Lectionary 13 B - 2 Corinthians 8:7-15

2 Corinthians 8:7-15
The context for this portion of the Corinthian correspondence is the collection for the saints in Jerusalem who were suffering extreme poverty during an extended famine. The fundraising has stalled and the weekly installments (1 Corinthians 16:2) have come up short. I image there were a good number of wealthy Corinthians who used the occasion to point out the foolishness of selling all your possessions and holding everything in common. (Acts 2:44-45) Paul, ever the pragmatist, appeals to their pride, the very thing he has previously argued against. But maybe this is where the thirteenth chapter of his first letter “If I speak in the tongues of men and angels and have not love I am a noisy gong and a clanging cymbal” is wedded to the words of Jesus’ half-bother James. “Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed, “but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? (James 2:15-17) If we have been made rich by the poverty of Christ how can we not be generous toward the needs of others? Paul would not have said it that way, maybe because he couldn’t see grace in the law, but James, who as blood kin is closer to Jesus, states the obvious. Faith without works is no faith at all. Maybe that is why James sounds more like his half-brother Jesus than Paul does. If someone is hungry give them food. If someone is thirsty give them something to drink. If someone is naked clothe them. If someone is in prison visit them. If someone is without shelter house them. If your brothers and sisters in Jerusalem are in need, do whatever you can do to help them. It's a no-brainer. But Paul would clean it up a bit and say, in doing so you will excel in the generous undertaking of doing for others as has been done for you. Which means, "Just do it." 

Lectionary 13 B- Psalm 30

Psalm 30
Psalm 30 knows a thing or two about suffering. Enemies threatened. Health was lost. The mouth of the grave was wide open. The night was filled with weeping. But Psalm 30 sings of sorrow from the perspective of deliverance. You lifted me up. You restored my health. You denied death its due. You met me in the morning with joy. That is good news for anyone on the other side of trouble. The question is this; can we sing the song of deliverance before the song of suffering is stilled? Or better yet, can we praise God from the pit of no profit and declare God’s faithfulness when our throats are as dry as dust? The answer might be in verse six. “While I felt secure I said, ‘I shall never be disturbed’.” And subsequently God’s face was hidden and fear filled the vacancy. That does not mean we live anticipating trouble. It means even in times of calm we count on God, and more than that, we believe God is not absent when enemies surround, vitality is sapped, death beckons, and weeping fills the night. It is because Jesus was surrounded by enemies, pierced by nail and thorn in hand and foot and forehead, and after descending to the grave broke free from death's grip, that we are confident, even when all of life is dressed in sackcloth and wailing, that we are destined for an eternity of dancing dressed in garments of joy. That will be when the song without ceasing is fully sung. In the meantime if all we can do is hum a few bars of the forever song it will be enough to get us through the night of weeping until we are welcomed by the eternal morning of joy. `

Lectionary 13 B - Lamentations 3:22-33

Lamentations 3:22-33
Lamentations is not the happiest book in the Bible. It may be the most honest. The good news is that honesty does not need to be happy and that is comforting, at least to the degree we accept what it says as true. So Lamentations can proclaim God’s never ceasing love and mercies while keeping the parenthesis in place -(there may yet be hope) vs. 29. Wes Word, a Fort Worth, TX singer songwriter, sings it this way, “Tomorrow is just another yesterday – don’t worry ‘cause it’s all over soon.” I suppose you could hear that as a depressing commentary on life but when you wed it to his comment “we are the community we create” it is really an invitation to live fully into the day that exists between tomorrow and yesterday. So we wait quietly (or maybe not so quietly) for the Lord to act trusting that in the life between the forever tomorrow and all our yesterdays the community God has created in the Christ, through us, for the world is abiding grace, confident hope, enduring love.

