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In some circles there’s a feeling of individualism: as long as I’m OK, then it doesn’t matter about the rest of you guys. Lessons to be heard this weekend speak to the community formed around the Christ. Persons involved are reminded that God’s Grace is universal, that it is God’s intention to include everyone in the Kingdom. “The days after Pentecost offer a season for communal theological reflection about relationships with those who do not have the same faith convictions.”–Stephanie Y. Mitchem, in FEASTING on the WORD, A 3:342.

The Third section of Isaiah (56–66) is aimed at those returning from Exile in Babylon and those who have “stayed home”. In ISAIAH 56:1, 6-8 we read about the coming salvation even for “foreigners” and the “outcasts of Israel” who are willing to keep the Sabbath and to hold fast God’s covenant. The “salvation” preached here is not a matter of Who’s In and Who’s Out, but rather an acknowledgement that having been touched by God, the whole community will WANT to emulate the Holy Life. God invites everyone, even the looney neighbors next door.

In the 11th chapter of ROMANS, Paul continues to bemoan the fact that his Jewish People have yet to answer the call of Christ. He maintains that those who have observed the Covenant of old are still receiving God’s mercy, even though their experience is yet incomplete. But God isn’t ready or willing to let any of us go: we can reject God and the Creative Plan, but God continues to chase us as the Hound of Heaven. And those who taste salvation are encouraged to build a community which reflects holy Justice and strives after holy righteousness.

MATTHEW tells a puzzling story in 15:21-28: away from his home base, Jesus is confronted by a Gentile woman requesting a healing for her tormented daughter. Jesus argues that his ministry is for the Jews only–but she prevails by asking for the crumbs dropped under the table. Impressed by her faith, Jesus heals the girl. It appears that God’s compassionate power is EVERYwhere! Was there an echo here of Third Isaiah’s commentary to the Jews who claimed an exclusive entrance to God’s grace? Is there implied a command to go into even the toxic areas nearby with the banners of Justice and Righteousness?

Martha C. Highsmith reminds us that “Grace is God’s alone to offer, and God offers it, it seems, to all people–the Jew and the Gentile, the ins and the outs, the faithful and the disobedient.” It’s good to celebrate our salvation–we do so by being inclusive, living the life of Justice, presenting a face of Righteousness to a yet-skewed world.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Join in at horacebrownking. com every Tuesday a we examine scriptural lessons to be read on the upcoming weekend.

Scriptures to be heard this weekend all involve people who have left their comfort levels to meet and be met by God. Most of us are reluctant to risk our safety in order to speak out our faith and to actively seek justice. MAYbe I and my friends who luxuriate in comfortable pews will be encouraged and empowered to announce yet again God’s Kingdom for our times…

The prophet Elijah has proven YHWH’s power by calling down fire from heaven, and then despatching the prophets of Baal. This didn’t sit well with Queen Jezebel, who threatened Elijah with death & destruction. Naturally enough, Elijah ran. (I KINGS 19:9-18) Today’s reading finds him at the holy mountain whining to God, who asks him twice, “Elijah, what are you doing here?” Empowered by the sound of silence, Elijah gets himself together and heads back to Israel. How then shall we hope? And what shall we do?

The Apostle Paul is still grieving that the People of the Jews haven’t accepted Jesus as their Messiah. (ROMANS 10:5-15) Paul announces a new view of heavenly geometry, that Christ is the center about which all things–and persons–turn. He coulda been an esteemed teacher of the Law; but his choice is to risk arrest and eventual execution. HIs rhetorical questions ask how the uninformed are to hear without a preacher; and how can there be a preacher without some risk involved?

You’ve probably heard the story found in all three synoptics about Jesus walking on the water. Here it’s presented in MATTHEW 14:22-33, aimed again at Matthew’s Jewish hearers to prove that Jesus really IS an able saviour. Sent to sail in troublesome water, the Disciples fear that Jesus has abandoned them–but he came to them in the impossibilty of WALKING ON THE WATER. Peter/everyman gets out of the boat to be with Jesus; but the storm distracts him, and he begins to sink. Water is seen here as the Enemy: Israelites live in an arid rocky land. Their Creation story involves God separating land from water, and they’ve heard the stories of Noah and the Sea of Reeds. They were not comfortable! “Don’t fear, it is I” becomes more than an exercise in grammar; good Jewish boys will recognize “I” as part of the Holy Name.

