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There’s something about us homonids that makes us want to draw lines, usually in the sand. It may be our own insecurity about Who We Are, or a misplaced sense of wanting to win. But we’re good at including some and excluding the others, finding some little detail to justify our actions. Some of us feel challenged by cultures and values not our own; others will cite trumped-up anxieties about scarcity and sharing the Good Life. Scriptures that are about to address us this weekend have a common commandment: “DON’T DO THAT!”

Several verses from PROVERBS 22 are chosen, vv. 1-2, 8-9, and 22-23. They remind the Hebrew people, until recently insulated from alien belief, that God and God’s Power extend beyond geographic and language frontiers. “The rich and the poor have this in common: the Lord is the maker of them all.” These verses refer not only to our individual ethics, but beyond these to the unity of the community however we define it. How then are we tied up in the lives of those around us? And what value can we give to Those People next door? Will we insult YHWH by demeaning those whom God created and pronounced “Good”?

Despite the issues some of our Church Founders had about the writings of JAMES, the author continues to bring us good things. The reading at hand is 2:1-17, which speaks of “the royal law” of “loving your neighbor as yourself”. A hypothetical situation in a service of worship is described: an obviously well-dressed person and a shabbily dressed person both show up, and who gets the better seat? In the Church, James says, there’s no place for distinction. As one who’s been there, it’s good to know that here’s one place where you can’t be looked down on! Archie Smith, Jr. notices two concerns: 1, that we and they all bear God’s image; and 2, that many who seem externally “rich” may well be spiritually impoverished (FEASTING on the WORD, B 4:40). This is a radical expression of Christianity: to weave all comers into the fabric of the congregation/community.

The Gospel Lesson is MARK 7:24-37, which remembers two healings Jesus performed in (gasp!) Gentile country. The first is rather awkward, since it depicts Jesus as willing to withhold healing from the Syro-Phoenician woman: “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs!” He said that?? But she made him come around to see that God has no partiality, even–especially–in Tyre & Sidon! The second part of this remembers how the community brought a deaf man for healing–both of these accounts have a happy ending, and are included here to demonstrate how God loves ALL the children of the world… “In these stories it is not the faith of the disabled person that brings about their healing, but the active faith of their companions.” (Dawn Ottoni Wilhelm, ibid.) A little non-Jewish woman-child was healed. So was a sinful (?) foreign man. Is this an inclusive God or what?!

As I grow older, I’m sorry to realize that my own prejudices too often pop out: when I drive through ethnic-centered neighborhoods; when I’m galled by irresponsible traffic; or when “their” music is too loud… So I need to hear these readings even again to break through my complacent isolation and give ’em a break. May God help us all to be more inclusive.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Join me in being smacked by scriptures assigned to upcoming weekends every Tuesday at horacebrownking.com

Many of us long for the Good Old Summertime in worship: short sermons, familiar hymns and a pleasant glow about being white and privileged by a God of abundance. And maybe a picnic in the parking lot… Sure ‘nuf, readings for the upcoming weekend are a bit less demanding than the heavy-duty ethical stuff we’ve been dealing with. Or are they?? At any rate, some of us will nod in agreement and count ourselves fortunate to be so holy! And, of course, we are.

We don’t know for sure which poet wrote SONG OF SOLOMON/song of songs 2:8-13, but it sings well! It’s a folk-tune–with cello accompaniment–about two folks flirting and eventually getting together, “coming away”. Or maybe it’s about the flirtation of God with us, “gazing in at the window, looking through the lattice”? There’s nothing spoken about religion; but we rejoice with a God of love, and celebrate our own love affairs within God’s Creation. We delight in God’s transformative power: “However grim things have been in seasons past, winter will yield…and the season of glad songs will arrive at last.” (Susan Henry-Crowe, in FEASTING on the WORD, B 4:4) This is an announcement of the turn of the ages, from bitterness/boredom/despair to the paradise of a renewed heaven & earth.

JAMES 1:17-27 lies open to criticism for advocating “too active” a discipleship. Yet his idea of service doesn’t negate SOLA FIDE, but lies as a response to this sacramental gift of belief. From the Reformed tradition we get the saying, “God proposes, [ a human] disposes.” “God nurtures us, gives us gifts, and provides direction for our lives, often using human agency to do so.” (Archie Smith, Jr.in FEASTING…. B:4 14) Whatever tune we use, the liturgical doxology praises God “from whom all blessings flow”. The passage reminds us to weed out the anger & greed which we might harbor, in order to allow the implanted image of God to grow to fullness. Again, a turn of the ages: from useless rage to a season of the reflection of Good Deeds which have their origin beyond us in Heaven.

