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So many roads.  So many voices.  And the signs are often hidden, or else too obscure to read right now.  Valerie Bridgeman asks, “How do we discern what is right?  How do we strengthen our faithfulness when our human nature resists?  These texts [which we hear this weekend] push us to consider the way God leads us and refreshes us along the way.”  (SOJOURNERS, July 2020:49)

The reading from Genesis, 24:34-67, needs to be put in context.  Abraham sent his right-hand guy to an uncle of his, Bethuel of Mesopotamia, to arrange a marriage for his son Isaac from “family”.  “How will I know the one to choose?” asked the servant. “You’ll know her when you see her”, was the reply.  No pressure.  Having prayed his way through the Fertile Crescent, the man arrived at Bethuel’s town–and immediately a sweet girl came to give him a drink from the well, and his camels too!  “This must be the one”, said he to himself; and gave her rich jewelry as gifts.  Long story short, she–Rebekah–went back with him, married Isaac, and they had many descendants.  But the story is mainly about how God helped the fellow who had a difficult task of ascertaining the Right One.

St. Paul writes in Romans 7:15-25 about how we often get in our own way, thus perverting the heavenly signs richly bestowed.  “So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand…I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind (soul?)…”  Paul likes life to be very binary–black & white–and is often puzzled by the human mixture which is probably expectable from most people.  Most of us who hear these words have created a “law” or ethic which defines what a good & proper person does, from personal hygiene to filtering profanity out of our conversation.  When we slip, does “the Devil make us do it”?  How can we tell what’s acceptable with God’s People?  Whose advice and example do we follow?

Jesus sarcastically chuckles in Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 at fickle humanity that doesn’t recognize the Holy in their midst.  John the Baptizer came as an ascetic recluse, and was accused of “having a demon”; and the Savior came with a healthy appetite for feasting and wedding-receptions, and they called him a “glutton and a drunkard”… you can’t win!  But then he goes on to say that those who DO recognize him for what he is will have the right-size task (yoke) and a job (burden) that fits them well.

“Ordinary time is just under half of the Sundays on the calendar.  It is the time when Christians recount the stories of their faith, across the biblical canon, in order to strengthen their commitments to discipleship and to study and reflect on what it means to be the people of God, both in one’s own life and in the community’s formation…..These [days] in July capture the day-to-day nature of our faith.”  (Bridgeman, ibid.)  Our own journeys of discernment are bolstered by the adventures of these heroes.

In the process of unfolding,                     Horace Brown King

My joy of being met by scriptures assigned to the upcoming weekend can be found every Tuesday at this spot on Facebook; or at horacebrownking.com

Our church’s current book-study is Barbara Brown Taylor’s LEARNING TO WALK IN THE DARK.  Her main idea is that we hide in too much light, and that we should learn to welcome the dark.  Some are fortunate to see darkness as an option; for too many, it’s mandatory.  Scriptures of the coming weekend may well speak to those entering dim and uncharted territory:  those involved have been surprised by unpleasant situations and are urged to enter the valley with hope that God will meet them there.  Some things can’t be avoided or put off until tomorrow…

The Old Testament, Genesis 22:1-14, is difficult.  Abraham is sure that God has told him to sacrifice his son Isaac, the long-awaited progenitor of the promised multitude of descendants.   Our culture rejects child sacrifice, and can’t really believe that GOD told Abraham this.  Some current Christians will link this event to the sacrifice of God’s son Jesus; I don’t want to profane the Crucifixion with the attachment of human process to the God above human emotions.   At any rate, a ram/lamb was discovered and the substitution was made.  Abraham famously said, “God Will Provide!”

In the Letter to the Romans, 6:12-23, Paul argues that all persons are “slaves” to something–we may speak of compulsions or addictions–and that whatever interior darkness we may have is a result of exterior situations.  “But thanks be to God,” says he, “that you, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.”  Again he sets forth a binary choice between Good & Evil, Darkness & Light, God-centered or self-centered.  The greater argument of the entire section is that God has provided a change in our slavery through Jesus the Christ.

