Lection Reflections: The Fourth Sunday in Lent

"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!

This week's Sunday readings are full of timely challenges!

The first reading (in the order of appearance in the Bible) is II Chronicles 36: 14-23, and it records the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, and the exile of the people to Babylon, as foretold by the prophet Jeremiah.

There are two obvious lessons in this text: (1) Before crushing the rebellion of His people, God sends messenger after messenger to encourage their repentance because of His "compassion on His people and on His dwelling place"; and (2) God may use, as he did in this case, our circumstances and the most unlikely of people to bring us to repentance. You see, not only were the Babylonians the captors of God's people, but through King Cyrus the Babylonians made possible the re-building of the Temple. God, indeed, has a sense of humor.

Psalm 122 is a song of ascents, which is a song the faithful would sing as they made their way to Jerusalem and the Temple of the Lord. It begins: "I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the Lord.'"

A question: Does the opportunity to attend worship gladden our heart? To be sure, public worship is a privilege that we in the United States view as a right. We need only look at other nations in the world to see that the freedom to worship as we choose is not guaranteed.

The Gospel reading is found in John 6: 4-15, and records the familiar account of Jesus feeding 5,000 people with a little boy's lunch consisting of two fish and five small barley loaves. The final verse is one that caught my attention, because it reminded me of the temptation to sacrifice the "best" for the "good."

Jesus, seeing the intention of the multitude to make him King, immediately withdrew to the mountain. Do you and I have the same focus on the mission of God, and the same commitment to the purposes of God, to run from the entreaties of those who want us to do good things, but at the expense of the long-term, big-picture, best things? Or do we entertain the proposition in hopes that we can "fit all of it in"?

The final reading, Ephesians 2: 4-10, is full of encouraging words! The final verses, 8-10, will resonate with many people: "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. . . "

However, I encourage attention to the beginning of the passage: "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us. . ." (Verse 1) Mercy. Great love with which He loved us.

To be sure, all such messages of affirmation and assurance give us reason to worship. I hope you have a great Sunday!

Lection Reflections: The First Sunday in Lent

"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!

The scripture readings in Lent invite our attention to a God whose work is the salvation of His creatures.

Psalm 25 is a Psalm of David, and is a prayer for protection, but is also a plea for God's guidance and pardon.

Genesis 9: 8-17 recalls the covenant of the rainbow, which is God's promise to never again destroy the earth by water and flood. Having lived for a time in Hawaii -- and enjoying every opportunity since to visit -- I saw rainbows nearly every day. In fact, until sometime around 2000, the University of Hawaii "mascot" was the rainbow!

It is worth noting that the rainbow described in Genesis is set "in the cloud." In the Bible, clouds are significant signs of God's presence, such as the 40-year sojourn of the Children of Israel in the wilderness where, by day, God led them with a cloud. Additionally, Jesus ascended to heaven in a cloud, and is to return in the same manner, according to Acts 1: 9-11.

I Peter 3: 18-22 addresses the "true, saving, baptism." Again, we see the theme of God's saving work as baptism is viewed, both in scripture and in the tradition of the Christian church, as a sign of becoming a part of God's family, and therefore under God's salvation and protection.

Finally, Mark 1: 9-13 (a portion of which was in the 1st Sunday after the Epiphany reading, so it may sound familiar) addresses the progression of baptism to affirmation to temptation to companionship with God -- even in the wilderness!

This scripture, which records Jesus' temptation by Satan in the deserted place, provides a model for Christian disciples. Beginning with baptism, Jesus is affirmed His father, but it doesn't end there. He is led into the wilderness by the Spirit of God and faces temptation by the master tempter along the three primary temptations of humanity: Pride, power, and sensuality (also known as the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life).

What is worth noting here is that although in the wilderness, facing temptation and deprivation, God is with Jesus, and offers His protection from the "wild beasts," and his comfort through His angels. The implicit message here, I think, is that God will do no less for us -- even while we face temptation and are undergoing trial.

All together, a great lesson for Lent!

Have a great Sunday!

OOPS: Comments and Calendars!

My apologies to those of you who have been trying to post comments: In the set-up for the blog, I inadvertently set the feature so that even I couldn't leave a comment! It has now been corrected, so you may -- if you wish -- register your comments on my old postings, and leave your comments on any future postings. (To leave a comment, click on the "comment" line at the end of the post, and you'll be on you way!) I am really looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

I also apologize for getting lost in the church year. As you know, each week I post a synopsis of the coming Sunday's readings from the Common Lectionary. Somewhere along the way, I lost a couple of weeks, and posted the wrong readings for the coming Sunday. Imagine my surprise this morning when the readings in worship were different from what I had said on Friday were the readings for the 7th Sunday after the Epiphany! I know, I know, if only the comment feature were working properly. . .

Sorry for the inconvenience! Thank for your patience!

Lection Reflections: 7th Sunday after the Epiphany

"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!

