#lectionary c

[c3pojones]

Lent 2C - Psalm 4

This Psalm is jam packed with topics to cover. Pretty much one per verse. Possible topics include:

God’s answer to prayers. (verse 1)

The world’s desire to seek after vanity, empty words, and flat out lies. (verse 2)

God’s ability to set us apart, to make us holy. (verse 3)

Anger. “Be angry...but do not sin” is not an easy thing to do. Anger leads to sin about as often as rain leads to the ground being wet. How do we handle anger in the church? The psalmist’s advice for how to be angry and not sin is to shut our mouths and lie down. I’d suggest a counselor. And that is not a glib remark. If you are dealing with anger, especially toward fellow brothers and sisters in the church, find a counselor and work through those emotions. That may be a way that you can “be angry, but do not sin.” (verse 4)

When there are things that would cause us to be frustrated, angry, agitated, and anxious our trust must remain in the Lord. (verse 5)

In today’s world, the prosperity gospel of Joel Osteen and others is a real danger. People think God is something to be pleased and appeased so He can bless us. We expect God to give us what we want as though God were our pet rather than the creator of the universe. This is wrong. (verse 6)

But the alternative to this viewpoint is shown in recognizing that every moment of happiness and joy that you (and every other creature in the universe) have ever experienced comes from God. You do not create your own joy. It is a gift of God. You are not responsible for the moments of happiness you have enjoyed. They are gifts from God. They are marvelous. We should cherish them. When times are not as we would hope (as in the previous verse), we remember all that joy that has been ours and remember it was all unmerited. We’ve been given more than we could ever deserve. (verse 7)

All too often we look to our wealth and possessions for safety. We look to our own efforts to provide security. We trust in military forces and our own strength to protect what we love. This too is wrong. It is the Lord alone who makes us dwell in safety, who gives us peace. When you go to sleep tonight, you will do so (in all likelihood) in peace, not worrying about a bomb falling on your house, not worrying about thieves breaking in, not worrying about anything beyond what time you have to get up in the morning. This is God’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes. We constantly assign credit for this peace and safety to the wrong places. If your country’s military is strong and wins a victory, it is God’s doing. If your country’s military is weak and is defeated, it is God’s doing. It is God who is responsible. He deserves our praise and support. (verse 8).

[c3pojones]

Epiphany 4C - OT - Jeremiah 1:4-19

Again, the lectionary offers abbreviated choices. Officially it is: Jeremiah 1:4-10 (17-19). As is expected, I like reading more of the text.

The text records the call of Jeremiah as prophet. Like many people God calls, Jeremiah initially objects to the call. He doesn’t know how to speak. He’s just a kid! 

The church’s relationship to its youth is a struggle for many. It’s helpful to recognize that God calls people of all ages for service of all kinds. Jeremiah, as a youth, could have been very young, maybe as young as 8, maybe as old as his early 20s. Probably somewhere in between. Likewise, Samuel is called at a young age. So was David. And how about Mary? She could have been as young as 13 or 14. 

Imagine an 8-year old in your church, second or third grade, being chosen as prophet. And not just prophet, but prophet to the Gentiles, to the nations. I bet any 8-year old would object. I bet any 16-year old would object. 

But whether a prophet is 8-years old or 108-years old, their power comes from the same place: God. The effectiveness of Jeremiah’s ministry has nothing to do with his own abilities. Jeremiah has but one task: speak what God commands.

In the church today, many of us are terrified of sharing God’s word. Comedian Jim Gaffigan has a great bit which begins, “I do want everyone to feel comfortable, that’s why I’d like to talk to you about Jesus.” You can view it below.

Gaffigan gives voice to a strange reality. Even if you are a faithful Christian, talking with strangers - and sometimes even friends - about Jesus can be uncomfortable.

Imagine Jeremiah’s lack of comfort. He’s a youth. He’s going to a culture not his own. He’s sharing God’s word with them. And, well, the message isn’t a pretty one in most cases.

We don’t like to be the bearers of bad news. But nowadays, we even resist being bearers of good news. More than that, we resist being receivers of good news. 

It’s not easy, but what powers Jeremiah is what powers us: God’s promise of His presence.

[c3pojones]

Christmas 2C - Psalm 119:97-104

The line that strikes me most is verse 103 “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.”

I would take this line toward the Lord’s Supper. At the altar, God’s Word enters our mouth with the sweetness of forgiveness and (as verse 99 puts it) medication. 

Drawing upon the medication idea may present a useful contrast between the sweetness of the Lord’s Supper and the disgusting nature of medication - from pills that are hard to swallow, to nastily flavored chewable Tylenol, to the harshness of chemotherapy.