Lent 4A
1 Samuel 16:1-13; Psalm 23; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41
One of Shakespeare’s favorite themes is the contrast between appearance and reality. “That one may smile and smile and be a villain,” Hamlet says of Gertrude. So many of our images are given (or pushed) on us by advertisers and politicians that it is extremely difficult to know what is real and what is either false or simply unreal. During the NCAA tournament, one has to wonder what being filmed for national TV does to a coach’s pre-game speech and behavior.
The choice of David as King of Israel could not be clearer in its emphasis on reality versus experience. This little shepherd had the courage and the acumen to challenge and defeat Goliath, whom anyone would have bet on to win that battle. And John sets out the same theme, only in terms of blindness. The man born blind is the only one who sees that Jesus is far from being a sinner, and is instead a Prophet.
The Pharisees are trapped in their law and can’t see any way around it. If you work on the Sabbath, you have broken the Law. They felt this law came directly from God. Therefore, anyone who broke this law MUST be a sinner. In their minds, there could be no other conclusion. They were blind to any other possibility.
The question is: what did they miss? What did they not see? Jesus said: Because you say you see, your sin remains. Whoa! Now we’re talking about sin! The Pharisees were raised on the principle that if a person is born blind, then his parents must have committed some sin. Physical ailments or handicaps were always the result of somebody’s sin. Job’s friends spent days trying to convince him of this.
Maybe Psalm 23 has the answer. What the Pharisees missed was “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Jesus slowly and persistently shows that obedience to the specifications of the Law that spell out what keeping holy the Sabbath means and define what “work” on the Sabbath is, are not what God meant in the Sinai commandment. We in this part of the U.S. have given up on any societal attempt to keep the Sabbath holy and even if we wanted to, would have to keep our kids out of certain sports because their only practice time is on Sundays. But the need to preserve its holiness remains because such Sabbath rest is a time for us to remember what is truly important, to revive our spirits, and to reconnect with the Lord our Shepherd. This is what the Torah was supposed to be about.
This is not easy to see. The culture grows on us as if we were petri dishes. The appearances trump the realities like a championship bridge team. For us whose cataracts have been slowly growing, Paul starts the process of defining sight as light and blindness as darkness. John will make this transition also, especially in his letters. Jesus is identified as the light of the world. And so Paul has the best advice: “Live as children of light— 9: for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. 10: Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:9-10).
Now it’s easy to see: “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me“ (Psalm 23:4). We are meant to see God through Jesus.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Commentary on Lectionary for March 27, 2011
Lent 3A
Exodus 17:1-7; Psalm 95; Romans 5:1-11; John 4:5-42
The subject is water. We can go a lot of days without food, but very few without water. The Israelites in the desert were thirsty. They were probably dying of thirst. They complained, and both God and Moses took exception to their cries. God took care of them and made water flow from a rock, but Moses still called the place Massah and Meribah because of their rebellion, and the Psalmist still remembers that and cautioned his readers against a similar complaint. “Do not harden your hearts,” the Psalmist sings, “as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, 9when your ancestors tested me, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.“ It appears that being desperately thirsty is no reason to doubt the protection of God. This is a God who loathed a whole generation for forty years and swore they would never enter into His rest. (Psalm 95:8-11).
Then there’s the episode at Jacob’s well with Jesus and the Samaritan women. So many taboos were broken there (a man talking to a woman; a Jew talking to a Samaritan; a single man talking to a divorced woman) that the apostles didn’t even ask what was going on. And He stayed there for two days! Jesus told the Samaritan woman that water was not the reason he came to the well, and water was not the thing that would quench her real thirst. That is, not physical water, H2O, the kind that washes away dirt. Was he talking about the kind of water that washes away sin? That’s baptismal water.
You have to wonder what kind of thirst prompted the espousal of five husbands. I doubt it was lust. I could imagine it was a thirst for intimacy and the union of hearts and spirits. When intimacy happens, it becomes easier to envision what heaven might be like.
What is Jesus implying? --The good news is that adultery and non-Jewishness and what else(?) are NOT impediments to achieving intimacy with God? As usual, it is Paul in his letter to the Romans who throws a wrench into the works. Paul writes that perhaps you might find someone who would give his life for a really good person. But Jesus died for the ungodly! He reconciled us while we were enemies! This certainly turns our image of God on its head. We start having to think of God as “Christ-like!”
