Lectionary Trails - Fourth Sunday after Epiphany Year C

The title for today could be "Cliche Sunday".  1 Corinthians 13 is so well known, and is read at countless weddings by pastors who preach it while in their hearts knowing it is not for a couple but for a community.  And Luke 4:21-30 contains two sayings that are also spoken out of context - physician, heal thyself and no prophet is welcome in his hometown.

Meandering down the lectionary trail today, I hope to avoid all of these cliches.  First, who speaks and who is silent in the Luke reading?  Jesus tells the hometown crowd in the synagogue that the reading he's just completed (the Spirit of the Lord is upon him to proclaim good news to the poor and oppressed) is fulfilled.  It is no longer a future, a hoped-for reality, but a present reality.  This must have been hard to take knowing that things didn't seem as if they had changed.  The Israelites were living under an oppressive foreign government but they had a way of working it.  And now here comes the carpenter's son, proclaiming that the scripture is fulfilled while nothing has changed.  They must have thought him quite presumptuous.  So the second group that speaks is the congregation, first impressed at his religious knowledge and then furious at his implications.  When Jesus speaks a second time, he cites scripture in which prophets are welcomed by outsiders rather than by Israelites.  The people's reaction is to attempt to kill Jesus.  Quite a contrast to all the contemporary worship songs in which we imagine ourselves laughing and hugging Jesus.  What if we look at this reading as an opportunity for us to examine ourselves and how Jesus infuriates us?  An opportunity for us to examine the ways in which we don't want our status quo to change?  An opportunity for us to hear Jesus proclaim good news that disturbs us?

The questions about who speaks and who is silent are implied in the epistle reading.  Paul is responding to a letter regarding conflicts in the Corinthian church.  Their initial letter is lost to us, so we can only assume what has been written to Paul by the way he frames his letter, addressing conflicts and power struggles prior to this chapter.  After exhorting the Corinthians to understand themselves as an interconnected body, now he explains the underlying principle that should be present in all they say and do.  Love.

In my view, this is the key factor that differentiates secular speech and action for the common good and Christian speech and action for the common good.  Anyone can organize a group for disaster relief, but Christian love is the motivating factor for Christian mission.  Last year I marched alongside several thousand women in our local Women's March.  People brought a wide range of motivating factors to the march, many of which were made plain on the signs and posters they carried.  I had gone to the march alone as I didn't know anyone else that was attending, and as I stood in the stadium I realized that the speakers didn't have the benefit of an audio system so everyone could hear them.  I made my way to the edge and eventually saw a poster with a United Methodist cross and flame.  There's someone I could meet, I thought, and went over.  Being a United Methodist clergy, I figured it would be easy to meet these other Methodists.  They were kind people and we marched together for a bit.  I knew that our motivations for being in that march were similar - God's love for all people.  We wanted to witness to God's love, the kind of love Paul describes.  Love is patient, love is kind, love isn't jealous. Love does not brag, boast, or seek it's own advantage.  Love is happy with truth and justice.  Love endures. 

Perhaps an intersection of these lectionary readings is that when love is proclaimed and lived out, it can upset the status quo - in our personal lives and in our communal life.  Can we be open enough to hear both Jesus and Paul tell us the good news that disturbs our status quo? 

Lectionary Trails - Third Sunday After Epiphany Year C

I've decided to call my lectionary study "Lectionary Trails" because I like hiking, and sometimes it feels like I'm on a hiking trail with a map but still not quite sure where I am when I'm digging through the lectionary readings.  Yes, here are the trail blazes, yes, here's the trail head, but where's the big tree everyone mentions in articles about the trail?  And how long did it take them to get to the overlook, because it's taking me longer.  Did I take enough water?  Hat on, hat off, jacket on, jacket off, am I even looking at the trail with all this fussing about? Sometimes my lectionary study feels a LOT like that.

