom and no sense of God’s presence, yet because of the availability of bread and “fleshpots,” we’d … [Read more...]