The witnesses we hear about are those who’ve left their comfort-zone and risked everything on the Lordship of Jesus. A cowardly person myself, I pray for the opportunity to risk my own well-being. Maybe tomorrow.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

‘Most every Tuesday we meet here for the opportunity to be challenged by the scriptures to be heard on the upcoming weekend. Come along forthe fun at horacebrownking.com

“You Tell Me Your Dream…” was a pop song from the 1890’s. The Bible is full of dreamers: Joseph of technicolor dream-coat fame; his namesake who tended the youthful Jesus; Daniel; the several prophets had “visions” of holy things. Scriptures to be read on the upcoming weekend are aimed at us visionaries in the pews, reminding us that God has never stopped speaking.

Thee un-named writer of I KINGS (3:3-12) has an audience of those either deported to Babylon or left to their own devices in what was once Judah. The culture isn’t yet dead, he says, because we remember the stories which helped define us. God continues to be the central mover in all these theological narratives. Gifts which Solomon requests–wisdom, justice–are seen as markings of the Good King; whether or not he embodies them, these become cultural standards of The People, as opposed to the values of those Others around us. Have these gifts become personal and corporate standards in OUR lives as well?

Paul tries to ascertain these values in the Letter to the ROMANS 8:26-39, especially the latter verses: “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?…No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” This doesn’t stop the bad stuff from happening–but it does affirm God’s concern and presence in even the trivialities of daily life. God knows who we are!

We continue to explore the parables of Jesus as set forth in MATTHEW 13:31 ff. He speaks of the prevalence of even tiny sparks–mustard seed, leaven–in the growth of everything including bushes and loaves of bread. “Remember that the mighty oak was once a nut like you!” Most of the world’s belief-systems worship the great and the glamorous, but not ours. We can affirm that our God inhabits the tiny –even a newborn baby–and oversees development in the ongoing Creation around us. Where will the treasure once buried in us come to light?

“O let me ne’er forget that though the wrong is oft so strong, God is the ruler yet….This is my Father’s world! [God] shines in all that’s fair; in the rustling grass I hear {God} pass; [God] speaks to me everywhere.” –Maltbie D. Babcock, 1901

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Every Tuesday we wrestle with Holy Writ; you’re invited to join in at horacebrownking.com

I got it from my mother. This tendency to anticipate the Bad Things happening even in the best of times. Her family said that “she could find a cloud for every silver lining”. The people I hang out with tell me that I, too, am a cynic. (Maybe that’s why not many people will hang out with me.) Texts to be heard this weekend are pretty vague, but the thread running through them is that God’s In Charge, no matter what!

We begin with the prophet ISAIAH of Babylon, 44:6-8. Here is a present God telling them/us, “Do not fear, or be afraid…” Well, why not? They’re in a foreign pagan country, their Temple and all the culture it stood for has been trashed. Can this nation, “broken beyond recognition be born again?” (Heather Murray Elkins, FEASTING on the WORD, A 3:243) Evidently the Right will prevail, as we wait out the fulfilment of God’s Creation. Thank heaven for stories Old & New of restoration, all in God’s time.

Paul’s Letter to the ROMANS, 8:12-25, is filled with ideas of the New Creation. “Children of God” will not inherit the trite and the tawdry, but the perfection which lies ahead. We don’t yet know what this looks like: “For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we [should] wait for it with patience.” What we see is NOT what we get! This frees us, then, to be the alternative to the weedy society which continues to churn out headlines of death & destruction. If I live in the hope of a New World coming, I can dare the slings & arrows of misfortune. Our present age is one in which the Church can and should protest the prevailing culture’s destructive ways of militarism and the worship of money!

You probably remember Jesus’ story (MATTHEW 13:24-30) about the fella who planted premium seed in his field, but then in the night some creep sowed weeds there, too? The hired men wanted to pull them out right away, but the owner told them to wait until maturity, because if they acted now, some of the good plants would also be destroyed. The analogy recognizes the earthly concerns plaguing the field which God called “good”. My horn-playing friend has the proper sticker on her instrument case: “Spit Happens”. Do we hafta like it? No, but we can live with it until harvest. In the meantime, what’s our role as agents of change?

