Rev-o-lution

Revised Common Lectionary: 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19; Psalm 24; Amos 7:7-15; Psalm 85:8-13; Ephesians 1:3-14; Mark 6:14-29

Narrative Lectionary: Series on Ephesians, 1:1-14 (John 14:25-27)

We continue the first selection of the Hebrew scriptures with the story of the kings. The ark of God, which had been in the custody of the Philistines, was returned via a cart to Israel. David celebrated the triumphal return of the ark, representing God’s presence with the people, and provided sacrifices and offerings along the parade route. David was so overcome with passion for God that he stripped down to almost nothing, dancing before God and rejoicing at what God had done for him and the people. However, Michal, David’s first wife and the daughter of Saul and sister of Jonathan, saw David dancing and despised him. In the verses following this passage, she accused David of lewd dancing that exposed himself even to the female servants of the people, an act too disgraceful for a king. Though the selection ends at verse 19 with the celebration concluding in gifts of food for all the people, it is important to note the story behind the scenes. When David fled Saul’s wrath, Michal helped him escape in 1 Samuel 19:12-18. Saul married Michal off to another man (1 Samuel 25:54), and David did not return for her until after Saul’s death (2 Samuel 3:14), to present a united kingdom after his conflict with Saul. In the time between she was sent away and David sought her retrieval, he had married other women. There is more history behind the conflict between Michal and David than what is presented in this short selection.

Psalm 24 is a song of worship. God is the creator of all the earth. Who is worthy to come before God in the temple on God’s holy hill in Jerusalem? Those who are innocent, pure at heart, who have not been deceitful. They are the ones who may come before God and receive blessings. The psalmist calls upon the temple to be open for the presence of God, calling the people into worship of their glorious King, God of the heavenly host.

The prophet Amos beheld a vision of God building a wall, using a plumb line to measure how the wall stood up to God’s standards. However, Jeroboam, the king of Israel, did not follow God’s ways, and God declared that all religious shrines and holy places would be destroyed because the people did not live into God’s standards. They did not measure up. Amos also declared that God would rise against Jeroboam’s rule. However, the priest Amaziah told Amos to flee and go to Judah instead of prophesying against the king of Israel, whom Amaziah had told what Amos prophesied. However, Amos was no career prophet that could be pushed over. He was a shepherd and dresser of sycamore trees, but God called him to speak on God’s behalf. Nonetheless, Amaziah and others did not want to hear the words from God, and God declared Amaziah and his family would end up like the others in Israel—taken into exile under the Assyrian empire.

The second half of psalm 85 is an assurance that God hears the prayers of the people, and God is faithful to those who trust God. The lines of this part of the psalm show how all good things come together for God: steadfast love and faithfulness meet. Righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs up from the ground, righteousness meets faithfulness from the sky. God will be faithful in goodness, and righteousness is the path before God.

The Epistle readings begin a series on Ephesians (as does the Narrative Lectionary this year) with Ephesians 1:3-14. Except for the mention of Ephesus in verse 1 (which is not included in other earlier manuscripts), this letter is fairly generic, and perhaps was a letter sent to one church, and then forwarded on to other churches with specifics omitted. This opening section writes of the blessings of God, and that all believers are God’s children by adoption through Jesus Christ. God chose us to be holy. We have redemption through Christ’s blood and forgiveness of sins through Christ’s grace. God’s plan for the fullness of time was for all people to be brought together in Christ—this is our destiny as believers. Through Christ, believers have obtained an inheritance, marked with the promise of the Holy Spirit for restoration with God.

The fate of John the Baptizer is told in Mark 6:14-29. When Jesus’ ministry became well-known after sending his disciples out into the villages, the stories reached King Herod’s ears. While some wondered who Jesus was, he believed he was John raised from the dead. John had spoken out against Herod marrying his brother Philip’s wife, so Herod had him thrown into prison, but he liked what John had to say. However, his wife did not. When his daughter Herodias danced before him and his court, she pleased him so much he promised to give her anything she wished (reminiscent of the rash vow Jephthah made in Judges 11:29-40, when Jephthah promised to sacrifice to God the first thing that came outside of his house in exchange for winning a battle). Herodias, after conferring with her mother, asked for the head of John the Baptizer on a platter. Herod did as she wished and had him executed, but he grieved his death, and after John’s head was presented on a platter, John’s own disciples came and buried him.

The Narrative Lectionary begins its series on Ephesians (see the Epistle reading above for the reflection).

The secondary text for the Narrative Lectionary is John 14:25-27. Jesus tells the disciples that while he is teaching them now, the Holy Spirit will come and be with them, reminding them of everything Jesus taught. Jesus assures the disciples to not let their hearts be troubled, for Jesus leaves them with peace.

Living into God’s ways sometimes makes us look foolish to the ways of the world. David had no misgivings about dancing before God, even if it appeared scandalous. He was full of passionate zeal for what God had done for him and his people. The prophet Amos was a nobody compared to the priests of the land, but he was not afraid to speak God’s words to the king’s priest and tell them that they let the people down and they would be taken into exile, even if his own life was threatened. John the Baptizer spoke boldly to the point of being thrown into prison and became a victim of the actions of those in power, but still proclaimed a baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins. The early church, as revealed in the letter to the Ephesians, shows us that God’s intention for all times was that we would know ourselves as God’s children through Christ Jesus. In a time when the early believers faced marginalization among their own cultural communities and under the Roman Empire, it might be seen as foolish to live into a faith that included everyone, regardless of cultural and ethnic background, but based on belief. Jesus calls us to live into a way that seems foolish to the world—giving up our possessions, becoming last of all and servant of all, including those who are on the margins—but this is the beloved community, the reign of God on earth, in whom we have an abundance and inheritance.

