Lectionary – Page 12 – A Preacher’s Ponderings

Words of life

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost; 22 August 2021; Proper 16B (RCL); 1 Kings 8:1, 6, 10-11, 22-30, 41-43; Psalm 84; Ephesians 6:10-20; John 6:56-69.

Last week, we heard Jesus say, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” This week, we hear him say, “It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless.” So, which is it?

Drinking blood?

Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost; 15 August 2021; Proper 15B (RCL); 1 Kings 2:10-12, 3:3-14; Psalm 111; Ephesians 5:15-20; John 6:51-58.

In writing the Gospel, John, the evangelist embarked on a daring theological project. The crisis of the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 CE raised serious questions of identity for those who had centered their worship of God on the cult of the Temple (they weren’t really yet called Jews as we think of the term). Where, now, do we encounter God?

The bread of life

Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost; 8 August 2021; Proper 14B (RCL); 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-31; Psalm 130; Ephesians 4:25 – 5:2; John 6:35, 41-51.

Last week, we heard Nathan tell David that the sword would never depart from his house. We skip over a bunch of material to arrive at our reading for this week. Amnon rapes his sister Tamar, Absolom kills Amnon, and then sets up a seat of judgment in the gate in opposition to David’s seat, hearing cases only of Israelites (not Judahites). David flees Jerusalem, and Absolom lies with his wives on the roof the palace. David eventually musters his army and defeats the Israelites. The unity of the two kingdoms was always fragile.

Gift of self

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost; 1 August 2021; Proper 13B (RCL); 2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a; Psalm 51:1-13; Ephesians 4:1-16; John 6:24-35.

The little vignette of Nathan’s challenge to David would make you suspect David didn’t think he’d done anything wrong until Nathan told his little story. Imagine being Nathan, and having to tell the king he messed up. This was a king who regularly killed those who killed his enemies, so he clearly had a temper. Like a good court jester, Nathan gets David to pass his own sentence.

King by force

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost; 25 July 2021; Proper 12B (RCL); 2 Samuel 11:1-15; Psalm 14; Ephesians 3:14-21; John 6:1-21.

To me, the most difficult verse in our Old Testament reading is the first: In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle . . . . Uriah also makes and allusion to the Feast of Booths in his reply to David. Why should he sleep with Bathsheba when all of Israel and Judah are in booths, and the army is in the open field. It seems as if war was at one time a liturgical act in the worship of YHWH.

Building a house

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost; 18 July 2021; Proper 11B (RCL); 2 Samuel 7:1-14a; Psalm 89:20-37; Ephesians 2:11-22; Mark 6:30-34, 53-56.

I know the designers of lectionaries have choices to make — we can’t conveniently fit the whole of a Gospel into a year. And poor Mar, in his year, we have to cram in a lot of John’s Gospel (Mark being the shortest). So, this year, we are going to be reading the sea crossing/feeding miracles from John’s Gospel. But Jeez Louise, we leave out the whole feeding of the 5000, and then the second sea crossing (with Jesus walking on the water) all in one fell swoop. Hardly fair to Mark.

To the praise of God’s glory

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost; 11 July 2021; Proper 10B (RCL); 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19; Psalm 24; Ephesians 1:3-14; Mark 6:14-29.

What a mish-mash of readings this week. The story of the beheading of John the Baptist has always puzzled me: what’s it doing in the Gospels in the first place? Why did Mark see the need to include it? It’s a rather lurid story, ending with a head on a platter. But we have the device of a drunken king and his court, watching his daughter dance as part of the entertainment at the party, and making an oath he regrets. It’s great drama in a short vignette.

A prophet’s honor

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost; 4 July 2021; Proper 9B (RCL); 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10; Psalm 48; 2 Corinthians 12:2-10; Mark 6:1-13.

This week’s lessons present an interesting contrast between David on the one hand, and Jesus and Paul on the other. The reading from 2 Samuel narrates Israel’s choice of David to be their king. He has already been the king of Judah for some time, and now Israel chooses to unite with Judah in the person of David. The stories of the Old Testament hold David up as the archetype of the righteous king, despite (or perhaps because of) his many flaws. We are told he is ruddy, and has beautiful eyes. He has a certain charisma that attracts people to him. Despite his many moral failings, the biblical story looks back to the united kingdom under David as the definitive moment of history.

Unforgivable sin?

Second Sunday after Pentecost; 6 June 2021; Proper 5B (RCL); 1 Samuel 8:4-21, 11:14-15; Psalm 138; 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1; Mark 3:20-35.

This year, we jump into Mark’s Gospel right in the midst of developing controversy (we’ve skipped over propers 1 – 4). Jesus’ family shows up, questioning his sanity, and then scribes arrive from Jerusalem accusing him of blasphemy (of using Satan’s power to cast out demons). After a retort from Jesus, the story returns to the question of Jesus’ family.

Life in the Spirit

The Feast of Pentecost; 23 May 2021; Pentecost B (RCL); Acts 2:1-21; Psalm 104:25-35, 37; Romans 8:22-27; John 15:26-27, 16:14b-15.

I’m always fascinated by verses the lectionary omits. In the reading from John’s Gospel, the first three and half verses of chapter 16 have to do with the hour coming when John’s community will be put of the synagogue, and persecuted even to death. I understand why we would want to leave those verse out, but I don’t think the rest of the reading makes sense without them. Jesus tells his disciples that it is for their benefit that he is going away, so that the Advocate may come. The advocate will charge the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.