In front of our garage is a large urn, in which we’ve grown all sorts of stuff: squash, cherry tomatoes… Last year I planted petunias there, which made a nice purple greeting as we came up the drive. Somehow at least four of these plants wintered over, surprising us. Now the plants are blooming; but there’s a not-a-petunia there too! I decided to let it grow, expecting a nice bloom of Something. As of this morning it’s almost three feet tall–and not a sign of flowering. If I pull it up it’ll wreck the petunias. I guess it’s there until frost.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Every Tuesday we look at scriptures to be read on the upcoming weekend; come join us at horacebrownking.com

This has been a spectacular year for flowers! The lupines, chives and roses were full to overflowing. And now we have tiger lilies, hostas and lambs’ ear. Hollyhocks, daisies and phlox. Gold flowers that I don’t know what they are and light yellow flowers on a long stem. And look at the cone-flowers! Some of these have been planted, but a few were here when we arrived. Birds have contributed some seed as well. So this weekend we’re gonna talk about seeds, those little bits of life which turn into beautiful and useful plants.

ISAIAH of Babylon concludes his optimistic oracles (55:10-13) and speaks of the seed-bearing word of life which God sends to accomplish God’s purpose: “Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle.” Evidently quality was designed into everything, and God’s intention is to polish Creation. In the midst of exile, Isaiah dares to speak about healing the broken culture of Israel and announces the refinement of Nature. God’s holy-history is worth preserving, especially as it includes God’s holy VISION.

In ROMANS 8:1-11, Paul acknowledges the thorns. Still, “there is no condemnation (blame/guilt) for those who are in Christ…” Even if some ground is tainted or neglected, the holy Word/logos is generously given to all through the loving intercession of the Christ. As we believe this, our strength is subsumed into a strength beyond our own. Thorns can be overcome, not by our own endeavor, but only through Christ. Only then can we be blame-free to live life in the joy which is intended. How does YOUR garden grow?

MATTHEW 13:1-9 is yet another of Jesus’ nature parables. He pictures a sower broadcasting vital seeds to all, near & far–but some fall on rocky ground, others on thin soil, and others among the thorns which grow up and check their growth. “As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing.” I dunno about you, but this surely describes ME. The sower could be an abundant and generous God who hopes for the best from God’s creative word. OR the sower could be any of us, faithfully living out the seeds of the good word even if the arena is less than receptive.

There are thorns. Oh boy, are there ever! Even when we chop ’em down and burn them, their roots are still there–and when we least expect it, bad habits prevail… But the heavenly sower keeps coming back, year after year, to anoint every acre with holy possibility. Thanks be to God!

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Every Tuesday we examine (and are examined by) texts to be read on the upcoming weekend. Come join us at horacebrownking.com

We’re all slaves to something: addictions, attitudes, prejudices. Vulgar habits. Profanity. Scriptures to be read on the upcoming weekend acknowledge these imperfections and urge the hearer to adopt better choices through the graces of Christ. These are not pleasant to hear, but are important first steps in the healing process. Who am I, really?

ZECHARIAH 9:9-12 is probably an oracle given to the returned Exiles from Babylon as they are trying to reconstruct not only the Temple in Jerusalem but their own culture and holy journey. The prophet told them to expect a Righteous and Humble King–the Messiah?–who would preside over world peace and command justice. “Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I [YHWH] declare that I will restore to you double.” Prisoners of Hope are those who dare to believe that a more perfect society is not only possible but on the way.

St. Paul writes very personally to the ROMANS (7:15-25) about his own struggles with “being good”: “when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand”. The more I repress my libido, the stronger it becomes! This dual identity shows me that I can’t succeed ethically through sheer determination. I’m somewhat gladdened that Paul considered himself sinful even after his conversion, recognizing that the battle still goes on. Sin is more than breaking a rule, it is a neglect of our relationship with God. “If Paul’s bad news is that the self is trapped and cannot rescue itself, Paul’s GOOD news is that God intervenes to rescue the self through Jesus.” Harold E. Masback III, in FEASTING on the WORD, A 3:211)

Redemption comes in diverse disguises, rarely what we expect. Jesus’ commentary in MATTHEW 11:17, 28-30 notes that “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.” Are there reasons for dancing, in contemporary society? Are there reasons to mourn? The civic expressions of sin are all around us, in the headlines and in social media; we grumble that we can’t do anything about it, yet we fall prey to our own needs for “success” and material show. Thank God that he sent one who says to “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

Being yoked to Christ does not obliterate our deep propensity to sin. But it does provide a way out, and escape from the “waterless pit”. “Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.”

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Each Tuesday we explore here the lessons to be read on the upcoming weekend; please join in at horacebrownking.com

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.