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“‘What is Truth?’ said jesting Pilate, and would not stay for an answer.” I commend to you the entire essay by Sir Francis Bacon, for it explores this commodity more thoroughly than most of us half-baked preachers could. So if you think I’m gonna tackle the question, stop reading right now, ’cause I’m not… However, being that Trinity Sunday is coming this weekend, the readings presented are attempts to elucidate the role of God’s Holy Spirit within the lives and practices of those in the pew.

In the Book of PROVERBS, 8:1-4, 22-31, God’s Spirit is presented as “Wisdom”, a very potent view of that which is to fill us, and “wise us up”. Here Wisdom is a creative side of God that set the Universe in balance and defeated chaos. “My cry is to all that live….(for I am) delighting in the human race.” Wisdom is seen in both dark places as well as those of light, offering a depth to living so much beyond the shallows of voyeurism and greed. John Calvin has said, “There is no spot in the universe wherein you cannot discern at least some sparks of (Wisdom’s) glory.” (from the”Institutes…”)

The Epistle reading is five short (!) verses in ROMANS, 5:1-5. The passage ends with “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” Most of the world’s religious thought involves a vague appreciation of a natural order; but St. Paul corrals this into a baptism by which holiness and beauty are funneled into our very being by an outflowing love that is still creating! Evidently our transformation is delivered to us daily, saturating us with grace. Michael Jinkins poetically says, “We track it into every room in our lives and out into the world.” (FEASTING on the WORD, C 3:42)

JOHN’s Gospel, 16:12-15, still recalls Jesus and his close friends at the Last Supper. The Lord is trying to lift the disciples’ gloom by promising a “living replacement”–“When the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” The idea of Truth is more than facts & dates, but is a sense of ethics and morality and justice as unpacked by Jesus. John’s projected community is one that will reflect Jesus’ intense care and ministry.

ElizabethAnn can sit in her rocker and tell us solemnly that “that’s the truth”–but Elizabeth Ann is only five years old. We who are slightly older know that Truth is but a gadfly, with many interpretations and many expressions. Steve Shussett has commented (ibid., page 30) that “On the road of life there are innumerable occasions for us to stand at the corner of ‘Mystery’ and ‘Mundane’ and see God at work in the course of an ordinary day.”

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

You are invited to join me every Tuesday in wrestling with the scripture readings to be heard during the upcoming weekend: horacebrownking.com

Pentecost. Not merely the season which extends from Resurrection-tide until Advent, Pentecost celebrates the Church in action. Most of the readings during this half-year period tell of how the disciples worked with God to extend systems of belief through the Roman world. They also are analogies for what’s expected of contemporary disciples as we attempt to extend the Christian message throughout the known world by means of mercy and witness, worship and acts of kindness & justice. Those hearing this message during the upcoming weekend may well find their lives enriched by the Spirit of God speaking to them in whatever language they choose.

The Old Testament story is that of the Tower of Babel, GENESIS 11:1-9. You probably remember how the people of earth spoke one language (Aramaic?) and decided to play God by building a tower to reach the heavens. (Similar to a pyramid or ziggurat, I suppose.) The Heavenly Host perceived this as an affront to their territory, so “they” came down to confuse their language and separate the people into tribes and nations. Some have pointed out that this project was disobedient in its concept of “us-first”, a re-visitation of Original Sin by stressing the ego. Current Towers have included–but are not limited to–border walls and repressive ethnic ghettoes and imminent domain and reservations…

Contrast this with the Pentecost story told by Luke in ACTS 2:1-21. The Holy Spirit showed herself to the gathered tribes and nations, and this time EVERYbody understood! This happily chaotic scene seems to resonate with our ideas of the Heavenly: lots of action, lots of sound and lots of mutually understandable sharing. “Pentecost represents the inbreaking of God’s purposes for all humanity, bringing humanity together in understanding, despite their differences.” (Michael Jenkins, in FEASTING on the WORD, C 3:16) We no longer have to distrust the Others who speak strangely. Are we not one people?

