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Last month, I was in a production of “Morning’s at Seven”.  One of the characters sensed that something was amiss in his life; he kept trying to “get back to the fork”.  We’re also reminded of Bugs Bunny, who pops out of a tunnel in Antarctica, consults his map and considers, “Ehhhh–I shoulda toined left at Albuquerque!”   Scriptures for the upcoming weekend remind us that we’re always at a turning-point, some holy opportunity for weal…or woe.

Isaiah of Babylon attempts to re-center his fellow Exiles around their holy-history of an expectant and gracious God.  Many of the original Exiles had died, and their children have become full-fledged Babylonians.”Don’t let the rumor die,” they’re urged.  “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? … let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that [God] may have mercy on them…” (55:2,7)

St. Paul’s audience at Corinth was very diverse, and we speculate that there were only a handful of Jews involved in the young congregations.  How much did they know of what we consider the “Old Testament”?  Nevertheless, Paul recalls tales of grace and tragedy from the Exodus saga (I 10:1-11).  Baptism and spiritual food & drink yielded all too soon to idolatry.  “So (v.12) if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall.”  But God will provide a “way out” of our testing…  Now where was that fork?

Luke (13:1-9) tells about Galileans and other citizens who were in the wrong place at the wrong time.  “Do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem?” asks Jesus.  “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”  Turn it around, he said.  Think again.  Take the other fork.

Casey Thompson, Presbyterian clergy from Memphis, Tennessee, muses:  “If the Israelites,, who were the recipients of so much intercessor activity on God’s part, failed over and over in faithfulness (from golden calves to complaints about God’s menu), how can the church succeed now–particularly now that whole industries are committed to the making and marketing of idols? ….How do our practices create virtues that enable us to endure?”   (FEASTING on the WORD, C 2:90)

At a time in my ministry when I was doing a lot of counseling, I used to play a “game” with my clients called “When do you last remember ____?”  It was a means of tracing their life-course “back to the fork”, recollecting the turning-point where their expectations and dreams began to run amok.  Can we really “go back”?  I don’t think so; but I think we can unsnarl the thread from the tapestry and begin to brighten the picture…

“I chose the road less traveled by, and it has made all the difference.”  –Robert Frost

God Bless Us, Every One                     Horace Brown King

My musings about Lectionary selections for the upcoming weekend can be found every Tuesday at this spot on Facebook, or at horacebrownking.com

Some years ago, a Church Lady of our acquaintance wore a sweatshirt which pictured a hen addressing a small flock of wide-eyed peeps,  “Because I’m the MAMA!  THAT’s  Why!”  Although my years as a “peep” have long departed, I sometimes look nostalgically at half-remembered occasions when a parental figure told me what to do…  We all do, I think.

Scriptures for this coming Second Sunday in Lent weekend have to do with a loving Parent/God offering a Better Way.  Back in Genesis 15, we find childless Abram growling at Yahweh because he had no children yet to inherit his genes.  A protective Parent assured him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” (v.1)  The passage moves Abram from doubtful skepticism to acceptant trust, and establishes the psychological value of learning Parenting FROM a Parent.

There’s no specific reason why we don’t dance with the Psalms during our weekly conversations, so don’t ignore them!  Especially this week, when Psalm 27 brings a magnificence to the whole Parent-Child transaction!

St. Paul thinks HE’s a Mother Hen!  He writes to his flock in Philippi, “Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us [me].” (3:17)   Part of Parenting is leading by example, being a strong role model for the peeps.  Paul here isn’t speaking only to individuals, but encouraging a successful participation within the greater flock.  Part of my late-life memories includes an appreciation of those saints who sparked my growing-up days with their steady presence.

Luke remembers how Jesus’ detractors warned him about his confrontational teachings. (13:31-35)  He assured them that his path led immediately and urgently to Jerusalem, center of Jewish ancestral traditions, where he was to proclaim by word and deed a Kingdom whose values were opposed to the imperfections of Rome and Temple.  “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!  How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (v.34)  Michael B. Curry writes, “For Jesus, God’s passionate dream, compassionate desire, and bold determination is to gather God’s human children closer and closer in [a holy] embrace and love.”  (In FEASTING on the WORD, C 2:71)

If this week’s blog seems a bit over-the-top, attribute it to my persistent Winter Cold; or else the medicines which won’t cure me, but will make me feel better while I wait it out.  Which brings me to one last cheep shot:  a Mother Hen carrying a bowl of soup enters a sick-room where a peep is tucked in up to his chin–“Of course it’s not anyone we know!  At least eat the noodles!”

God Bless Us,Every One                       Horace Brown King

My musing about Lectionary  Readings for the upcoming week is found every Tuesday at this space on Facebook–or on horacebrownking.com

The kids of our church served pancakes, tonight, just as they always do on Mardi Gras.   Then we stopped by Walmart, to stock up on goodies–so much for a Lenten fast!  The idea behind the pancakes is to purge the larder of fat for forty days.  We postmoderns don’t fast from luxurious food;  our sackcloth is the denial of attitudes which stand between us and God.  I’m going to try to give up Arrogance.  (Lotsa luck.)

