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“…thou art no thy lane, in proving foresight may be vain; The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men Gang aft a-gley…”–Robbie Burns. “Murphy was an optimist”–my Mother. Ain’t it the truth? Just when we think we’ve got things figured out, a Greater Power comes along to change our minds and to tell us what’s REALLY going on. Scripture lessons for the upcoming weekend acknowledge this Greater Power, and remind us that the Spirit of God is always present…

We begin this Trinity Sunday with a reading from GENESIS 1:1-4, “…while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters…” Even in the earliest campfire tales, humans needed to speak of a Creative Force which organized chaos into creation. “Genesis looks into the heart of darkness and sees something beautiful and hopeful: a creative force, a hovering spirit, and a penetrating light that cannot be overcome.” (Carole A. Crumley, FEASTING on the WORD, A 3:28) This all-encompassing Wind blows over ALL, and existed ab origine.

We turn past Psalm 8–a most important piece of wisdom–to the very end of II CORINTHIANS, vv.13:11-13. The Church in Corinth floundered a bit from its diversity, and Paul’s team was trying to reclaim its centrality in Christ. The letter reminds the Corinthians that God perseveres in holiness, and that the Spirit (ONLY the Spirit?) is the author of communion/community. It’s almost as if the writer(s) said, “I’m outa here: but God is always present.”

The final words in MATTHEW, 28:16-20, are often called the Great Commission. Jesus is sending his troops into all the world–all nations now and yet to be–to show the markings of Grace which he has imparted. Importantly, he groups the Trinity into the Godhead, signifying that the Whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This commission seems an impossibility, of course, without full reliance on God and an admission that by ourselves we are nothing. There’s Something Greater out there.

Robert Louis Stevenson observes, “Who has seen the wind? Neither you nor I–but when the trees bow down their heads the wind is passing by.” I’m not gonna try to explain the mystery of the Trinity; I can’t, it’s a mystery! But I will try to allow the Wind of God to blow through my words in order that others may glimpse Divine Power.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

PS–I have an excess of three Rose of Sharon bushes, if anyone is interested. The mother bush flowers in a sort of pink-lavender. Please ask!

You are invited to join us in exploring the Scriptures to be read on the upcoming weekend; every Tuesday, at horacebrownking.com

Sounds like something NYSEG would say after a heavy storm. Actually, compared to my childhood home, our power rarely goes out. It’s a terrible thing, to feel powerless. In our digitalized age, we feel helpless and frustrated when things don’t come on, or when our clocks flash, or when there’s no reassuring light when we flick the switch. Did the Apostles feel this way when Jesus was crucified? Do folks sitting in the pews feel powerless when the storms of life are raging? Scriptures to be heard this weekend explore our perceived lack of power–and may hopefully result in its restoration, strength to live this week, this year.

The passage from ACTS 1;6-11 is a fairly familiar story of the post-resurrection Jesus, as he ascended into heaven among his friends. The Apostles are all agog, yet Jesus says to them, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses…to the ends of the earth”. Just you wait and see what you’ll be doing! I particularly like the part about the two angels who tell the wide-eyed disciples to stop staring into the heavens, to go and DO something! Or do we really expect God’s power to be shared by an invisible Spirit?

The literal conclusion of I PETER 5:6-11is the “last word” to reassure those being persecuted for their Christian lives that God is still in charge. “And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of fall grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the power forever and ever.” So the power really isn’t ours, except by Grace and an extension of the Godhead. When we of this century say, “It’s too much: I’m at the end of my rope!” we can be reassured that God’s still sharing Power, which is Good News indeed!

How important the Last Supper in the Upper Room is to JOHN! Nearly a third of his Gospel remembers this occasion and the words of Jesus. Chapter 17:1-5 continues this understanding as John ascribes the beginning of a holy community to the sacrament Jesus makes of himself. The “oneness” described here speaks not only of the mystery of Jesus being one with the Father, but also of the way in which the disciples have become one with each other. This is one basis of the Church: that any relationship we might have with God includes a relationship with God’s People! As Jesus is empowered by the Father, so are we empowered by each other…

Our lives are buffeted by many competing powers. The concepts and names may change, but the devilish power is still the same, lying at the heart of the matter. Some of these may even have virtue, although they end up not bringing satisfaction. You know what your vices are! But the bottom-line is God, the only Power we can trust…

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Please come join us every Tuesday at horacebrownking.com as we explore sacred texts to be read on the upcoming weekend. (‘cept for next Tuesday, May 23, since I’ll be away in New England)

So what’s Plan B? What? There’s no Plan B!? But today’s culture is so insecure, we’ve gotta have something to fall back on, don’t we? Can we really trust that Life is controlled by only one in charge? How many times did our grandmothers tell us not to put all our eggs in one basket? Scriptures to be read this weekend address these problems which natter at us in the wee hours. Perhaps I’m all alone in this–but I doubt it.

