Words Twice a Week 8.4.22
Well, here we are back, at least making a stab at it. WE did miss a few of my favorite passages – the whole story of Hosea and Gomer. Frederick Buechner has a wonder piece about them in one of his books. And last week with the whole Build (Back) Bigger Barns – that was fun to ponder. But – here we are with some thoughts about some of the lectionary passages for this Sunday – proper fourteen. (And I’m at camp, so no links. Sorry.)
Isaiah 1.1, 10-20
+ “During the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah” – Isaiah, or some of his disciples, were around for four different administrations!
+ “you people of Gomorrah” in vs 10 seems a little abrupt; but note vs 9 “we should have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah”. I don’t know how those names were used symbolically in Israel.
+ note also that vs2-9 pretty much call the heavens and earth to witness as God confronts God’s people.
+ so then we need to be a little careful – vs10-20 kind of sounds like “what’s the use in worship, at least in formal worship?” Sacrifices? - nope. Incense? - nope. Special days and times? - nope.
+ vs15-17 gives us a clue – Israel has not extended the essence of worship into ordinary life. Their worship has not led them to do good, seek justice, correct oppression, care for the needy.
+ “Worship is idle exercise unless it brings about change of heart.” - Texts for Preaching. Then once a heart is changed, does worship continue to shape and mold it. Does worship turn our thoughts and cares towards a life of faith (ie, justice, compassion) or can it even sometimes get in the way of our doing that?
+ Could a strong focus on “no abortions” cause people to not be compassionate?
+ the text calls us to find authentic worship which does indeed point us to a life of faith. What in our contemporary worship does that for you? What hinders?
+ vs18-20 seems to suggest God is looking for conversation, communion, but also willingness to accept God’s vision, dream, understanding, and be obedient to it, in harmony with it.
Psalm 50.1-8, 22-23
+ God comes to us in impressive ways, not the “still, small voice” of Jeremiah!
+ Again God calls heaven and earth to witness. We could pause a bit and ponder – with the way earth’s climate is changing due to human interference, could that be seen as earth’s witness?
+ “I will accept no bull from your house”; “Every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.”
+ So a similar word to Isaiah – does it respond to Isaiah, the way the lectionary orders the lessons, or does it introduce the themes of Isaiah? Just my preference that psalms deserve to be read for their own sense, not just as a response to the Old Testament lesson!
Luke 12.32-40
+ vs32-34 might just as well go with 22-31, about not being anxious about possessions. (Ending up with Seek ye first…” Vs 35-40 have to do with preparedness. You can combine them by saying the right attitude towards possessions has much to do with being prepared. The first section is fairly straightforward, (although see below!); the second is a little more complex – how do you be prepared when you can not be continually “on watch”?
+ on vs 32-34, “any talk about what to do with wealth/possessions presupposes the reality of God’s kingdom/reign/time of peace. If God is not shaping reality as a loving, caring parent, does this word still make sense? Well, maybe it does, just as a human community building and shaping process.
+ Jesus says “Sell what you have and give to the poor.” And then we usually say “What Jesus really meant was….” But what if what Jesus really meant was “Sell what you have and give to the poor”? My favorite thought on this comes from Richard Swanson -
This envisions a radical sort of interdependence rooted in exchanged poverty. [I love that, not exchanged “prosperity”, but exchanged “poverty”. We sing Let the gifts go round the circle, but that also includes Sometimes in need we stand!] It reminds me of the Lakota practice of giveaway. After a death the bereaved family gives it possessions to their neighbors and family. Stated in more revealing terms, the family gives itself to its neighbors. If the family is to go on, the neighbors will have to carry it. Which, of course, is exactly what is required at such a moment. The giveaway reveals a basic truth of human life: no one can go on unless carried by neighbors. This is not a truth unique to a tie of bereavement. Death just reveals what is always true: human life is a team sport.
+ back to “seek ye first…” vs32 says this is not a futile or frustrating looking for something withheld, but a confident searching out of what God is giving.
+ where are our treasures? First off, maybe what are our treasures? Remember the line about how the best things in life are not things! Then where are they and how are we keeping them? Does this have anything to do with investment accounts, IRA’s, etc?
+ Is this a time to reflect on the wealth inequality in our country and what it is doing to our culture, community, civilization?
+ “vs 32-34 warns against the idea that wealth, material possessions can secure the future.” How are we with that? (Not sure!)
+ 1) giving eases the anxiety of the barn-builder. (I was talking with a woman years ago who was really torn up about maybe losing a house to taxes or something like that. I think maybe she had another one, too, don’t really remember. I do remember after going round and round, I said, “Well, you could just give it away.” She didn’t! I probably wouldn’t have, either.)
+ 2) earthly possessions are not as dependable, permanent, as heavenly ones. Can you think of examples of both?
+ 3) giving created a different community than saving/hoarding.
+ vs35-40 “loins being girded” has to do with service. Note vs37, the happy master “will gird himself” – will serve the servants! How does that play out in our vision?
+ “Keep your lamps, trimmed and burning….”
+ Like a thief in the night – I think of those times when I passed by someone briefly, then later thought of what I should have said.
+ Coming at an unknown time – kind of like musical chairs, kind of like the police car checking speeds just around the curve. If you are always doing the speed limit, you don’t have to worry.
+ as above, actions re money, possessions are part of the disciple’s readiness. How is that playing out in your life? (I’m not completely sure about mine!)
That’s what I got for now…..(Nice to be back. Hopefully it lasts!)
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