Deuteronomy 30:15-20; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; Matthew 5:21-27 Ordinary 6A Here we go this week with God meddling in how we ought to behave on earth, telling us to whom to be loyal and how to treat one another! Jesus even says that those who follow him have a higher standard of conduct than the high moral mark of the law. In the wake of a few weeks where it looks like a “Lord of the Flies” mentality has taken over in our nation’s capital, perhaps pausing to ponder God’s call to obey the commandment of walking in God’s ways and Paul’s admonishment to the church at Corinth to remember our place as servants of God would be prudent.  Perhaps considering the “but I say” instructions of Jesus would be helpful, certainly in contrast to the race to the bottom we seem to be witnessing in our common life together. At base, what’s at stake in this week’s readings is acknowledging where our loyalty lies and how we will demonstrate that ultimate allegiance regardless of the circumstances, … [Read more...]

Isaiah 58:1-9a; 1 Corinthians 2:1-12; Matthew 5:13-20 Ordinary 5A Greatness, in the kingdom of heaven, consists of fulfilling God’s law, the law Jesus came to fulfill, the law summed up as loving God and neighbor. True worship and religious ritual pleasing to God entails feeding the hungry, freeing the oppressed and bringing the homeless poor into your home. Christ crucified is the wisdom of God, contrasted with the wisdom of this age and its current rulers. This is a week that calls into question much of our current cultural climate. When the headlines are hijacked by the political theatre happening in Washington and the word “great” has become synonymous with one end of the political spectrum and while we are watching (or not) the scrambling for political power unfold in every corner of our country, where is God’s law being fulfilled?  Where are Christians being salt and bearing light? What do we imagine is glorifying God? Perhaps disciples of Christ might start a … [Read more...]

Micah 6:1-8; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; Matthew 5:1-12 Ordinary 4A Blessed are … So begins this famous sermon of Jesus. Blessed are … for they … . We can hear the refrain of this proclamation as Jesus teaches on the mountain. God, it would seem, sees those often overlooked and devalued among us. God notices and attends to the poor in spirit, the meek and the mourners. God recognizes the work of and aligns forces with those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. The peacemakers, those who look fool hearty or naïve in this all too violent world, get particular attention from none other than the Almighty. The downtrodden, the courageous, those who believe in what they have not yet seen and are holding out hope for reconciliation and justice, they too are held in the hands of the Most High God despite all evidence to the contrary. God, after all, chooses the foolish to shame the wise, the weak to topple the strong, and the cross, that most shameful instrument of state terror, to … [Read more...]

Isaiah 9:1-4; 1 Corinthians 1:10-18; Matthew 4:12-23 Ordinary 3A Jesus proclaims, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The time of Jesus’ public ministry is upon us; no longer is the kingdom near, the kingdom is here and now. I wonder sometimes if we postmodern people with all of our technology and distractions, our comforts and connections, our 24-hour news cycle and on-demand everything, ever consider that Jesus is in our midst even as he sits on the right hand of God. Are we aware of the divine right in front of us and the responsibilities our allegiance to the holy requires of us? Who do we think rules our lives and our world, really? What forces and motives, interests and loyalties truly guide our actions? Who in this world has agency and power and influence? And who, alternatively, exists at the mercy or whim of others’ actions? As I read this beautiful passage of comfort from the prophet Isaiah, I’m struggling with the news of states and communities … [Read more...]

Isaiah 49:1-7; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9; John 1:29-42 Ordinary 2A God called you. God is faithful. This refrain of God’s initiative and God’s trustworthiness resounds through all three readings this week. Questions on our part remain. The chosen one in Isaiah expresses deep discouragement and God’s response reassures the doubting, despondent servant that divine will may be delayed but will ultimately be accomplished. The epistle reading reminds a nascent Christian community of Christ’s ongoing work among and within them. Christ not only called them, Christ continues to strengthen them. No spiritual gift is lacking — not now, not ever. John lifts up the utter unexpectedness of a transformative encounter with Jesus. Mere curiosity on the part of John the Baptist’s disciples ends in a new vocation, a new purpose and, in the case of Simon, a new name. God calls us. God, the Alpha and Omega, is faithful throughout the journey no matter what we encounter along the way. Ministers of … [Read more...]

Isaiah 42:1-9; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17 Baptism of the Lord — Year A God is a gentle bringer of justice who shows no partiality. These descriptors feel out of place at the beginning of 2020. The beloved Son of God consents to be baptized by one unworthy to untie the Savior’s sandals. What do we do with such humility from none other than the Messiah and Lord of all? Jesus, in his baptism, affirms God’s willingness to go to whatever lengths required to be united with humanity, in solidarity with sinners, unquestionably present in the chaos of the waters of this world. How do we respond to a divine show of compassionate power made evident in the heaven-opening, earth-colliding, Jesus-emerging, Spirit-descending, God-speaking moment of the baptism of the Lord? Is there anything akin to this in our experience? Why does this matter for us these many years later? The Sunday when we mark Jesus’ baptism reminds us not only of Jesus’ identity, character and habits, but the … [Read more...]