JOHN’s Gospel could well be read in two small segments, 14:15-17 and 14:25-27. Set within the Last Supper, these include Jesus’ advisement that the Holy Spirit would come to stand with them and to encourage them in their missionary activity. This Spirit will enable the hearers of the ancient story to know what this story means now to them and their neighbors. This Spirit will establish a community that will offer release to the captives and empower its members to speak to the excesses of empire.

“We are children of Pentecost and children of Babel. We long for the ideal of Pentecost, but we revisit the comfort and predictability of Babel.” (Douglas M. Donley, ibid., C 3:6) And Jeff Paschal adds, “(Ours) is a God who, with a word, may decide to scatter our neat existential architectural drawings to the wind and blow our carefully planned lives into something we had never imagined.” (ibid, C 3:7) Dear friends, get your sails ready!

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Please join me every Tuesday to wrestle with lessons assigned to the upcoming weekend–at horacebrownking.com.

“How long should we wait?” for the professor who’s late to class. “How long should I wait?” for the red light to turn green? “How long should she wait?” for the love letter which never came? Scriptures to be read on the upcoming weekend seem to be just for me and those of you who think your computer is slow when it doesn’t boot for ten whole seconds… But impatience is part of the human condition: we want the kingdom to be established ASAP, even though our vision may have shrunk to a political revolution.

On Ascension, we should really look at this intermission between Easter and Pentecost as described by the author of Luke: LUKE 24:44-53 and ACTS 1:1-11 should be seen together as the holy history of Jesus’ leaving his disciples. Without this sense of abandonment the Church would have never gotten off the ground. (What have I said??) Left looking into the heavens would be our only hobby, to the neglect of the wounded and lonely in our care on earth. As the Confession says, “We happily ignore the needy and neglect the Gospel while we contemplate your coming again.”

And so we wait nearby for the Holy Spirit. Jesus told his followers to stay where they are until empowered–always difficult for me. “Let’s go! What’re we waiting for?!” But sometimes our mixture has to cook for a while until it becomes soup! God proposes not to raise a chosen clan or individual to the glory-days of imagined ancestry but to create bearers of that Kingdom yet unfolding…

Also associated with the Ascension is EPHESIANS 1:15-23– the author is expressing a hope for the development of God’s Kingdom in good time. “I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of this great power.” As. You. Come to know him…

Why DO you look into the heavens? Curiosity; maybe there’re shooting stars? Checking the weather by the clouds? Getting direction and a sense of balance from the fixed stars? Watching for Jesus’ return? All well & good–but our vision must include earthly needs and holy ministry also.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Come every Tuesday to join in a discussion of scripture to be read on the upcoming weekend, at horacebrownking.com

When I was younger, I was considered a stick-in-the-mud. Now that I’m Old, I’m merely Set In My Ways. Truth is, I’ve always been an alien to change. Scripture texts to be heard this upcoming weekend remind us that the Church is always on the move, that there’s no real reason to be comfortable with the way things are. Sages tell us that the only sure things are death and taxes; we might well add to those the idea that Church changes are inevitable. It’s difficult for me to admit this.

The reading from the ACTS of the Apostles, 16:9-15, continues the story of Paul’s travels. Like a good salesman, Paul & his team were always looking for new territory to develop. Convinced that Christianity was available to Gentiles as well as Jews, he had lingered on the west coast of Asia Minor (today’s Turkey) and awaited a sign to proceed. So we hear about God’s vision to Paul and his subsequent meeting with Lydia and her friends. The Church was again expanding, changing its shape yet again. The entirety of Acts is the acknowledgment that the waves of the Gospel message rippled out from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.

