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One of my favorite stories, probably learned during my Catholic kindergarten year, is about a big hulking guy whose main purpose in life was to carry travelers across the raging river which flowed by his house.  Day or night, winter or summer, the man put travelers upon his back and carried them across the turbulence.  Late one night, a little boy knocked on his door:  “Please, sir, I must get across the river tonight.”  The man grumbled a bit, for the hour was late; but he put the little boy on his back and began to wade in.  You probably remember that the passenger seemed to grow heavier as they progressed across the current.  And when the courier put down the traveler, he found that the little boy had turned into a man–and not just any man, but the Lord!  From then on the man was called Christopher, because he had brought Christ over…

From the Hebrew tradition, on Palm Sunday, we read from the 118th Psalm, especially verses 19 through 29.  It’s a liturgy for entrance to the Temple and even to the Presence of the Holy wherever that is to be found.  The 22nd verse seemed to jump out at me:  “The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.”  This, of course, has been interpreted by Christians as being the recognition of Jesus as the Christ, the cornerstone of our life with God.  It also seems like a second chance, a transformation in our lives which is “the Lord’s doing”, not of our own volition or by our adhering to the virtuous life.

This psalm thus becomes a metaphor as we read Matthew’s account of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, 21 :1-11.  We recall this second-chance verse as we see that Jesus and his message was rejected by Those In Charge, yet the crowd sensed something special–the coming Resurrection–in this Messianic acclamation.   The crowds (don’t we wish!) at worship this weekend need also sense that here is a transformation of how we perceive Life, an awareness that the Lord doesn’t intend to “leave the ways of the world as they were”.  (James O Duke, FEASTING on the WORD, A 2:156)

Of interest is the little story-in-a-story of Jesus sending disciples to bring a donkey (and/or a colt?):  “Say ‘The Lord needs them’.”  How shall we transport Jesus?  If God is all-powerful, what’s our role in the unfolding of the Kingdom?  Does that “little boy” really need our help in crossing the raging river?  One of the neat things about being a disciple is that the Lord always lets us help, though our hands tremble and our song may be out of key.

In the Lackawanna Valley of Pennsylvania, near where I grew up, several ethnic congregations held an annual competition wherein teams of four husky athletes carried platforms which held holy statues around a prescribed course.  Large crowds would gather to cheer on the progress of their special saint or member of the holy family.  It was considered a great honor to be chosen to “carry Christ”!  Did these emulators of St. Christopher get a medal, too?  Hosanna in the highest!

An idea in the mind of God,   Horace Brown King

My encounter with lessons for the upcoming weekend can be observed every Tuesday at this spot on Facebook; or at horacebrownking.com

Every so often I think that it might be good to be an ascetic, a hermit; these past few weeks of intentional isolation have really disabused me of that notion!  I miss the people of the Church, and singing in the choir.  And Sunday School.  I’m lonely for those others in Vestal Community Band and the Madrigal Choir; how good it is to be out with friends and make loud noises.  I’d even like to wait in line at restaurants.  One day looks like the others–has the sky fallen?  Those of us fortunate to hear the Bible read, this weekend, will be glad to hear a pre-Easter message that “It’s not over yet!”  I’ve been sustained by the words of Henry F. Lyte’s old (1847!) hymn–“When other helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the Helpless, O abide with me…”

Our first reading is from Ezekiel 37:1-14, the famous Dry Bones allegory.  Ezekiel was probably in one of the early groups deported to Babylon.  The world as they knew it was turned upside-down:  food laws, the entire Torah, family ties–all were held in derision.  Was even GOD in this strange place?  We might as well curl up and die…Can these bones ever live again?  But comes God’s promise, a HOLY commitment to the renewal of Life!  Death will not have the last word, though the bones be very dry. “Change and decay in all around I see; O Thou who changest not, abide with me.”

St. Paul addresses this in his powerful Eighth Chapter of the Letter to the Romans.  I like the verse that assures his audience, “…if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,  [God] who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through the Spirit that dwells in you.” (v.11)  (What is this “if”?  And what is life to our mortal bodies?  We can talk about this some other time…)  This Spirit seems to be the same RUACH which blew breath into dried-up Israel in Ezekiel’s story, and the same divine breath which restored Jesus on Easter morning.  Why stop there?  Can these bones live again?  “Who, like thyself, my guide and stay can be?  Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.”

Ah, it’s traditional to visit the house and grave of Lazarus, just before Easter (John 11).  This well-told  story of John is the final meeting of Jesus with the outcast, in this case his dead friend Lazarus.  It also paves the way for Jesus’ own resurrection, the message being that “Yes, these bones CAN live again!”   John explores the pathos of sisters Mary & Martha, the terminal despair of other mourners, and the resultant faith of witnesses.  “I am the resurrection and the life.  Those who believe in me, even though they may die, will live.”  “Where is death’s sting, where, grave, thy victory?  I triumph still, if thou abide with me.”

The vision is one for every day, with it’s own share of death.  We who’ve been mainly pampered are face-to-face with isolation and fear of “getting it”.  Some around us have endured poverty and disdain for generations.  Some have decided against the message, and are hedging their bets on Today’s  crime & mayhem, or legally (?) grabbing power and material goods from the needy and already despairing.  Into the Valley of Broken Dreams echoes an unrelenting question, Can These Bones Live?  But “Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee; in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.”

