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Yeah, I admit it: I stole this title from Jean Calvin. This is somewhat of a surprise, since Calvin and I rarely agree on anything. But the lessons to be read this weekend all have to do with relationships–God and us, and US and us. Those sitting in the pews are met with God speaking to us, choosing us, and counting on us to announce a Holy Presence through words and actions. During this Season of “AHA” we’ll be confronted several times with a word that can be difficult to perceive.

You probably remember the story of the lad Samuel who served in the Temple, assisting the elderly Eli (I SAMUEL 3:1-18). God comes by night to awaken sleeping Samuel with the news that a wide-awake God is about to do a New Thing! The Old and the Young are hereby privy to hear what God is now doing, even though “the Word of the Lord was rare in those days”. We too hear God’s voice and do a divine response, even if we don’t quite understand it. Is this really God who wakes us from our troubled sleep?

How in the world do we preach what Paul has to say to the CORINTHIANS (6:12-20)? He speaks against “fornication”, which is casual sex without involvement with the partner. It’s a relationship thing, again: we’re not to profane the wonders that God has created. ”Activities that do not glorify God skew life.” (Douglas F.Ottati, in FEASTING on the WORD, B 1:256) Our ethics are contingent upon a greater thing than Legality. This seems in sync with the bulk of this letter, all of which exhorts the cosmopolitan Corinthians to plan their lives having seen God.

JOHN 1:43-51 tells about the calling of Nathaniel by Jesus. Nathaniel was quite impressed that Jesus saw him “under the fig tree”, and immediately ascribed the Holy Presence as having found him. God is here taking “an Israelite without guile” (deceit; what you see is what you get) and refining him into a Disciple! God honors ordinary people and places with what may seem to be an unexpected entrance. Is Nathaniel–and even Nazareth–a symbol of this New Thing of Samuel’s nighttime visitation? Where have you been sought out by the God who has walked in our midst?

This God whom we proclaim during this Season of Epiphany is constantly prodding us to reflect what we not long ago saw in the Manger. Contrary to what some will tell us, it’s not obedience to a set of rules (don’t drink, smoke or play cards) but rather a meaningful reaction to what we’ve heard, what we’ve experienced. We are not our own.

In the process of unfolding,   Horace Brown King

Please join us every Tuesday to pursue the scriptural portions being presented at worship during the upcoming weekend; also note that this blog can now be assessed ONLY through my site, horacebrownking.com 

Welcome to the Season of Epiphany, between the Twelfth Day of Christmas and Lent/Ash Wednesday. The liturgical color is green, for growth and renewal. The word Epiphany comes from the Greek EPIHANEIA, the shining forth of God’s glory in the Nativity (Christian tradition). Not only are the days growing lighter, so is the concept of the presence of Jesus as a growing light. Those in the pews are called to see that light and let it shine more strongly through them.

Third ISAIAH wrote ostensibly to the returnees from Babylon; yet this oracle, 60:1-6, has been seen as a divine promise of the vindication of God’s People. We know from the headlines about “thick darkness”: it bears a personal anxiety of its own. ”But the Lord will arise upon you”! and the Nations and their rulers are expected to come to your light. The camels of rich nations will bring gold and frankincense–does this sound familiar? Will you react as People of the Light, reflecting and pointing to the Light? ”Lift up your eyes and look around…”

  St. Paul never misses a chance to tell of his own epiphany on the Damascus road. Here in EPHESIANS 3:1-12 he expands the Light to include ALL, not just the Chosen People. He speaks of the “mystery” of Christ as a revelation to humans who are waiting for access to God. Paul doesn’t know the Wise Men legend, yet he affirms the “boundless riches of Christ”: we attain “wisdom” as we accept these gifts, not just in search for the Baby Jesus but realizing that Jesus has searched for and found US! 

MATTHEW 2:1-12 tells the story of the Wise Men (sic), whom the early Church limits to three, each bearing a symbolic gift. Their epiphany was the realization that the prophecy, as in Isaiah, of a coming messianic savior has weight; and their willingness to travel a far journey to accept the Baby as the Appointed One. We hold the Wise Men dear through artistic portrayals and song, appreciating not only their travels but also their faithful sharing of their insight. Please note that they returned to their country by another road; even Wise Men do things differently when met by the Baby Jesus.

