Choosing the Better Part

We seem to be in a season of contrasts: understanding the Lord’s ethics as opposed to those of the surrounding culture. Lessons to be heard this week note that humans have a choice between the Godly Way and that of the System. This is a hard teaching, especially in the face of slogans such as “My country, right or wrong”, and “God Bless (only) America”. Are we less than patriotic when we cast our lot with God and God’s People?

AMOS is a shepherd from the South sent by God to prophesy in the North. In 8:1-12, he’s shown a basket of Summer Fruit; nicely ripe for now, but soon to spoil. It’s an analogy of Israel–pleasant enough for now, but soon to be overthrown. (The Assyrians did indeed wreck Israel in about 730 BC and sent the Northern Tribes into exile “somewhere”.) Amos was particularly concerned with economic justice: merchants were using unfair weights and selling the chaff with the wheat. They made “the epah small and the shekel great”, and cheated the widows & orphans. Amos’ message? “You’re gonna get it”, says the Lord.

COLOSSIANS 1:15-28 was probably written on behalf of Paul, telling the congregations there what the Apostle probably would say. The passage describes the Christ as “first-born of all Creation” including “all the fullness of God”. So the Church’s main duty is to proclaim the Person of God, not only by words, but by deeds of honesty and acceptance. We are challenged to decide whether to have the ethic of Christ or to sell out to the System, the culture around us.

The Gospel is the story of Martha & Mary, LUKE 10:38-42. You remember that Mary was listening at the feet of Jesus–a “masculine” thing to do–while Martha was slamming cupboard doors and banging pots and was in a dither about feeding Jesus & Co. The point of the conversation was that Mary had chosen “the better part”, risking propriety and hospitality in favor of Jesus’ words. The message for the Church of Today is that celebrating Christ should be the central thing, not being “distracted” by organizing the pot-luck for next Wednesday…

Will Wilimon, a retired Bishop of the United Methodist Church, has said (in FEASTING on the WORD, C 3:248), “One way you can tell the difference between a true and living God and a dead and fake god is that a false god will never tell you anything that will make you angry and uncomfortable!” These readings do make me uncomfortable, ’cause I care too much about the System. My personal prayer is that I can stop counting my blessings long enough to hear and respond and make the better choice…

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Every Tuesday we meet the scripture lessons assigned by the Revised Common Lectionary to the upcoming weekend; at horacebrownking.com