Call to Worship
Blessed be our God,
Who created us in God’s image.
Blessed be our God,
Who called us to follow Jesus Christ.
Blessed be our God,
Who sent the Holy Spirit to be with us.
Blessed be our God,
In whom we live, move, and have our being.
Blessed be our God as we gather in worship.

Prayer of Brokenness/Confession
Almighty God, we confess that we have succumbed to the ways of the world. We fret about what we don’t have. We worry there isn’t enough. We are consumed by the doubts of the world that we are not good enough, that we don’t have enough wealth and security by the world’s standards. Forgive us, Almighty God, for You called us to be Your children. In You we have an abundant inheritance. In You we know that we are called to be a community that provides and cares for each other. In You, the standards we ought to live up to are kindness, compassion, justice and mercy. Help us to cast off the cares of the world and live deeply into Your ways as Your children. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.

Blessing/Assurance
There is abundant love to be found in God through Jesus Christ. Seek Christ in all you do, and know how much God loves you. There is abundant forgiveness in Christ’s name for all our sins, all the ways we have missed the mark. There is abundant grace for us all. Live into God’s ways, and know that you are loved and forgiven. Practice kindness and show compassion, seek justice and mercy, and you will know God now and for all time. Amen.

Prayer
Holy One, help us to live into Your ways of holiness. Help us to cultivate a practice of holiness in our life, setting aside time for You. Guide us into ways of living that are sustainable, that care for the earth and all of creation, and do not waste resources for others. Lead us into Your ways of deep compassion for ourselves and for one another. Help us to find the holy in our everyday lives—in the dandelion that grows between the cracks of cement, in the simple acts of kindness that someone has shown us, in the pauses between the busy. Remind us to breathe, for this simple act is the first act of human life, when You breathed Your spirit, Your breath, into the first human being. May we cultivate holiness in our daily life, and be holy for You. Amen.

Revised Common Lectionary: 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10 and Psalm 48; Ezekiel 2:1-5 and Psalm 123; 2 Corinthians 2:1-10; Mark 6:1-13

Narrative Lectionary: Series on Jeremiah, Messiah and New Covenant: 33:14-18; 31:31-34

David was finally acknowledged as king over all Israel in 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10. Though he was anointed by Samuel in Bethlehem when he was a boy and Saul still ruled, his public inauguration was in Hebron after Saul’s death, where David reigned for a short time before he reigned in Jerusalem and built his stronghold there. God was with David as he became a strong king, for David looked to God.

Psalm 48 is a song of praise for Jerusalem, the city God chose to be holy. Kings tremble in the sight of the city where the temple of God was built, and God is the one who reigns over the people. The city itself is a witness of God’s power and reign, and this song was sung by pilgrims coming from faraway places to worship at the temple.

The prophet Ezekiel heard the call of God in Ezekiel 2:1-5. God’s spirit entered Ezekiel and sent him to speak to the people of Israel, knowing the people would reject the words of God as their ancestors had done. Still, God chose Ezekiel to go, whether they listened or not, so that it could be said God had sent a prophet among them, that God was still speaking to them even if they refused to listen.

Psalm 123 is a plea for God to have mercy on the people, who have faced rejection and ridicule. Another pilgrimage song, this psalm calls for the people who have lifted up their gaze to God to be recognized by God, for they have experienced much shame and contempt from those around them.

The Epistle reading concludes the series in 2 Corinthians with 12:2-10. Paul tells the church in Corinth that he has a “friend” (himself) who had a heavenly vision. He doesn’t want to boast about it, so he tells this tale of a friend who had this vision that convicted him of what God wanted him to do. Paul never mentions what the “thorn” is that he had to deal with, but some sort of spiritual struggle (and perhaps also physical) that Paul lived with. While Paul didn’t want to boast about his personal experience of a vision of heaven, he does share quite openly that he struggled in faith, and through those struggles, he found strength in Christ.

Jesus returned to his hometown in Mark 6:1-13, but because of the people’s unbelief, he could only heal a few sick people, and perform no deed of power there. The people all knew him, his family, and it seems they could not believe in him. They didn’t see a Messiah or Son of God—they saw the carpenter’s son, Mary’s boy, the brother to his brothers. So instead, Jesus decides to send the disciples out in pairs, to go out to the surrounding villages, to accept the hospitality shown them. Wherever they were welcomed, they were able to cast out demons and heal people. For those places that didn’t accept them, they were to shake the dust off their sandals and move on.

The Narrative Lectionary concludes its series on Jeremiah with 33:14-18, and 31:31-34. In 33:14-18, Jeremiah speaks of a time after the exile, when God will fulfill the promises made to the people, that a new king will arise from David’s line, someone who will live out God’s way of justice. The priests will once again make sacrifices for the people to God, restoring the intermediary actions of the priesthood. This section, according to many scholars, is probably a much later addition to the prophet’s writing, a promise of a messiah and hope for the future. In 31:31-34, Jeremiah speaks of a new covenant God will make with the people, one that can never be broken because God is making it and writing it in the people’s hearts. They will know God is their God, they will be God’s people, and their sins will be forgiven and remembered no more. Though Jeremiah would go into exile, over the centuries, scholars, rabbis, and believers would read these words and find hope for their time, for their people.