The thrust of these readings is to call the Church to see the radiance of God’s Glory and to emulate the Wise Men in going to the Ends of the Earth to tell about it. Paul-like, we’re to speak of our own epiphanies as both congregations and individuals. ””As with gladness [those] of old did the guiding star behold; As with joy they hailed its light, leading onward, beaming bright; So, most gracious Lord, may we evermore be led to thee.”–William C. Dix

In the process of unfolding,   Horace Brown King

Meet me every Tuesday as we explore passages to be read on the upcoming weekend. Please note that this blog may be accessed ONLY at horacebrownking.com 

Silver! Gold! Sparkly stuff! People enjoy adorning themselves with finery, and identifying with the specialness to which it points. Sports stars wear fancy necklaces, and their fans try to duplicate them. The “beautiful people” on TV all seem to wear a lot of bling. It’s a common feature to get dressed up when something special is happening. Not to be bested, scriptural passages to be read on the upcoming weekend call believers to affirm this specialness.

Third ISAIAH offers a “psalm” of praise in behalf of the returned Exiles, vv.61:10-62:3. Their robes and garlands and jewels are those of righteousness and salvation, “the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.” Christmas has reminded us that God really does care about us; we shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give. This “new name” indicates a change, a growth pattern. Even the Grinch has discovered the spirit of Christmas!

GALATIANS 4:4-7 retells the Nativity story in a nutshell: God sent his Son, familiar with the Jewish law, that we would receive adoption as God’s own children. Thomas R. Steagald contends that “this filial devotion, an act of radical freedom, exalts strangers and orphans and slaves to the status of family members.” (FEASTING on the WORD, B 1:161) Thus all have put on the royal robes of the Crown Prince, with all the duties and privileges thereunto pertaining.

And so there come to us Simeon and Anna, pillars of the Jerusalem Temple, found only in LUKE 2:22-40. These two somehow “got it” that Jesus was a special baby, the perceived Messiah and the source of salvation. It says nothing here about putting on gold & silver or sparkly stuff; but their lives were fulfilled and they glittered with continued awareness. Not only did Anna glow with the Spirit, but she “began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem”. 

From Germany, we receive the invitation to “Deck Thyself, My Soul with Gladness, Leave the Gloomy Haunts of Sadness.” As you don your gay apparel, sing lustily the ancient news that God has given the Very Best in order that Eternity may be seen and entered.

In the process of unfolding,   Horace Brown King

Note Well–I’ll still continue to write my blog about upcoming scriptural lessons every Tuesday; but you will have to access these only at my website, horacebrownking.com

On this Fourth Sunday of Advent, readings emphasize the power of God to take the unknown and make it last forever. Here are two stories about God’s taking the “meek and lowly” to change the world and redeem Creation. The Reformers would say, “Man Proposes, God Disposes”. Amidst all the tinsel and glitter has come a next-to-impossible opportunity to think about the task at hand, namely proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favor through our attitudes of equality and charity. When Santa Claws, it’s Time to Pause!

II SAMUEL 7:1-11 tells about David’s proposal to build God a fancy house–and about how YHWH zilched the plan. Was David trying to curry favor with God and the People? Was he trying to tell God what to do? At any rate, YHWH told David through Nathan that there was no need for that, that God was perfectly happy in his tent. But look! God reminded David that he was taken from the youngest son/sheep tender to the throne of Israel! ”I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you.” What have we assumed about pleasing God? And have our earthly desires stood in the way of God’s going ahead of the People? Have we confused our mortal dreams with God’s purposes?

ROMANS 16:25-27 is Paul’s benediction to those congregations. After all the deep theology, after all the advice and encouragement, he speaks of exaltation to the distrusted Gentiles. ”…the Gospel news of the God of the Jews offering salvation to all was boundary breaking, world shattering, and world renewing.” (Sally A. Brown, FEASTING on the WORD, B 1:89) The coming of God announces God’s care for the least of the poor and disabled.

This brings us to the Annunciation of Jesus’ conception, LUKE 1:26-38. Mary, a young peasant girl, was sitting there minding her own business when suddenly this angel appeared next to her! ”Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you!” !?!? Out of nowhere, Mary’s told that she’s gonna be pregnant with the One to Redeem Creation–despite her youth and rustic background, despite the fact that she hasn’t copulated. Her life was gonna be changed, no matter what our human intentions could be. ”Nothing will be impossible with God.” 