Here we are in Athens, and Paul is walking around waiting for the rest of his team to show up. ACTS 17:22-32 is the message Paul brought to the Athenians, gathered in the main square, hungry for spiritual knowledge. “For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To An Unknown God’. What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you…” These Athenians weren’t taking a chance of missing anything! Talk about diversity…. Paul’s skills included sensing the need for completeness within the prevailing culture, including US. God’s final answer to our seeking is found here: in Trust that holiness can be known through Jesus, the Eternal Christ.

The Epistle is that of I PETER 3:13-22. This is a letter of encouragement to those who “suffer” persecution for putting their trust in God–and talking about it. “Do not fear what THEY fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord.” But we of this time and place have been trained to be sensitive to those who differ in their belief and lifestyle; thus we ARE intimidated! Too often I find my external self going with the “norm”, while simultaneously inwardly gritting my teeth and decrying such weakness…

The Gospel reading is short but pithy, JOHN 14:15-19. Try to remember that this is a PRE-crucifixion speech, offered at the Upper Room during the Last Supper. Jesus introduces the Holy Spirit as the Advocate who will guide the disciples into all the Truth, reminding them that they won’t be without a Godly presence. Many of them, like us, are probably craving someone with skin & bone; yet we/they’ve been called beyond the Unknown God to be touched by that Spirit which puts words into the mouth and fire into the heart.

I have a savings account. My vehicles are insured against breakdown. I like the idea of having a safe sanctuary to which to retreat after a long and busy day. My parents shoulda named me “Justin”–Justin Case. I’m afraid that I’ll always embrace Plan B. Still Paul and his team insert their message of Trust in even The Unknown, relying on the Holy Spirit to guide me, even beyond the hedge.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Careful friends, you’re invited to explore text lessons to be read on the upcoming weekend; every Tuesday at horacebrownking.com

A good question. To many, the Gospel stories are only history, how things were 200 years ago. To others, these are good tales, morality exercises which help us to keep our communities safe and sane. Scriptures to be read on this upcoming weekend challenge the hearers to know that these accounts are more than idle tales, and that the Christ permeates and exceeds more than the dates of Jesus! Church leaders across generations have attempted with various success to locate belief in a proactive God in the workings of Jesus then and now.

During the Season of Easter, the first readings are from Luke’s ACTS of the APOSTLES. Today we hear about the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian to be martyred for his faith and accompanying good works (7:55-60). Some will rightly see this text as an introduction to Saul/Paul–but it stands alone really well, reporting Stephen’s speech: “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right side of God”. Seems as if he could see where Jesus was before he died. Be assured that those of us who adopt an alternative lifestyle will continue to be stoned by those other folks who march to the drumbeat of money, muskets and malice. Be also assured that this Gospel of justice and mercy, kindness and worship, will survive when other gods crumble.

We then turn to I PETER 2:2-10, words of encouragement to those feeling rejected. The text that springs out at me tells the Church that “like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ…” Sounds to me as though JESUS is doing the work, and our role is to give him a place and permission to do so. The eternal Jesus thus becomes the architect for our lives’ direction and solace. “Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people…”

JOHN 14:1-7 is often used at funerals to assure the mourners of the care of Jesus, who prepares a place for us. It speaks of the holy role of not only Jesus, but of the many who have/will follow him. My friend Thomas–a good man–speaks the question we’ve all wondered about: “Lord, we don’t know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus’ answer gives us comfort: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life…” His disciples are now to enter a time of uncertainty: where is the Kingdom, where is Wholeness as the Crucifixion dashes all their dreams? “Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me.”

It’s fairly easy to affirm these things from my cozy post-Easter study. Yet these readings remind us that Jesus is most often found on the front lines, right in the thick of being merciful to the needy and storm-tossed.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

You’re invited to explore and be challenged by lessons to be read on the upcoming weekend–every Tuesday at horacebrownking.com

Many moons ago, my father-in-law, a farmer, decided to take a several-day vacation; would I hellp by feeding his sheep? Sure. I had seen him do it many times: he’d put feed in a bucket, walk into the middle of the pasture, and shout “Kedai!”–and they’d all come running. So my first day on the job, I put feed in the bucket, walked into the middle of the pasture, and shouted “Kedai!” A few sheep lifted their heads, but kept on grazing. After a few shouts more–and being ignored–I finally set the bucket where they could reach it and left. They didn’t know me OR my voice, Scriptures this weekend involve the knowing of the Lord by the community of Christ, and following wherever God may lead.

