This
week God hears the grumbling of the Israelites in the wilderness,
complaining that they don't have food to eat - that it would have better
to have died as slaves in Egypt where they at least had food to eat. In
the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, God hears the complaints
of those who came first and worked longer than the ones who worked less
time, but all were paid the same.
We read that God rained down something on the Israelites. What was it?
What does Jesus mean when he teaches us "the first shall be last, and
the last shall be first?" Read about what really matters to God, and
what should really matter to us in The Rev. Dr. James C. Howell's "Small and White, Clean and Bright," and "The Generosity of God," by The Rev. Dr. Michael Foss.
Scripture: Exodus
12:1-14 and Psalm
149 • Ezekiel
33:7-11 and Psalm
119:33-40 • Romans
13:8-14 • Matthew
18:15-20
Jesus' beautiful saying that when two or more are gathered in his name, he is in their midst is often read at weddings, and, in fact, is sublimely present in one of my favorite songs of Peter, Paul and Mary, "The Wedding Song," but Jesus said this in regard to matters of church discipline. What do we do when there is conflict in the church?
In
this week's gospel lesson, Jesus instructs the church which will carry
his good news as a mission to the world about what do if another
member of the church "sins" against you. The Greek word for sin is αμαρτάνω,
which means "missing the mark. A discreet one on one meeting with the
offending person is the step, followed by another discreet meeting, and
finally a meeting of the church itself. All of this respects the dignity
of persons. If that doesn't resolve it, then what? We should look at
the context in which Jesus speaks. Immediately prior to this message,
Jesus teaches the disciples about humility when they ask who is the
greatest in the kingdom of heaven, saying that unless you become like
children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Immediately after
this week's gospel, Jesus answer's Peter's question of "how many times
must I forgive my brother who sins against me," with "seventy times
seven," which means what?
Humility, forgiveness and reconciliation are at the heart of Jesus'
instructions for resolving church disputes. Many have interpreted the
gospel to authorize shunning. What should we do when one leaves the
church? How is "power" or "authority" to be exercised and received?
Finally,
if we remember that when two are three are gathered in his name, he is
with us, how can we not come together in humility in the presence of the
one who gave his all that all might be saved?
Consider these articles: "What kind of Community Will We Be?" by David Lose; "Unforgiven," by William L. Hawkins; "A Careful Read," by Deanna Langle; and "The Power to Bind or Loose," by The Rev. Whitney Rice; The Beloved Community by Debie Thomas.
Scripture: Exodus
3:1-15 and
Psalm
105:1-6, 23-26, 45b •
Jeremiah
15:15-21 and
Psalm
26:1-8 •
Romans
12:9-21 •
Matthew
16:21-28
Naming is important to us. In the Jewish tradition, baby boys are named at a brit milah on the eighth day after their birth. Girls are named within the first two weeks. Common Ashkenazi custom
maintains that girls should be named when the father is called up to the
Torah on a Torah reading day closest or close to when the girl is born,
although practice often has baby girls named at the Torah reading on
the first Shabbat following birth. A resurgence in recent generations of the less popular simchat bat ceremony for naming baby girls has recently taken hold in many modern Orthodox Ashkenazi communities. In our tradition, the name of the child is announced at baptism when we joyfully welcome and receive the child as we renew our baptismal covenant. God charged Adam with naming the animals.
This week we are given the
name of God. Last week Peter was blessed and given the keys of the kingdom when
he confessed that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah. In Exodus, when Moses asks
the name of the God who will deliver his people, he is given the answer "I
am Who I am, and I shall be Who I shall be."John's gospel contains several
"I am" sayings of Jesus. This week Peter is rebuked by Jesus when he
seeks to deter Jesus from his mission, as he looks on the Lord from a human
perspective, as opposed to the divine perspective of the redemption and deliverance
through a suffering God, who lives and dies with us, and is raised to new and
everlasting life. Consider Susan Butterworth's "A Paradox of Faith."