All that loathing over people who were demanding water after they had been freed from captivity now seems anthropomorphic , like talking about God’s hands or eyes or eagle’s wings. And so back to water. Water is essential for life. Water is important for cleansing. It is a great symbol for rebirth into the way of Jesus. First be born, then be sustained by the bread and wine that are symbols of what He did to show his love for us. Baptism, says Scripture scholar Dr. Walter Brueggemann, means that we are willing to walk in His way. “Don’t only wash my feet,” Peter ends up saying at the Last Supper, “wash all of me.” In other words, I need to be transformed into someone I am not yet. Spit on some dust and wash my eyes with it, because I am not yet seeing things correctly.
Lent is full of hope that the God who can produce water in a desert, call it out of a rock, can also soften and change hearts. As the woman from Samaria found out at the well, He wants to. Give him any excuse to stay in your life, and he will.
Exodus 17:1-7; Psalm 95; Romans 5:1-11; John 4:5-42
The subject is water. We can go a lot of days without food, but very few without water. The Israelites in the desert were thirsty. They were probably dying of thirst. They complained, and both God and Moses took exception to their cries. God took care of them and made water flow from a rock, but Moses still called the place Massah and Meribah because of their rebellion, and the Psalmist still remembers that and cautioned his readers against a similar complaint. “Do not harden your hearts,” the Psalmist sings, “as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, 9when your ancestors tested me, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.“ It appears that being desperately thirsty is no reason to doubt the protection of God. This is a God who loathed a whole generation for forty years and swore they would never enter into His rest. (Psalm 95:8-11).
Then there’s the episode at Jacob’s well with Jesus and the Samaritan women. So many taboos were broken there (a man talking to a woman; a Jew talking to a Samaritan; a single man talking to a divorced woman) that the apostles didn’t even ask what was going on. And He stayed there for two days! Jesus told the Samaritan woman that water was not the reason he came to the well, and water was not the thing that would quench her real thirst. That is, not physical water, H2O, the kind that washes away dirt. Was he talking about the kind of water that washes away sin? That’s baptismal water.
You have to wonder what kind of thirst prompted the espousal of five husbands. I doubt it was lust. I could imagine it was a thirst for intimacy and the union of hearts and spirits. When intimacy happens, it becomes easier to envision what heaven might be like.
What is Jesus implying? --The good news is that adultery and non-Jewishness and what else(?) are NOT impediments to achieving intimacy with God? As usual, it is Paul in his letter to the Romans who throws a wrench into the works. Paul writes that perhaps you might find someone who would give his life for a really good person. But Jesus died for the ungodly! He reconciled us while we were enemies! This certainly turns our image of God on its head. We start having to think of God as “Christ-like!”
All that loathing over people who were demanding water after they had been freed from captivity now seems anthropomorphic , like talking about God’s hands or eyes or eagle’s wings. And so back to water. Water is essential for life. Water is important for cleansing. It is a great symbol for rebirth into the way of Jesus. First be born, then be sustained by the bread and wine that are symbols of what He did to show his love for us. Baptism, says Scripture scholar Dr. Walter Brueggemann, means that we are willing to walk in His way. “Don’t only wash my feet,” Peter ends up saying at the Last Supper, “wash all of me.” In other words, I need to be transformed into someone I am not yet. Spit on some dust and wash my eyes with it, because I am not yet seeing things correctly.
Lent is full of hope that the God who can produce water in a desert, call it out of a rock, can also soften and change hearts. As the woman from Samaria found out at the well, He wants to. Give him any excuse to stay in your life, and he will.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Commentary on Lectionary for March 20, 2011
Lent 2A
Genesis 12:1-4a; Psalm 121; Romans 4:1-5, 13-17; John 3:1-17
Travel in the days of Abraham must have been a life-threatening experience. Slow, too. It couldn’t have been much better in Jesus’ time, although the roads would have been much better because of the Roman Empire’s efforts at building them. Even today, travel is difficult. It is a great act of faith on the part of Muslims who fulfill their duty and their dream of traveling to Mecca.
When the Israelites traveled to Jerusalem, to their beloved Zion, to worship at the Temple, they took courage from singing Psalm 121. Choirs sing part of it today: “He watching over Israel slumbers not nor sleeps (Mendelsohn’s Elijah).” The Psalm promises the guidance and protection of the Lord. However, it can’t mean that. Bad things happen on journeys. Travellers sometimes don’t make it or suffer delays, accidents, injury. Our past winter offered piles of data. Not everything is weather related. Some of the evils related to travel are man-made. And so with our journey through life—it is fraught with perils, many of them man-made, plus natural disasters.