In the dryness of the Mid-East, cool water is a limited, if not sacred, commodity.  Small wonder, then, that Jesus speaks of risky hospitality to his missionaries:  “whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple”  will not forfeit their just desserts.  We’re reminded of the spectators at a long-distance run who offer water-bottles to the competitors as they dash past.  And last Friday, one of the several daily appeals in my mailbox described severe Navaho life in the desert of New Mexico as the tribe eagerly awaited the life-giving water buffalo.  Could I not give my symbolic cup?  Often God’s Providence is partnered with human means of hospitality.

Bill Gifford interjects that “sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is New Jersey!”  And even there, the People of God are urged to demonstrate their trust in God’s Providence by stepping forth in tenderness and compassion….  Besides, who knows what sort of blessing we may receive from the humble and dark-bound as we entertain angels unaware??

In the process of unfolding,                      Horace Brown King

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

In the several weeks since the murder of George Floyd, many of us have renewed an emphasis on personal worth.  #BlackLivesMatter has called us to search our own prejudices and assumptions, some of which are against what we profess in our spirit-journey.  Lessons read this weekend may well lead us deeper into our own worth as well as that of other living beings who share our planet.

The story from Genesis (21:1-21) needs to be heard:  it deals with racism from long ago, yet which seems current.   Ishmael, whose name means “God hears”, and his mother Hagar–who was Egyptian–were put out of the camp by jealous Sarai, who feared for her specialness as Abram’s wife.  The refugees went out into the desert with only a skin of water and a bit of bread, and soon were about to be overcome by the heat.  Ishmael was left in a bit of shade to die; but his crying was heard by God, who opened the mother’s eyes to a spring of water.  Happy ending?  Traditionally Ishmael fathered the Arab people, and the racism continues.  Even so, God evidently saw Ishmael’s life as important to save despite the enmity of his ancestors/descendants.

Paul’s writing to the Romans, 6: 1-11,  announces Grace to people who were buried by their “Sin”–brokenness from God and God’s ways–and who thus denied their worth.  One of the most insidious heresies is that “God can’t fix me, I’m too bad”.  “But if we died with (into) Christ, we (can) believe that we will also live with him.”  What was impossible in the old understanding is now very real as we see ourselves and others through the eyes of Christ.  Harold E. Masback III reminds us in FEASTING  on the WORD that “God has already intervened to break the dynamic of self-centeredness and recenter the self back to God-centeredness”. (A 3:161)  “So also you must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”  And others, too?

Matthew 10:24-39 is full of Good Stuff.  The verse which jumped out at me was the 29th:  “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?  Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.”  Evidently #SparrowLivesMatter!  I read this teaching as affirming even the most insignificant of lives as bearing worth.  Francis of Assisi is supposed to have venerated even the most simple beings–brother mosquito?–as worthy bearers of life, and thus splinters of God.  The message seems increasingly clear, especially in recent days, that all life is sacred and should be protected at all cost!

An OLD story tells of the Rev. Dr. Hiram standing at the Pearly Gates.  St. Peter can’t seem to find him in the computer.  “But I’ve preached thousands of times, usually to full houses.”  “Hmmm…mm”   “My prayers have been regular, and I’ve comforted hundreds at their last breaths.”  “Mmm…uh-huh…”  “My street ministry has caused many to change their lives…”   “Say, are you the Dr. Hiram who always fed bread-crumbs to the sparrows in the park?” “Yes…that’s me.”  “Well, C’MON IN!!  The Lord of the Sparrows wants to thank you personally!”

In the process of unfolding,                     Horace Brown King

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

One of my fellow clergy had three daughters in rapid succession.  The first was named Faith; the second one, Hope; and the third–Mary Anne!  Lessons for this week seem to have a central thread of passing the torch to the next generation.  Are there those in our churches who worry a bit about what they’ve left for their descendants?  I sure do…it comes with age, I’m told.  Have any of my virtues, my standards, my values succeeded to those who may bear my genes?  Have I wasted my life proclaiming Justice in Christ and Release to the Captives? Are there those to carry on, or shall I pass and be forgotten like the rest?  (Personal note to my sons and their families:  GOOD JOB!  I’M PROUD OF YOU!)

