My Blog

When I’m wearing my musician hat, I’m often handed music that has some passages which are pretty tricky–at least, for me. So I’m always glad when the conductor says, “Let’s try Letter ‘K’ again”; or, if not, then I may raise my hand and ask for another run at the offending passage. Sooner or later, I get it–or at least come close! Lessons to be heard on the upcoming weekend re-assure the hearer that God is a God of Second Chances–that it’s OK to screw up and try again. And again. And again.

JOSHUA 5:9-12 is a short passage, yet a watershed moment. The Israelites have arrived at the land of Canaan, and are desert wanderers no more. From this time on, the daily manna ceased, and they were able to eat locally. God has safely brought them across the Jordan and has instituted another chance for a new people renewed and tempered by the desert. These people are given a new identity, away from the horrors of the wilderness and the hopelessness of being Egyptian slaves. Contemporary arrivals at the Land of Plenty will do well to remember the brokenness of yesterday as they celebrate that which is before them as Children of God…

The words of St. Paul as expressed in II CORINTHIANS 5:16-21 are meaty with renewal and reconciliation. What jumped out at me was the phrase, “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” “Passed away” doesn’t mean forgotten: we’re painfully aware of how we’ve missed the mark. BUT there’s hope! Hope for the wretched refuse of our surrounding community. Hope for ourselves, that we may see and be seen “differently”. A realized hope that God-in-Christ has already created a Kingdom of Renewal even within us!

LUKE’s Gospel remembrance (15:1-3, 11-32) is the familiar story of the Prodigal Son–or is it the Prodigious Father? All of us have in some way emulated the second son, wasting our resources on stuff that evaporates with tomorrow’s dawn. Can we ever go home again? YES, says the story! The Father has left the light on and the door unlocked, realizing that his wayward offspring will someday “come to himself” and shuffle brokenly home… As the song says, “There’s an empty chair at home sweet home when the world goes back on you…” God dreams of the wholeness of ALL the family, that we can function together in kindness and acceptance.

The task, then, for the Church is to tell the hurting and the hesitant that they’re important to God’s wholeness; to invite them in to the feast; to make sure that the absent know that they have a good robe waiting and the signet-ring of God. The visible kingdom isn’t perfect yet–but the Great Conductor pauses the music for a bit in order that the passage may be refined: “Once more, then, from the top!”

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Come join me at horacebrownking.com every Tuesday as we unpack the scripture to be read on the upcoming weekend.

There’s a lot of conversation lately about meaningful work. Many who were furloughed by the pandemic have found that their work schedules have been radically changed, often for the better. Some have found a new identity beyond What They Do. “What am I working for? Is this really important?” Scripture to be read during worship on the coming weekend expands our conversation about the value of Work–and the incomplete idea that our personal worth depends upon what we “do”.

ISAIAH of Babylon wrote to remind the returning “exiles” of both the nearness of YHWH and their need to prioritize God in their daily lives (55:1-9). “Why do you spend your money on that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?” Many of these exiles have sold out to the comforts of Babylon and have glossed over the divine life set out for them long ago. The prophet says that we no longer need to shop at other markets: this one has all we need–and it’s FREE! The wicked ways spoken of are those which siphon our strength and our resources and claim our devotion to the singleness of YHWH.

Our foray into I CORINTHIANS 10:1-13 can be off-putting; but remember that Paul was trying to form a community from members of many different cultures and values. So he tells some of the Exodus story, dangling it as a common bond of ethics and belief. He’s calling these folks to center on a radical life-style, rather than co-existing with old-time tradition and superstitions. These are not so much obvious evils as they are creeping temptations. In a way this is idolatry: running after bling at the expense of justice and righteousness. Casey Thompson asks, “Can the church stand against such idolatry without lapsing into it?” (FEASTING on the WORD, C 2:88)

LUKE 13:1-9 portrays a very serious Jesus, on his way to Truth & Power in Jerusalem. His rhetorical observation, “unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did”, is addressed to those who are trying to have it all, those living the Good Life while giving only a portion to God. “Repent” means to turn life/ behavior around, to rethink a plan, to go another (better) way. Some of us fast for Lent by not eating cookies or candy bars. But Jesus is telling us that our goals and self-reliance are too shallow for the Kingdom of God.

Walter Brueggemann, in his fine book of Lenten devotions, “A Way Other Than Our Own”, opines that “the crisis in the U.S. church has almost nothing to do with being liberal or conservative; it has everything to do with giving up on the faith and discipline of our Christian baptism and settling for a common, generic U.S. identity that is part patriotism, part consumerism, part violence, and part affluence.”(p.3) Since it’s the Ides of March, I can justly add, “And you??”

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Meet me at horacebrownking.com every Tuesday and together we’ll greet the Scripture Lessons assigned to be heard on the upcoming weekend…

Lent: a season between the bitterness of the Old Winter King and the balmy hope of Spring. A time to journey with Jesus toward the ultimate confrontation of power with truth. A time to understand the partial validity of the prevailing culture and to compare it with the eternal values of an alternative direction. Wesley is reported to have said that we are “a peculiar people.” Scriptures read this weekend will acknowledge our humanity even as we have been met by God.

