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The scrappy kingdom

17 June 2018
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
Proper 6B (RCL)
1 Samuel 15:34 – 16:13
Psalm 20
2 Corinthians 5:6-17
Mark 4:26-34

There is an odd little puzzle hidden in this passage from 1 Samuel: why does Samuel take a heifer to Bethlehem? Almost every sacrifice described in the Old Testament involves a male animal a year old. Jonathan Z. Smith (The Domestication of Sacrifice) points out that killing sexually immature male animals with unwanted qualities is a way of breeding the herd for desirable characteristics. What to do with that meat? Eat it, of course. Continue reading “The scrappy kingdom”

Kin(g)ship

10 June 2018
Third Sunday after Pentecost
Proper 5B (RCL)
1 Samuel 8:4-15; 11:14-15
Psalm 138
2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1
Mark 3:20-35

There is a strong strand of tradition in the historical writings that sees the monarchy as a failure of faith on Israel’s part. We have here one of the clearest expressions of that tradition. The author warns the people that a king will enslave them just as Joseph and Pharaoh did in Egypt. The Joseph story, cited as one of the clearest examples of the Wisdom tale of the suffering righteous one who is finally vindicated by God, also contains in it a stern critique of Joseph. Joseph ended up enslaving his own people. One wonders if this is a critique leveled by Judah against Ephraim, Joseph being part of the Northern pantheon. Here, Israel, as so often throughout the story of the Exodus, desires to return to Egypt. Reliance on God isn’t as easy as it seems — much easier to have the certainty of knowing one’s place in the scheme of things, even if that place is at the bottom of the pyramid. Continue reading “Kin(g)ship”

Hearing God’s word

3 June 2018
Second Sunday after Pentecost
Proper 4B (RCL)
1 Samuel 3:1-20
Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17
2 Corinthians 4:5-12
Mark 2:23 – 3:6

I find it intriguing that the boy Samuel was sleeping in the presence of the ark of God. Given the later concern for fencing the ark off into the inner sanctum, the simplicity of this story is refreshing. The narrator is careful to tell us that the word of God was rare in those days, probably because of the behavior of Eli’s sons, who took the best offerings for themselves, and slept with the women who served at the entrance of the Temple. But Samuel, dedicated to God by his mother Hannah, sleeps in the presence of God. Continue reading “Hearing God’s word”

Living with delight

27 May 2018
Trinity Sunday
Year B (RCL)
Isaiah 6:1-8
Psalm 29
Romans 8:12-17
John 3:1-17

If I were Nicodemus, my first question to Jesus would have been, “Wait, who said anything about the kingdom of God?” Nicodemus says by way of introduction, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher come from God for no one could do the signs you do unless God were with him.” And Jesus comes back with, “Truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born again/from above.” Talk about non sequitur. Continue reading “Living with delight”

Groaning in expectation

20 May 2018
The Feast of Pentecost
Pentecost B (RCL)
Acts 2:1-21
Psalm 104:25-35, 37
Romans 8:22-27
John 15:26-27, 6:4b-15

We rely so heavily on Luke’s chronology for the liturgical year, that we can hardly imagine any other role for the Spirit than the “birth of the Church” on Pentecost. The Spirit gives the rag-tag band of disciples the courage and ability to begin the proclamation of salvation to all the peoples of the world, beginning in Jerusalem. Continue reading “Groaning in expectation”

Consecrated in truth

13 May 2018
Seventh Sunday of Easter
Easter 7B (RCL)
Acts 1:15-17, 21-26
Psalm 1
1 John 5:9-13
John 17:6-19

For the liturgical year, the Church has adopted Luke’s chronology, but we don’t read Luke’s story each year, so the other Gospels are shoe-horned into Luke’s pattern. In Luke’s pattern, Jesus ascended into heaven (his apotheosis) forty days after his resurrection, so we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension on Thursday forty days after Easter, but then we read from John’s Gospel this Sunday. For John, there is no real apotheosis, but Jesus is always in the process of going to the Father. On the evening of Easter, he breathes on his disciples to give them the Holy Spirit, so there is no need to wait to Pentecost. Continue reading “Consecrated in truth”

