Temple – A Preacher’s Ponderings

Angels of God

Second Sunday after Epiphany; 14 January 2024; Epiphany 2B (RCL); 1 Samuel 3:1-10; Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; John 1:43-51.

What a mish-mosh of readings for this week. I suppose the 1 Samuel and the Gospel both address the issue of the call of God, but the 1 Corinthians sticks out uncomfortably like a sore thumb. I’ve chosen to leave off the optional verses of the 1 Samuel reading, so as not to have to explain the crimes of Eli’s sons, although the whole story does give insight into the role of the priesthood in the religion of ancient Israel. On the other hand, the passage from John’s Gospel is an important set-up for the outcome of the Gospel.

The end is not yet

Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost; 13 November 2022; Proper 28C (RCL); Isaiah 65:17-25; Canticle 9; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-19.

We are clearly winding down the liturgical year — we’ve arrived at the apocalyptic material in Luke’s Gospel. Luke tones down significantly what he borrows from Mark’s Gospel, pushing the impending end even farther into the future. Even the arrest of the disciples will not signal the end. Luke has change Mark’s material neatly to give us a hint of what’s in store for Peter, and especially for Paul in the second volume of Luke/Acts. Paul will make his defense before kings and governors, but clearly not ad lib, but in carefully crafted speeches.

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?

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.