Isaiah 43:16-21; Philippians 3:4b-14; John 12:1-8 Lent 5C What thread ties these three texts together on this fifth Sunday of Lent? The Isaiah reading and the one from Philippians have a similar theme: God is doing a new thing. Forget what lies behind and instead look forward. Don’t remember the things of old. Run toward God’s good future. But what, then about this iconic text from John? Mary anoints Jesus’ feet with expensive oil and wipes them with her hair, Judas’ rebukes her wastefulness, Jesus’ rebukes Judas’ callous obtuseness and there’s talk of burial and death, not rivers of life in the desert. The hopeful tone of the lessons surrounding the Gospel one for this week seem a bit off in the face of the tension-filled dinner at the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. So, what’s the connection? Could the link be the painful truth that birth, new life, radical transformation and God’s brand-new thing do not emerge without loss, death, pain and burial? Perhaps these three … [Read more...]
4th Sunday in Lent — March 31, 2019
Joshua 5:9-12; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 Lent 4C Why do we choose estrangement? I recognize that separation often gets imposed upon us. Geographical moves. Death. Relationships too toxic and abusive to maintain. Another makes the choice to leave and we’ve no say in the matter. And yet, sometimes we are the ones who ask for our inheritance and hit the road. Sometimes, we are the ones who refuse to come into the house and join the party. The parent grieves our going, pleads with us to be a part of the celebration, return or remain in the household, but there seems to be something we just can’t stomach. The grace? The generosity? The inclusion of those we deem unworthy? The fact that those we thought needed to be punished were welcomed and loved instead? We conjure up sibling rivalry when the father knows no favorites. We calculate how much is left when the inheritance gets split even when there is more than enough for all with baskets leftover. We hang out … [Read more...]
Righteousness through faith (May 5, 2019)
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...]
The Great Commission (April 28, 2019)
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...]
Go and tell what God has done (April 21, 2019)
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...]
3rd Sunday in Lent — March 24, 2019
Isaiah 55:1-9; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Luke 13:1-9 Lent 3C Every now and then God unexpectedly puts me in just the right place at just the right time and I am alert enough to recognize that providence is at work. A few weeks ago I went to a city I’d never been before, on the road for the Presbyterian Outlook, gifted again to be among disciples of Jesus Christ seeking to be faithful in their spheres of influence. After speaking one evening at the church, a member came up to talk to me about a local ministry called Community Renewal. He then invited me to their weekly meeting the next morning, a Quaker-style gathering where those who felt moved to speak, spoke. A simple practice yet one, I would discover, that is deeply profound. I went the next day. The large room soon filled with a diverse group of people sitting in a circle of chairs around the entire perimeter of the space. We read one psalm and then one more. Then people spoke or didn’t. Giving thanks. Naming where … [Read more...]
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