Throughout the history of God’s people, the faithful have at times faced scorn and ridicule. They have struggled to maintain faith while hope slips away. Even Jesus, coming to his hometown, was unable to help his own neighbors because they could not believe God would use one of their own people. Ezekiel was warned by God that the people wouldn’t listen to him, but to go and speak on God’s behalf anyway. Paul struggled and suffered and at times was afraid of what others would think, and yet he still preached, still wrote, still worked to share the Gospel at all times and in all ways. But there is hope. Jeremiah spoke words of comfort and hope in the midst of the siege of Jerusalem. Jesus had to change course and send out his unknown disciples into unknown places to share the good news, because in the known places, they didn’t want to listen to him. In this pre-post-Covid time, we might have to shift how we are doing ministry, how we are worshiping, how we live out the good news of God’s love, because the world has changed. But the message remains faithful: God’s steadfast love endures forever. Sin is forgiven, and remembered no more.

Call to Worship
Praise God from the highest mountains!
Praise God from the depths of the sea!
Praise God with loud instruments!
Praise God with the voice of our hearts!
Praise God in all things, at all times, in all ways,
For our God reigns over the whole earth.
Come, worship God, all nations, tribes, and peoples:
For God is our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer.

Prayer of Brokenness/Confession
Holy One, we confess that we struggle with so much, and at times believe its our own fault for our shortcomings, instead of understanding that this past year has held burdens much too heavy. Help us to ease our burdens by not blaming ourselves when we feel our faith is slipping. Remind us instead that we are not alone. Encourage us to seek help for mental health, to speak to those with experience and training when we are in need. Guide us in wisdom to care for ourselves, for our minds and hearts. You are the one who loves us so much that You sent Your Son for us, that we might have new life now. Help us to understand there is nothing we can do that will separate us from that love. There are no faults or shortcomings of our own that will break us from You. Instead, surround us with mutual care and concern, that we might lift up one another, and together, seek healing and wholeness, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Blessing/Assurance (from Romans 8:38-39)
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Go with this good news: You are loved. You are forgiven. You are restored. You are called to share in the Gospel with the world. Amen.

Prayer
Ruler of all nations, remind us that the lines on a map are of our own making and not Yours. Remind us that the borders You made are ocean shores and riverbeds, living and moving, reminders of the boundaries of fragile ecosystems. You are the Maker of the earth, and have called us to be caretakers of the whole planet, not just our own country, county, neighborhood or dwelling. You have made us to care for one another and all of creation. Call us to remember that we have only one planet, and that we are one people in You. Bind us together, O God, to be Your body, and to care for the planet You so lovingly made for us. In the name of Jesus, who laid down his life for us; may we lay down our lives for one another, and care for this earth together. Amen.

Revised Common Lectionary: 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27 and Psalm 130; Lamentations 3:22-33 and Psalm 30; 2 Corinthians 8:7-15; Mark 5:21-43

Narrative Lectionary: Series on Jeremiah, Planting and Building 32:1-3a, 6-15

David mourned the death of Jonathan and Saul in our first selection for the Hebrew Scriptures. David composed a funeral song and ordered that all the people in Judah learn it and preserve it. He sang of “how the mighty have fallen” and praised Saul and Jonathan. David refused to speak a bad word against Saul, for Saul was God’s chosen, even if he fell from God’s ways. David called for the song not to be sung among their enemies so they might gloat, but among those who truly mourned his passing. He called upon the “daughters of Israel” to weep for Saul who brought riches to the people, and he sang personally of his love for Jonathan, a love stronger than his love for any woman. David’s song concludes with a lament mourning the loss of these warriors for Israel.

Psalm 130 is a call for help from God. The singer pleads with God to listen to their cries. However, the psalmist knows that God will answer. They know God’s forgiveness and wait with hope in God’s word. The psalmist calls upon the people to put their hope and trust in God, who will answer and deliver them.

The lamentations of Jeremiah turn to hope in Lamentations 3:22-33. The poetry turns to hope in God’s steadfast love and mercy. For those who wait, who put their trust in God, they will know God’s deliverance. Though they suffer now, God will have compassion and will remember them, for God does not desire punishment for us.

Psalm 30 is a song of praise to God who has delivered the psalmist from their enemies. The psalmist calls upon the congregation to sing praises to God, because they have been saved from death. Though there may be mourning and sadness, joy will come to those who remain faithful. The psalmist gives thanks for God’s deliverance and faithfulness, and sings praises to God.

The Epistle selection continues in 2 Corinthians 8:7-15. Paul turns the attention of the letter to the collection for the church in Jerusalem, whose members have experienced poverty. Paul uses Jesus as an example, who gave up his power to become like us, to live and die as one of us, as an example of giving up power and wealth to those who are struggling and suffering. Paul insists he is not trying to persuade them to do what he wants, but rather that they choose to do the right thing and help those in need with what they can afford.