The verses from REVELATION (21:10; 21:22-22:5) tell of another visionary experience given to John of Patmos: “he showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God…” Not only does the Kingdom prevail over current empires (which will attempt to strike back) but will exceed our earthly expectations and human boundaries. No status quo for the Heavenly, God actively plans to break into our complacency with holy light and life.

The Gospel encounter explores Jesus’ farewell words with his closest friends (JOHN 14:23-29). Here he promises that the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, will be sent from God to both teach and uphold, to illumine and to strengthen. Although Jesus himself will be on the move, the family he leaves behind will continue his mission into “unharvested fields”. The terms Home & Family sound like putting down roots, but this is far from what early disciples did! Thomas supposedly went to India, Philip went to Azotus, Peter went to Rome… Where will the Spirit send US?

One of the finest sermons I remember was preached at a Baccalaureate occasion for the Cooperstown High School. The preacher called it “Marching Off the Map”, and he called on graduates to keep on keeping on. He suggested that on ancient maps there were legends such as “Here Be Monsters”, which kept cautious seamen near home and served to discourage exploration. To be sure, the unfamiliar IS scary; there could be monsters lurking just over the horizon. BUT the disciple is urged to tighten her belt and move toward the ends of the earth–the universe?–under the guidance of God’s Spirit. Help me, Lord, to welcome Change.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

The lections for the coming weekend and I wrestle every Tuesday at horacebrownking.com…join us?

In the days of TV Ranch Club, it was much easier to tell who’s in and who’s out. The Good Guys wear white hats and the Bad Guys wear black hats. Simple. Then I grew older and learned about Grace… Does God really include Those Guys?? Scriptures heard at worship during the upcoming weekend will remind those who know they’re IN that the pool is wider than they thought; and also invite those who think they’re OUT to come closer.

Why oh why does the Book of the ACTS of the Apostles repeat the story of Peter’s roof-top vision (11:1-18)? Probably because this was a hot-button issue for the early Church–is Christian discipleship only for practicing (circumcised) Jews, or is it a world-religion that just may include foreigners with strange customs and ethics? The Voice of God reminds us through the centuries that Creation was pronounced “good”, and who are we to say otherwise?? Called on the carpet by his critics, The Rock answered with a story of grace, completely downplaying his own role/theology. Lewis Mudge says that “Peter could truthfully say that he did not take the initiative in any of this. The vision CAME to him. He was called by others to come, heal, preach, and baptize. God was speaking through him.” (FEASTING on the WORD, C 2:452)

Ah, the REVELATION (21:1-6)! I like to use this passage at funerals, it tells of a holiness and serene comfort too great to be confined to Heaven. The author indicates that God is not somewhere on a cloud far off, but as near as our breath. “…the home of God is among mortals….God [himself] will be with them.” Just as the “sheet” with all manner of living creatures was presented to Peter, so the New Jerusalem will be spilled over and across the Old Earth changing it forever! That which God created–those of all races, colors and gender identification–should never be judged by human standards. Anybody new for your congregation?

JOHN 13:31-35: what is “glorification”? Jesus implies that it refers to his final moments, when even thieves may come next to him and receive Light. The reader should mention that the scene has shifted back to the Last Supper, just as Judas is leaving to do his worst. “Now” means that things have changed, that there’s no return to the Old Ways. And the “New Commandment” is recognition that in this New Order there can be no more discrimination, only Love for the Other. This indeed will show the heavenly splendor now in force upon Earth.

These days of Eastertide have been filled with exhortations to see the Risen Christ and to let a waiting world see that we have indeed seen. Beginning at home, the Church is implored to espouse inclusion of all who’re willing–which may well involve exercises of love and tolerance within our personal worldview. “A change of heart comes when one sees the Spirit at work in the stories of strangers, recognizing in them the same Spirit that is working in one’s own life.” (Mudge, ibid.)

