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What does the word “righteous” mean? Marie and I searched the on-line dictionaries we could find, and it seems to mean “virtuous, adhering to the law”. The term probably arose in the Judaic tradition and was used in Jesus’ time to denote one who followed the Hebrew Law. Contemporary considerations include a certain amount of social justice: What Would Jesus Do? Readings for the upcoming weekend deal with our human dilemma of “how good is good enough?”

The prophet JEREMIAH was, well, weird. Here in 28:5-9 he converses with the remnant of the Israelite people after the Babylonian conquest, through their prophet Hananiah. Jeremiah contends that Hananiah has been preaching with rose-colored glasses about the quick restoration of the Temple/nation. “When the words of that prophet come true, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent that prophet.” (So there!) This Babylonian conquest and ensuing Exile has been given by YHWH–says Jeremiah–to get the people to repent and get righteous. Again? This message urges the hearers (us?) to get radically involved with God, heart, mind, soul and strength.

St. Paul, in the Letter to the ROMANS 6:12-23, foreshadows contemporary psychoanalysis by reminding us that we’re all slaves to SOMEthing. We know a little about addictions and compulsions, whether or not they play a part in our actions toward others. Now Paul is calling us to be obsessed with Christ, putting aside our fatal attractions and accepting the grace-filled life-giving gift of being made right with God and Creation. Hopefully we behave as we do, not out of duty or fear of a heavenly policeman, but rather because our lives and attendant attitudes have been enriched by the daily Presence of Christ.

The Gospel is that of MATTHEW 10:40-42–Jesus continues his training of the two-by-two teams he’s about to send out to the cities & towns. He says to us that you’ll reap the rewards of what you sow, even to the investment of a cup of cold water. (NB–in an arid and rocky land, there are few sources of cool water; also that it’s a risk to give away what could be your own last sip…) The fear of the immigrant, the homeless or the stranger can drive this whole mission down the tubes–as it so often does today. We’re leery of talking about righteousness because it may offend the hearers.

So am I righteous? I usually feel pretty imperfect, so Christ has his work cut out for him. What’s worse, I LIKE my un-righteous behavior! I solicit your prayers…

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Please join me every Tuesday to wrestle with God as we examine scriptural lessons to be read on the upcoming weekend: at horacebrownking.com

I thought all the tellers at the bank knew me. But the young woman who greeted me asked for identification! So I pulled out my driver’s license which has an old picture of me: no mustache, no beard, darker hair…OLD. She looked at it, and looked at me. Looked again at the picture, looked again at me. After an eternity, she evidently thought it was me and allowed me to transfer some funds from my travel account to checking… Scriptures to be read this weekend deal with who we are and who we could be. Hearers are supposed to twitch, at least a little bit.

We begin with a lament found in JEREMIAH 20:7-13–the prophet is basically saying, “Why ME?” Yet a burning fire is shut up within his bones, and he’s compelled to speak out in YHWH’s name against the prevailing idolatry. Jeremiah is a laughing-stock because he speaks the Truth to people around him: hard words to say, even harder words to hear. The issues then and now are the same: the worship of “alien” gods. Different spellings, same old injustice, trust in military might, owning more than we need… Jeremiah reminds himself that YHWH is always present, “like a dread warrior”: it’s good to have a strong friend to stand with you in battle.

ROMANS 6:1-11 presents Paul’s conundrum: law or license? How can we be both acceptable to our neighbors AND be honest to God’s expectations? Paul contends that there’s no way to escape the habits of sin except through Christ. The world will keep on clamoring for “More”, seducing us into the belief that “everyone’s like this”, self-centered instead of Christ-centered. Yet a new identity awaits us as we turn (reluctantly) away from Stuff and embrace the ethic of God’s Domain.

The Gospel is again from MATTHEW 10:24-29: the Disciple is like the Teacher, drawing an identity from such a master. This text is meant to assure the missionaries previously sent forth that God goes with them, not to fear even in the tough places. OK for YOU to say, but I’d rather stay safe than risk derision and homelessness and a lack of fast foods! The sword wielded by Jesus is that which cuts through the flab of my pampered life, which trims the unnecessary corpulence from the Real Me somewhere inside. This is scary, but the God of the Sparrows also has an eye on me… If I hang around Jesus enough, will I eventually begin to look like him?

These are difficult texts to embrace: I know that I’m “rich in things but poor in soul”. Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

You’re invited to help explore scripture to be read during the upcoming weekend: every Tuesday at horacebrownking.com

I sometimes find myself in a position where nothing can possibly come out right. These speechless moments are scary, where words completely elude me–or I blurt out something stupid. There are times when spoken words seem inadequate, perhaps boorish. Lessons to be read on the upcoming weekend reassure the tongue-tied that God speaks for and into them, acknowledging our human proclivity to say the wrong thing.