Texts for Third Sunday after Epiphany, Year C are 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a, and Luke 4:14-21.

Dr. Zan Holmes, my Intro to Preaching professor, recommended that when reading through a text it is good practice to ask who has voice and who is silenced?  Who has power and who does not?  These are good questions for these texts.

For the gospel of Luke reading, Jesus is speaking in his childhood synagogue.  One could assume that as an adult male in his hometown, he would have power.  He certainly has the authority to speak in the synagogue after reading scripture.  The set up to this scene notes that he'd begun to be the topic of conversation.  Everyone in the "whole countryside" was talking about him.  He was on a teaching tour of sorts "and was praised by everyone".  What preacher wouldn't like to have such a warm reception everywhere they went?  The desire to be praised by everyone is strong.

However, he's about to upset that apple cart.  The reading does not include the reaction in Nazareth to his teaching, but the text he chooses does address the questions raised above.  Jesus has the authority to teach.  He teaches that the Spirit of the Lord is upon him specifically to empower him to preach good news to the poor, who are often voiceless and powerless.  Release to the prisoners, sight for the blind, and liberation for the oppressed - also good news for those whose voices are suppressed and who do not have access to the centers of power.  The tension I find in this text is that while Jesus proclaims the scripture has been fulfilled - and I do believe that Jesus is indeed good news for the oppressed and poor - that we still have people who suffer oppression all these years later is disheartening.  I look to the work of Rev. Dr. William Barber and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove for inspiration.  The Poor People's Campaign and Moral Mondays movement help me to listen to those voices that are too often marginalized by the powers that be.

This need to listen to the voices on the margins is at the heart of the 1 Corinthians reading.  "But as it is, God has placed each one of the parts in the body just like [God] wanted.  If all were one and the same body part, what would happen to the body?"  Still an excellent illustration of the need for diversity within unity.  Given the impending UMC special General Conference on the topic of human sexuality and possible schism, this is a critical scripture for paying attention to who has power and voice and who is silenced.  The perception of being silenced does not mean that someone is actually silenced.  Intentional and prayerful listening to others is what this scripture calls us to practice.

Lectionary Musings With a Glass of Wine - Epiphany Two, Year C

Yesterday my clergywomen's lectio divina group met for the first time since before Christmas.  We had some catching up to do with each other, and lots of prayer concerns to share.  It means a lot to me to have this group of clergy sisters, encouraging each other, praying for each other, laughing together.  I hope some day we can all meet for an evening meal with a few glasses of wine and great conversation!

Wine features prominently in the lectionary reading for the second Sunday after Epiphany.  First, let's have a look at Jesus, this wedding and all that wine.

John 2:1-11 begins like a good story.  We have the setting - a wedding - and the main characters - Jesus and his mother - and a good feast.  New Interpreter's Bible commentary states that the timing of this wedding feast should be understood as happening three days after Jesus calls the disciples in 1:43.  Further, the commentator discusses why we (specifically I) should not read Jesus' response to his mother as sarcastic or rude.  I have a tendency to read scripture with dramatic effect, and this isn't always helpful or accurate.

Jesus' pushback on Mary's implicit request to replenish the wine sets his ministry into a larger context than a wedding celebration.  Jesus' hour refers to his glorification.  This is a foreshadowing of what is to come, what she cannot yet know, and what we still struggle with.  Who hasn't wanted Jesus to step in and fix a situation in their life?  And yet, Jesus' ministry and ultimate glory is far larger than any situation we may find ourselves in.

The commentator also describes that "do whatever he tells you" is an echo of Genesis 41:55, in which Pharaoh tells his servants to do whatever Joseph tells them to do, meaning Mary has full confidence in Jesus and trusts that his actions (whatever they may be) will be what is right for the time.