The Pharisees, who always observe a ritual washing before eating lest anything worldly enter their system, complained to Jesus that his followers didn’t observe the cleaning tradition of the elders (MARK 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23). Jesus replied that they had missed the point: it’s not the stuff that goes INTO the mouth that’s the problem, it’s the stuff that COMES OUT of the mouth which is the problem! There’s nothing wrong with hand-washing; we should do more of it, says Dr. Fauci–but Tradition is no substitute for genuine concern about community. What are some of the traditions you observe that are handed down through the family? Mutilated prayers that we learned from childhood at mealtime and bedtime? Removing your hat inside? All families have long-standing traditions around Christmas and other holidays… and they’re important! But not to the exclusion of God…

Humans are funny people: we put great stock in Tradition, yet allow the tail to wag the dog! But here are three instances of God’s Greater Love clamoring to be free, to usher in the renewal of Time by putting aside the “old” virtues in favor of the Eternal ones. God calls, “Arise, my love, and come away!”

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

My encounters with Scripture lessons assigned to the upcoming weekend can be observed with lenience every Tuesday at horacebrownking.com

I get an unbelievable number of emails from acquaintances feeling sorry for the days that are past and gone. Nostalgia is OK, but many of the things we “remember” weren’t all that good, or else didn’t happen. I enjoy modern plumbing, computer assistance and push-button ignition. Yet there are many who will hear us this weekend who struggle to let the Good Old Days yield to the strengths of the present. These readings call the Back to Egypt folks to the real joy of letting God be THE god of the Present.

The Hebrew writings are from JOSHUA 24:14-18, a pep-talk from the valued leader to those who will mentor The People in their own corner of the Promised Land. “…put away the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve The Lord (Yahweh)” And the assembly responded by an affirmation of the great deeds done by YWHW and pledged themselves to God alone. But it’s hard. Most of the People longed for the safety and abundance remembered (?) from before: “Make ____ Great Again” Those were the days… What are the names of the ancestral gods we worship?

The author of the book addressed to the EPHESIANS 6:10-20 is often remembered for “the whole armor of God”, tools we can use to keep Evil at bay. But just before that, we read, “For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” “We discover the frequent fallenness of money, sex, fashions, sports and religion in our culture.” (Peter Rhea Jones, in FEASTING on the WORD, B 3:337) Admirable captains of industry are now unmasked as alternative gods as they try to sell hatred through military might, pollution by Big Pharma, and breathing obstacles through pesticides. Investment in companies which pander to human frailties could bring us big returns…. Whom do we serve?

The teachings of Jesus remembered by the writer of JOHN, about eating his flesh and drinking his blood are capped off in JOHN 6:56-69. Some unpleasant choices are the separation points between the Jesus of Now and the Old Virtues of What Used to Be (the gods beyond the River). Many who had been followers began to slink away because they weren’t ready to make that choice. Jesus’ question to the twelve was, “Do you also wish to go away?” Still asks, ’cause the decision is difficult. Good News to this United Methodist is that a forgiving and gracious God will keep coming by to reissue an invitation to recall the glorious deeds already accomplished, and to give us a chance to reject the gods of prosperity to which we’ve sold our souls…

This following of Jesus is HARD! I may have sold out to the gods of this world, trying vainly to keep one foot based on the firm shore of ancestral gods and the other foot on the bobbing boat of Jesus. How much of my comfort level am I willing to give up; and do I have to, to remain a disciple? Pray for me, and I’ll pray for you…

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

My encounter with scriptural readings assigned to the upcoming weekend can be viewed every Tuesday at horacebrownking.com

What’s the best part of going to Gramma’s house? What do you do almost as soon as you take off your coats? Why, you EAT, of course! Gramma always throws a big dinner, more than anyone could eat–and then asks you if you want ice cream with your mince pie! Here’s where you can tell the family stories in relative safety; and here’s where you can intersect with long lost relatives–your sisters and your cousins (“whom he reckons by the dozens”) and your aunts. Readings to be heard this weekend all deal with consuming food, or what it stands for… Bon appetite!

The short reading from PROVERBS 9:1-6 is in the voice of mature Wisdom, who is inviting those less-experienced in spiritual knowledge to eat at her table. “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Lay aside immaturity and live, and walk in the way of insight.” Just like Gramma’s table, this banquet is a matter of relationships and family stories. It’s a safe place to be who you are. Do I accept the mentoring of others who care about me–or am I squandering the opportunity for priceless knowledge? As my Mother’s family might say, “We get too soon old, and too late smart.”