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Scripture to be read on the upcoming weekend confronts me every Tuesday; please join me at horacebrownking.com

One of the lasting marks of the COVID plague is loneliness: most of us feel in some way excluded from the rest of the herd. Sure, there’s ZOOM and other social media–but it’s just not the same as interacting with the rest of you flesh’n’blood humans. Scriptures to be heard on the upcoming weekend tell tales of how the COMMUNITY of Jesus rallied for healing and support. I often need to be reminded that I’m not alone, that there are others who dare proclaim Life in the face of Death.

In Luke’s account of The ACTS of the Apostles, 9:36-43, we hear about Peter’s bringing an Easter message to Joppa in the raising of Tabitha from the dead. Although Peter and Tabitha are the main characters, the story is really about the faithful community of Jesus’ disciples who were not content with The Way Things Are, and who pressed forward to bring life and wholeness. These good folks understood that illness and brokenness are not in the blueprint of Creation, and joined in mutual support to proclaim that.

REVELATION 7:9-17 tells about the great community of Heaven, banded together in praise: “there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages…” Does this mean that even “those other people” are included within Jesus’ community? (But I sometimes fear those who live on the other side of the mountain.) Here is the fulfillment of Creation’s promise–always diverse, yet united around the Lamb. Like the author, we too are compelled to announce this Happy Ending; all of us/them have come through a great ordeal…

JOHN 10:22-30 is a rather enigmatic passage–don’t get lost in detail. Like all of this gospel, the worldly authorities (the Jewish Temple leaders) here oppose the Kingdom of Heaven in a power struggle meant to preserve the Old Ways and also their own skins… Jesus uses the metaphor of the sheep who know his voice/presence/leadership, and the rest who are not yet members of this community. (By the time this gospel was inscribed, several cells of Jesus-followers were functioning, and the Temple/Judaism had been recently destroyed.) More than interesting history, this passage should help the hearers renew their own understanding of the strength of the Jesus community and proclaim Easter by their stance and service.

Family is important. We have an inborn need to be with like-minded people, to affirm our own names. Easter People are urged to experience the common dependency and give’n’take of the Body of Christ at worship and in mission.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Please join me every Tuesday to explore the lessons assigned to worship during the upcoming weekend; horacebrownking.com

On these days just beyond Easter, gentle reader, we may well ask, “What’s it to me?” How do we resume our vocations/occupations having known the Risen Christ? Some will want to bury Jesus away again until, say, just before Christmas; others will shrug their shoulders and plan a nice cruise. Many of us will hopefully continue to acknowledge the presence of Christ in our regular pursuits and devises. Readings for the upcoming weekend express our quest for active discipleship: hear their depth.

The story often told in ACTS 9:1-6 is that of Saul/Paul being divinely apprehended on his way to Damascus–the local Big City–to identify and arrest the followers of Jesus. But a blinding light struck him, and he cried out, “Who are you, Lord?” And his life was forever changed. We’ll never know exactly what Saul/Paul saw with his Inner Eye, yet he recognized that Jesus was the antidote for chaotic thinking and mischief-making. Where, we might ask, have you recognized the scheme of life? Has there been an AHA-moment when our cultural blindness has yielded to the risk of Holy Illumination?

At first blush, the passage from REVELATION 5:11-14 seems pretty bland…but it’s not. All Creation, from sea-urchin to Elder, recognizes the worthiness of God and sings praises to Jesus (“the Lamb”)! The complete title of the book is “The Revelation of Jesus Christ”; and the content goes on to lift up the alternative between our daily scrabblings in the ephemeral dust and an eternal presence that makes sense of all things. The recognition of the resurrected Jesus as Lord turns upside-down the hollow power of subjection and hoarding.