Advent, then, is a season when we can affirm that God is on the move. Dare we proclaim that God cares enough to break into our maelstrom? Knowing that David and Mary and many others have been set in important places reinforces our belief that we also have been singled out for a job provisioning the Kingdom.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King   –who wishes you a Christmas of joy and peace

Join us every Tuesday to be confronted by scriptures to be read on the upcoming weekend: at horacebrownking.com

This week’s readings take us from the individual preparation for the Christ Child into the promised community of believers who are entrusted to Change the World. Most of us are sitting here enduring the fusty sermon while thinking of the best places to get window candles and candy canes. We bemoan current events but don’t think about how we can change things. By ourselves, we can’t. But when we see ourselves as members of a Great Movement, the Church of Jesus, we have nothing to restrain us but restraint itself.

Please remember that the Third ISAIAH is aimed at just such a community, that of the returned Exiles from Babylon who yearned for the Good Old Days. In Chapter 61:1-4, 8-11 he speaks often of “they”, meaning the People of the Vision: “They shall build up the ancient ruins…they shall repair the ruined cities…all who see them shall acknowledge that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.” One by one, they have no real strength to accomplish these things; but with their neighbors…!

The final words of St. Paul in the FIRST LETTER to the THESSALONIANS are sent to the congregation(s) there working as a minority to influence the system. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances…” Not words for individuals who go into their private quarters for meditation, but instructions as to the public perception of the collected Believers. Advent is a time to know who we are as a congregation. “Advent is a time for the tongue to be loosed and the mercies of God proclaimed.” (W.C.Turner, in FEASTING on the WORD, B 1:67)

The prologue to the Gospel of JOHN includes references to John the Baptizer, whose strangeness attracted large crowds, many of whom were baptized in the River Jordan. “He came as a witness to testify to the light”, although he himself was not that light. And when the Holy Ones asked him who he was, he humbly acknowledged his own humanity by rejecting their myth and affirming only that he was the Voice Crying Out in the Wilderness. I suppose that had he admitted to these things, he coulda claimed his fifteen minutes of fame–but he didn’t. John the Baptizer points to the One who WAS Messiah and prophet–and calls the Church to do likewise.

So Advent is the season when the story is shouted out in the wilderness of me-first, fraud and posturing. The message of the failed world cultures is that we can do little good by ourselves; there’s always another devil waiting in the wings. These words tear into our benign assumptions, and the tinsel-covered wish they would go away. But God doesn’t, and these are our reminders to know and accept God’s work.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

My thoughts about the scripture to be heard on the upcoming weekend can be found every Tuesday at horacebrownking.com

We join a new Christian Year with the coming of the First Sunday in Advent. “The coming of Advent jolts the Church out of Ordinary Time with the invasive news that it’s time to think about fresh possibilities for deliverance and human wholeness”, says Patricia deJong (FEASTING on the WORD, B 1:4). Some will see Advent as merely a preparation for Christmas; bring on those wise men, angels and donkeys. But there’s more: a promise of God to keep interfering in our sordid world, as we search longingly for News beyond Business as Usual.

ISAIAH 64:1-9 was probably heard after the People returned from Babylonian Exile, yet before the Temple was rebuilt. Most of the Exiles were too young to remember the old traditions; they were firmly enmeshed in the urban culture of Mesopotamia, and had returned to the Promised Land only to please Grandma. Third Isaiah whined, “There is no one who calls on your name”, and in the margin an earlier version of myself has written “ain’t it the truth!” All that was left was a two-pronged hope: first, that YHWH was there; and second, that God cared enough to break in. Isaiah calls people of faith to watch with eyes of Hope.

St. Paul opens his FIRST LETTER TO THE CORINTHANS in a graceful manner, knowing that he would eventually lay some pretty heavy stuff on them. “…as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, he will also strengthen you to the end.” Paul believed in the immanent coming of Christ, so these verses (1:3-9) attempt to cheer those who waver between worldly living and a more holy lifestyle. Expecting this Advent, he celebrates that which already shows in congregational life: the passage invites us to be thankful not only for material gifts, but for the spiritual ones as well.

MARK is the first known Gospel to be written: unaware of the Christmas stories, his idea of Advent dwells especially on the wait for Jesus to appear. In 13:24-37, he remembers (?) Jesus speaking about Final Things–the great darkness, the falling stars, and Jesus himself appearing in the clouds. No one knows when this Day of the Lord will come upon us, so Be Alert! How does this contrast with our own Advent waiting?

Holly and mistletoe are very nice! I enjoy my neighbors’ festive lights already marking our streets! Who doesn’t like Christmas trees? But the Words of the Church call us deeper into the anticipation of a Living Christ, who comes into our midst often to remind us that there’s Something else than glitter and glitz. The Lord is near!!

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Please join in the conversation every Tuesday, as we together contemplate texts assigned to the upcoming weekend.