Fruit that abides

6 May 2018
Sixth Sunday of Easter
Easter 6B (RCL)
Acts 10:44-48
Psalm 98
1 John 5:1-6
John 15:9-17

I’ve never seen the movie “The Big Lebowski,” But after these readings from John and 1 John, I might just have to rent it. A quote from the film that has made it into popular culture is, “The Dude abides.” In John’s Gospel and letters, the verb abide plays a central role. When the two disciples of John the Baptist (Andrew and an unnamed disciple) follow Jesus, Jesus turns to them and asks, “What do you seek?” They reply, “Rabbi, where to you abide” (or remain – often translated, where are you staying?). Jesus replies, “Come and see.” The Gospel is an invitation to learn where Jesus abides. Continue reading “Fruit that abides”

Abide

29 April 2018
Fifth Sunday of Easter
Easter 5B (RCL)
Acts 8:26-40
Psalm 22:24-30
1 John 4:721
John 15:1-8

If you read these passages aloud, you will quickly discover that “abiding” is a theme for the Johannine author. The verb occurs six times in the passage from John’s first letter, and eight times in the passage from the Gospel. The letter appears to have been written during a conflict within the community (2 and 3 John seem to be cover letters for 1 John, one addressed to the leader of the community and one to the community itself; and both speak of those who have left the community). The only way of being fruitful is to abide. Continue reading “Abide”

Entrusting our lives

22 April 2018
Fourth Sunday of Easter
Good Shepherd Sunday
Easter 4B (RCL)
Acts 4:5-12
Psalm 23
1 John 3:16-24
John 10:11-18

John uses an interesting phrase in the Greek that we translate “lay down (his) life for.” The phrase is “tithein ten psychen hyper.” Translated literally, it would come out something like, “place his soul on account of.” I once asked a classical Greek scholar what the phrase meant. He suggested it meant something like, “entrust one’s life to.” It was used in military poetry, and describe what we might call a “trust fall.” A soldier unsheathed his sword and handed it to his comrade, and then exposed his neck. If his comrade didn’t lop off his head, then he could be trusted. One had entrusted one’s soul to one’s friend.

This is something very different from what we hear when we hear “lay down his life for his friends.” In the passage from the Gospel, Jesus says, “I set aside my soul so that I might take it up again.” He entrusts his life so that he might take it up again. Isn’t this true of all of us? We cannot live, except at the gift of others. We entrust our lives to others simply in order that we might live. We disguise that trust behind money, but without trust in the basic institutions of decency and honesty, we couldn’t live.

What is startling here, is that God in the Incarnate Jesus, entrusts God’s life to the sheep. In the final discourse, in Chapter 13, Jesus sets aside his garment, washes his disciples’ feet, and then takes it up again. The vocabulary is exactly the same. We only live by mutual trust and service.

Also startling here is Jesus’ claim to have other sheep who are not of this fold, whom he must call, so there will be one flock under one shepherd. We can tend to think of Church as a safe place, where we can always come. But we are mistaking the fold of the sheep for the destination. Jesus says that the shepherd comes to the fold and calls his sheep out, so that they may find pasture. Church is only where we come to rest, but if we are going to follow Jesus, we have to be willing to go out as well as come in. And we might well encounter that other flock outside the fold.

And recognition of them will come by listening, listening to the voice of the shepherd. We are often too prone to speak when encountering others, rather than listen. We think we have a corner on the truth, but if we are to hear the shepherd’s voice, we have to listen.

Broiled fish

15 April 2018
Third Sunday of Easter
Easter 3B (RCL)
Acts 3:12-19
Psalm 4
1 John 3:1-7
Luke 24:36b-48

I’ve never particularly liked the Book of Acts. I know many people read it as a pattern for what the Church should be today. I find Luke’s history to be far to idealized to be very useful. However, reading Peter’s speech to the religious authorities this time, I have taken another tack. These speeches always sound to me like the worst of Christian supersessionism: You killed Jesus, therefore God has given the promises to us. Continue reading “Broiled fish”