Luke has been trying to affirm the apostles’ actions after being touched by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. In ACTS 2:42-47 we hear about the new community being formed, and how they lived communally with no private ownership of possessions. Notice, please, that believers still worshiped in the Temple, adhering to Judaism for the time being. This is an acknowledgement of the dependence the “new” Church had on the previous spirituality–all refined by the centrality of Christ. The message for our real-time congregations is that the early Church saw the need around them, and took a risk. Where shall WE go?

Sometime thereafter, I PETER 2:19-25 assures the underground Christians that their suffering (?) is but a reflection of how Jesus suffered. I don’t really think this calls for self-flagelation–but it does reassure believers of all ages that God is still in charge when their lives go askew. Here we hear the Voice of God again, aligning our perceived trials with those of Jesus. Far too many throughout the world are still enslaved by poverty, racisim and being seen as “those” people; yet they are also part of Jesus’ community. “For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.” Joy Douglas Strome reminds us that, “The Shepherd knows our name and leads us through this age and the next. With our soul guarded by the good shepherd, the freedom to act alternatively in the world starts to look like a possibility.” (FEASTING on the WORD, A 2:440)

JOHN 10:1-10 is sthe famous Good Shepherd passage, where Jesus describes himself as the “gate” to the sheepfold. In this age of Gated Communities designed to keep the riff-raff out, this can be an unfortunate segment. BUT the purpose here is that Jesus acts to PROTECT his sheep. (Let the reader be aware that John wrote to a group of folks who knew other imposter shepherds; there can be a scent of gnosticism–I’m in and you’re not!–here.) Are there sheep that are left behind? How much does God love the world? Be careful in constructing an analogy too tightly! The bottom line is, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

We city-folk don’t know much about sheep, ‘cept that they’re cute and cuddly. We forget that they smell bad and are among the stupidist of God’s creatures. But Christ loves them all, protects and leads them to where the grass is green and the waters are still. Salvation, then, may be the proclivity to give up all our possessions and agendas, to follow where Jesus leads us without question.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

You’re invited to share every Tuesday in the directness of lessons designed to be read during the upcoming weekend; at horacebrownking.com

I’m a gardener. About this time of year I get all excited about what flowers & vegetables to plant. I found some old seed packets from several seasons ago, but few plants germinated from these old seeds. They were completely lifeless, perishing right there on my shelf. BUT I got some seeds of more recent date, and now we’ll see what sprouts! Funny, they looked about the same as the others: dry, shriveled and useless… Scripture to be read on this Third Weekend of Easter is meant to advise spiritual gardeners that what seems to be dead does indeed spring to life, by God’s grace! Let those with ears hear and own for themselves this Good News.

ACTS 2:36-41 is the conclusion of Peter’s sermon on the First Pentecost, where Passover pilgrims were astounded to hear God’s message in their own languages. He said, “Save yourself from the old dry seeds–oops–this crooked generation”. N.B.–these nascent believers were just little sprouts, not yet fully ripe! Don’t razz those around you who are still in the growth process. And you? The Holy Spirit continues to guide believers old and new into a closer walk…

We continue to hear the words of PETER (or one of his team) in I 1:17-23. We go on with the agrarian simile: “You have been born anew, not of perishable but imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.” Face it, this is a throw-away world & culture: don’t fix your shoes, get new ones; don’t worry about scratches on the car, get a new one; spouse let you down? get a new one… The hymnist writes, “Death and decay in all around I see; O thou who changest not, abide with me.” Here Christ helps us along “to Perfection”, even while nearby systems don’t deliver.

LUKE’s Gospel, 24:13-35, is the Easter story of two weary disciples on their way back home to Emmaus (not near Allentown, but near Jerusalem) suddenly joined by a stranger that told them all about Resurrection. Blinded by grief & disappointment, they didn’t recognize Jesus until supper. They had been stuck in the perishable, the story of a dead Master confined by the power of Death. But that’s last year’s seeds! From now on, the imperishable can laugh at the old dominion of wear & tear! The writer includes this call to the Gentile Church to lift it from the Road to Nowhere into a sense of possibility and hope. These weeks after Easter announce a sense of renewal, as Creation forms again…

Barbara K. Lundblad tells us, “By the time this letter [I Peter] was written, news of Jesus who had been raised from death had traveled far beyond Jerusalem. The bright light of Easter was shining far beyond the tomb. Can we help people see that spreading light?” (in FEASTING on the WORD, A 2:415). Our final prayer may well ascend, “Lord of Harvest, grant that we wholesome grain and pure may be.”