Lectionary 12 B - Mark 4:35-41

Mark 4:35-41
It was Jesus’ idea to sail across the lake but it was the disciples who took him in the boat “just as he was.” It’s an odd thing to say but perhaps explains why Jesus is sleeping in the stern while the disciples struggle to keep the boat from sinking. Just before setting out to sea Jesus was teaching all day. Before that he was hemmed in by crowds trying to touch him for healing. He was “outed” as the “Son of God” by demonic spirits and at the same time accused by Pharisees of being in league with the devil. And to top it off his own mother told him to stop acting like a lunatic. No wonder he needed a nap. But “just as he was” is more than a reference to how he was at that moment. Jesus is the “where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations” (Job 38:4) and yet cannot keep his eyes open in the center of a cyclone. He is weakened and wearied by wearing human flesh, not as a garment one can take off and send to the cleaners, but real life flesh and blood, skin and bone, muscle and sinew, organs and beating heart. When the storm causes the disciple’s courage to melt away and they “stagger and reel like drunkards at their wit’s end” (Psalm 107:27) they wake the One “just as he was” to question his motives and ability. “Don’t you care..?” means they want and need him to be more than “just as he was.” Maybe we do as well? Perhaps we’d prefer a superman Jesus who swoops in to save us or a supermarket Jesus who provides for all our needs or a problem solving Jesus who resolves all our dilemmas. I’m not saying Jesus doesn’t save or provide or address dilemmas. Jesus stills the storm for the disciples and for us is a very present help in times of trouble. (Psalm 46) But an equal if not greater truth is that Jesus became just as we are so that we might become just as he was. Or better, maybe it means we can be like Jesus and be “just as we are” at the same time? Frail and foolish and yet filled with faith that on a good day might even still a storm or two for people who are perishing.

Lectionary 12 B - 2 Corinthians 6:1-13

2 Corinthians 6:1-13
If the contentious Corinthians were not the proverbial “thorn” in Paul’s flesh they were certainly a pain in the you know what. And yet his heart “wide open” is willing to endure ridicule and rejection for the sake of these people puffed up with pride who have accepted the grace of God in vain. Not that Paul is not without fault. Lord knows he can be arrogant and rude but in this case I believe he is genuine in his affection and his desire that the grace of God overcome the obstacle the Corinthian Christians have put in its way. That’s because unity within the body of Christ is essential to the mission of the church. So it is with us when relationships within the body of Christ are strained and divisions and dissent cause us to close our hearts to one another. But if we recognize that today is the acceptable time, today is the day of salvation, then the temporal matters over which we might argue lose their import and we are able to live the freedom found in the grace of God. That means we live today in the way we will when all things are made new. There will be no divisions in the forever future. The vast multitude of every race and language will sing the same song and eat from the same table on the holy mountain and no one will be greater or less than anyone else. The church is meant to be a reflection of that future so that those outside the church will come to believe that the Lord has listened to them as well and the acceptable time is always now, the day of salvation always available.

Lectionary 12 B - Psalm 107:1-3, 23-32

Psalm 107:1-3, 23-32
Psalm 107 is a long song that details the troubles the people of God get into when they rebel against God’s commands. They wandered in desert wastelands, were imprisoned in darkness, afflicted with sickness and set adrift on stormy seas. But when they were humbled by oppression, calamity and sorrow then they cried out to the Lord and every time they did the Lord delivered them. We might not be set adrift on the sea but we experience times when we stagger and real like drunkards and all our skill is to no avail. When hope hangs on by a thread we cry out to the Lord in our distress and whether the storm is stilled or we are, the truth is God is always present with steadfast love and wonderful works that are worthy of thanks and praise. 

Lectionary 12 B - Job 38:1-11

Job 38:1-11
After 37 chapters Job finally gets his day in the celestial court although after God’s opening argument Job surrenders and cops a guilty plea, “Surely I’ve spoken of things too great for me to understand.” (Job 42:3) God’s “where were you…” might mean the question is not even ours to ask. It certainly means God doesn’t have to answer our “why?” We, like Job, his wife and his friends, would prefer a more predictable process where we can explain and in that sense control what happens to us. At the very least being the cause of what happens to us means we have someone to blame and in a weird way there is some comfort in that. But when life (i.e. God) refuses to play by any rules we can identify or codify we are tempted to complain bitterly like Job does while protesting his innocence, or hold onto our theologies more tightly like his friends do, or take Job’s wife’s advice and “curse God” (Job 2:9) and let ourselves and faith die. But I think living “I have spoken of things too great for me to understand” allows us to face circumstances beyond our control with a faith that depends fully on the One who was there when the foundations of the earth were laid. And the reason we can live without question or answer is because the God revealed in the cross asked the question for us “My God! My God! Why have forsaken me?” and answered it in “It is finished.” That does not mean we live through sorrow and pain as a prelude to the hymn of heaven but rather that we sing the forever future song in the face of the “light and momentary troubles” (2 Corinthians 6:17) of this life even when they are heavy and drawn out and we must sing through gritted teeth and weeping eye.