EXODUS 19:2-8 finds the Hebrew desert wanderers camped near Mt. Sinai, long thought to be a holy place. Words are exchanged: God calling to Moses with the terms of the covenant, and Moses telling the elders and leaders what God has planned, that they would be “a priestly kingdom and a holy nation”. We notice here that GOD is the initiator of this interchange, as it should be. The premise here is that if God has called those in the desert to a covenant of liberation and righteousness, so shall God call even us to a similar covenant! What do we say about our faith, and how do we do it?

Paul speaks of this faith as bringing us into line with the Christian doctrine, with peace/wholeness with God as its outcome. “…we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.” This doesn’t depend on OUR goodness, but on GOD’s. When those awful silences descend on us, when we’ve blown it again and no words spring to our defense, then we recognize that only God can speak for us. Our only refuge is in announcing that we, too, share in this holy glory.

The Gospel of the day is that of St. MATTHEW, 9:35-10-23, the sending of the Twelve into the crowded and waiting nation. These were told, “Bloom where you’re planted”, that they were to begin nearby and work outwardly, healing the sick and casting out the unclean spirits. Travelling light, they were to rely only on the hospitality of God’s people. And when they got into trouble for all this–as they were surely going to–they shouldn’t plan their defense but know that God would speak through them: “…what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the spirit of your Father speaking through you.” Alexander Wimberly has commented, “The followers of Jesus continue to be challenged to take little more than faith out into the world and get Christ’s work done….It is Christ who enables us to do what we could not do on our own.” (FEASTING on the WORD, A 3:143-l45)

An old proverb says that “It’s better not to speak and be thought a fool than to say something to prove it!” And Francis of Assisi is credited with the quote, “Preach always; use words if you must!”

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Join me each Tuesday to explore (and be explored by) the Scriptural readings for the upcoming weekend; at horacebrownking.com

I always grin when I see the sign, “In God we Trust; all others pay cash”. Truly a Sign of the Times! We build secular connections to keep us safe–or do they? Long-term contracts; military spending; bank accounts to get us through rainy days… But how much do we trust God? Enough to concentrate our wealth and well-being on God? Scriptural texts heard this upcoming weekend call us to complete reliance upon the God who does the impossible…

HOSEA 5:15-6:6 speaks to the elite of Israel (the northern kingdom), and also nods to the southern kingdom, Judah: “Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes away early”. Professing to trust in YHWH alone, the Powers-that-Be were also busy toadying up to Assyria, who wanted control over Palestine to thwart their rival, Egypt. Did this relationship keep them safe? Not in the long run. Where have we–individually and collectively–sold out to the smart money?? Have we denied funds to the marginalized in order to build up the Pentagon? Are people falling through the cracks because the government is subsidizing fossil fuel? OK, so how do we show trust in God? Begin, I suppose, with justice, kindness and a willingness to let God BE God. “I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the Knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”

In ROMANS 4:13-25, Paul pushes on with his case to have faith over lawful tradition. He spends a good bit of time recalling the stories of Abraham, who didn’t give up on being the “father of nations” even though he and Sarai were past childbearing age. But Abraham trusted that God would do as promised, not turning to fertility drugs… Abe was fully convinced that God was in charge! (This is the same fella who packed his ox-cart and drove off believing that God would show him where he should be.) If Abraham trusted this much, and if Jesus trusted even beyond the Cross, then why can’t YOU? These are examples of God’s restorative and creative power: do you know anyone who seems to have accomplished the impossible only by God’s Grace?

The Gospel account is from MATTHEW 9:9-13, where the writer recounts the story of his own call and acceptance. Matthew was a tax-collector, in league with those awful Romans and generally suspected of fudging the books for his own profit. Yet Jesus saw the Image of God in him, and brought him AND HIS FRIENDS to dinner! When questioned, Jesus said that “I have come to call not the righteous but sinners”. This is what God meant when he said through Hosea, “I desire mercy (steadfast love) and not sacrifice”. The dinner-hosts were correct in all their legal worship–sacrifices, food laws, Sabbath observance–yet still stayed aloof from loving Creation.

Who wrote that sinful third verse to “O Say Can You See”? It says, “then conquer we must, when our cause it is just (!), and this be our motto, “In God Is Our Trust”….how blasphemous! The Church, the Living Alternative to business as usual, stands to embrace the Holy and move past the Secular…

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Join the fun every Tuesday at horacebrownking.com as we unpack the Lessons to be read and heard on the upcoming weekend.