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Please stay tuned every Tuesday as we wrestle with Scripture to be heard on the upcoming weekend: at horacebrownking.com

In MY FAIR LADY, Eliza sings to her would-be boyfriend, “Don’t speak of Love…Show me”. Readings for this Second (weekend) in Easter are geared to help folks like you and me ask the helpful questions. That is, these passages affirm that it’s really OK to question spiritual matters–our faith is deepened by exploring these things beyond our comprehension and asking for more insight. Our “doubts” become a conversation with God about the Risen Christ and what we’re expected to do about this.

During these weeks after Easter, the reading from the Old Testament will be replaced with one from the book of the ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, in this case, 2:22-32. Here we find Peter addressing the Pentecost crowds in Jerusalem, many of whom have just heard the Gospel of Christ for the first time in their own language. “But God raised him up, having freed him from death….This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses.” Those witnesses from Crete and Rome, from Egypt and Arabia and other far-off places took the message of the resurrected Jesus back home with them, to be shared and believed in the Mediterranean world. This reading tends to be a wake-up call to us who have heard the story ten or a thousand times.

PETER (or someone writing in his name) continues this sermon at a later time in I, 1:3-9: “Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy.” Don’t analyze it, just DO it! The Church’s ministry in this world is but one more opportunity to show the treasures to be shared in the real-time presence of Christ.

The Gospel is that unique story of JOHN 20:19-31, where the friends of Jesus were gathered after the Resurrection and Jesus came to them with the breath of the Holy Spirit. All but Thomas, who’s gotten a bad rap for his”doubting” when all he wanted was to verify what he was told. Is this too good to be true? Or should he believe the wistful yearnings of the others? And do we?? What is the role of the Holy Spirit in our own expressions of “My Lord and my God!”? Far too many are neglecting their appointed ministries while they’re dithering about the perceived marks of Crucifixion.

Kathleen Long Bostrom writes in FEASTING on the WORD (A 2:376) “Whether by understanding or a lightning-bolt moment,, somewhere along the way your spirit awakened to the truth that Jesus is more than the name of someone who lived a couple thousand years ago.” Thomas-like, we weigh the words of our friends–and eventually (soon?) confess that he is truly Lord. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

You’re invited to join in the conversation about readings assigned to the upcoming weekend every Tuesday at horacebrownking.com

Golly gee, it must be Spring! Hyacinths and daffodils are blooming, birds are calling to each other and building nests, and promiscuous Bunnies are turning to chocolate in the grocery stores. Oh, and Easter, the Day of Resurrection calls believers to raptures of joy and enthusiasm. Readings for Sunday tell the timeless story to those who’ve not paid attention before…while others tune their hearts to the challenge of “So What Now?” There’re many worthy scriptures for Easter; I’ve rather randomly chosen these three.

Why not begin with JEREMIAH 31:1-6? The prophet has recently witnessed the destruction of the Temple and the carrying off of leaders to captivity in Babylon. There’s not much to sing about. Yet he absurdly calls the People to look ahead, to see the reconstruction of the Promised Land! God is going to reverse history and reclaim the impossible? “Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel!” Can this message again be preached to the war-torn, to the homeless, to the huddled masses yearning to breathe free? And if this is your God, how shall we worship and serve in a Kingdom where death doesn’t have the final word?

Paul’s team wrote to the COLOSSIANS (3:1-4) some terse words of direction for the Christian. Among them is, “Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” In other words, if you’re gonna claim to be a follower of the Risen Christ, then ACT like one.

And thus the well-told Easter message in JOHN 20:1-18. There are so many happy details to follow, but what sprang out at me just now was verse 17, where Jesus told the ecstatic Mary Magdelene, “Do not hold on to me…” Obviously on a mission, Jesus didn’t want to be detained by earthly love when he had so much to do on Heaven’s behalf. Some have assumed this encounter to indicate that only Jesus’ SPIRIT was resurrected–but no, he was as physical as you or I are. Here was one more ultimate instance of God turning the world upside-down, of reclaiming death from life, of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Despite the best attempts of powers and principalities, the world will never again be the same.

