Category Archives: lectionary

June 4, 2023 · 9:00 am

Second Sunday after Pentecost

Track 1: Your Faith Has Made You Well

Genesis 12:1-9
Psalm 33:1-12
Romans 4:13-25
Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26

Jesus was eating with “tax collectors and sinners.” Tax collectors were notorious thieves. They collected taxes for Rome and tacked on their fees which were often exorbitant. Reading from today’s Gospel:

When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 1Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.”   (Matthew 9:10-13)

The Pharisees classified who were sinners and who were not. In their minds they were not the sinners. Jesus did not come to classify sinners. His mission was the restoration of the human race. For this reason he looked for people who wanted that restoration.

While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples. Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well.   (Matthew 9:18-22)

Most people generally know that they are sinners, accept for those who live in a fantasy world of their own making. The woman who hemorrhaging knew that she needed help. She was looking for God’s love. She was looking for healing. She was looking for forgiveness. When she saw the love of God in Jesus, she reached out to him. He was unlike anyone she had ever known. Her hope was in his mercy and loving kindness.

Abraham was called by God. He was unsure where God was leading him. Yet, Abraham put his trust in God, regardless of the circumstances. He realized that he was a sinner and that he needed a loving God who would not classify him as a hopeless. He needed to believe that God is a merciful God. He needed to trust God to do what he was not able to do. The Apostle Paul wrote about Abraham:

The promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.

For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”) —in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.   (Romans 4:13-17)

What is Paul saying? Human beings are dependent on God. Only God can fix the problem of sin. Only God can do for us what we cannot do. But what is required of us is that we believe God, that we believe in what he is doing. He asks us to trust him and follow very specific directions. If we do, then God is then able to call us a righteous people.

The plan that God put into play was not fully understood by Abraham. It was not understood by the woman who was hemorrhaging. That plan was completed on the cross by the sacrifice of his Son. There the price was paid for sin. But the belief requirement is still very much. part of the plan.

We must believe in God. We must believe that sin is real. We must believe that God loves us, despite our sin. We must believe that he has eradicated our sin through the death of his Son. And we must believe in the power of the resurrection. Only then is sin finally defeated. The Apostle Paul wrote:

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart, leading to righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, leading to salvation. The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.”   (Romans 10:9-11)

God’s grace is given from his merch and love. What is or response today? Is God good? Does he love us? If we believe otherwise then we have not been confronted by the cross of Jesus. Our cross is believing what God has done and continues to do, in our lives and n=in the world.

 

 

Track 2: Steadfast Love

Hosea 5:15-6:6
Psalm 50:7-15
Romans 4:13-25
Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26

God is a God. Scripture tells us that God is Love. But humankind has a tendency to define love, not as a person, but as an action we take to do the right thing or bless the right person. Our phony love does not take God’s place. This was true of Israel. God spoke through the Prophet Hosea:

Come, let us return to the Lord,
    for it is he who has torn, and he will heal us;
    he has struck down, and he will bind us up.
After two days he will revive us;
    on the third day he will raise us up,
    that we may live before him.
Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord;
    his appearing is as sure as the dawn;
he will come to us like the showers,
    like the spring rains that water the earth.   (Hosea 6:1-3)

God loves us. but we push him aside to do our own thing. They we claim that we are sacrificing our time and talents to the Lord. God reminds us through the prophet:

For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. (Hosea 6:6)

The psalmist reminds us that God does not accuse us of failing to sacrifice to him:

Hear, O my people, and I will speak:
“O Israel, I will bear witness against you;
for I am God, your God.

I do not accuse you because of your sacrifices;
your offerings are always before me.   (Psalm 50:7-8)

God accuses us for failing to acknowledge and thank him his sacrifices to us. He wants to raise us up that we might live before him. He can only do that if we accept his sacrifices. His offers his love in exchange for our sin. A woman suffering from hemorrhages understood this:

Suddenly a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well.   (Matthew 9:20-22)

She believed that Jesus was love. She thought that if she could touch his love she might be healed. it was not that she just had faith, but that she had faith in a God of love. She had faith in love.

Do we know that Jesus is love? If so, we should reach out to him in faith. The woman had tried for twelve years to overcome her illness. Even “good” people were not able to heal her. She put her trust and hope in One man that she knew was unlike any other.

Jesus is the Person of promise from God the Father:

After two days he will revive us;
    on the third day he will raise us up,
    that we may live before him.

He is the proof of God’s love. He is the love of God.

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June 4, 2023 · 12:00 am

First Sunday after Pentecost: Trinity Sunday

God in Three Persons

Today is Trinity Sunday. We celebrate the glorious manifestation of God through his three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. These are not simply three names of God. Each one is a person of God and has a distinct purpose. We see this in the Book of Genesis:

And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”

God the Father is speaking about his creation of all life, and especially that of humankind. But he did not do this alone. God said: “Let us.” He is using a Hebrew word—ē’nu—which is unmistakably plural. To whom is God speaking?

We read in the prologue of John’s Gospel:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.   (John 1:1-4)

The Father is clearly speaking to his Son because his Son is described in John as an agent of creation. But he was also speaking to someone else. Let us go back again to the beginning:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.   (Genesis 1:1-3)

We see that the Holy Spirit is waiting to hear the Word from God the Father: “Let there be light.” And then he sprang into action. The Father spoke the Word. Jesus, who has been described as the Word made flesh, again, was the agent of creation.