Jesus heals two people in Mark 5:21-43. Jairus, a leader of a synagogue, met Jesus as he came off the boat, for Jairus’ daughter was sick. Jairus asked Jesus to come lay his hands on her, so Jesus followed him along with his disciples. The crowds pressed in on him, and a woman who had hemorrhaged for twelve years reached out, touching the hem of his cloak, believing it would make her well. Immediately, (a favorite word of Mark’s Gospel account) Jesus recognized power had gone out from him, and immediately the woman was healed. The disciples were incredulous that Jesus wondered who touched him, because the crowds were so thick, but the woman came forward and told him everything. Jesus called her “Daughter,” and told her that her faith made her well. However, some people came from Jairus’ house while Jesus was still speaking to the woman, and told Jairus not to trouble the teacher, because his daughter had died. Jesus told Jairus not to be afraid, but to believe. Jesus took Peter, James, and John into the room with the little girl and told her to get up. They were all amazed, but Jesus told them not to tell anyone, and to get the girl something to eat. Jesus met the needs of these two daughters, whose stories are intertwined, when others (the disciples, and the people from Jairus’ home) didn’t think it was worth Jesus’ time or energy. He saved and transformed their lives.

The Narrative Lectionary continues its series on Jeremiah. In chapter 32, Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian army had surrounded Jerusalem, and Jeremiah was in custody of the palace prison under King Zedekiah. Jeremiah had told Zedekiah that Babylon would overrun and destroy the city, and take the people into exile, but Zedekiah would not hear of it. God spoke to Jeremiah, sharing that his cousin was coming to see him to sell a field, and he was to buy the field. Jeremiah did so—signed and sealed the deed with witnesses, kept an unsigned copy as well, weighed out the silver for the purchase and gave it all to Baruch, his scribe. Jeremiah instructed Baruch to place both deeds in an earthenware jar for safekeeping, as a proclamation from God that homes would be bought and built, vineyards and fields planted again. A promise for a time after exile.

Often, we human beings think that what is important to us must be the most important thing, and obviously, God must think it is important, too. Zedekiah desired winning above everything else. Winning against the Babylonians, playing a game of strategy that would fail him. God spoke through the prophets to warn the leaders years before of their political schemes that would fall apart, but they didn’t listen. Zedekiah refused to acknowledge that destruction and exile were eminent and instead locked up Jeremiah so he wouldn’t have to hear him. His need to win was more important than the needs of survival of his people. Zedekiah believed that survival could only come through his way of thinking.

The disciples couldn’t believe Jesus would be worried about anything so unimportant as a stranger reaching out to touch him, that they didn’t believe him when he knew power had gone out from him. The people in Jairus’ home couldn’t believe that there was anything to be done for Jairus’ daughter, that Jesus certainly had more important things to do if his daughter was dead. Even in death, however, Jesus came. Because our grief is also important. David shows us that grief is part of our faith life in his song for Jonathan and Saul. Even if Jairus’ daughter had not risen, Jesus would have come. Because she was alive, Jesus ordered them to meet her needs first—not to proclaim a miracle had occurred, not to put Jesus on a pedestal—but to meet the needs of this young girl, in the same way Jesus met the needs of the woman who touched him.

God knows our sufferings and our longings. However, our human desire is often for justification: justifying that we were right all along, that our way is the best way, that what is important to us must be important to everyone, and what is unimportant to us is a waste of time for everyone. God proves this wrong again and again—lifting up the poor, the widow and orphan. Raising the voice of the marginalized. Responding to the cries of the oppressed. Jesus proves the disciples wrong by going to the woman who touched him (which would have been scandalous in that time period), and caring about the basic needs of a young girl. We must shift our priorities to God’s priorities.

Call to Worship (from Hebrews 12:1-2)
We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses,
Who inspired us by faith to resist sin and evil.
May we journey together the path before us,
Looking to Jesus, the pioneer and protector of our faith.
For Christ endured the cross for us,
And is seated at the right hand of God.
Come, worship the God known to our ancestors,
Whose love is known to us now and always.

Prayer of Brokenness/Confession
Almighty God, we confess that our ways are not Your ways, our thoughts are not Your thoughts. We confess that our own lens clouds our view of the world, of others, and of Scripture. Our lens of privilege may keep us from understanding the hardships of others, whether that privilege is race, culture, gender, sexual orientation, economic privilege, ability, age, or otherwise. Call us into accountability, to do the hard work of removing the lenses that allow us to know only what we want to know, to remove the lens that allows us make judgments based on limited perception. Restore our vision to Your ways, O God, that views one another through love, mercy, and justice. In Your name we pray. Amen.

Blessing/Assurance of Pardon (from Lamentations 3:22-24)
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, God’s mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in God.” God’s mercies are renewed every morning, and God’s love is steadfast, never-ceasing, enduring forever. You are forgiven, loved, and restored. Go and share God’s love and mercy with the world that desperately needs it. Amen.

Prayer
God of Love and Grief, when we grieve it is because we have loved so much. You grieved the oppression of Your people long ago and grieved when they made terrible choices in the wilderness. You grieved Saul, whom You chose as a king for the people but went astray from Your ways. You grieved David, Your beloved, when he went astray. You grieved for the people when they went into exile, and You grieved Your only Son, killed by the empire of violence to maintain a peace for the people. However, we know Your love is stronger than grief, and Your love will see us through our own losses. Remind us that grief comes before joy. That grief is necessary, and it is a sign of strength, not weakness. Help us to remember that grief is a sign of our great love, and the great love others have had for us. For we know that You grieve with us, and You bring comfort to us in the care and love of our family, friends, and neighbors. Remind us not to short-circuit grief, but to allow it to turn, in its own time, from mourning to dancing, from loss into joy, and may we know You are with us in this journey. Amen.