God Bless Us, Every One                                 Horace Brown King

My encounter with Scripture assigned to the upcoming weekend can be witnessed every Tuesday at this spot on Facebook; or at horacebrownking.com

When I was younger (so much younger than today), I needed to sleep with a night-light.  If the bulb burned out, or someone inadvertently switched out the light, I might waken in total darkness, knowing that I was blind.  I still am a bit out of control on those few occasions that my eyes don’t function right away.  But non-seeing isn’t just a physical condition:  some folks are chronically short-sighted, others don’t really want to see any brokenness because that might disrupt their own self-worth in their own kingdom.  Scripture assigned to the upcoming weekend addresses blindness, both literally and metaphorically.   I thank the late William A. Highfield for his notes on these passages.

I Samuel 16:1-23 tells the story of the Prophet Samuel being directed by YHWH to anoint a new king of Israel, since Saul hadn’t followed directions.   Samuel knows that one of the many sons of Jesse is to receive this anointing–but which one?  So all the likely candidates are paraded before him and YHWH–“Nope”; “Not this one”; “Nor this one”.  “Is that all the sons you have?”  “Well, there’s the kid who’s keeping the wolves from the sheep.”   Long story short, Samuel’s eyes were opened and delighted with young David, who was then anointed to save Israel from the ravages of surrounding nations.  Insight and recognition are evidently prime in holy history.

The Ephesians text, 5:8-14, reflects that “Christians are called to live in the light which all share–the light of Christ”. (Highfield)  When we become sighted, we recognize “what is pleasing to the Lord”.  Further, we’re urged to move in full disclosure:  “Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

John 9: 1-41 is a real gem!  The Story of Jesus and the Man born Blind is another unique tale employed by the author to lift up the Godly relationship with the outcast or misfit: this man was undoubtedly excluded from Temple worship due to his handicap–either he or his parents must be atrocious sinners.  The mud with which Jesus anointed the man’s eyes was “holy” because of Jesus’ spit.  Is this reminiscent of an early Creation story where God made similar mud to make humanity?  And was Jesus’ application a way of making the incomplete Whole?  Some will say that this also was a reference to Baptism/ cleansing.  NOW who can see?  Touched by Jesus, we all are perfected and enabled to both see and know Eternal Truth.  Note that the Blind Man’s description of Jesus progresses from “the man” (v.11) to “a prophet” (v.17) to “Son of Man” (v.35).  It often takes a season of exposure to realize just what we’re seeing…

Like the water we never miss ’til the well goes dry, sight is something we take for granted and rarely think much about.  Yet the ravages of inner blindness are a curse on contemporary culture:  do we marvel at a sunset and weep for the under-nourished  of Africa?   Can I stand for long minutes drinking in the palette of an Old Master and pass by the young woman with all her possessions in a shopping-cart?  Perhaps I can yet be shaken from my selective sight…

God Bless Us, Every One                         Horace Brown King

My encounter with lessons prescribed for the upcoming weekend can be enjoined every Tuesday at this spot on Facebook; or at horacebrownking.com

A big consideration for people on the move is to find a source of drinkable water.  Homesteaders or entire civilisations need to pitch camp where the water flows free.  Much has been written about the quest for fresh water, and of the battles which sometimes ensue as competing forces claim springs, wells and lakes.  With global warming encroaching much faster than we expected, water has often appeared where it hasn’t for millennia–and has dried up in familiar places.  “Thirst” can be symbolic of dusty souls and arid dreams:  readings for this upcoming weekend attempt to address the dryness of daily life.

The Exodus passage, 17:1-7, presents the People of the Hebrews wandering in the Sinai wilderness, and rations are getting low.  “Are you trying to kill us, Moses?” they said.  “WE HAVE NO WATER!”   Directed by God, Moses struck a boulder with his sacred staff, and a spring gushed forth!  Did this make ’em happy?  Only for a little while; then the Back to Egypt committee convened again…  Fact is, we Chosen/Frozen People are never happy:  we continue to search for that which may or may not sustain us, pilgrims through this barren land.

We can and probably should explore the many directions and theological wisdom found in Romans 5:1-11.  The verse which jumped out at me is the very first, where Paul says that “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand”.  Not specifically mentioning “water”, it speaks of the fullness which comes to the believer as he/she traverses the dry spots of life.  Whoever’s designated to interpret this verse needs to help the rest of us to sort through the symbols of need in order that we can claim Jesus as the author of hydration.

The Gospel is John’s unique account of Jesus  and the Woman at the Well of Jacob, deep in the heart of Samaria (4:5-42).  No righteous Jew should even BE here, no less talking to one of Them, and a WOMAN, fer goodness sake!  The key to this narrative is that Jesus offers Living Water to the “worst” person he encounters, v.10. In Sunday’s sermon, I’m gonna try to urge the hearers to join the Lord in offering satisfaction to the least of those they may encounter in the work-place or market-place.  AND to remind those who’re dry and dusty themselves that Jesus continues to be the Source of refreshment even in the encroaching wilderness!  Whatever the outcast may have done or been, the Good News is that God loves her, warts ‘n’ all!

Richard Rohr sums it up–“The ego does not know how to receive things freely or without logic.  It prefers a worldview of scarcity, …where only the clever win.  It likes to be worthy and needs to understand in order to be able to accept things.  That problem, and its overcoming, is at the very center of the gospel plot line.  It has always been overcome from God’s side.  The only problem is getting us in on the process!”  (THINGS HIDDEN, pp. 156-157)

God Bless Us, Every One                            Horace Brown King

The ongoing story of how I’m wrestling with the Scripture lessons assigned to the upcoming weekend can be found every Tuesday at this spot on Facebook; or at horacebrownking.com