The water is in stone jars, which would have been pure according to Levitical laws, rather than earthen jars which would have held water for non-ritual use.  The new wine is a symbol that something new is happening, something new is breaking into the situation.  Abundant new wine is a joyful symbol, a sign that something worth celebrating is happening.  This story is Jesus' first moment of self-revealing in the gospel, and an indication of his glory to come.

The epistle reading for second Sunday after Epiphany is 1 Corinthians 12:1-11.  The heading in New Interpreter's Bible commentary is "Recognition of the Issue of Diversity and Its Significance".  At this point, I'm unsure if I will be preaching on the gospel (which is amazingly rich with symbolism and importance) or beginning a series on the 1 Corinthians readings.  I'm glad that the lectionary spends some time on these readings just after Christmas, because so often the focus at Christmas is on the gift of God to the individual person rather than on the community we are created to become because of the gift of God.

This lectionary series may also be fruitful, given that the United Methodist Church is about to have a special General Conference amidst disagreement and voices calling for schism.  A set of readings on the differences within community that are not to divide us but to be honored may be a good place to study.  Verse four states that there are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit who gives them.  This sets the stage that when we see differences among us, we are to consider Who it is that animates the church. 

The commentator states that Paul expects to see differences in gifts and graces among people in the church, and that these gifts are not to be indicators of status but are used by God for the common good.  "What is helpful" is to be understood as "for the common good".  The commentator also stresses that there is an ethic of freedom in Christ in the Corinthian community, that once people understand themselves to be Christian, they are freed from certain restraints, however, this can lead to a misuse of one's gifts.  While each person is free in Christ, they are not free from using their gifts for the common good. 

The understanding of gifts given for the greater good is one that is difficult in a consumer-based individualistic society.  Preaching this message in a single congregation may be difficult enough, but aiming that message toward an entire denomination that is standing on the edge of a messy divorce feels downright impossible.  I think I'll ask my clergywomen friends if they are up for dinner and a glass of wine now.....

Baptism of the Lord Lectionary Thoughts

It's Monday morning, and my agenda includes worship planning!

Here today I will focus on the coming Sunday, which is Baptism of the Lord.  Later this week I'll finally get onto the two-weeks out schedule that I'm aiming toward.

We are in Lectionary year C, which means we are reading Luke's account of the baptism of Jesus.  In my initial commentary research, I didn't find much that helped in my planning for this coming Sunday. 

What is helpful so far is Dr. Mark W. Stamm's Sacraments & Discipleship: Understanding Baptism and the Lord's Supper in a United Methodist Context.  As I'm working through the reading on the baptism of Jesus, I'm struck that it comes prior to his ministry.  Jesus begins his public ministry after his baptism.  Baptism for Christians then should be a beginning, not a box to check off and then we're done.  Baptism should mark our entry into the body of Christ and the work of the church that entails being part of the body of Christ.

Dr. Stamm puts it this way: "A biblical, Wesleyan view of baptism and the new birth sees it not as an insurance policy or spiritual talisman, but rather a gift of the Holy Spirit that unites us to the body of Christ and leads us into a new way of life." 

The sermon focus for Epiphany was the importance of paying attention to the work of the Holy Spirit and expecting inspiration.  The churches I am serving are in the process of discerning a new understanding of their ministry in their communities, and so this seemed the right emphasis.  The area we live in is in a season of growth.  The nearest city is growing rapidly and this is also affecting the other communities in the county, and so we need to take a fresh look at our demographics and economy. 

So now that we've emphasized the importance of paying attention to the Spirit, what does this mean for the Baptism of the Lord Sunday?  Perhaps we can use this text to remember our baptisms and talk about how we are connected to the larger body of Christ.  For small churches that struggle with the anxiety of an unknown future (i.e. will we close? does this mean death?) perhaps framing baptism as what connects us to all of Christianity will be a word of hope. 


Stamm, Mark W. 2001. Sacraments And Discipleship: Understanding Baptism and the Lord's Supper in a United Methodist Context. Nashville: Discipleship Resources. Page 53.