The equally brief reading from EPHESIANS 5:15-20 urges the disciples to live in Wisdom and forgo foolishness. Our ethics evolve, from Levitical pronouncements about food & sex through Aunt Sophie’s pronouncements about cards & strong drink into a mirroring of a Christ-like life. Maybe. It’s safer to condemn specific “sins” and ignore greater evils such as racism & military might. Becoming “filled with the Spirit” is seen in a tendency to use time wisely as a gift, and to change the world with any overflow. The hearer is urged to feast on the eternal and to pass up that which is here today and gone tomorrow.

JOHN 6:51-58 talks about consuming Jesus by chomping on his flesh and drinking his blood–an anathema to the Jewish leaders and most of our acquaintances. Yet Jesus here maintains that there’s no eternal life for those who don’t! There seems to be a divide between those who feast on Jesus and the rest of the world: John writes to a world looking for some key, some knowledge about the True Inside. “Wise”men through the ages have studied the night sky; scholars have consulted aged and musty documents; spiritualists have engaged mediums to blink the lights and move tables…but Jesus has, in effect, personalized Wisdom in himself! Throughout the passage, he emphasizes “MY” flesh & blood as gifts given by grace and not by our own cunning or merit. We attain Wisdom only by letting the essence of Christ flow through our veins into every little capillary.

These lections could very well descend into a discussion of our traditions and styles of communion. But they’re not about Church Practice, they’re about exploring Divine Wisdom. The presenter’s task is to call those on the road to one more horizon towards the Land of Completeness.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

My meeting with lessons assigned to the upcoming weekend can be enjoined every Tuesday at horacebrownking.com

Then and now we challenge God to provide us a “sign” that we’re not alone in our desert wanderings and times of crisis. Stories that we’ll hear this weekend remember that from time to time God does indeed give notice that there’s a power beyond ourselves, not dependent upon our good works or spiritual acrobatics. These probably happen more than we think; I know that God has to knock me on the side of the head with a special mallet with my name on it in order to see that which is right before my eyes… What? You too?

WE begin with I KINGS 19:4-8, a story about the prophet Elijah. A synopsis: there hadn’t been rain in Israel for a long time, and the crops were dying. The priests of Baal had engaged YHWH’s man, Elijah, in a contest on Mt. Carmel to see whose sacrifice would be accepted. You probably remember how nothing happened when the Baal-ites prayed–but when Elijah prayed, fire came down from heaven and consumed even the impossibly wet sacrifice! A sign, fer sure! And then it started raining, another sign. Queen Jezebel was angry with Elijah for showing up “her” priests and then killing them: “you’re dead meat,” she said, or something like that. So our text finds Elijah on the run to Mt. Horeb/Sinai; discouraged, he lay down to die, but an angel woke him with food and drink for the journey–ANOTHER sign. God had more for Elijah to do.

EPHESIANS 4:25-5:2 is more of an admonition than a story, yet it’s full of signs given by the grace of God. As the community and its individuals (“members of one another”) become transformed into the image of Christ, certain traits appear: honesty, compassion & forgiveness, meaningful work and encouragement. Likewise jealousy, bitterness and angry words will vanish, and the marks/signs of the Holy Spirit will be observed. These marks identify the Christian responder as beloved property of God, not to be harmed. Those willing are invited to deliberately embrace this discipline of intentional response to the work of Christ among them.

The Gospel (are you surprised?) is from JOHN 6:41-51, more conversation about Jesus’ announcement that he is the bread that comes down from heaven. What a claim, said the traditionalists! “In being so direct,” says Will Willimon, “Jesus provokes a crisis in our apprehension of him. Now there is no room for evasion on our part….Whatever we need in order to comprehend Jesus must come as a gift, insight not of our own devising. It must ‘come down from heaven’.” (FEASTING on the WORD, B 3:337). Two concepts here shock our comfortable spirituality: first, that any salvation is generated in heaven; and second, that this “bread” sign is given to those whom God wants to involve. (As a United Methodist, I believe that these involved by God are ALL humanity; others will opt for a doctrine of holy election.)

The difference between a SIGN and a SYMBOL, I dimly remember, is that a symbol becomes the visible part of an invisible concept (money, or the flag); and a sign has no value of its own, rather it points to that which IS valuable. Be as it may, this weekend’s lessons bring signs to the lonely, the doubtful, the grieving and the seeker.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

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