Words Twice a Week 1.13
If you are more into listening than reading, Words Twice a Week is available, along with other good stuff, as a podcast from St Paul’s Episcopal Church. Click here.
Some thoughts, and a prayer, on some of the lessons for this Sunday – Second after Epiphany
Ps 36.5-10
+ if we look at the whole psalm, vs1-4 are a description of the wicked (and I love this: “They stay awake thinking up mischief”!), vs11-12 are a prayer for protection from the world, and inbetween, vs 5-10 focus on God’s saving love.
+ God’s love in v5 and v7 surround God’s faithfulness, righteousness, and judgment.
+ God’s love is cosmic in scope, and includes humans and animals. How does the whole animal testing and using pig hearts fit into that picture?
+ “all people take refuge in the shadow of God’s wings” – Thy Holy wings O Savior, Spread Gently Over Me.
+ The abundance of your house – sounds like dinner at an old English fort? One writer notes that it could be an image of the feast after a sacrifice, kind of like a family BBQ with the neighbors invited in.
+ vs10 – love to those who know God – but doesn’t God love all? And salvation to the upright of heart – does salvation come for being upright, or does salvation make you upright?
Isaiah 62.1-5
+ the suggestion is again that this comes from a time after the Return from Exile while things were still not going all that well. A prophet speaks up saying a new time is coming, and the anticipated joy spills over into the difficult present time. Kind of like our expectation that this COVID experience will one day be over and we will once again go out for coffee comfortably?
+ For Zion’s sake, for Jerusalem’s sake, by extension, for all of God’s people’s sake, by further extension, for all people’s sake/for God’s sake?
+ a new time, a new relationship starts with a new name. Where did your name come from, what relationships are involved? If you were going to choose a new name, what would it be? Why/ What relationship or reality would it signify?
+ Or, “What’s in a name – a rose by any other name would smell as sweet!”
+ the new name is “My Delight is In Her”, and “Married” (a big verse in my family – my mom’s name was Beulah. As far as I could tell she was happily married!) The new reality is “A crown of beauty, a royal diadem”. (a good strong hymn in United Methodist tradition – in any of the settings, really.)
+ the marriage image – what does it say about our relationship with God, what does it say about our understanding of marriage?
+ and in particular, how is our land going to be called “Married” unless we change the way we live in it? An opinion piece in the New York Times by David Brooks about how America is coming apart at the seams. How does the marriage image resonate with life around us?
1 Corinthians 12.1-11
+ the beginning of a three chapter section on “spiritual gifts”, or perhaps “spiritual persons”. One writer notes that Paul uses the word “charismata” – which would emphasize “gifts of grace” more than “spiritual”.
+ vs4-6 – there are varieties of gifts, varieties of service, varieties of activities. If we add “prayers”, we get my stewardship phrase – Prayers, presence(activities), gifts, service!
+ then there’s the whole laundry list – something for everyone, all from the same God.
+ wisdom and knowledge – someone said knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.
+ what does it mean that faith is given “to another”, not to all? Do some people just seem to have more faith? Have faith more easily? What do you think this means?
+ healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues, interpreting – have you ever encountered any of these. I’ve heard a few people speaking in tongues – not sure if I believed some of them. I was in a prayer group once that the leader dearly wanted folks to be speaking in tongues – we didn’t. My understanding was/is that there are a couple of different kinds of speaking in tongues – one which is a more personal prayer language (Paul talks of prayer too deep for words) and another which is more addressed to the community and someone needs to interpret. One guy said, “Well, since there is no one here to interpret what I just said, I will.” I didn’t buy it!
+ vs11 – I really love this “All these are activated…” Things that get activated – phones, credit cards, streaming subscriptions, Christians! What gifts might be latent in you just waiting to be activated. Would 5-10 minutes of devotions, prayer, ??? activate some gift, ability, intention, ??? in your life?
+ we often think of “gifts” as some skill or ability that will make us rich or famous, but Paul says they are for the common good. Might even be something that you don’t enjoy or feel accomplished at, but is good for the community.
+ particularly as we are trying this thing called Mutual ministry, how do we go about identifying, activating, authenticating different gifts/persons?
John 2.1-11
+ the Mother, Jesus, the disciples, others are at the wedding.
+ (this and the next couple of points are from Fred Craddock -) it was the third day – previously John has said “on the next day”. (If you counted them up this would be the fourth day, thought there seems to be a break from what has gone before.) The “third day” resonates as a resurrection image, appropriate for the “first sign”.
+ note Jesus’ story starts with a wedding in Galilee and a funeral in Jerusalem. Just a nice touch, or is there more to think about there?
+ and “What did mother expect – Jesus to go buy more?, Jesus and disciples to leave and reduce demand?
+ Do Mary’s words “activate” Jesus in some way? But note that Jesus acts as God’s will is revealed to him, not out of kindness, friendship, even observed need. Grace is more than compassion – Compassion might provide wine, Grace reveals God. A sign is not proof – it is a window through which God is revealed. (So what does this story reveal about God?)
+ I like Jesus’ reply in the NRSV – “what concern is that to you and to me?” Some other translation have something more like “Don’t tell me what to do!”
+ Then here’s a line fro, Earthwords from several years ago – “When the wine failed there was water, when the water fails….”
+ the line about serving the good wine first...where are you in life – drinking the good wine? Do you get to the good wine by walking with Jesus?
Ok, here’s this nice prayer from the lectionary website -
O God of steadfast love,
at the wedding in Cana
your Son Jesus turned water into wine,
delighting all who were there.
Transform our hearts by your Spirit,
that we may use our varied gifts
to show forth the light of your love
as one body in Christ. Amen.
That’s what I got for now…..
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