Proper 13C (RCL) – A Preacher’s Ponderings

Greed

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost; 31 July 2022; Proper 13C (RCL); Hosea 11:1-11; Psalm 107:1-9, 43; Colossians 3:1-11; Luke 12:13-21.

We have skipped over most of the material in Hosea, in which God punishes Israel to try to win their favor and fidelity. Hosea, on God’s instruction, married Gomer, a prostitute, as a prophetic sign of Israel’s unfaithfulness (her prostitution after other Gods). The implication seems to be that Hosea should have similarly punished Gomer to win her love and fidelity. Any battered woman reading Hosea would cringe, or worse.

For the common good

31 July 2016
Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
Proper 13C (RCL)
Hosea 11:1-11
Psalm 107:1-9, 43
Colossians 3:1-11
Luke 12:13-21

Hosea contains some of the tenderest imagery for God, along with some of the most calamitous prophecies. God is torn between tenderness and punishment — I suppose like many a parent. “I was to them like those who lift infants to their cheeks. I bent down to them and fed them.” God is portrayed as a mother lifting her child to nurse it. Even though Israel has continued in its unfaithfulness, God is unable to give vent to the divine anger. The prophet Hosea seems to be turning away from the imagery of the vindictiveness of God. The New Testament will complete this turn.

The two New Testament lesson seem to focus on greed, though that term might need some definition. Continue reading “For the common good”