Lectionary 11 B - Mark 4:26-34

Mark 4:26-34
I think explaining a parable is like repeating the punch line of a joke and asking “get it?” It never works quite as well because it loses the element of surprise. And so without explaining it I think a parable of the kingdom is like the kingdom in that it is plainly stated and yet remains hidden. It is fully visible in unselfish acts and deeds of kindness that sprout from hearts and minds animated by the wind of the Spirit, especially when like a seed that sprouts it appears out of the dry soil of everyday lives. And yet a good bit of the time it is barely perceived in the same way we have a dream that upon waking lingers for a moment before being erased from our conscious memory. That is because our part is simply to participate in what already is. “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We pray the reign of God come down wherever and whenever and for whatever reason God so chooses so that we can live it. That happens when human beings get caught up in the mystery of God’s acting out in our world and begin to act and speak in ways that mimic what God does which is always about life and love. When we participate in what already is the branches of mercy are extended well beyond anything we could imagine or manufacture or explain. Surprise!

Lectionary 11 B - 2 Corinthians 5:6-17

2 Corinthians 5:6-17
Before you get overly concerned (and therefore less than confident) with “all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ” read on to verse 14. “The love of Christ urges us on….” When we are motivated by fear of punishment or desire for reward we do not live the life of love even if we are as obedient as is humanly possible. If your first thought upon reading that is that I’m am trying to excuse disobedience you are still thinking in terms of judgment. There is no freedom in that dynamic and therefore no Gospel. Every religion invented by humanity works on the principle of reward for good behavior and punishment for bad. But if we regard Jesus “no longer from a human point of view” – the innocent One died for the guilty multitude - a new creature is born who for the sake of God lives the life of love for others for the sake of love which is to say, God, who BTW is love. Now there may eternal consequences for choosing to live otherwise (there are without doubt terrible temporal consequences) but thinking that the sum total of the Christian life is to get to heaven or avoid hell is equally damning because in the end it’s all about you and that means even your act of "love" is self-serving. So let’s leave the future in God’s hands and trust that in Christ everything has indeed been made new for only then can we be “always be confident.” 

Lectionary 11 B - Psalm 92

Psalm 92:1-4; 12-15
Psalm 92 is listed as a song for the Sabbath day but it is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord every day, morning, noon and night. Or as pop culture icon Spongebob Squarepants sang in Attitude of Gratitude. “Oh, I’ve got a whole new attitude, a life-time subscription to gratitude…I’m grateful for the life I am living, who knows how long I will have it...” Now you can’t artificially manufacture such an attitude but you do have the option to decide to live each moment as best you can considering each breath we take is a gift which is how we manage to bear fruit even in our old age. 

Lectionary 11 B - Ezekiel 17:22-24

Ezekiel 17:22-24
The prophet Ezekiel imagines the Lord as the One who provides shade and shelter and sustenance for all creatures great and small. More to the point, the Great I AM is not far off and removed but intimately involved in the process of planting the noble cedar that produces boughs and fruit. “I myself will take a sprig…” I will set it out...” I will break off a tender one…” I myself will plant it…” In the same way the trees of the field recognize their vitality is determined by the Great “I will accomplish it.” The tall and green tree is brought low and made dry as the dry and low tree is made green and tall. Not as a preference but as God’s prerogative so that all will have to acknowledge that God is the master of seed and sun and soil and moisture.  Of course many a North Texan would prefer God dry up every last cedar in sight, especially when the wind blows and the pollen count goes through the roof. 

