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It’s the first day of Advent, the first weekend in a new Christian year: a time for anticipation, not just of Christmas or a COVID vaccine, but for a continued revelation of a God who breaks into our not-perfect systems of military power and the triage of those unfortunates who are just not gonna make it… Each generation has a domination system of its own, whether based on racial inequality or unfair economics or political selfishness. Those few who worship with us will get to experience for themselves the rush of recognizing a caring God who keeps coming back to break into the rat-race.

We first hear from Third Isaiah’ miscellaneous oracles lamenting the perceived separation of The People from God. Newly returned from exile, this remnant “have all become like one who is unclean, and all of our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth.” (64:6) The People then just as now long for a heavenly intervention to overthrow the System which favors only a few, and that for but a brief time. Pastor Michelle usually opens prayer-time with the question, “Where have you seen God at work?” Donald Booz reminds us that “recognizing God’s presence may be a daily task….Watching with eyes to see is the call of Isaiah to the people of faith….Advent becomes a season of attentiveness to the presence of God already among us.” (FEASTING on the WORD, B 1:7)

Paul opens his First Letter to the Corinthians (1:3-9) by recognizing what’s already happening within this congregation: “in every way you have been enriched in [Christ] , in speech and knowledge of every kind…so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.” He skillfully begins to shift the hearer’s focus away from “worldly” standards toward the enduring marks of God’s Kingdom. They (and we) are to become a “peculiar people” within a culture of winning vs. losing through this active expectation of Jesus’ s leveling grace. Jesus exhorts the faithful to stay awake and alert, for the Kingdom is already knocking at the door!

Mark’s Gospel remembers words of Jesus about the Ultimate Day of the Lord, 13:24-37. At that time the universe will be turned inside-out, and nothing that was familiar shall endure. The Grace of Jesus will level the playing-field so that the poor and needy will be equal to rulers and all those who’ve gotten rich from instruments of oppression. So Jesus exhorts the Faithful to stay awake and alert: to keep watch for the signs of the Kingdom already manifesting themselves in the strangest of places…

Marcus Borg writes (READING the BIBLE AGAIN for the FIRST TIME), “In whatever historical form it takes, ancient or modern, empire is the opposite of the Kingdom of God as disclosed in Jesus….God is Lord; the kingdoms and cultures of this world are not.” And in Revelation 11, “the kingdom of this world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever!” Hallelujia!

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

My encounters with the scriptures assigned to the upcoming weekend can be found every Tuesday at this space in Facebook; or at horacebrownking.com

This won’t have anything at all to do with Dvorak’s Symphony #9. It may have a LOT to do with a song recorded about 50 years ago by The Mamas & The Papas, “There’s a New World Coming (and it’s just around the bend).” Yep, we of the Age of Aquarius figured that love/peace/joy and other grace-filled wonders of Holy Life were already in place, that it was just a matter of time… Readings for the upcoming weekend are reinforcement for those of us who still gain a flash of optimism about a loving and generous God.

Ezekiel’s oracle of 34:11-16, 20-24 announces that God is going to show the inept shepherds of Israel how it’s done. V.23 tells us/them “I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David [the messiah] and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.” The Son of David is to be prince over the People and shall reign as Lord, being both immeasurably generous and calling the People to accountability–there will always be those who will consume more than they need.

The Epistle continues to speak of the exaltation of Christ: “God put this power to work in Christ when he raised (Jesus) from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,…above every name that is named, not only in this age but in the age to come.” (Ephesians 1:21) The writer believed that this has already happened, as do I and the Mamas & the Papas. Believers thus can endure the confusions of daily living and the surrounding unfairness; no longer do we cringe in the shadows, wondering what a hostile authority is gonna do today…

Matthew looks forward to End Times when Jesus will come again to sift out the “sheep & goats” (25:31-46). Many will be surprised: they had no idea that they were honoring Christ when they helped the least and neediest. Conversely, many who thought they were adhering to the Law of Being Good were shocked to know that they had ignored Jesus in these same poor. Here are terms of a renewed Eden as serious disciples attempt to affirm the worth of those created in the Image of God. It’s a matter of recognition, isn’t it? “When did we see you, Lord?” sounds shallow when we realize that the Lord is to be seen in the vulnerable and the weary. How much of ourselves can we give away? Jesus gave all he had; God has plenty to renew what we spend.