The Old Testament readings vary from Lectionary to Lectionary–I’ve decided to go with the passage from Genesis 18:1-15.  Here Abram welcomes God’s visitants with lavish hospitality, and is told that he would soon have a son to carry on the name.  He was surprised, and Sarai (Mrs. Abram) laughed, since they considered themselves too old for such things.  But, as you remember, Father Abraham had MANY sons: and I am one of them, and so are you!  Several inter-faith groups exist called Children of Abraham, involving Christian, Islamic and Jewish people.  Abram’ faith-crisis was resolved, and he received peace in his later years.  “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

We don’t think that Paul had any biological children…but he considered himself a father-figure to the congregations throughout the Mediterranean world.  And so he can speak to the Romans (5:1) about being made right (justified) by their faith, and thus receiving peace through Christ.  Friends, we live in a non-peaceful age:  the world is too much with us.  So it’s nice to know that God is still in charge, that “though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet!”  (Maltbie D. Babcock)   Paul reminds the Romans and us that the Holy Spirit continues to pour God’s love into our hearts.

The Gospel, Matthew 9:35-10:8, conveys Jesus’ urgency as he sent out his “children” to the byways of Israel to announce that the kingdom of heaven has come near.  There’s plenty to do, he said, so travel light and don’t waste time kibbitzing.  This was a training mission to ensure that the mission would carry forward even though the Lord’s time was drawing to a close.  It’s not all skittles & beer–there’re occasions when you’ll meet opposition and ugliness.  Yet Jesus’ kids are to explore the gap between glorious ideals and the agony of rejection–a good lesson to be learned by all who would follow after.

It’s pretty traditional, I guess, to scoff a bit at the advice of those who’ve met problems before.  When I was a Young Turk, I listened to my elders…and immediately dismissed their wisdom as Old Fashioned.  Now, in my dotage, the chickens have come home to roost, and my life-scars routinely go unobserved by those more modern than I.  Our holy-history continues as we meld ancient truths with current needs and understandings.

In the process of unfolding,                      Horace Brown King

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

There have always been competing gods.  We read about the Mesopotamian Baal and other local household fertility tokens.  From Aphrodite (and her see-through nighty) to Zoroaster, from Appollo to Zeus, monotheistic People of God have had ranks of false deities to absorb their attentions.  These haven’t died, but they’ve modernized their names:  there’s a blank screen in my living room that brings me images of something new to worship every day!  Trinity Sunday MAY help sort out our pantheons of diversions; there’s always an evil voice whispering in my ear, “Will wanting this REALLY dilute your dependence on and partnering with God?”  I’m afraid I’m addicted to luxury…

We begin at The Beginning, a very good place to start.  These few verses from Genesis (1:1-4)  speak of a holy wind/breath that drew form from chaos, and announced that God is actively involved in Creation and all that it yields.  Eons before any Trinitarian formula was conceived, the immensity of the cosmos is apprehended as inclusive of all that would become “nations”.

We’re supposed to pay particular attention to Paul’s benediction added to the Second Letter to the Corinthians, 13:13.  Often used as a greeting, it’s a familiar formula:  “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.”  The bulk of the letter deals with the brokenness of the Church in Corinth, struggling with its obvious diversity and competing gods.  The conclusion isn’t a mere “Don’ worry, be happy”, but a vital reminder that the wholeness of God in all phases is what creates and sustains community.

Matthew concludes his Gospel narration with what has come to be known as the Great Commission:  “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…”  This terminology seems a bit strained to be in Matthew’s tradition, and would fit more into the spirituality of JOHN’s Gospel.  Be as it may, this emphasizes the wholeness/completeness of Godhead, and causes further generations to appreciate the several facets of particular care for them as “all nations”.  “The very fact that the task is utterly impossible throws the disciples completely onto the mercy and strength of God….’all authority’ does not belong to the Church or its resources, but comes from God’s wild investment…in Jesus the Son and the willingness of the Son to be present always to the Church in the Spirit.”  (Thomas G. Long, FEASTING on the WORD, A 3:49)

Celeste Kennel-Shank says it well:  “Jesus sends the Spirit to stay with us in the struggle against the dominant view of the earth as ripe for colonization and subjugation.  Instead, we can embrace our place interwoven in all of creation.”  (SOJOURNERS, June 2020, p.49)

In the process of unfolding,                          Horace Brown King

My meeting with scripture lessons assigned to the upcoming weekend can be enjoined every Tuesday at this spot on Facebook; or at horacebrownking.com