Lectionary 10 B - Mark 3:20-35

Mark 3:20-35
So much for family values! It is clear from the scriptures that Jesus raised a ruckus and people have been trying to quiet him down ever since. It’s not hard to do. Jesus isn’t around to object to whatever we claim WWJD. Even the church has a vested interest in the status quo, especially where pensions and tax breaks for the clerical class are concerned. But Jesus was a radical for his time and place and upset everyone, even disciples who followed and a family who failed to understand. That’s because Jesus was living the limitless future in the far too constrained present where risking radical love gets you crucified. So how might we be brother and sister and mother to Jesus in our time and place? It might be by giving away more than you hold onto or acting with more grace, thinking with less judgment, loving with fewer restrictions. That being said, just getting push back for one’s beliefs is not proof that you and Jesus are on the same page. But if we transform lives like Jesus did – fishermen who become fearless preachers, tax collectors who stop cheating, women who are welcomed as leaders, or a Pharisee (Nicodemus) who born from above steps out of the shadows – you can bet eternity we are doing the will of God.

Lectionary 10 B - 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1

2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 is found in the occasional services book and is suggested for use in times of illness or when one is near death. I tried to read these words to a friend and colleague at Harris Hospital in July of 2007 a few days before he died. I don’t know what I was thinking. His “slight and momentary affliction” was neither slight nor momentary and witnessing his body wracked in pain mocked these words meant for comfort. As I began to sob uncontrollably Pastor Tom stopped me with a hand on my shoulder and despite the obvious pain he was enduring said, “It’s alright Phil. The gospel I’ve preached my whole life was good enough for me then and it’s good enough for me now. I’m not afraid. And when I get there I’ll mention your name.” I can never read these verses without thinking of that day and I’m grateful for the grace extended to me by one who was infinitely more courageous and faithful than I am which is why I’m glad Saint Tom intercedes for me even now though he might need to do more than mention my name. Just sayin. Then again Jesus is the One who did the heavy lifting for both St. Tom and me so that even our “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me” moments are ultimately slight and momentary. So I guess I'll see you when I get there, Tom. 

Lectionary 10 B - Psalm 130

Psalm 130

I’ve kept watch for more than one morning and the coming day is always too slow to dawn. That is the nature of waiting while crying from the depths of guilt, or worse, shame. But the psalmist trusts that the sins that are continually accusing us are not counted by the Lord which is why waiting can be endured with hope that with the light of each new day the sins of the past are erased from God’s memory. That is because the steadfast love of God is expressed in plenteous redemption which means there is no limit to the depths God will go to hear and answer our cry.

Lectionary 10 B - Genesis 3:8-15

Genesis 3:8-15
The story of our beginning does not have to be literally true to tell the truth about us. We, like our first parents, would not be satisfied with paradise if there was one tree we are not allowed to touch. And so they believed the lie and acted on it thinking that the One who created them and provided for them was too good to be true. We’ve been living the lie ever since trapped in self-serving ways that are self-destructive, blaming each other and everyone else when we are the ones who are responsible for our own folly. Of course when paradise was lost to the ones created in God’s image it was lost to God as well for when the first humans were cast out of the garden the mercy of God was this – God went with them.

The Feast of the Holy Trinity Year B - John 3:1-17

John 3:1-17
The truth of “God so loved the world…” is diminished if we add conditional clauses that limit the ability of the wind of the Spirit to blow wherever it chooses. In the same way we demean the sacrifice of “he gave his only Son” by insisting that the Spirit wind of God’s love must blow everywhere for everyone. We do not know the magnitude or the limitations of God’s mercy although to insist on a verbal confession of a personal relationship and a particular way of being baptized would seem to usurp God’s prerogative to do whatever God pleases. And if the life of Jesus gives us any clue it would seem that the only people who should be concerned are the very religious people – in Jesus’ day Pharisees and Sadducees and teachers of the law. The good news for those of us who are blessed to believe and those who do not is that the wind of the Spirit blows where it will and if the cross is any indication of God’s intent it will be a mighty merciful wind indeed.

The Feast of the Holy Trinity Year B - Romans 8:12-17

Romans 8:12-17
I will admit I’m in hock to the flesh and cannot conceive a payment plan that will get me out of debt anytime soon. Based on Paul’s struggle in the previous chapter “I do not understand what I do…” (7:15 ff) my guess is that Paul was paying down his debt his whole life as well. But putting to death the deeds of the body is not as much about freedom from the flesh as it is trusting that even while we are in the flesh our cry “Abba! Father!” is heard no matter what. Like paying a mortgage on a house we get to live in even though the bank holds the note. But unlike human lenders the Lord doesn’t evict us if we miss a payment and truth to be told the permanent dwelling is already deeded to us as well because of the down payment Jesus made on our behalf. So we are debtors but in debt forever to Christ and gladly so.

