“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
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