Revised Common Lectionary: 1 Samuel 17: (1a, 4-11, 19-23), 32-49 and Psalm 9:9-20 or 1 Samuel 17:57-18:5, 10-16; Job 38:1-11 and Psalm 107:1-3, 23-32; 2 Corinthians 6:1-13; Mark 4:35-41

Narrative Lectionary: Series on Jeremiah, Letter to the Exiles, 29:1, 4-14

This week, there are two choices for the first selection of the Hebrew scriptures, following the rise of the kings of Israel. The first choice is the famous story of David and Goliath, a story of mythical proportions. The champion of the Philistines, Goliath, was a giant of a man, and challenged Israel to send out a warrior to fight him. David, the youngest and smallest of his brothers who fought with Saul, offered to fight Goliath. Saul was skeptical, for David was too small, but David shared how he protected his father’s sheep by fighting lions and bears. Saul relented, allowing David to challenge Goliath, but clothed David with his own armor. However, David wasn’t used to the armor and couldn’t walk in it. Instead, he took three stones and his sling, and declared that God would deliver Goliath into his hand. He struck Goliath in the center of his forehead, and the giant fell dead.

Psalm 9:9-20 is paired with this first reading. This song praises God for acting in justice. God is on the side of the oppressed and hears their cries for help. The psalmist turns personal in verse 13, calling upon God for mercy because of their suffering. God is the one who brings deliverance, and God has been made known to the psalmist. Other nations who oppress the poor are caught in traps of their own making, “snared in the work of their own hands” (vs. 16). Though the wicked nations will be forgotten in the place of the dead, the poor and needy will not be forgotten by God. The psalmist concludes by calling upon God to remind the other nations that they are only human, and that God is the one to be in awe of.

The second choice for the first selection follows right after the first selection: David’s return to Saul with the head of Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:57-18:5, 10-16. When Saul asked who David is, he told him he was the son of Jesse of Bethlehem. David was introduced to Jonathan, and their relationship is of legend: their souls were bound to each other. David was taken into Saul’s house to live, and he served Saul over his army. However, the people loved David. Every time David was praised, Saul became tormented by an evil spirit, and set out to kill David. Saul was in awe, but also envious of David’s success and praise, and the people loved David.

The psalm paired with the second selection is Psalm 133, a wedding song blessing family that comes together in unity. When family joins together, it is a blessing, like an anointing of oil upon Aaron the priest’s beard. It is like the blessing of dew that refreshes the ground at Zion, where God’s blessing is ordained: “life forevermore.”

The third choice for this Sunday (which is normally the second selection), is from Job 38:1-11, God’s answer to Job. After Job faced the tragedy of losing his family and even his health in chapters 1-2, for the next thirty-six chapters, Job argued with God and with his friends. Job demanded an answer from God, wanting to know where God was when this tragedy befell him. God’s response was not what Job expected, answering Job from a whirlwind. God instead questioned Job, as to where Job was while God was forming the universe and the earth. God was setting the foundations of the earth, and limiting the sea, the waters below and above (in the understanding of the world from Genesis 1, there was perceived to be a dome of water above the earth). God was busy with the waters like a parent with a newborn, stopping the sea from breaking forth from the womb and tying a diaper around the waters above. God was even busy setting bars and doors—childproofing for creation!

Psalm 107:1-3, 23-32 is paired with the Job passage and the Gospel lesson, as it is a song of God’s mighty work in saving those at sea in disaster. The psalmist opens by calling the people to worship God, whose steadfast love never ceases, and who gathers the people from all directions. The psalmist praises God for rescuing those who were in danger on the waters, for God commands the wind and the waves. When the crew of the ships cried out in their trouble, God rescued them, calming the storm. The psalmist sings the story of what happened and calls for the people to give praise and thanksgiving, for God’s steadfast love that has saved them.

The Epistle readings continue in 2 Corinthians with 6:1-13. Paul urges the church in Corinth not to accept God’s grace in vain, but to understand the hardship that comes with following Christ. Paul shares the difficulties he and others have faced, and yet they have remained true to Christ even when they’ve been called “imposters.” Paul appeals to the church to listen and receive him and his companions, and their teachings, for it’s up to the church whether to open their hearts and minds, or not.

Jesus and the disciples crossed the lake in Mark 4:35-41, but Jesus fell asleep in the back of the boat. When the disciples woke him up in the middle of a storm, they were already taking on water, and demanded of Jesus, “Don’t you care that we’re dying?” (vs. 38). Jesus woke up from his comfy cushion, rebuked the wind, and told the water, “Peace, be still!” Immediately (one of Mark’s favorite words), the storm stopped and there was a dead calm. Jesus asked the disciples why they didn’t have faith, and why they were afraid. The disciples were amazed, wondering who Jesus was, since the wind and waves obeyed him.