The Feast of the Holy Trinity Year B - Psalm 29

Psalm 29
Hills skipping and mountains bucking are not that pleasant when one is in close proximity. In the same way we prefer our forests leafy green as opposed to stripped bare. But the Lord enthroned above the flood is imagined by the psalmist in ways that strike terror into human hearts so that God’s glory is matched strength for strength with the little g gods who are compelled to ascribe to the Lord the glory due God’s name. For our part we count on God’s voice to be reduced to a whisper when our name is called so that the God who bursts forth in lightning blasts might bestow on us the blessing of peace.

The Feast of the Holy Trinity Year B - Isaiah 6:1-8

Isaiah 6:1-8
The call story of the prophet Isaiah is filled with fanciful details that defy explanation. The hem of the Lord “high and lifted up” fills the temple which must mean the rest of the Lord is seated on the patio? Why do the seraphim need two wings to hide their faces and two wings for their feet when they only need two to fly? And burning coals do serious damage to lips so that one might forgo forgiveness for lack of lip balm. All of that is to say the vision is like a dream and full of bizarre imagery to elevate the high and lifted up Lord beyond this mortal coil and usher us into the mystery of God who is beyond knowing. “Woe is me!” is the proper thing to say in the sight of such power. Which means the enthusiasm of “Here am I. Send me” should have waited for a moment to hear what follows. "I’m sending you to people ever hearing but never understanding; ever seeing but never perceiving. Make their hearts dull, their ears heavy, their eyes shut until their cities are laid waste." To which the more appropriate response might be “Woe is me” if not for the faithfulness of the Lord who upholds those who are sent and preserves those who willing. Here am I. Send. Me. Even so. Oy Vey.

The Feast of Pentecost Year B - John 16:1-15

John 16:1-15
The Spirit as Advocate contends for us to prove the world’s ways will not be the way for us. That is because the Spirit convicts the less than satisfactory definition of sin as the things we do proving that what is made manifest in behavior always begins in belief. But then those who think right often do not act in right ways which means righteousness “being made right with God”  can only be directed from God towards us and not vice versa. And judgment is reserved for the one who is the parent of lies and deceives us at every turn even if “every single one of us (has) the devil inside” (INXS) Jesus may have many things left to say that none of us can bear but this much is true, the “God so loved the world” Jesus makes it possible for the world to welcome the truth telling Spirit who will reveal the love of God while exposing deceitful ways.

The Feast of Pentecost Year B - Romans 8:22-27

Romans 8:22-27
When inward groaning anticipates the cry of new birth the joy anticipated is the hope that endures. Even in our weakness, when confused and conflicted our patience wears thin and we know not what to pray, God intercedes for us. Sighs too deep for words match our need breath for breath so that fed by the first fruits of the Spirit our hearts are lifted from despair. In that way the future adoption that is the redemption of our mortal bodies can be known in the present even as a kick in the womb allows expectant parents to imagine the life of the new born they await. Here and not yet – that is the nature of this pregnant pause before we know fully the full fruit of the eternal tomorrow.

The Feast of Pentecost Year B - Psalm 104:24-35

Psalm 104:24-35
Psalm 104:20 is the basis of the “Come Holy Spirit” prayer of the Cursillo movement. “Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created and you shall renew the face of the earth…” The Spirit filled community (aka the church in all its various forms) is created to renew whatever portion of the face of the earth on which it is found. That means the heart kindled with love seeks to refresh the weary with refuge and replenish the hungry with good things even as we care for “all creatures great and small” and the habitats that support them. So the song we sing to the Lord as long as we live is best expressed when the words of our mouth are confirmed by the work of our hands. 

