Moving Forward - Weekly Lectionary Podcast

Isaiah 6:1-8; 1 Cor 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11 - There's this thought that flows throughout the Bible that no one may see God and live, and yet, Adam and Eve; Abraham and Sarah; Hagar; Moses; the Sanhedrin on Sinai; Isaiah; Ezekiel and several others all see God and live. The imbalance between holy and unholy is indeed a problem. But God has a solution for that - grace, followed by repentance. The lectionary readings this week all focus on God solving the problem of unholy folks and a holy God.

1 Cor 13:1-13 & Luke 4:21-30 Sometimes it's difficult to be an adult about things. When someone has what we want but don't have, whether it is love, a sweet car, a better job, or peace, it can make us mad. It happened in Corinth and in Nazareth, and I'm pretty sure it happens in our homes and halls of power. The answer is not to grab everything we can. Instead, God calls us to grow up and act like adults who have control over ourselves.

*and yes, I know I mispronounced "vacillates" at 2:35...

Nehemiah 8:1-11; Psalm 19; Luke 4:14-21 - Sometimes it's difficult to recognize good news as such. I get so swamped in bad news, that I'm cautious when something actually sounds good. Did I read that correctly? Or, I wait for something bad to happen, too scared to believe that good is possible in this world. In the lectionary readings this week, people insist that the Good News is really real, and it is really happening.

John 2:1-11 It is a common experience of preachers to have someone come up after the service and say to us, "It felt like you were talking just to me," and then the person proceeds to quote us, only we didn't happen to say anything close to what the person heard. Through God's Word, different people heard what they need to hear, even in different words at the same time. At the Wedding at Cana, Jesus gave a sign that was seen - differently - by several audiences, giving each of them what THEY needed to see.

Isaiah 43:1-7 & Luke 3:15-22 My preferred metaphor for God is King. That feels appropriate to me, and is well-supported in Scripture. And yet, the parent motif is every bit as strong throughout the Biblical text, and sometimes, that is what I need to hear. This week, the lectionary readings focus on depicting God as a loving parent who is just crazy about God's kids.

Jer 31:7-14; Psa 147:12-20 & John 1:10-18 How many times are we preemptively underwhelmed because of our low expectations? Whether with concerts, politicians, vacations, or family members, sometimes we just expect too little and see exactly what we are looking for. This week, the lectionary readings invite us to see that the work of God is greater than we could ask or imagine.

1 Sam 2:18-20, 26; Luke 2:41-52 [and a little bit of Col 3...]: What do we do with the boyhood stories of Jesus and Samuel? Is there any wisdom for life here? I'm a parent, and I have parents [hi Mom and Dad!]. The lectionary passages this week discuss how to hold onto the good stuff that our folks gave us, and how to give good gifts to our kiddos.

Luke 2:1-20 What difference does it make that there are two words translated as "inn" in Luke's Gospel? Who were the shepherds the to whom the angels appeared? Re-reading Luke's birth narrative with contextualized eyes helps us re-frame the Jesus' nativity in the context of his life.

Micah 5:1-5 & Luke 1:39-55: Thank God we do not live our lives in a vacuum of faith. We need other folks to pray for us and give us words of comfort and wisdom (and sometimes I need rebuke, if I'm being honest...). Sometimes we give words and prayers to other folks too. This week, we encounter folks who believe the word of the Lord, however they hear God speak.

Zephaniah 3:14-20, Isaiah 12:2-6 & Luke 3:7-18 - What's with all the judgement and forgiveness? Can't God just be cool and tone down the anger and compassion? Well, no, actually. The Gospel, in Luke is framed as God coming to do something about the ways that humans mistreat each other - and God! God is passionate about Justice and Reconciliation. The lectionary readings this week tell of God's inter-generational work to bring people to reconciliation and a holistic peace.