The Narrative Lectionary continues its series on Jeremiah, with his letter to the exiles in chapter 29. Jeremiah wrote to those who had gone into exile in the first wave of Babylon’s control of Jerusalem under Nebuchadnezzar. Instead of hope for return coming soon, Jeremiah instead wrote that they needed to build hope where they were: to build houses and live in them, get married, have children and plan for their children’s future. Instead of hoping for an immediate return, they ought to hope for goodness in their new home in Babylon. God has plans for a future with hope for them (vs. 11), but it will not be immediate. It is not what they want, but what God desires for them, since there is no turning back from Babylon’s domination.

Remembering that God is in control and that we are not doesn’t mean a literal “Jesus take the wheel.” We all have aspects of our lives we can control, but there are at times things we cannot: natural disasters, economic collapse, and yes, pandemics. We all know what happens when we don’t take precautions and assume the pandemic isn’t as big a deal as people made it out to be: we end up with hundreds of thousands dead in the U.S. and cities that experienced their hospital systems overwhelmed. We have seen it happen recently in India. In Jeremiah’s day, the king of Judah and the priests and other leaders didn’t want to listen to him while Babylon made war against them. They wanted to assume God was on their side and they would win, instead of understanding that God was with them wherever they went, and that they had to accept the consequences of their previous actions. For the disciples on the boat, going out on the lake means a storm might rise up. Just because Jesus was with them didn’t mean a storm would come up. However, their response was to blame Jesus for not caring about what happened to them, instead of trusting that Jesus would bring them through the storm. God doesn’t promise our lives to be easy, or for the outcomes to be what we want, but God does promise to be with us.

Call to Worship
Gather us together, O God,
Bind us together in Your love.
No matter where we are, online or here,
We are Your body, O Christ.
The same Spirit that stirred the water of creation,
Stirs in our hearts and calls us to justice.
Guide us, O Holy One, in this time of worship:
Remind us that we are one in Christ Jesus.

Prayer of Brokenness/Confession
God of Creation, we confess that we fret and worry about little things that we will soon forget, but still, they consume our thoughts. We confess that we are disappointed when things do not go our way, unable to see that a better opportunity may come before us at another time. We become stuck and dejected, angry and hurt, when we are passed over for a promotion or recognition, when others do not observe the hard work we believe we have done. Forgive us, O God, for holding on to hurt feelings at times instead of participating in the greater work at hand. Grant us the wisdom to discern when injustice occurs, or when it is simply a mistake or different point of view, and help us instead to pause, reflect, and seek Your guidance, through the wisdom of those we trust. For it is in Your Wisdom we pray. Amen.

Blessing/Assurance
God has searched us, knows us, and discerns our thoughts from far away. There is no place we can go, nowhere we can hide, where God is not with us. God restores our soul.
God forgives you, for you are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God, and God loves you madly. Go and share the good news: no matter what the world has said to you, you are God’s beloved child, very much needed in this world. Amen.

Prayer
Prince of Peace, may Your peace reside in our very souls. May the reverberations of yesterday’s actions be stilled. May the feelings that consume us be quieted. May the thoughts that invade our minds and refuse to leave be silenced. Instead, may Your peace prevail in us. May the violence of the world not touch us, even if only for a moment, as we accept Your embrace and trust in Your love. May we find peace, one moment at a time, as we follow You, Gentle Shepherd of Peace. Amen.

Revised Common Lectionary: 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13 and Psalm 20; Ezekiel 17:22-24 and Psalm 92:1-4, 12-15; 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 (11-13), 14-17; Mark 4:26-34

Narrative Lectionary: Series on Jeremiah, Scroll Burned and Rewritten, 36:1-8, 21-23, 27-31

The first selection from the Hebrew scriptures continues the series on the rise of the kings of Israel. In this week’s reading, Saul grieved that he ever made Saul king. However, God moved forward, even in God’s own grief of Saul’s misguided ways. God instructed Samuel to visit Jesse in Bethlehem under the guise of performing a sacrifice, so Samuel could anoint a new king in secret. When Jesse brought his oldest son forward, Samuel was certain it was him, but God told Samuel to pass him by, along with six other sons of Jesse. Height nor stature were important to God. Instead, Samuel asked Jesse if all his sons were present. All the important ones were, but the youngest was out tending to the sheep. Samuel told Jesse to bring him. God declared the young, handsome boy David was the one to become king, and Samuel anointed him.

Psalm 20 is a prayer for a new king. The psalmist prays for God’s protection and guidance for the new ruler, that the king’s offerings and sacrifices be remembered and accepted. Blessings for victory are part of this prayer, for the psalmist assures God that the people and the king put their trust in God and not into their military or might. The psalmist closes with a plea for God to answer the people when they call upon God.

God’s justice is restorative in Ezekiel 17:22-24. God will take a sprig from a lofty cedar tree, just a small branch, and plant it to become a noble cedar where the birds of the air will nest. God will cut down the high trees and raise up the low trees, drying up the green trees and making the dry trees flourish. Similar to Isaiah 40, and Luke 1:46-55, God takes from what has too much and gives to what has too little, restoring what has been taken.

Psalm 92:1-4, 12-15 is a song of praise for those who are faithful to God. The first four verses sing of God’s faithfulness and how the psalmist will praise God with their musical gifts. Verses 12-15 sing of how the righteous, the ones who live into God’s ways, flourish like palm trees, full and lush, and strong like the cedars in Lebanon, famous trees that have withstood centuries of destruction. Even in old age, those who are faithful and righteous still bear fruit, and still produce lushly for God.