Paul gives a lot of credit to Abraham because of his faith. One way of saying this is: Abraham would have believed Psalm 121. He just left. He went on a perilous journey. He trusted that—even if bad things happened (and they did), God would support him (and He did). Paul is adamant that Abraham’s faith was not activated by circumcision, nor did it arise AFTER he was promised the land, the blessing and all of those descendants. In modern terms, he had faith BEFORE he was baptized.
The very same thing happened in one of the stories from the Acts of the Apostles: people who were listening to Peter’s message received the Holy Spirit BEFORE they were baptized (Acts 10:44). The issue might be framed as one of travel. How far must one travel to get connected to God? The answer is: Not far, because this God is seeking to get connected to YOU. Just turning and looking is enough.
In Jesus’ meeting with Nicodemus, Jesus calls this being “reborn.” New life flows into you like water. It’s the reason Jesus came: so that everyone can experience new life, not just those who have some mark on them like circumcision, or even baptism. God wants to connect with EVERYONE. He sent His Son, not to condemn the world, but to save it.
And if Jesus is the travel agent, he says: Turn in my direction. Take steps. Try to block out your fears of travel. I’ll be with you. Have faith as you begin this journey. Even in the middle of the night, when you are sweating with anxiety, I’ll be awake and ready to listen to your cries.
Genesis 12:1-4a; Psalm 121; Romans 4:1-5, 13-17; John 3:1-17
Travel in the days of Abraham must have been a life-threatening experience. Slow, too. It couldn’t have been much better in Jesus’ time, although the roads would have been much better because of the Roman Empire’s efforts at building them. Even today, travel is difficult. It is a great act of faith on the part of Muslims who fulfill their duty and their dream of traveling to Mecca.
When the Israelites traveled to Jerusalem, to their beloved Zion, to worship at the Temple, they took courage from singing Psalm 121. Choirs sing part of it today: “He watching over Israel slumbers not nor sleeps (Mendelsohn’s Elijah).” The Psalm promises the guidance and protection of the Lord. However, it can’t mean that. Bad things happen on journeys. Travellers sometimes don’t make it or suffer delays, accidents, injury. Our past winter offered piles of data. Not everything is weather related. Some of the evils related to travel are man-made. And so with our journey through life—it is fraught with perils, many of them man-made, plus natural disasters.
Paul gives a lot of credit to Abraham because of his faith. One way of saying this is: Abraham would have believed Psalm 121. He just left. He went on a perilous journey. He trusted that—even if bad things happened (and they did), God would support him (and He did). Paul is adamant that Abraham’s faith was not activated by circumcision, nor did it arise AFTER he was promised the land, the blessing and all of those descendants. In modern terms, he had faith BEFORE he was baptized.
The very same thing happened in one of the stories from the Acts of the Apostles: people who were listening to Peter’s message received the Holy Spirit BEFORE they were baptized (Acts 10:44). The issue might be framed as one of travel. How far must one travel to get connected to God? The answer is: Not far, because this God is seeking to get connected to YOU. Just turning and looking is enough.
In Jesus’ meeting with Nicodemus, Jesus calls this being “reborn.” New life flows into you like water. It’s the reason Jesus came: so that everyone can experience new life, not just those who have some mark on them like circumcision, or even baptism. God wants to connect with EVERYONE. He sent His Son, not to condemn the world, but to save it.
And if Jesus is the travel agent, he says: Turn in my direction. Take steps. Try to block out your fears of travel. I’ll be with you. Have faith as you begin this journey. Even in the middle of the night, when you are sweating with anxiety, I’ll be awake and ready to listen to your cries.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Commentary on Lectionary for March 13, 2011
Lent 1A
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7; Psalm 32; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11
Whenever the economy crashes, we go looking for what went wrong. It isn’t long before we discover that some individuals, some people of leadership and power, wanted MORE, wanted it NOW, and did risky things without regard for ethics or who might get hurt. Pretty soon these behaviors became the thing to do, because everybody was doing them, and to hold oneself as the “Goody Two-Shoes” who wasn’t going along would be labeled as naïve idealism indeed. It would not have persuaded your stockholders.
On the cosmic level, when we look around and see how beautiful the world is; as we watch a baby learn to smile, and look for the first shoots of crocus that have been growing under the snow, it is only natural to ask how all this beauty got here and what went wrong with this beautiful world so that there is so much pain and war and death in it now.
