Ordinary 27C; Proper 22 World Communion Sunday Lamentations 1:1-6; 2 Timothy 1:1-14; Luke 17:5-10 We constantly want more. Yet, Jesus tells us time and time again that we have all we need and then some. Remember: This brief exchange in Luke follows Jesus’ discussion of forgiveness. Forgive seven times a day. Forgive the same person seven times a day if necessary. No wonder those listening – disciples and apostles, those closest to Jesus and those close but not yet all in – ask for an increase in faith. How else does one forgive and forgive and forgive? Surely only through faith. Jesus’ listeners know enough about themselves to know that what he requires will not be fulfilled without divine intervention and ongoing holy assistance. So they ask, perhaps plead, maybe demand: Increase our faith. And Jesus tells them: If you had even a modicum of faith, an inkling of faith, a mustard-seed-sized amount of faith you could change the world, defy nature, upend human nature and … [Read more...]
16th Sunday after Pentecost — September 29, 2019
Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15; 1 Timothy 6:6-19; Luke 16:19-31 Ordinary 26C; Proper 21 Is there any hope for the rich person? In 1 Timothy? In Luke’s story of Lazarus and the rich man? What about for Jeremiah, locked up, guarded, foolishly buying land he himself will never likely occupy? What hope for release does he have? Desperation appears to be the name of the game this week. Jeremiah’s lot and that of the rich man are fixed. Jeremiah cannot escape the confines of prison or the painful consequences of being chosen to be a prophet and coming under criticism from his people and the king. That rich man who shunned a hungry, suffering Lazarus at his doorstep is doomed to languish in eternal torment. Lazarus only gets relief from the desperation of poverty and pain on the other side of this earthly life. Even the epistle lesson proclaims the inevitability that love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. What do we do, as people of faith, with desperate, apparently hopeless, … [Read more...]
15th Sunday after Pentecost — September 22, 2019
Jeremiah 8:18-9:1; 1 Timothy 2:1-7; Luke 16:1-13 Ordinary 25C; Proper 20 God calls to account those who abuse their power and use their authority for personal gain and at the expense of others. Luke’s Gospel gives us two managers, administrators, stewards to help us understand the nature of discipleship — this shrewd one in chapter 16 and a hypothetical one in chapter 12. In Luke 12:43, Jesus asks his disciples: “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent manager that the master will put in charge?” His answer: “The one who is awake and at work when the owner returns at an unexpected hour.” Alternatively, which manager will be punished? The one who abuses the others and uses the owner’s resources for self-indulgence. The one who wastes the owner’s possessions, like the one we encounter this week. Jesus continues his lesson about faithful stewardship and Christian leadership with this week’s parable, but what an odd story it is. The manager gets caught in incompetence at best … [Read more...]
A chain of faithful actions (Oct. 20, 2019)
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...]
The God of life and regeneration (Oct. 13, 2019)
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...]
14th Sunday after Pentecost — September 15, 2019
Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28; 1 Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-10 Ordinary 24C; Proper 19 Oh Jeremiah, you are in touch with God’s anger like seemingly no other! This week we get the word that we are stupid children, skilled at doing evil. As a result, God will rightfully bring desolation to the whole land, no relenting, no turning back. Is this a word we are willing to share? The only bit of relief comes with this short sentence, “Yet, I will not make a full end.” A glimpse of hope remains. God destroys in order to build up, but what of those living through the present-day wrath? I spent a lot of pastoral breath assuring people that God does not give us what we deserve, but rather extends a grace and mercy that belies reason and human imagination. Hence, this text from Jeremiah causes me pause. Does God sometimes drop the hammer on our misdeeds and let us suffer the painful consequences of our actions? I think of this more in terms of our corporate harm to creation and others, … [Read more...]
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