I love the story in the postscript of JOHN, vv.1-14, for its laid-back humor and also the slowness of other disciples to recognize their Best Friend. Peter tells the others that he’s going back to what he knows best, that is, fishing. The rest of the gang goes with him, mostly because they have nothing else to do (yet). And there’s Jesus on the beach! “Catch anything? Try the other side! The OTHER side! Oy vey…”) After the Resurrection, it’s ALWAYS the Other Side. “There is no longer any escape. Wherever they go, the Lord will be with them. The ordinary and routine will no longer be either ordinary or routine.” (Gary D. Jones, FEASTING on the WORD, C 2:422) The Gospel begins and ends knee-deep in fish for those who recognize Jesus…

This message “engages our theological imaginations in ways that are distinct and troubling, uniquely confronting our worlds of common sense in its attempt to reveal hidden realities…” (Erik M. Heen, ibid., p.414) Maybe we shoulda told you this at the beginning–but when you recognize Jesus, your lives will have different values.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Join me every Tuesday that the electric lines are intact to explore and be confronted by scripture which will be read on the upcoming weekend.

Since many of us will not have a formal service of the Easter Vigil on Saturday, I’ve chosen to explore these stated lectionary readings for the day. In Olden Days, churches would have the sanctuary open all night, on Easter eve, remembering Christ in the tomb. These would often conclude with bonfires before dawn, presaging the warmth of the holiness of Easter. It’s fitting for contemporary Christians to do something “different” between Crucifixion and Resurrection which might honor both the prevalent sadness/despair and the coming glory. Just when we felt abandoned, God tells us that it’s not over yet!

The long Old Testament reading, EXODUS 14:10-31, recalls the desperation of the recently escaped Israelites from slavery in Egypt: they had marched into the wilderness with Moses, and were now caught between the Red Sea/Sea of Reeds and the chariots of angry Egyptians. So what’s your plan, Moses? God, where ARE you?? So Moses raised his staff and the waters parted for the Israelites, but came back on the pursuing Egyptian army….drowning them all (or was it baptism?). Beyond approaching death was new life, at least for the Good Guys. God evidently wasn’t done yet.

Paul tells the ROMANS (6:3-11) that the only way to Life is through the portals of Death. This is an unpleasant passage, and we tend to soft-pedal it; yet beyond dying is the reality of Easter! “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” And so we keep vigil, with the expectation that the dawn will bring Good News: the opposite of Death. People begin to taste real life when they can sacrifice their selfish control–even their breathing–to wholly embrace God as seen in Jesus. As we recognize Christ’s life in us, we also become aware of a deeper integrity within us: compassion for the down ‘n ‘out, and an empathy with those struggling for righteousness.

The Gospel is LUKE’s account of the first Easter morning, 24:1-12. Although Jesus had announced his resurrection to them, his friends weren’t really expecting much. These women came looking for his dead body, bringing with them spices to anoint the dead. But the question for us all is, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” They all thought that their meaningful living was through–but again God said, “Not Yet Done!”

J. Michael Krech notes, “As the crossing of the [Red?] Sea marked Israel’s passage from slavery in Egypt to service of the true and living God, so does Christ’s resurrection open the way for the Christians’ journey from death to life.” (FEASTING on the WORD, C 2:333) Autobiographical note: I’m scared beyond words of the Egyptian chariots and the looming cross. Maybe you are too. As pilgrims through this barren land, it’s good to hear a cheerful Voice saying, “Not Done Yet!”

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

You’re invited to join me every Tuesday as we explore upcoming scriptures: at horacebrownking.com

Spoiler alert: this morning’s blog will not be about rock music, nor will it have to do with Mick Jagger & Co. It WILL be about Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, about the expectant crowd who cheered the new Messiah, and about Jesus’ oneness with the Center of the Universe, even the stones which lined the road and defined the Temple. Since it’s Palm Sunday, many congregations will also add the entire Passion Story. This week is a fulfillment of the conflict that goes on even today: that of divinity and trueness running into the brick wall of Business as Usual.

