Words 1.27a

 Words Twice a Week        1.27

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 on some of the lectionary texts for this Sunday – Fourth after Epiphany

(and haven’t had – or taken – time to read about these yet.  May add to this “Words” later.)

Psalm 71:1-6 

+ a word of confidence and trust in difficult times.  How does that relate to us and our world? (I’m listening to reports from Ukraine!)

+ time for a break and the prayer for peace in the world -

    God of all Creation, 

    let the peace which is in your heart 

    flow into your world, 

    and may all who share your world 

    live together in justice, kindness and humility. 

    We ask it in the name of Jesus, Prince of Peace. Amen.

Jeremiah 1:4-10    

+ “Before I formed you in the womb…”  I’m reading All We Can Save, a book of essays on climate and environment by women, many of them indigenous.  One of the themes is that we are in some sense descendants of the rocks, trees, and other beings that were here before us. 

+ Have you ever felt inadequate (like a child) to a task or opportunity before you?

+ “Do not be afraid of them” – who might we be afraid of?  Or what actions might we be nervous about?  Probably for us it doesn’t mean our efforts will be successful, but that God will be with us and love us even so.

+ four destruction images, only two building up. 

Added later -

+ Here’s a bit from Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary – it notes that Jeremiah’s “call” is somewhat un-traditional and confused (not linked with any particular event, overwhelmingly God is the actor, Jeremiah has only a few words which are strongly silenced – in short it does not fit the standard “call narrative form”.)  The writer suggests the call of Jeremiah is for an ambiguous or chaotic time when the mere repetition of orthodoxy is not adequate, and in fact becomes part of the problem.

+ thus the destruction images?  Are there aspects of orthodoxy today that need to be uprooted?

1 Corinthians 13:1-13  

+ vs1 – who would you put on the “noisy gong, clanging symbol” list today?

+ vs11 – “when I became a grown-up” – when was that?

+ “Then I will understand, even as I have been understood.”  I think that for many people, being understood is a really significant issue.  Which is more important to you – understanding someone else or being understood yourself?

  

Luke 4:21-30

+ one thing I noticed reading through this time is that at the beginning and the ending of this lesson, the people don’t really know who Jesus is or don’t recognize him.  They say “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” and in their eyes he is, but in the story line of the gospel, no, he is God’s son. And at the end he walks through the crowd – and they don’t recognize him?  Anyway, that’s one thing I’m thinking about this year.

+ and again, this is a little confusing – Jesus puts thoughts in their minds – “Do here what you did at Capernaum”, but Luke hasn’t told us about Jesus doing anything at Capernaum.  That’s next week’s story!

+ and does it make a difference that the people don’t really say anything – Jesus says “Doubtless you will say….”

+ Elijah and Elisha both had connections with “foreigners” – is Jesus suggesting God will turn away from Israel, or that God will bring others into the family?  Who would Jesus maybe point to today?  How would we feel about that?

+ How does this resonate with the lesson for next week (call of Isaiah) where God tells him to say  “Keep listening but don’t comprehend; keep looking but don’t understand.”?   It sounds almost like God is nailing an eviction notice to the door and getting ready to rent to someone else!  More about that next week….

Added later -

+ what does the crowd expect, seeing that “this is Joseph’s son”, one of us?  Special treatment? Just proud/glad for one of our own to be making a mark in the world? Nice to see that “little Jesus” (from Sabbath school, youth fellowship, etc.) is still taking the faith seriously?

+ the writer notes that Jesus’ words are fine in the abstract, but not received so well in the particular.

+ and again, as we noted last week, Luke is perhaps using this story as a preview of Jesus’ ministry – at first he is popular, then the crowds turn against him, then crucifixion and resurrection (forshadowed by his walking through the crowd at the end?)

+ resentment grows when “Jesus takes God’s favor to others, especially Capernaum,said to have had a heavy non-Jewish population.”  We keep wondering – who would that be today? 

That’s what I got for now…..

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