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On this weekend when we celebrate the Trinity, there’s a special remembrance of the power of the three-in-one God. Worshipers are prodded to remember their own stories as they meet those of Isaiah and Nicodemus, both steeped in Jewish tradition. But now their experience is enhanced by these personal meetings with the God-head who speaks familiarly with them, despite their growing anxieties about not being good enough. Both men left this special presence with greater wisdom than they had brought–those hearing these ancient tales may well expect their own life- changes which may very well take them to new scenes of their own service and soul-fulfillment.

The famous Isaiah story, chapter 6:1-8, tells of a presumably young man, who in a vision is transported to the throne-room of the Almighty. Although tradition tells us that Isaiah is of the priestly–maybe royal–family of Jerusalem, he suddenly is overwhelmed with a sense of his own inadequacy: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips…” But an angel burns away his perceived foulness, fitting him for an ongoing ministry of speaking God’s Word and engaging with faithless Israel: he can honestly answer, “Here am I; send ME!” As Andrew Greeley reminds us, “God draws straight with crooked lines.”

The eighth chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans is one of my favorites in Scripture; this week we look at verses 12 through 17 & 18. The hearer is reminded that the source of absolution and witness are by the Spirit of God–“All who live by the Spirit of God are children of God”! Bad habits? Evil and lusty thoughts? This Holy Spirit can overcome and kill them; and this Spirit reminds us that they really are dead and gone forever! Our actions and wills are insufficient unless sustained by the Spirit, God’s sacramental in-breaking. If God, through kindness, has elevated us to be heirs of the Kingdom, how could we look at other wanderers as anything less? What have you inherited from your parents? What have you inherited from your Abba?

Nicodemus, a teacher of Israel, brought his questions out of the night of confusion into the True Light of Jesus, according to John 3:1-17. A work in progress, he too is seen to be pulled by the Spirit closer to the freedom which comes to the believer in Jesus. Nicodemus represents each of us who have difficulty envisioning the Kingdom of God to be here & now, and not something we can attain through a series of spiritual acrobatics. Unlike human birth, which we can more or less control, this birth from above represents a new way of life which God directs and cares about. Jesus’ role is not as prosecutor or dispenser of guilt, but as a benevolent guide who has seen it all and now is eager to affirm God’s Creation as a venue of loving care…

It seems good to me to have these narratives about good men who’re urged to go a step farther. My own growth in life skills of compassion, witness and good deeds evidently didn’t stop at Confirmation. Would that people of the World be open to the gracious ministry of the Holy Spirit!

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

My take on scripture lessons assigned to the upcoming weekend can be found every Tuesday at horacebrownking.com

Sunday will honor the Day of Pentecost, the Hebrew festival remembering Moses’ descent from Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments which would order Jewish life. Followers of Jesus were grouped into one place, where the Wind of the Holy Spirit “filled the house”. This wind was mentioned in the Old Testament as RUACH, or the breath of God, which would resuscitate the dead and heal the living. It is hoped by the creators of the Christian Year to be a time of renewal and new birth for the Church: Easter is past, and now the disciples are blown into the far corners of the world with the holy message of God’s love through Christ Jesus.

The traditional reading for this day is that from the book of the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 2. It seems good to me to be presented with a mysterious event–our age of digitalization often excludes the possibilities of heavenly inter-vention. The Wind of God is here the impetus for sending apostles out, reminding them that God’s presence is always blowing, despite the angst of those who are opposed to it. Part of the reading is a reprise of a segment of the prophecy of Joel: young folks in the pews are urged to dream big, and their elders are urged to cast a vision of what the Kingdom can really be like! What will happen when our sails catch the Spirit?

The Epistle involves Paul’s words to the Romans in the important 8th Chapter. V. 26 tells us that “the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.” That “sigh” may well be the Wind of the Spirit rustling through the weeds which choke our path… Even when we’re tongue-tied, that Spirit speaks to the Creator on our behalf.

We’re still with Jesus’ High Priestly prayer at the Last Supper, as pictured by John (15:26-27 and 16:4b-15). The Lord assured his friends that his death will not leave them bereft of a Holy Presence, as he will send an Advocate to stand with them in times of trial. (The Greek, here, is “paraclete”–which is not a caged bird with blue or green feathers!) Yet the Advocate does ride on the wings of the Wind, sometimes arriving at a target before the witnesses actually get there…pastors, have you marveled at the smooth resolution of a tough situation that you’ve been dreading and maybe avoiding? This dynamic Spirit will guide each of us into the eternal truth, to a deeper understanding of the grace and beauty in which we are.

There’s so much happening here that the leader of worship and proclamation could spend many words in trying to capture it all. OR she could say very little, and let this Divine Breath pause where it would… Those observing this message should know that they will be changed, inflated perhaps with a dream, a vision and a shove to take these things into all the world.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Please join me every Tuesday as the Spirit attempts to fan my holy embers into a useful flame…at this spot on Facebook, or at horacebrownking.com

This will be the week before Pentecost: some will wish to focus on the Ascencion of Christ, but I’ve chosen to look at the readings for the Last Sunday of Easter. These will recognize the host of unnamed teachers, parents and preachers who’ve informed each of us and helped us to grow in the Kingdom of God. I personally thank those little-remembered Sunday School teachers and other kind adults of the Dalton (United) Methodist Church: the snippets of understanding they shared have helped build Discipleship in me. These are the saints to whom I give much thanks for telling me the Stories of Jesus. How about you? Who’re those who have paved your way through the swamp?