All three Persons of God were active in creation, but each One has a special and unique ministry as well. Jesus’ farewell address to his disciples frames to work of each One quite:

The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”   (Matthew 28:16-20)

Notice that Jesus says that he has all authority. That gift comes from God the Father. He is the final and supreme authority in all things. The Father has delegated his authority to his Son because Jesus was obedient to him, even to death on a cross.

Then Jesus tells his disciples to evangelize the whole world. That is the work of the Son:

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him.   (John 3:16-17)

Notice that Jesus mentions the Holy Spirit as part of our baptism. The Spirit is mentioned last, but he is batting cleanup. His work is to sanctify us that we become like Jesus. We read in the Gospel of John:

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.   (John 16:13-15)

Now let us take a look at the Apostle Paul’s farewell address to the Corinthians, so to speak:

Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

Notice Paul writes: “put things in order.” It is the Holy Spirit of God that helps us puts things in order. He is not disorderly as some people would believe. The fellowship of the Spirit does not lead to chaos, division, or disorganization. The fellowship of the Spirit leads to unity, love, order, and peace. That is why the Spirit can work with all churches: Evangelistic, Pentecostal, as well as Liturgical. No one church has a lock on him.

Lastly, in one sentence, Paul summarizes the complete work of the Trinity:

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the
communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.   (2 Corinthians 13:11-13)
The love of the Father is proven by the gift of grace through his Son so that we may all be joined together in the Spirit. Today, let us celebrate and embrace the full Person and ministry of God.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Corinthians 13:14).

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May 31, 2023 · 12:00 am

The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin

Standing on the Promises of God

Mary, the mother of Jesus, visited her cousin Elizabeth who was also with child. When the child in Elizabeth’s womb hears Mary’s voice he leaps for joy. This child is John the Baptist. This moment of celebration brings joy to Mary and she prophesies:

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
    and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
    Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
    and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
    from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
    he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
    and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
    and sent the rich away empty.”   (Luke 1:47-55)

What is remarkable about Mary and Elizabeth is that they believed in the promise of God, even though great miracles of God were required. Mary, a virgin, had conceived a child and Elizabeth, who was well beyond any child bearing age, had also conceived. Nevertheless, these chosen instruments of God were able to believe God as did Abraham before them.

Are we able to believe in the miraculous today? Mary and Elizabeth understood that the promises God made to them were not just about them. Jesus and John the Baptist are children of the promise that God made to Abraham. Their births extended and expanded this promise down through the ages. Today, we are recipients of the promise.

God has made promises to us as well. His plans for us may not be as dramatic as that of Mary or Elizabeth, but they are important to God’s plan. Are we willing to believe in those promises and hold on to them? There may be obstacles in the way of our receiving God’s promise. The Apostle Paul tells us how to overcome these obstacles with this prescription:

Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.   (Romans 12:12)

In time, the promises of God will come to pass. The blessing is in our believing and perseverance. Too often me take matters in our own hands when we tire of waiting upon God. In this way we thwart God’s plans and purposes for us. Others are depending upon us to make the right choices. In fact, their future blessings depend upon our faithfulness. Let us be willing to see beyond ourselves as the wonders of God’s work unfolds.

God will do great things for us but he requires that we exercise our faith. Are we willing to hear, believe, and stand on the promises of God?

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May 28, 2023 · 12:00 am

Day of Pentecost

The Gathering of the Spirit

Today we celebrate the Day of Pentecost. The importance of Pentecost cannot be overstated. We observe Pentecost as the birth of the Church. It is certainly that. But it also has to do with the birth and rebirth of all humankind.

Let us go back to the beginning. Reading from John’s Gospel:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.   (John 1:1-4)

Our lives began with the Word of God. God spoke us into being. Jesus Christ was and is the incarnation of this Word:

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.   ((John 1:10-13

We were created in his very image. We were made like him, but many did not recognize him or accept him as one of us. But those who did, received his breath and power to become more like him. Pentecost is about receiving God’s breath and power. The psalmist wrote:

You hide your face, and they are terrified;
you take away their breath,
and they die and return to their dust.

You send forth your Spirit, and they are created;
and so you renew the face of the earth.   (Psalm 104:30-31)

Pentecost is about rebirth. This rebirth comes only by the power of the Holy Spirit. We need that rebirth to restore our fellowship with God. Jesus, the agent of creation, became the agent of recreation. His sacrifice has purified us for rebirth.

This Church could only be formed by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit:

When the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.   (Acts 2:1-4)

God calls us to gather in his name. He calls us to anticipate his presence and power. He refines us and prepares us as we offer him our prayers and praise. Then he pours out his power and establishes a taste of his Kingdom on the earth:

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs– in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”   (Acts 2:5-12)

The witness of the Church began at Pentecost. A powerful community was being built. It attracted people from all corners of the earth. Are we still building upon the outpouring of God’s power? What is our witness today? Do we just celebrate the birth of the Church on the Day of Pentecost? Or do we seek rebirth through the power of the Holy Spirit.

On the Day of Pentecost, Peter preached:

No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

‘In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
    and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
    and your old men shall dream dreams.
Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
    in those days I will pour out my Spirit,
        and they shall prophesy.’   (Acts 2:16-18)

God is still pouring out his Spirit. Peter makes it clear that Pentecost includes us:

Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.”   (Acts 2:38-39)

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