Skip to main content

Lectionary Notes for Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B (Proper 7, Ordinary 12)

Readings for Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, 6/21/15:
1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23) 32-40, Psalm 9:9-20, 2 Corinthians 6:1-13, Mark 4:35-41

1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23) 32-40:
  • What's your Goliath? I read this passage, and see such a cartoon childhood-Bible-story image. But for the Israelites - terror. What would be a comparable image of terror for you?
  • :39 - David removing the armor reminds me of a scene from the movie Contact - Jodie Foster, traveling in the machine, is strapped to a chair that wasn't in the specifications, for her safety, supposedly. But eventually she realizes that the chair is only holding her back, and once she unstraps herself from it, she floats calmly and safely. What kind of things do we try to add into our lives that are only holding us back?
  • appearances - David's early story is all about appearances. Goliath thinks he knows what David is all about because of how he looks. What would your appearance say about you? Is that who you are? When do you let appearances influence what you think about others?
Psalm 9:9-20:
  • "a stronghold for the oppressed" - God is the safe place for those who have no other.
  • Not my favorite psalm - a lot of "I hate my enemies - get 'em, God!" talk.
  • "let the nations know that they are only human." What a timely reminder, eh? Someone needs to remind the nations today of this truth - not God, but humans.
2 Corinthians 6:1-13:
  • "an acceptable time" - God's time and our time don't always seem to mesh. We're so rushed, we rarely seem able to wait for God's action. But when the acceptable time comes, when God acts, we don't always seem ready to respond! Jesus was all about the time being now, the kingdom being at hand - here, arrived. Do we miss the message? Are we late?
  • :4-:10 - What a description from Paul, and how he has sought to mold himself and his ministry. Can you apply these descriptors to yourself? What would your 'list' look like?
  • "no restriction in our affection" "open wide your hearts also" - beautiful. It is hard to live without putting conditions on our love of others. How open are your hearts?
Mark 4:35-41:
  • "Have you no  faith?" If I were the disciples, I admit, I'd be on Jesus' case too! After all, early in the gospel account, maybe they don't know him well enough yet.
  • Still, aren't they fisherman, many of them? And Jesus a rabbi? What exactly were they expecting of him? A miracle performer only?
  • I imagine Jesus wasn't thrilled, either, that they accused him of not caring. Why, in crisis times, do we sometimes throw out the most hurtful things we can think of to say?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Sermon for the First Sunday in Advent, "Hope: A Thrill of Hope," Mark 1:1-8

Sermon 11/26/17 Mark 1:1-8 Hope: A Thrill of Hope             Are you a pessimist or an optimist? Is the glass of life half empty, or half full? My mom and I have gone back and forth about this a bit over the years. She’s wildly optimistic about most things, and sometimes I would say her optimism, her hopefulness borders on the irrational. If the weather forecast says there’s a 70% chance of a snowstorm coming, my mom will focus very seriously on that 30% chance that it is going to be a nice day after all. I, meanwhile, will begin adjusting my travel plans and making a backup plan for the day. My mom says I’m a pessimist, but I would argue that I’m simply a realist , trying to prepare for the thing that is most likely to happen, whether I like that thing or not. My mom, however, says she doesn’t want to be disappointed twice, both by thinking something bad is going to happen, and then by having the bad thing actually happen. She’d rather be hopeful, and enjoy her state of

Sermon for First Sunday in Lent, Year B, "Jesus in the Wilderness," Mark 1:1-4, 9-15

Sermon 2/18/18 Mark 1:1-4, 9-15 Jesus in the Wilderness             You’ve heard me say before that the gospel of Mark is my favorite gospel. Part of the reason I love it is because of Mark’s brevity. I don’t love that he’s short on details, exactly. I love that he seems practically breathless in getting the good news of Jesus to us, and that he seems to believe that the news is so good it isn’t even going to take very many words to convince you of his message! His frantic style strikes me as showing both how important and how convincing he believes Jesus’s message to be.             But, then we arrive at a Sunday like today, and I find myself a little frustrated perhaps, or at least a little challenged by Mark. In the lectionary, the series of the first Sunday in the season of Lent always focuses on the temptation of Jesus – his time in the wilderness, where he confronts Satan, and commits to God’s path rather than the flashy alternative Satan presents. This is the fo

Sermon for Second Sunday in Advent, "Peace: All Is Calm, All Is Bright," Isaiah 11:1-10, Mark 13:24-37

Sermon 12/3/17 Mark 13:24-37, Isaiah 11:1-10 Peace: All Is Calm, All Is Bright             “Silent night, holy night. All is calm, all is bright. Round yon’ virgin mother and child. Holy infant, so tender and mild. Sleep in heavenly peace. Sleep in heavenly peace.”             This week, I read news stories about North Korea testing a missile that perhaps could reach across the whole of the United States.             This week, I spoke with a colleague in ministry who had, like all churches in our conference, received from our church insurance company information about how to respond in an active shooter situation. She was trying to figure out how to respond to anxious parishioners and yet not get caught up in spending all of their ministry time on creating safety plans.             This week, we’ve continued to hear stories from people who have experienced sexual assault and harassment, as the actions, sometimes over decades, of men in positions of power have been