"Lection Reflections" is a short review of the themes of the coming Sunday's scripture readings as written in the Common Lectionary, Year B. For more information on the Lectionary, and how it can work to aid your Bible knowledge, click here!
Students of Hawaiian history will find resonance with the two lectionary readings for Sunday that feature individuals afflicted with leprosy.
The 19th century Roman Catholic priest, Damien de Veuster, who is more commonly known as Father Damien, devoted his ministry -- and literally surrendered his life -- for persons cruelly quarantined on the Hawaiian island of Molokai. (Please click here for his biography.)
The Old Testament reading (II Kings 5: 1-15b), and the Gospel reading (Mark 1: 40-45) record the healing of two men with the disease we know today as Hansen's Disease. Before effective treatment for this disease was discovered in the 1930s, lepers were often segregated into colonies, and deprived of all social contact, including contact with family members. Quite literally, a leper could "never go home again."
While leprosy is the situation, the "cure" in the readings is an enduring faith in God.
Readers of these lections may also be challenged by the fact that the "faithful" in the Old Testament reading are not the Children of the Covenant, but are outsiders -- and even potential adversaries -- to the Israelites. On many levels, these readings challenge our thinking of how God works, and with whom God chooses to work.
Of the remaining two lections, the common thread is the necessity of "staying in the game."
The Psalm (42) is an encouragement to recall God's enduring faithfulness, even as one faces trial and trouble.
The Epistle (I Corinthians 9: 24-27) is a concluding thought from last week's lection, and should be considered together with that passage. Of interest in this brief passage is the repudiation of the idea, popular both then and now, that if good deeds out-number bad deeds, then one may be considered a "winner."
Using sports metaphors, Paul states that how one finishes is as critical as how one runs. Or, as contemporary sports notable Yogi Berra once said: "It ain't over, 'till it's over."
Okay! Keep your eye on the ball. Stay in the game. And have a great Sunday!
Students of Hawaiian history will find resonance with the two lectionary readings for Sunday that feature individuals afflicted with leprosy.
The 19th century Roman Catholic priest, Damien de Veuster, who is more commonly known as Father Damien, devoted his ministry -- and literally surrendered his life -- for persons cruelly quarantined on the Hawaiian island of Molokai. (Please click here for his biography.)
The Old Testament reading (II Kings 5: 1-15b), and the Gospel reading (Mark 1: 40-45) record the healing of two men with the disease we know today as Hansen's Disease. Before effective treatment for this disease was discovered in the 1930s, lepers were often segregated into colonies, and deprived of all social contact, including contact with family members. Quite literally, a leper could "never go home again."
While leprosy is the situation, the "cure" in the readings is an enduring faith in God.
Readers of these lections may also be challenged by the fact that the "faithful" in the Old Testament reading are not the Children of the Covenant, but are outsiders -- and even potential adversaries -- to the Israelites. On many levels, these readings challenge our thinking of how God works, and with whom God chooses to work.
Of the remaining two lections, the common thread is the necessity of "staying in the game."
The Psalm (42) is an encouragement to recall God's enduring faithfulness, even as one faces trial and trouble.
The Epistle (I Corinthians 9: 24-27) is a concluding thought from last week's lection, and should be considered together with that passage. Of interest in this brief passage is the repudiation of the idea, popular both then and now, that if good deeds out-number bad deeds, then one may be considered a "winner."
Using sports metaphors, Paul states that how one finishes is as critical as how one runs. Or, as contemporary sports notable Yogi Berra once said: "It ain't over, 'till it's over."
Okay! Keep your eye on the ball. Stay in the game. And have a great Sunday!
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