The Feast of Pentecost Year B - Acts 2:1-21

Acts 2:1-21
It is a lay lector’s nightmare lesson and even those who wear the collar tread lightly in the linguistic territory of “Phrygia and Pamphylia.” But then the confusion of language has spawned more trouble than mispronunciations and the divisions that begin with the inability to understand what the other is saying are too often translated into the universal language of bigotry and violence. In whatever way we understand the historical Day of Pentecost the meaning could not be clearer. The lines of language that divide were erased by the “Spirit poured out on all flesh.” Of course the language that was understood on that day was discounted as tongue tied drunkenness but there was a moment when the confusion of the Tower of Babel was reversed and suddenly every tongue was translated into the powerful deed of God that is the cross of Jesus Christ. It didn’t take long for the universal language of mercy to be confused and confined and the ability to speak in tongues became more important than understanding what was said. But the Day of Pentecost was not about speaking in tongues. It was about declaring the powerful deeds of God in ways that people could understand no matter where they came from or what language they spoke.

Easter 7 B - John 17:6-19

John 17:6-19
If you’ve read the other Gospels you might agree that John’s Jesus is less than human or if you won’t go that far at least will acknowledge that no one in real life makes speeches like the Jesus in John. That doesn’t mean it isn’t true just that John remembers a different Jesus than Matthew or Mark or the “orderly Gospel” historian Luke. But the purpose of John’s Gospel could not be more clearly stated. “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:30) So all this “I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together” makes as much sense as “I am the walrus goo goo g’joob”. (The Beatles) unless you understand that in believing what cannot be fully understood, that the “in the beginning” Word became flesh and dwelt among us, means the beginning and the ending can be fully known in the present in such a way that the joy of the future is fully realized in the here and now. I know it might sound like a less melodic version of goo goo g'joob, but truth is if we would live today as if the forever tomorrow was already here our present might actually begin to look like God’s future.

Easter 7 B - 1 John 5:9-13

1 John 5:9-13
To have the Son of God means the Son of God has you. Human testimony would have the Son by tradition or dogma or piety without being possessed by the "lay down one’s life for one’s friends - no greater love than this” Son . (John 15:13) The testimony of God is this – “not that we loved God but that God loved us …” (1 John 4:10) If God gave up all to possess us then maybe the reverse is true as well. We lay down our life to open ourselves to the life of the Son not by self-discipline but by self-sacrifice that would give up even the Son and eternal life as well for the sake of someone else. But how can that testimony be true if the scripture doesn’t spell it out clearly in black and white, cross the t’s and dot the i’s, sign on the dotted line? That is a human testimony question. The love of God is pretty simple. God gave up life for love because two millennium of law didn’t produce the desired result – a people whose heart was God’s heart, who loved as God loves. Two millennium later God’s life and love is still in jeopardy as the cradle of Christ (the church) argues over the color of the comforter. The love of God is color blind and cares more about the child than the comfort of the crib which means eternal life is not the prize for having the Son – having the Son in the same way the Son has you is already life that is eternal.

Easter 7 B - Psalm 1

Like a Tree Planted by the River by Donald Simpson

Psalm 1
We know the counsel of the wicked is nothing but trouble and lingering in the way of sinners is a dead end street and the seat of the scornful is uncomfortable at best but still we listen and linger and pull up a chair. Even those who delight in the perfect law of the Lord, the counsel of love, the way of righteousness, the mercy seat of peace, can find themselves listening and lingering and longing for that which in the end withers the soul and saps the spirit. But then the tree doesn’t plant itself by streams of water and so we, too, depend on the One who creates and cultivates a right spirit within us – sometimes with refreshment and sometimes with reprimand - always intending to bring new life to dead limbs as the prosperity of hope enriches impoverished faith to meditate on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, whatever is excellent or praiseworthy…” (Philippians 4:8) Uproot us, Lord, from complacency and plant us by streams of living water that flow from the perfect law of love.

Easter 7 B - Acts 1:15-26

Acts 1:15-26
If the church had continued the practice of casting lots for leaders you can bet it wouldn’t have taken long for someone to load the dice. After all choosing church leaders is too important to be left up to chance and after all doesn’t the Almighty help those who help themselves? So choosing a replacement for Judas would seem to require at least an endorsement and a position paper and a speech to the delegates. But then Joseph and Justus (aka Barsabbas and Matthias) were not random candidates. They were companions of Jesus from the baptism to the ascension and reliable witnesses to the resurrection. Given that they both met the standard set by the selection committee the choice by lots means they were equally acceptable and choosing by chance removes ego from the equation. Since the ego of candidates and constituents almost always leads to conflict it’s not such a bad idea. Could we do the same thing today? Of course we could, but I’m sure someone would object.