Scriptures for the First weekend in Lent speak not of poverty, but abundance.  On the doorstep to the Promised Land, the wandering Hebrews are instructed to bring God the first fruits of their harvest. (Deuteronomy 26:1-11)   This reminds them that there is to be a generous fulfillment after forty years of desert wandering!  What began in slavery has climaxed in Milk & Honey:  past the unknowing and meager rations, past trying to learn and observe a mountain of rules, past the difficulties of diversity…  Through this Lenten season, what shall we discover about being heirs to God’s Generosity?

The few verses in Romans 10:8-13 acknowledge St. Paul’s Jewish appreciation of God’s covenant.  Just as God’s generosity landed the Hebrews in a place where they could develop their future, Paul turns back to Deuteronomy to affirm God’ nearness: “The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart” (30:13)  He sees the Exodus-like spiritual journey as already implanted deep inside, then overflowing in our communication.   “Oz never gave nuthin’ to the Tin Man that he didn’t already have…”

All Lenten activities begin with remembering Jesus’ Wilderness Temptations, this year in Luke’s account (4:1-13).  Full of the Holy Spirit, the Lord went on retreat to think things out.  “Why not”, the Evil Voice wondered, “Why not be Relevant?  You could end world hunger just like THAT!  Doesn’t that sound good?”  “Why not be Powerful?  You could enforce brotherhood, end war, stop global warming…  Doesn’t that sound good?”  “Why not be Spectacular?  EVERYone would recognize you, ‘Jesus’ would be a household name!  Doesn’t that seem right?”  The Evil One is always trying to get us to choose ourselves before God, the Giver of All Good Gifts (see Genesis 3–and note how this didn’t work very well!).

Robert W. Prim shares some concluding wisdom:  “God’s generosity is expansive beyond our imaginations.  Our calling as followers of the One who embodied
God’s generosity is to live generous lives in response.  The Lenten season invites us to self-examination regarding the extent to which God’s generosity is written upon our hearts.”  (FEASTING on the WORD, C 2:43)

God Bless Us, Every One                Horace Brown King

My observations on lectionary readings for the upcoming weekend can be found every Tuesday in this spot on Facebook, or at horacebrownking.com.

Yes, Theophilus, this DOES sound like the start of a fireflies’ track meet.  But the readings you’ll hear this coming weekend have to do with Transfiguration:  an encounter with God which brings a noticeable glory.  At the end of the Season of Epiphany, God’s unfolding light shines brightly and enduringly as we plunge into the late-Winter darkness of Lent.  May it illumine your journey, and be a “light unto your path”.

We begin with the story of Moses which many consider to be central to the Hebrew Testament, Exodus 34:29-35.   After Moses received the Law from God on Mt. Sinai, “he did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.”  This shine derived from intimacy with God, and represented the glorious promise bestowed on all Israel, the bearers of God’s glory.  This brightness is a glowing aura,  often depicted in early paintings as a “halo”.  Nick Carter writes, “The fundamental point of this lesson from Scripture is that proximity to God is the necessary and defining first step.” (FEASTING ON THE WORD, C 1:439)   The Law may direct us; but the Glory defines us…

St. Paul’s Corinthian Letters are filled with calling the community of belief into further travels on the road of holiness.  He speaks of direct, non-veiled encounters with The Other:  “And all of us…are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another…” (II Corinthians 3:18)  It’s personally a relief to know that glory is incremental, a process on a twisting path.  Robert Warden Prim reassures us, “No one falls head first into the pool of God’s transforming love and emerges fully formed as a perfect reflection of Christ.” (op.cit., page 451)

This year’s Transfiguration account comes through Luke’s Gospel, 9:28-36.  Another mountaintop experience (same mountain?  Doesn’t really matter, God knows where we are!) Peter, James & John–representing the People of the Covenant–noticed that Jesus’ face appeared differently while he was praying, and then Moses (the Law) and Elijah (the Prophets) “appeared in glory”.  At the end of their conversation, a cloud wrapped them all up; and when it lifted, Jesus was alone.  But the non-digital cloud had a message: “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!”  Good Jewish boys that they were, they undoubtedly remembered the old tribal story about how “a cloud and fiery pillar” led them across the wilderness.  Glory!

Somehow I wish that the other Disciples could have seen a remnant of the Holy Brightness –and maybe they did.  Because it’s important for me to remember that from time to time you and I have had similar encounters which have changed our lives and strengthened our faith…usually just when we’ve needed it the most.

Not long after Marie & I were married, we took our VW Beetle for maintenance.  And since it was a nice day, we walked around the neighborhood while waiting.  A friendly lady saw that we were holding hands, and asked if we were newly-weds.  Somehow uncomfortable with that, I replied, “No, we just keep the Old Glow!”  May all of us be touched by a Divine Presence, and may we keep the Old Glow….

God Bless Us, Every One.            Horace Brown King

My musings on lessons for the coming weekend appear at this spot on Facebood every Tuesday; or can be found at horacebrownking.com