Literature, from Bugs Bunny to Martin the Cobbler, has many stories about not recognizing the Good in others. Why not? One of our dearest nightmares has been passing by the Friendly–the Holy–on our way to our personal agendas. On this weekend, often called the Reign of Christ, we’re called to the pinnacle of the Christian Year when we celebrate the omnipotence of Jesus as God places all Creation under Christ’s control. Scriptural lessons to be read emphasize this ultimate Lordship.

EZEKIEL 34:11-16 illuminates the prophet’s constant message about how YHWH wishes to care for the People, the “sheep of God’s Pasture”. And our part of this care involves seeing the Holy in all things, binding up the wounded and feeding the hungry, providing a safe place and sheltering the vulnerable. These are creatures being rescued from the Valley of the Shadow of Death each day, by Divine command. Those claiming the Name of God are called to embrace a discipline of justice, treating all with equity and ensuring that this equity is realized within the System.

Who wrote the Letter to the EPHESIANS, and does it matter? Verses 1:15-23 speak about the power ascribed to Christ as he was seated at God’s right hand, “far above any rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named…” As Jesus is progenitor of the Church, it’s thereby expected that this sacred community would maintain an aura of justice and equity, even though most of “culture” doesn’t recognize the living Christ among them… Church members have been joined to Christ’s body to enter into the world and its brokenness with reconciliation and wholeness.

MATTHEW 25:31-40 is one of those familiar parables that everyone quotes but does nothing about. N.B.–this ISN’T about who are sheep and who are goats!! Not for us to judge. But it IS about recognizing the Christ in the homeless, naked, hungry or imprisoned! Most of us fall into the group that says with amazement, “WHEN did we see you in need, and helped you?” and then, under our breath, “Oh! That was YOU?” Attempting to follow these acts of love, we exult in the knowledge that now, even now, God’s Church is in charge “though the Wrong seems oft so strong.” Who’s that knocking at my door?

We’re reminded by Karyn L. Wiseman (in FEASTING on the WORD, A 4:319) that these passages “are ripe with images of compassion and accountability to show not only how we are loved by God, but also what immense responsibilities we have to share that gracious gift of care and compassion with others of the flock, whether in distant places or our immediate neighborhood.” Just a minute, just a minute, I’ll be right there.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Please join us every Tuesday as we’re examined by scripture lessons assigned to the upcoming weekend; at horacebrownking.com

But I’m really busy today. Can’t this wait until Saturday? That’ll be a lot better for me. Can’t God postpone the Day of the Lord to meet my schedule? I suspect we’re all in this dilemma: we’ll welcome God, but we’d prefer that God would stay out of sight for a while. Yet here we are in Church, hoping that Divinity will pass us by and get to those awful neighbors. Scripture to be heard this weekend reminds us that the Day of the Lord will come, ready or not…

ZEPHANIAH 1:7, 12-18 reminds us in no uncertain terms that God is very much present: “the day of the Lord is at hand”! We like our habits and our stuff, and God is welcome as long as there’s not much required as far as involvement. The prophet blasts those who are complacent in their worship, we who prefer to keep God caged until needed. And if we can’t do that, well, we’re gonna fry! “But God is a GOOD God,” they/we say. YHWH won’t hurt us…much.

I THESSALONIANS 5:1-11 speaks to this: “You yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night”. When we least expect it, God’s gonna show. Paul reminds his people that they’re special, that their knowledge and experience have taught them that their faith will be adequate to stand against calamity and tragedy. They need to be strengthened in the fact that they are indeed citizens of the Things to Come, that their total embrace of the heavenly will tame the roars of God’s coming. Implied here is that the presence of Christ in daily life saves us from the anxieties of worry about how yet to live.

MATTHEW 25:14-30 is–what else?–a parable of Jesus during his last days before crucifixion. He tells about a very rich man who goes off for a bit, leaving his three trusted stewards in charge of his money. To the first he gives five “talents”, to the second he gives two, and the last guy gets one. As you probably remember, the two invest in world commerce, while the last fella buries his money in the ground. Needless to say, when the rich man finally returns, he’s not pleased with the one who buried his talent. We’re presented with extreme generosity, still with the expectations that some risk is involved. The Kingdom of God is based upon the question, “What shall we do until the Master gets here?”