The prologue is PSALM 118:19-29: a Song of Ascents, to be sung while climbing Mt. Zion and approaching the Temple. “The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone…. blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” The “builders”–profit, temporary power, not rocking the boat–continue to reject the ways of peace, justice and righteousness. Who would base a society on that?? And yet, the “blocks of the Temple” are scattered in each generation, shouting out for God’s reconstruction, making perfection out of the imperfect… “God indeed works through materials that many prudent architects of society would reject.” (Mark W.Stamm, FEASTING on the WORD, C 2:151)

The Gospel is the familiar story as remembered by LUKE 19:28-40. This story contains many significant parts which inform our approach to Holy Week; today I’d like to focus on the very end, where Jesus remarked, “I tell you, if these [disciples] were silent, the stones would shout out.” (see Habakkuk 2:11) The Powers and Principalities were trying to shush those who recognized the Prince of Peace, the harbinger of justice and righteousness. Governments and businesses still try to “win” at all costs–Jesus rides through them all. Some will try to silence this Good News–and may, for a while–but God’s Messenger(s) will triumph and claim the foundations of the Kingdom.

One day it’s warm & sunny, the next it’s cold & rainy. Spiritually, too. But have patience. Raise a loud cry, for God is yet in charge! With Zephaniah (3:14) we “Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel!…. the Lord your God is in your midst!”

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Every Tuesday we meet with Scripture to be read on the upcoming weekend; please join us at horacebrownking.com

If it ever gets warm again, we’ll soon see the signs of what we’ve been anticipating for so long: garage sales! It’s good to foist off on your neighbors all the junque you’ve collected. (Why not? Your kids don’t want that stuff.) Lent is the season for downsizing, both your miscellany and your spiritual baggage that keeps you from traveling light with Jesus. Scripture passages heard on this upcoming weekend address our proclivity to hoard and our bondage to the Old and Predictable.

ISAIAH 43:16-21 is an exhortation to the Babylonian Exiles to let go of the Old and move toward the New. “Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?”, says YHWH. The New Thing, of course, was the restoration of Israel–first by making a direct road through the desert to the Promised Land; and second, by restoring the purity and righteousness of “the people whom I formed for myself so that they might declare my praise”. Centuries later, this People is STILL trying to escape the pleasurable snares of Babylon…

PHILIPPIANS 3:4b-14 is often read as a polemic for the “Christian way” against the stifling laws of Judaism. So what have we done? Created lots of fine print and footnotes to stifle those who really want to believe but can’t find the righteousness (?) to come in from the cold! Anyway, what St. Paul is doing is reminding the Good People of Philippi and the ensuing Christian Church that it’s OK to discard old habits and old rituals on the way to Perfection. Bishop Kenneth Carter said in an old Circuit Rider (July/August 2003!) that “A vital church is always an adventure of sacrifice and grace, a journey into sacrifice, into weakness, that is also a pilgrimage into the grace of God.” Paul continues, “Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own…”

The Gospel is JOHN’s retelling of a story that appeared in a different setting in the Synoptics (12: 1-8). This narrative is set in the home of Lazarus, Martha & Mary in Bethany, on the eve of Palm Sunday. Lazarus had just recently tasted death & resurrection (chapter 11) and Jesus was about to taste both. At dinner, Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with a very expensive perfume, and wiped them with her hair. A sign of love? Sure! A sign of the New Thing coming? Why not?! Only the best for him who would turn the world upside-down with a demonstrable abundance.

Still the little people hoard their money and stuff. Still violence and treachery masquerade as diplomacy. Still the maxim we’re taught is, “Nice guys finish last”. Walter Brueggeman paints a picture, “We stand there pulled in both directions and sense the enormous ambiguity of our life, wishing to care and be generous but wanting also to be selfish and have it our own way.” (A WAY OTHER THAN OUR OWN, p.86) Lent invites us to identify what’s important–and to throw the rest away! It’s OK! God loves a clean house!

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Join me every Tuesday to be examined by scripture to be read during worship on the upcoming weekend: at horacebrownking.com