This last Sunday of the Christian Year is known as Reign of Christ, a moment when the Church can confront the powers of the world with a message that God has everything in place. It’s comfort for the Church; yet it’s also a challenge to be accountable to the King which we duly proclaim through our inclusion of those unlike us into an eternal community. We wait. We worry. But our eyes twinkle with a happy affirmation–“God reigns, let the earth be glad”.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

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

“There is little doubt that the present age pressures Christians to abandon their calling and forget that they are citizens of the age to come”–Mark B. Lee, in FEASTING on the WORD, A 4:305. It’s really easy to get caught up in the political campaigns of the moment, acquiring a large enough nest-egg to leave to your grandchildren, or fighting tooth-and-nail to protect the property that God gave in the first place. Those in the pews this weekend need to know that these diversions are not new, and that God’s word maintains from age to age.

Reading from the Hebrew Bible is from Judges 4:1-7, the story of how Deborah the Judge called one Barak (not Obama) to stand up to Caanan’s military might after twenty years of oppression. It seems that the Hebrews had blown it as they “forgot” to live in a Godly manner. Now Sisera, the Caananite general, had all sorts of state-of-the-art iron chariots; but he got trounced and had to run away on foot, thanks to God! (Read the rest of the chapter to see how a woman got the best of him: such a thing had never entered his head…) Did the Hebrews turn back to God? Nah…

Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonian Christians, 5:1-11, is pretty wordy. What he’s saying is that no one knows when the Lord is “coming back”, so keep awake and be ready. “The day of the Lord” could be the Parousia/the end of time; or it could be a recognition of God’s ultimate power even in the cultural mix of each day. Whatever, it sneaks in and most folks will be surprised! How, then, shall we live? Prime is the encouragement of the rest of the community to be alert to the movement of God.

Matthew remembers the parable Jesus told about the rich fella who went a journey and gave “talents” of money to his three slaves: ten to one, five to another, and one to the third. You remember how the first two invested these and returned the master a handsome profit. Of course, the third slave merely buried the money out of fear, and had only the original to return to the master–minus inflation, I suppose. The risky ones were rewarded; the prudent one was thrown into outer darkness. (Don’t allegorize too much: our heavenly Master exhibits more grace than this…) But what treasure have each of us–or our faith community–been given to invest?

More ‘n’ more we’re considered foolish if we trust entirely on God and not the current wampum or woodpecker-scalps. But we’re not all by ourselves until Jesus comes: we yet can gather to hear the old stories and the truth they bear to our own journeys. Can we be ethical even though “everyone else is _____”? Mark Lee,again: “‘When is the end?’ is the wrong question. ‘What do we do in the meantime?’ is the important question.” (op.cit.:307)

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’s a big universe out there,” says Yoda to young Luke Skywalker. Life is often a series of travels to unknown regions–and no matter who lives there, we still feel a tingle of knowing that WE’ve not been here before. Lessons for the upcoming weekend acknowledge that there’s some fear involved–yet offer hope that New Lands will have their own vistas of peace and joy. Moreover, God has been there before: we can count on finding God in new scenes.

Joshua 24:14-25 continues and finishes the Exodus story. Joshua, as a revered sage, has called the leaders of The People together for a final locker-room talk. He recounts the mighty deeds of God and admonishes them, “Put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River, and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.” And the People said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.” No matter how scary the Land of Promise may be, Yahweh has been at work there, preparing for God’s People.

The centrality of Paul’s writing to the Thessalonian Church (4:13-18) is to sustain them/us with hope. Afraid as most of us are in the Shadow of Death, it’s good to know that God has made arrangements for continued glory for the Church. Mark B. Lee writes in FEASTING on the WORD (A 4:283), “Far from being the end of the relationship, death is but an interlude to a fuller relationship that is grounded on mutual life in Christ.” And, “Together we will be with Christ, which means not only that death will not be the final word, but that neither will evil or injustice or suffering.” (John E. Cole, ibid., page 282)

In Jesus’ final days, according to Matthew 25:1-13, he told the parable of the unprepared bridesmaids who ran out of oil for their lamps as they waited. This was a clear slap at the complacent Jewish leaders of the day who had neglected to prepare for God’s own time for revealing the Messiah. Matthew’s point of remembering this saying was to remind his Jewish readers to live expectantly in the vital hope that God evidently isn’t through yet. Even in the harshness of daily realities we dare live confidently, assured that the Lord is closer that we originally thought.

Isaac Watts wrote, “There’s not a plant or flower below, that makes Thy glories known; and clouds arise, and tempests blow, by order from Thy throne. While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care; and everywhere that we can be, Thou, God, art present there.”