There used to be a bulletin board that read, “Don’t make me come down there!–God”. And a bumper sticker that advertised, “Jesus is coming again–and is he mad!” Some of our more liturgical friends have sung, “Dies Irae, dies magnus calamitatus et miserie” (Day of God’s wrath, day of great calamity and misery). Although the Last Things may be delayed, they’re bound to come–and blessed are they who use the time wisely in serving God.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Please join the conversation every Tuesday as we examine texts to be read on the upcoming weekend; at horacebrownking.com

I don’t like to wait. Check-out lines at food markets, red lights at intersections… Most of us are impatient for Something To Happen. Scripture to be read on the upcoming weekend talks about “the Day of the Lord” when history as we know it will be complete and we’ll see God face to face. Please remember that these are HUMAN expressions uttered in a specific context, and give us a glimpse only off what God’s up to at that time.

Our Old Testament encounter is with the prophet AMOS 5:18-24. He tells the People of the Northern Kingdom (Israel) that their worship traditions don’t matter nearly as much as their ethical conduct does. These are strong words by which he stresses God’s anger at the “proper” worship and the neglect of justice and righteousness. Get your act together before wishing it all to end! “Is not the day of the Lord darkness, not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?”

The Day of the Lord didn’t come then, but Paul thinks that it’ll happen during his lifetime (I THESSALONIANS 4:13-18. In the meantime, says he, act courteously to each other and encourage each other even about death. These folks evidently didn’t sell their belongings and gather on the mountain-top to await Christ; they carried on with their daily work and relationships, moving from crisis to crisis. Our physical death doesn’t yield a hopeless ending; it is but a doorway to Life as it should be, Life as God has planned it from the first.

Everyone wants to know what Heaven/the Kingdom of God will be like. Jesus tried to paint pictures in earthly words to approximate the indescribable. MATTHEW 25:1-13 is one of these teaching parables: 5 wise maidens who made provision for a delay, and 5 who did not. The bridegroom is arriving when you least expect it: the Day of the Lord will dawn in a surprising revelation. The message is about keeping ready and waiting in a meaningful pose. As the old Welsh preacher once asked his flock, “Which would you rather do? Keep awake with the wise maidens, or sleep with the foolish ones?”

WAITING FOR GODOT is a two-person play featuring Vladimir and Estragon: they live through their life-crises and shared experiences while waiting for Godot to show up. He never does, but life continues. Will he eventually come? Or has he already, several times? “Where have you seen God at work?”

Well, yeah. Gotta admit to singing the party line–if they cut off my pension, I’m toast. We pew-sitters are experts at talking big but not delivering; we’d like to see the System around us improve, but we won’t invest time or money to change it. Lessons to be read this weekend slap us around a bit–yet there’s Grace at the end, without which we can do nothing. Meanwhile, let’s be goaded into at least thinking about being known by our love. And humility.

MICAH 3:5-12 had nothing but sharp words for “the prophets who lead my people astray”. These are condemned by YHWH for selling out to the highest bidder. “(Zion’s) rulers give judgment for a bribe, its priests teach for a price, its prophets give oracles for money, yet they lean upon the Lord…” As one who teaches and preaches for a salary and a pension, I’d say we were all in the same leaky boat! The systems in which we are planted reward us for going along. Do we proclaim the Voice of God while counting the rewards of our involvement?

St. Paul’s First Letter to the THESSALONIANS 2:9-13 reminds his friends there that he pursued his tent-making work “night and day” so as not to be a financial burden on them. As professional clergy, I’d like to skip over this part, since so many have cheerfully (?) supported me both then & now. Was Paul giving himself over to pride? We Thessalonians are encouraged to seek holiness by allowing Grace to flow over and around us. Unlike Micah, we don’t stand under the cloud of condemnation: God greets us new each morning, whether or not we lived “successfully” the day before.

The pre-Good Friday message from Jesus is found in MATTHEW 23:12. He warns his followers and the folks gathered ’round about the Scribes and Pharisees and us who interpret the harsher teachings of the Torah but then go our anointed and merry way. “They do all their deeds to be seen by others…to have the place of honor at banquets…to be greeted with respect in the markets…” (But I LIKE the VIP treatments!) I’ve gotta admit to all of the above, and maybe you do too.

So we all wear masks of some kind to hide away from scrutiny. We’re highly invested in the popular opinions of being well-liked and praised. “The light of self-promotion is always on in hypocrites, because people do not stop having opinions about us, and these opinions are utterly important to us.” (Allen Hilton, in FEASTING on the WORD, A 4:265) He goes on to say that “the antidote for hypocrisy is grace.” Tomorrow will be a better day!

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Scripture texts to be read on the upcoming weekend can be accessed each Tuesday at horacebrownking.com