The Epistle selection continues in 2 Corinthians with Paul’s understanding of living the resurrected life in the here and now. “We walk by faith and not by sight” (vs. 7). In all that we do, living now in our bodies, or living at home with God with spiritual bodies, we aim to please God. The love of Christ encourages Paul and those with him to continue preaching the Gospel: that in Jesus’ death and resurrection we have new life. Everyone in Christ is a new creation, and the old ways, including death, have no hold on us.

Jesus told more parables in Mark 4:26-34. First, Jesus told a parable of one who scatters seeds at night. No one knows how a seed sprouts and grows, but the harvester knows when it is time to harvest. The second parable Jesus told is of the mustard seed. While not quite the smallest seed—that seems to have been an exaggeration on Jesus’ part—it is a small seed and from it a grand shrub is grown. But no one would plant it on purpose—it’s more of an invasive plant. But the kingdom of God is like someone deliberately planting this seed, so it becomes the greatest of shrubs, where birds of the air make nests in its branches. What God does is deliberate, though we do not always recognize it until after, when it is harvest time, when the birds have made their nests.

The Narrative Lectionary continues its series on the prophet Jeremiah. In chapter 36, God told Jeremiah to take a scroll and write down all the words God told him, about all the disasters that would come. Jeremiah dictated those words to his scribe Baruch, who then took the scroll to the temple. Jeremiah was not allowed to enter the temple because the leaders didn’t want to hear his words, but Baruch read the scroll out loud in his stead. However, the king’s officials were frightened, as they knew Jeremiah spoke the truth, but also knew the king wouldn’t want to hear those words. They told Jeremiah and Baruch to go into hiding. When King Jehoiakim had the scroll read out loud to him from his servant Jehudi, he cut up the scroll and threw it in the fire. However, God told Jeremiah to get another scroll, write everything that was in the first, and this time, also include a proclamation about King Jehoiakim. God declared not only would Babylon destroy Jerusalem, the king would have no heirs, and every disaster would be prescribed to the king. Still, King Jehoiakim refused to listen to him.

God is at work in all living things. God is at work in nature surrounding us, bringing forth new life. God is at work deliberately in the things we cannot see, and we live by faith that the seasons change and life grows and dies and grows again each spring. What seems useless to us is often useful by God, and God cares for creation as much as God cares for us. God cares for our well-being, but often we do not want to change from the worldly ways we created, the systems and structures that prop up powers that control and oppress others. We do not want to hear God telling us to change our ways. God speaks to us through the prophets of old, through the scriptures, but also through the stories nature tells. Currently, we hear the story of climate change, but many of our leaders refuse to listen. We hear the story of destructive practices, but those in power only listen to the story of profit. What is God speaking to us now, and in what ways? Are we listening? Are we becoming the new creation God intends us to be in Christ?

Call to Worship (Psalm 92:1-4)
It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
To declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
To the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.
For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

Prayer of Brokenness/Confession
Almighty God, we confess the time we have turned from Your ways and listened to the false wisdom of the world. We confess we have sought profits over people. We have loved institutions over relationships. We have held up ideals and principals from times long past instead of understanding the newness of Your creation. We have failed to care for the earth You made for us, and instead abused and misused the resources You entrusted to us. Forgive us. Call us into Your ways. Guide us to listen, and to demand that our leaders turn back to Your ways of justice and mercy, care for the earth and for one another. In the name of Christ we pray. Amen.

Blessing/Assurance
God continues to speak to us: in the Spirit moving as breeze through the boughs of tall trees, through the song of birds and the noisy squirrels making their homes in the branches God made for them. God continues to speak life and love to us. Know God’s love. You are forgiven. Listen to the voice of God in creation: You are called to restoration. God needs you, and you are God’s beloved child, made in God’s image. Go and share the Good News, and work for the reign of God. Amen.

Prayer
Great Creator, Source of Light, all things come from You, and all things return to You. All the trees grow in Your light, nourished by the star You burned to warm the earth, the home You made for us now. Like the cedars of Lebanon, may we outlast the dangers and destruction before us. May we tenderly care for the earth so all of creation may outlast the climate change we have wrought. May we return to restorative practices and bring healing to Your planet. And may we remember we belong to You, and have our purpose in You, set here to care for this earth, for all of creation, and You have made us co-creators in Your image. Restore in us Your intention as earth’s caretakers. Amen.

Revised Common Lectionary: 1 Samuel 8:4-11 (12-15), 16-20, (11:14-15) and Psalm 138; Genesis 3:8-15 and Psalm 130; 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1; Mark 3:20-35

Narrative Lectionary: Series on Jeremiah, 18:1-11 Potter and the Clay

In the season after Pentecost, there are two selections for the Hebrew scriptures paired with a psalm. The first selection is continuous each week, and for year B, follows the rise of the kings of Israel, from Saul to Solomon, from June through September. In September, following Solomon, the first selection moves into wisdom literature, with Job, and ending the season with Ruth, from just before the time of the kings: the story of David’s great-grandmother.

The first selection begins with the prophet Samuel, for the people have come to him and are demanding to have a king. This wasn’t what God desired—God desired to be their king, but they insisted on having a human king. Samuel warned the people what would happen if they have a human king—a king would exploit their labor, tax their goods, and enslave the people. A king cannot save the people the way God can. But the people will not listen to Samuel, because they want to be like other nations and have a king rule over them. In chapter 11, Samuel anoints Saul as the first king over Israel.