Acts of the Apostles 1:15-17,21-26 is the oft-overlooked story of the replacement of Judas as a Disciple. “12” was the magic number, for this was to reflect the 12 Tribes of Israel–named after the sons of Jacob. So, said Peter, we’ve gotta cast lots for a worthy replacement; this way, God will control the outcome and everyone will be satisfied. We read that one Matthias was chosen…and we never heard anything about him after that! His nearest competitor was a fella called Justus, another unknown to history even though the others thought quite a bit of him. So who were these guys? What did they “accomplish” in these formative days of the Church? We’re here today because they helped other ordinary folks to know something about Jesus.

The Epistle, I John 5:9-13, continues with the passing on the riches of holy-history through the generations. Written towards the conclusion of the First Century, The Elder acknowledges the power of oral transmission within his developing community. “Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts….And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” Who were the several unknown but vital persons who passed on their experiences to the coming generation? They spoke not only of factual events, but also of how God sustained and transformed them as individuals and within the faith-group.

The Gospel continues to examine Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer at the Last Supper, this time from John 17:6-19. Don’t get lost among the many words, but try to isolate and identify the Good Will Jesus has for all his friends. He speaks of being “sanctified”–made holy–among the many distractions of the rest of the world. John, bless his heart, often divides life into black ‘n’ white, and remembers the Lord’s words as separating the Kingdom of God from the World. But to his credit, here he pictures Christ as NOT removing His People from their evil surroundings, but rather sending them out again to tell the Holy Story. “There’s no hiding place down here!” The community needs to gather from time to time to refresh themselves and be renewed by the spark of each other–but this shouldn’t be seen as abandoning the world.

These words will be told again, this weekend…all because Somebody Somewhere fanned a spiritual spark which caught and burned. I couldn’t begin to thank all the ordinary folks who took time & energy to help mold me, and probably you can’t either. But I can pay it forward: I hope that now that I’m full of years a few can look back with appreciation at this Unknown Preacher for telling God’s Story again & again in order that an anonymous seed might take hold and grow some more…

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

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

There’re so many cartoons of a space-alien, complete with flying saucer, saying to a human–or maybe the cat– “Take me to your leader”. We’ve asked the same question for generations–centuries!–of each other in a strange land, “Who’s in charge here?” In the tradition of the American myth of independence, we usually answer, “I am”. It’s so difficult to acknowledge that we’re NOT in charge of the world/our neighborhood/our house…. Scriptures this weekend will address our need to be in control.

Acts 10:44-48 is the tag to the story of Peter’s housetop vision where God pronounces ALL animals “clean”, an allegory of all people (even Gentiles!) being created in a holy image and pronounced “good”. Peter is immediately summoned to the home of Cornelius, a Roman centurion; and there he preaches God’s blanket affirmation to even these occupation interlopers. To the marvel of everyone, the Holy Spirit came upon the company, “even on the Gentiles”! Hearers of our generation are invited to know that there’s a Power even above ourselves which is accomplishing mighty acts, whether we or our traditions agree with them or not.

The Epistle, I John 5:1-6, contains these startling words: “whatever is born of God conquers the world”. We would-be world-beaters are urged to look again at this greater Power, thus subjecting ourselves to the belief that Jesus is the Son of God. Believing is one thing; yielding to God’s commandments of love is another. Try as I may, I can’t get rid of my vulgar habits…especially in traffic! I guess the only way for improvement is to admit that God’s will is greater than my own; and to let that will take over my spiteful impulses…

John’s Gospel spends a great deal of time on Jesus’ farewell discourse at the Last Supper, five chapters out of twenty-one, a quarter of the account–so the author must have sensed a central importance, here. In this segment, Jesus tells his friends, “You did not choose me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit…” There have been many words expended urging listeners to “choose Christ”, yet this passage takes it to a Higher Authority. John’s Gospel is full of the initiative of God–from the Prologue of “coming into the world” to the Resurrection narratives and subsequent appearance. Hearers are called to accept the glories of Creation and the ensuing daily wonders done in our midst, not by ourselves but through the presence of the Christ. “And for us living in a culture that celebrates self-autonomy and choice, these words my call us back to an awareness of God’s initiative in seeking us out, gathering us into a community, and sending us into the world.” (Thomas H. Troeger, FEASTING on the WORD B 2:501)

Sometimes I’m overwhelmed by the barrage of commercials extolling the Good Life. If I only would buy such’n’such, I’d be eternally happy! Or at least be able to cope with fearsome bodily conditions. Somewhere to all of us the tale of self-fulfillment by our strength/wisdom/glamor runs out: we’re left in the desert to cry out to a God who’s really in charge. Kyrie eleison.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

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