Any one of this Sunday's readings could easily become the text for your preacher's sermon.

The reading from the Psalms (32) addresses the blessedness of divine forgiveness, and trust in God. It begins: "How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." Since we've all been on the wrong end of wrong, we all ought to be able to appreciate the relief of being forgiven.

Isaiah 43: 18-25 is the Old Testament reading for the day, and concerns Israel's shortcomings as regards its dealings with God, particularly in the area of what I call "relationship maintenance." To be sure, the personal nature of the divine-human relationship requires the investment of time and attention. However, Israel had become distracted, and Isaiah calls the people to repent of their ways. Certainly, the blessedness written about in Psalm 32 can, once again, become the gift of the Children of Israel -- and for us.

II Corinthians 1: 18-22 is the Epistle reading. It reminds us that Jesus is God's personal delivery on His promises.

Finally, the Gospel reading (Mark 2: 1-12) relates the story of the healing of a paralyzed man. It is a remarkable story -- not only because of the miraculous healing, which alone was God's work -- but because of the indomitable faith of the unnamed persons carrying the paralytic, who overcame human and physical obstacles to present the man to Jesus.

I hope that you will hear a message from one of these texts on Sunday, any one of which will encourage your resolve to walk more closely with Jesus. On the other hand, if your preacher chooses more than one of these texts to fully explore, eat a good breakfast. It could be a long morning.

Have a great Sunday!

Lection Reflections: 6th Sunday after the Epiphany

"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!

Lection Reflections: 5th Sunday after the Epiphany

"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!

The common theme of Sunday's readings is personal crisis. (Remember, sometimes a common theme cannot be found, so don't fret if one does not present itself.)

The reading from the Psalms (142) requires the most background in order to fully appreciate. This background may be found in the Old Testament book of I Samuel, Chapter 22, where we read of a personal crisis of David that led him to hide in a cave. Psalm 142 is David's prayer for God's help, and a good one at that!

The Old Testament reading, II Kings 4: 8-37 (please note that I am using the recommended expanded reading, because I think these readings give me the context, which is invariably helpful), is about a woman's kindness to the prophet Elisha, which leads to God giving her and her husband a child, despite their advanced years and childlessness. The trouble begins when the child suddenly dies and the grief-stricken mother presents herself to Elisha with a plea to remedy the situation.

The Gospel reading (Mark 1: 29-39) recounts the healing of Peter's mother-in-law by Jesus -- and the deluge of people who arrive to have their sick friends and relatives healed, too. This passage has many facets, such as the observation of Mark that the busy healer took time to be with God in prayer.

The final lection is found in I Corinthians 9: 16-23. In this passage, Paul defends his right -- based on biblical evidence and common practice -- to make a living from his work as a preacher and a teacher. He also defends his freedom to not receive money for his work, which was his preferred status. The underlying crisis here was the poisonous atmosphere that is often created when a concern for money is guiding the conversation, and its adverse effect on work that benefits people. Paul's response is to do all things for the sake of the Gospel, meaning, "what's good for God's "good news" message of help and hope is good for him." We see this theme repeated in Paul's letters, regardless of the crisis he is facing at the time.

In the words of Thomas Paine: "These are the times that try men's souls." Paine's anti-church writings notwithstanding, he was right.

In our day, the bedrock of our crisis is not financial, political, or social; although growing numbers of our friends and family members are experiencing dark futures and financial hardship. At its foundation, ours is a crisis of the soul. Sunday's readings are a beginning toward a new way of facing personal crises.

Lection Reflections: 4th Sunday after the Epiphany

"Lection Reflections" is a short review of the themes of the coming Sunday's scripture readings as written in the Book of Common Prayer's Lectionary, Year B. For more information on lectionaries, and how they can work to aid Bible knowledge, click here!

The common theme of Sunday's readings (sometimes a common theme cannot be found, so don't sweat it if one doesn't present itself) is found in the reading from the Epistle: I Corinthians 8: 1b - 13. The setting is a discourse about eating food sacrificed to idols (which is another discussion for another time), but the common message is this: "Knowledge puffs up; but love builds up." (Verse 1b)

In the Gospel reading, Mark 1: 21 - 28, the setting is Jesus teaching in the synagogue. No surprise here, because synagogues exist to pursue knowledge, and rabbis (teachers) go together with synagogues and teaching like ducks and water. The common theme surfaces here, though, when a man with an unclean spirit interrupts the class. What to do, what to do: Keep the wheel of knowledge rolling, or do the loving thing and attend to the needs of the man?

Psalm 111 tells us that it is "the fear of the Lord" -- not knowledge -- that is the beginning of wisdom.

Finally, the Old Testament reading from Deuteronomy 18: 15 - 20 is an ancient reminder that God was not against His people having knowledge, but that some sources of information were a detriment to life and liberty, and that it is better to trust in a loving God.

Have a great Sunday!