Easter 6 B - John 15:9-17

John 15:9-17
It is significant that this “status update” from servant to friend occurs in the Gospel of John. After all Jesus’ status was updated from mostly “Messiah” in the synoptic Gospels to “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) So the God of Sinai (fire and smoke on the mountain don’t come near lest ye die) is now revealed as the Word made flesh. Since true friendship does not operate as a hierarchy, Jesus’ statement is as radical as anything uttered in the scriptures. We are on a first name basis with the God whose name could not be spoken. The flip side of this new arrangement is that our continuing in the ways of our first parent’s garden rebellion is even more damaging to ourselves and the God come near who is our friend. Friendship can only endure so much before the one whose heart is open to the other is hurt in such a way that the real benefit of friendship, “my joy in you that your joy may be complete” is exhausted. Not that God abandons us but “I’ve got friends in low places” (Garth Brooks) is not nearly as friendly as it sounds and Jesus desires a relationship that blesses Jesus as much as it blesses us. Nothing blesses Jesus more than when you and I, and everyone else for that matter, friend each other in ways that go beyond “likes” on a page. Jesus' joy can only be as complete as our joy. Which means my joy can only be complete when your joy is complete and your joy can only be complete when my joy is complete and all our joy begins and ends with acting more friendly towards the One who chose us, aka the Word made Friend.

Easter 6 B - 1 John 5:1-6

1 John 5:1-6
The way faith conquers the world is not made manifest in the way the world attempts to conquer faith. Despite the apparent militancy of “Onward Christian Soldiers” the way of faith “is not by might nor by power but by my Spirit, says the Lord.” (Zechariah 4:6) That is why the victory of faith often appears as defeat. “We preach Christ crucified.” (1 Corinthians 1:23) But it is a “magnificent defeat” (Friederich Buechner) that the world cannot see or understand and which the world cannot ultimately overcome. “Were they to take our house, goods, fame, child or spouse; though life be wrenched away; they cannot win the day; the kingdom ours forever.” (Martin Luther) The faith that conquers the world is not a panacea for the pain and suffering experienced by one who is on the losing end of Luther’s list of things to be taken away. No. Faith is often pushed to the limit and indeed beyond. But though the blood lust of the wicked may hold the field today the final outcome has been predetermined and the faith that is tried in the here and now will triumph in the forever tomorrow.

Easter 6 B - Psalm 98:1-9

Psalm 98:1-9
A new song of marvelous things means before there was this song there were times less praiseworthy. Singing the rejoicing refrain is preceded by times of lament. Righteousness revealed means there was a time when it was hidden. “You turned my wailing into dancing” is how Psalm 30 describes the reversal of fortune. At the dawn of the new day the long night is forgotten so that even the sound of crashing sea and rushing rivers are in harmony with harps and trumpets and human voices. The good news for those still waiting for steadfast love and faithfulness to be revealed is that God gives us each other so that my new song can be heard in your time of silence and when life conspires to still the song in my heart perhaps you will be in a place to sing me into a marvelous new day. In that way the song never ends and at the same time is always new.

Easter 6 B - Acts 10:44-48

Acts 10:44-48
Acts chapter ten begins with God telling Peter that shellfish is now in season and he is free to eat whatever he wants. To which Peter replies, “Heaven forbid!” which is the proper response when one is tempted by all manner of culinary delights denied to kosher Jews for almost two thousand years. But God insists that Peter sit down and dine and before you know it Peter is acting like Jesus and eating and drinking with tax collectors (aka Romans) and sinners (aka Gentiles). “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean” is true for all manner of animals as well as people so that Peter, who often appears dumb as rock, suddenly perceives that God shows no favoritism, which is shocking given the restricted relationship God demanded from the children of Israel. That is not to say the early church welcomed the new neighbors with open arms. Even Peter had to defend his Acts chapter 10 actions to James and John and the rest and if you believe Paul’s account in Galatians 2 Peter didn’t do so well and “began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of the circumcision group”. The church has been declaring clean and unclean ever since making what is binding arbitrary (the law of love) and what is arbitrary binding (the love of law). I wonder what acts of God might astound us in this day and age so that we ask the question, “What is to prevent us from suspending the rules we have come to rely on and welcome the new thing God is doing?” Heaven knows.