This week's epistle from Paul
to the Romans is one of my favorites. It teaches us about vengeance. Consider
The Rev. Dr. Peter Marty's "Trusting God to Settle Scores."
We also read about Moses and the burning bush. How did Moses overcome his excuses to become the leader of the Hebrews ouut of bondage in Egypt? Read The Rev. Amy Richter's "Unquenchable Love."
When Jesus rebukes Peter for Peter's comments when Jesus says that Jesus must suffer death and humiliation, after praising Peter for confessing Jesus as the Messiah, Debie Thomas, in "Losing and Saving," offers thoughts on what Jesus means about suffering and loss, especially relevant in our culture today.
Scripture: Exodus 1:8-2:10 and Psalm 124 • Isaiah 51:1-6 and Psalm 138 • Romans 12:1-8 • Matthew 16:13-20
In this week's gospel reading, Peter confesses that Jesus
is the Christ, the Messiah, and Jesus tells him that this can only be revealed
by God, not man. He tells Peter that upon this rock (Petros - Πέτρος) he
will build his church. Jesus told Peter he would give him the keys to the
kingdom of heaven and the authority to bind, and to loose? What kind of power
is this? How is it to be used? Is it to be used to separate, divide? To include
or exclude? To favor, or punish? What is to be loosed? Who do we say Jesus is -
not only in our words, or as we recite the Nicene Creed, but in our hearts, and
works? Does that have anything to do with loosing? What do we open, close, bind
or loose? What do we use as "keys?"
Consider The Rev. Janet Hunt's "The Rock of Forgiveness: Binding and
Loosing," and Professor Alyce MacKenzie's "Peter's Confession and Ours." (2
short web pages).
In Mark's account of Jesus'
encounter with the Syrophoenician woman, in what is now Lebanon, Daniel Clendenin,
in "Send Her Away!"
states that ..."four of the six readings this week remind us that the
Christian story is fundamentally about divine inclusion conquering human exclusions.
About bringing people in to the fullness of God's shalom, rather than
shutting them out in a zero sum game. In particular, the readings show how this is true in two
areas that people love to hate — sexuality and nationality," with
several scriptural references. In his reading of Psalm 67, God's love crosses
national boundaries, and he cites Paul's famous writing that "In Christ
there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are
all one in Christ Jesus." What do you think? Is this relevant today? If
so, how?
Jesus' ministry expands from the One who is to bring light and redemption to the Jews, as he heals the daughter of the Syrophoenician woman. In "Who are the chosen," Katerina K. Whitley says, "... The
Incarnation is vivid in this story, as is the theology of kenosis [ κένωσις] – the
‘self-emptying’ of our will to become receptive to God’s will. Jesus learns
something from a humble woman and from a mother’s love. This is a story to be
honored, to be proclaimed and to fill us with gratitude. “Lord have mercy on
me,” she cries. And the Lord shows mercy to one considered an outcast. God’s
mercy covers all of us."
This week our Scripture ranges from Joseph's brothers selling him into slavery after deciding not to kill him, an exhausted, despairing and depressed Elijah needing desperately to hear from God as Jezebel seeks to have him killed, to Peter and the disciples cowering in a storm tossed sea when they see what?
Although I delighted in the story of Jesus walking on water as a child, and Peter trying to step out of the boat to go to Jesus, I confess, as I grew older, I had my doubts about the literal account. I believe he was both human and divine, and in his real presence, then and today. I study Greek, and look at the story from the perspective of Jesus' words, "Take heart!" "Have courage!" θαρσεῖτε in Greek. He is the One who reaches out to lift us up, with grace, forgiveness - whatever we need to get through stormy seas.
Professor Alyce MacKenzie gives us so much more about this passage in "Walking Towards Us, A Reflection" on our gospel account from Matthew. It is on three web-linked pages, not very long, and is worth reading. As she says, Jesus is "...someone who never stands on the shore watching us suffer, but is always walking toward us on the sea, stretching out a hand to us—with forgiveness, with love. Reaching out a hand to us that is both very human, and the very hand of God."