We do not have to look long before we find what went wrong. There are lots of creation stories in the lore of the ancient cultures and religions of the world. But none is so elegant and masterful as this one from Genesis. It explains what happened.
The One who created it all and called it Good—this beautiful mess of trees and mountains and butterflies and dolphins and ostriches—seemed to make a huge mistake. He put a measure of freedom into everything. So even molecules and subatomic particles have a waywardness about them and can mutate and do quite unexpected things…Not to mention humans, who were free to eat of the fruit of that one tree even though instructed not to.
This waywardness, this freedom to follow bad advice, is the start of our downhill path according to Genesis. We are NOT good at obedience, especially when our passions and emotions are excited. We get arrogant. We think we can do whatever we want to get whatever we want. Look way back in Isaiah 14:13 for this expression of human pride: “You said in your heart: ‘I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zabulon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’”
And so in Genesis, the Creator God, spells out for his humans what the consequences of this arrogance are. There is a fratricide in the very next chapter. Notice that neither Adam nor Eve confesses their sin, except to blame someone else and finally the serpent. In Psalm 32, the person is called “blessed” or “happy” whose sin is forgiven. In verse 5, the person acknowledges his sin and advises everyone to pray (for forgiveness?) at a time when God “may be found.”
Note also that the Genesis story offers an image of God as a tailor, making clothes for the naked couple to cover their embarrassment. Then consider the words of Paul, who offers Jesus as a second Adam, one who gets it right, and knows how to use freedom and how to “walk humbly before God.” This is the Jesus who does NOT succumb to the temptations to want more, want it now, and do whatever it takes to get comfort, wealth and power.
His forty days of prayer and fasting in the desert are forever after our paradigm for Lent, for redirecting our steps towards true freedom and enlightenment. As the Psalm implies, the first step might be to acknowledge our need to be in that desert, reflecting on our utter dependence on our wonderful, benevolent, Creator God. It’s a place where He may be found.
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7; Psalm 32; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11
Whenever the economy crashes, we go looking for what went wrong. It isn’t long before we discover that some individuals, some people of leadership and power, wanted MORE, wanted it NOW, and did risky things without regard for ethics or who might get hurt. Pretty soon these behaviors became the thing to do, because everybody was doing them, and to hold oneself as the “Goody Two-Shoes” who wasn’t going along would be labeled as naïve idealism indeed. It would not have persuaded your stockholders.
On the cosmic level, when we look around and see how beautiful the world is; as we watch a baby learn to smile, and look for the first shoots of crocus that have been growing under the snow, it is only natural to ask how all this beauty got here and what went wrong with this beautiful world so that there is so much pain and war and death in it now.
We do not have to look long before we find what went wrong. There are lots of creation stories in the lore of the ancient cultures and religions of the world. But none is so elegant and masterful as this one from Genesis. It explains what happened.
The One who created it all and called it Good—this beautiful mess of trees and mountains and butterflies and dolphins and ostriches—seemed to make a huge mistake. He put a measure of freedom into everything. So even molecules and subatomic particles have a waywardness about them and can mutate and do quite unexpected things…Not to mention humans, who were free to eat of the fruit of that one tree even though instructed not to.
This waywardness, this freedom to follow bad advice, is the start of our downhill path according to Genesis. We are NOT good at obedience, especially when our passions and emotions are excited. We get arrogant. We think we can do whatever we want to get whatever we want. Look way back in Isaiah 14:13 for this expression of human pride: “You said in your heart: ‘I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zabulon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’”
And so in Genesis, the Creator God, spells out for his humans what the consequences of this arrogance are. There is a fratricide in the very next chapter. Notice that neither Adam nor Eve confesses their sin, except to blame someone else and finally the serpent. In Psalm 32, the person is called “blessed” or “happy” whose sin is forgiven. In verse 5, the person acknowledges his sin and advises everyone to pray (for forgiveness?) at a time when God “may be found.”
Note also that the Genesis story offers an image of God as a tailor, making clothes for the naked couple to cover their embarrassment. Then consider the words of Paul, who offers Jesus as a second Adam, one who gets it right, and knows how to use freedom and how to “walk humbly before God.” This is the Jesus who does NOT succumb to the temptations to want more, want it now, and do whatever it takes to get comfort, wealth and power.
His forty days of prayer and fasting in the desert are forever after our paradigm for Lent, for redirecting our steps towards true freedom and enlightenment. As the Psalm implies, the first step might be to acknowledge our need to be in that desert, reflecting on our utter dependence on our wonderful, benevolent, Creator God. It’s a place where He may be found.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)