John C. Holbert writes, “Easter is about the sort of God we worship, a God who will always have the last laugh, even in the face of that old dog, death.” (FEASTING on the WORD, A 2:355) May your new life be a blessed one…

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Please join me on Tuesdays as we’re confronted by the scripture readings for the upcoming weekend–at horacebrownking.com

“Knock, Knock” “Who’s There?” Well, who IS?? Palm Sunday is a time for people of every generation to really identify the Lord, and perhaps to say who the Lord ISN’T. Someone has said that without Palm Sunday, the Gospels are merely interesting history, This weekend gives the disciple reason to express his or her belief, to acknowledge that Jesus of Nazareth is really the Lord.

Portions of PSALM 118 are traditionally part of the liturgy read today. Liturgists may well note that this psalm seems to be a collection of fragments from other Songs: ascents, blessings and thanksgiving are all included here. Verses 22 and 23 remind us that by God’s grace, we DO have a second chance. “God’s steadfast love provides the frame that gets filled in by stories of the life and death of Jesus Christ and of the people who greet him with palms and thanks and HOSHIANNA.” (Martin E. Marty, in FEASTING on the WORD, A 2:148) From what despair and gloom shall we be saved? “Save us from our own failures to follow you. Turn our worlds upside down and, this year, help us to welcome you into our lives a little more completely.” (Stephen Farris, ibid. p.151)

And then, of course, comes the traditional Entry into Jerusalem, recounted this year in MATTHEW 21:1-11. Everyone except the Roman overlords expected Messiah to come and throw off their chains. And did he ever! But just who IS he? NOT a military leader on a white horse; not an industrialist CEO; not a slick salesman telling us that everything’s gonna be all right… “The crowds were saying, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee'”. Little did they realize the permanence of the Lord in and through all of life. Jesus of Nazareth turns out to be a challenge, both spiritually and politically, to the powers and customs of an imperfect world. The whole point of this well-executed entry was to overturn the ways of the world!

We were redeemed from slavery, and given a new chance to adopt the ways of God. Through the intervening centuries God has shared the grace of Steadfast Love; each has been given a palm branch to welcome the Lord into our hearts and temples.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Come join me every Tuesday as we’re confronted by the enormity of the scriptural lessons chosen to be heard on the upcoming weekend–at horacebrownking.com

It seems right and proper, during this blustery March, to write about the Holy Breath (RUACH) of God. We visit this often, in Scriptural stories: in Creation, where God blew a holy breath into the people of mud; at Pentecost, where disciples report that they heard the “sound of a mighty wind”; and in various healing stories in the Gospels. This weekend’s scriptures remind us that God’s Grace blows into history to remove the pollutants and to assure us that a Holy Wind has come to restore and renew.

The story of the Field of Bones (EZEKIEL 37:1-14) is famous for Sunday School pageants and yields a good song, “The toe bone connected to the foot bone…” But restored Israel was still incomplete and lifeless until the prophet is commanded to call in a holy breath from the four winds–and the dead were again alive! Even when the trappings of life are taken away, Death will not have the last word. “Our earth has been fashioned into massive graveyards of dry bones….[internationally, in city streets] all those places lacking food or drink or clothing or shelter or any respect for life….Today we hear a promise only God can give.” (James A. Wallace, FEASTING on the WORD, A 2:125) The moral is that even very dry bones CAN live again, enlivened by the Breath of God.

Paul continues, “If the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.” (ROMANS 8:11) Gender issues aside, the Apostle says that all who believe may claim such breath, which is a restorative to life from the deadly collapse of What Used to Be. Some will claim that the generation of the Church is dead–but not necessarily.

And Lazarus (JOHN 11:1-45) now lives! Once safely dead, he’s called back to bemoan the trespasses of the Romans and to live the Old Life. AND to die yet again! The writer plays this story up, introducing Mary & Martha and setting the graveyard scene. Jesus seems pretty confident that his friend will come back to life, since he waited until death had done its work to visit the family at Bethany. John is the only evangelist/Gospel writer to include this, leading us to suspect that it was included here for the express purpose of encouraging his own spiritual community [the Church of 90-something AD].

This audacious claim led Edwin Hatch to write in 1878, “Breathe on me, Breath of God, so shall I never die; but live with thee the perfect life of thine eternity.” Also the poetry of Henry H, Tweedy, in 1935, “Blow, wind of God! With wisdom blow until our minds are free from mists of error, clouds of doubt, which blind our eyes to thee.” “It was never about the bones anyway,” says Dempsy R. Calhoun in FEASTING on the WORD, op. cit. p124, “Rather a glimpse of pure power A reminder of who’s in charge of restoration Real hope lies in the Source” Breathe deeply!

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Join me every Tuesday at horacebrownking.com to be challenged by the scriptural texts for the upcoming weekend