The psalmist leads worship in the temple in Psalm 138, praising God, who has answered their prayers with steadfast love and faithfulness. The psalmist declares that all the kings of the earth will praise God. Even though God is king of kings, God knows the humble and lowly. God is with the psalmist in the midst of their persecution by their enemies, and God will be faithful to God’s intention for the psalmist in this world.

The second selection of the Hebrew scriptures in the season after Pentecost doesn’t follow a consistent pattern or theme but tends to be paired with the Gospel lesson. In Genesis 3:8-15, God has taken a stroll in the garden of Eden, but Adam and Eve, having given into temptation from the serpent, have hidden from God’s sight. Because of what the serpent has done, God curses the serpent. Later interpretations suggest the serpent as Satan at work in the garden, but the story in Genesis doesn’t necessarily imply this.

The psalmist cries out for God’s help in Psalm 130. The psalmist knows their help comes from God, and that God will forgive them of their sins. They patiently wait for God, knowing that God will answer. The author calls upon the people of Israel to put their trust in God and wait patiently for God’s deliverance and redemption.

The Epistle readings for the next five weeks are from 2 Corinthians. In 4:13-5:1, Paul, speaking from his faith experience, knows that Jesus who was raised from the dead will also raise them from the dead. Even though they face struggles now, they know that God renews their spirits. Paul encourages the church to focus not on what is temporary and visible, but on the eternal and internal, what cannot be seen: the hope of resurrection.

The Gospel readings in this season turn back to Mark, picking up from close to where they left off during the last season of Ordinary time after Epiphany. In 3:20-35, right after Jesus called the first disciples, the crowds gathered near to hear him while he was at home. His family believed he had lost his mind, and scribes from Jerusalem came and said he had a demon. Jesus asked them, “How can Satan cast out Satan?” Jesus had been casting out demons before them, healing people with the power of the Holy Spirit. If they insulted him, that was one thing, but to insult the work of the Holy Spirit in Jesus—the good works he was performing—that was a sin that was unforgivable in Jesus’ view. His mother and his brothers let some of the crowd know that they were looking for Jesus, but Jesus asked the question “who are my mother and my brothers?” Speaking to the crowd, he said that everyone who did the will of God was his family.

The Narrative Lectionary continues its series on Jeremiah in 18:1-11. As with many of the prophets, God often used metaphors in conversing with the prophet to explain what was happening or what is was to come. Isaiah also used the image of God as the potter and the people as clay, molded by God. Jeremiah was sent to the potter’s house by God and observed the potter working on his wheel. The piece developed flaws, so the potter reworked the clay into another object. God spoke to the people through Jeremiah, using this metaphor, that God can also rework the people, deciding to build up a nation one day, or tear it down the next. If a people forsake God’s ways, God will shape the clay differently. God warned the people to turn from their evil ways, or God would shape their future into something else.

God’s desire for all of us, from Moses to the early church, is to live faithfully into God’s ways. We do not need human authority over us to determine this—in fact, human authority is often corrupt and leads people astray from God’s intention. The people wanted a human king even though God and the prophet Samuel knew no king would be perfect. Some religious leaders in Jesus’ day wanted Jesus to work within their understanding of what God would do for the people, and when he didn’t, they determined he must be working for evil instead, despite the healing miracles and other good works he performed. The prophets warned the people to turn back to God’s ways, especially the kings and priests of their day, but all too often, they chose their own way, and fell apart because of their actions. Instead, if we do God’s will, and love God and love our neighbors as ourselves, we live into God’s intention, becoming children of God, siblings of one another.

Call to Worship (adapted from 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:1)
We do not lose heart,
We are being renewed day by day.
We look at what cannot be seen,
For what cannot be seen is eternal.
We know we are from God,
In whom we have eternal life.
Come, follow Jesus, who leads us into life.
Worship God and trust the Holy Spirit, among us now.

Prayer of Brokenness/Confession
Sovereign God, we confess that we have placed other powers ahead of You. We have turned to the power of wealth over Your generosity and abundance. We have given in to the power of fear. We have placed human authority above Your commandment to love one another. Forgive us for turning to the kings and rulers of this world that we have made, and not to the ultimate authority of love found in Your commandments from Jesus Christ, who lived and died for us. Forgive us for our selfish ways, and call us into Your ways of love, mercy, and peace. Amen.

Blessing/Assurance
God’s steadfast love endures forever. God’s mercy is far beyond what we can imagine. While we have wandered astray, God remains true, and when we turn back, God is waiting for us with open arms. You are forgiven. Trust in God’s commandments to love one another, and know that grace and mercy are with you, always. Amen.

Prayer
Beloved Creator, You are always making something new, shaping life out of dust and breath. You made the universe, an ever-expanding canvas of atoms and molecules and particles we are still learning about. You molded the planets and set fire to the sun. You drew an atmosphere upon the earth and breathed life into its living creatures. You continue to mold and shape our hearts as we learn and grow, expanding our understanding of human beings and of all life. Shape us as we are needed, O God, to live into Your ways, to practice Your justice, to seek Your reconciliation, to love one another. You have made us in Your image. As creator, You made us to be creative. Guide us to shape new ideas, new ways of living, new hope for us now and in the time to come. Amen.