We begin with an excursion into GENESIS 15:1-12, 17-18: Abram–no saint–is bemoaning to God his lack of descendants or family. “You have given me no offspring…” But God showed him the night-time sky, and assured him that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars! Impatient Abram is bogged down in the gloom of impossibility, yet YHWH calls him to hope in the completely unforeseen gift of ancestry. Sure. Right. But he DID have children. This text holds humanity and hope as part of who we are; we join Abram & Sarai in our own doubts and dependence.

Turning to the Epistle, we join Paul in his Letter to the PHILIPPIANS, 3:17-4:1. He contrasts the destructive life of the “enemies of the Cross of Christ”–their minds are set on earthly things–with those who live “according to the example you have in us”. Our citizenship is in heaven, and from there we are transformed into the body of Christ’s glory. (Does that mean that we don’t hafta pay taxes? Or are we refugees en route…) Paul acknowledges this spiritual battle, and volunteers himself to be a mentor to all we who struggle.

This leads us to LUKE 13:31-35, the story of “The Fox and the Lamb”. Herod Antipas was a sly sort of guy: he was allowed by the Romans to be “King” just as long as there was no trouble. Jesus WAS “trouble” for the nation and the Empire–so Herod plotted how to do him in. Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem was not merely a blind fatalism, but his trust in the ultimate goodness of God. There’s an immediacy to the Gospel which cannot be interrupted by fear of civil censure. The holiness of Jesus wished to demonstrate the desire of God to embrace and shelter all humans (even the reluctant ones) from the storms of misplaced authority.

Lent is an analogy, isn’t it? We recognize our imperfect behavior, yet resolve to become more Christ-like. Our uncomfortable stance is between hope and humanity: we know who we are, and we affirm who we can be. An analogy happened out my front window just this morning: a bleak and chilly wind blew dry leaves in all directions…and the First Robin of the year came bob-bob-bobbin’ around my neighbor’s hedge! And so, my beloved, stand firm in the Lord…

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Please join me every Tuesday as we are met by Scriptures to be read on the upcoming weekend–at horacebrownking.com

Lent is upon us. It’s a holy season for looking again at our excess baggage. Yours may be different than mine, which would include pride, success in material things, arrogance, anger…. This is an especially designated time for housecleaning: we should be doing this all year, of course, but we need a holy nudge to examine our values–and to discard those things which are not of God! Readings for this First Sunday in Lent call us to confront our bad habits and to claim that which is Godly within us.

DEUTERONOMY 26:1-11 is the proscribed annual remembrance of how the ancestors were wandering in the wilderness, yet YHWH eventually led them to a fertile land. The enumeration of the First Fruit of harvest is an acknowledgment of human need for a Divine Presence, and also a confession that we can’t design our own Promised Land. “Then you…shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house.”

The Letter to the ROMANS is Paul’s encouragement to the Citizens of the Empire to accept the Gospel–and also his laments about their slowness to do so. In 10:8b-13 we read that this Gospel is available to all the world when its people affirm it by 1) confessing that Jesus is Lord; and 2) believing in Jesus’ eternal life. Simple? NOT! To confess Jesus as Lord means to pledge full allegiance to his Kingdom by relinquishing other gods and values; f’rinstance vengeance, money or fame… I guess I’m meddlin’.

Jesus knew where to turn when he was tempted in the desert, according to LUKE 4:1-13. He had heard the Voice at his recent baptism and went to Where the Wild Things Are to work this through. Please notice that the tempting devil was internal, not Old Horns & Pitchfork of evil! Jesus was tempted to be Relevant by turning stones into bread and feeding the world’s hungry. (Nah, not enough) He was tempted to be an Enlightened Despot by showering beneficient rule to the world. (Who needs it?) And he was tempted to be Spectacular by jumping safely off the highest point in town. (But there are no supermarket tabloids yet…) [Thanks, Henri Nouwen] All of these partial successes were turned down because they would’ve stood between Jesus and God.

And us?? Are there values that sound pretty good but would inhibit a holy relationship? The really evil vices can be seen for what they are; but the powerful ones are the inner habits that indicate that we’ve sold our souls to the surrounding culture. Lord Jesus, give me strength to name you as the only God!

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Join me every Tuesday at horacebrownking.com as together we can examine the scripture to be read on the upcoming weekend.

How do you start a firefly race? Line up the participants; then somebody shouts, “Ready…Set…GLOW!” (Boy, is that an old one!) Scriptures to be read this upcoming weekend address the idea that Men Of Old glowed because they looked at the face of God–and so do we! Some folks, then and now, would like to believe this to be a scary experience, an immersion into the Holy that they’d rather avoid. Yet God keeps coming (often in a cloud) to transfigure all who bear a Godly image into a lively reflection of Grace…

EXODUS 34:29-35 tells how Moses, after receiving the tablets of the Law/10 Commandments, came down Mt. Sinai to form the Hebrews/Israelites into a community around these Laws. “The skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.” Moses was transfigured through his intimacy with God, and so shall ALL be who adhere to these basics. But some couldn’t handle the immediacy of change, so Moses donned a veil out of compassion. People of faith are called to be in intimate proximity to God.

Paul alludes to this occurrence in his Second Letter to the CORINTHIANS 3:12-18: he says that Christ alone can remove the veil which even then shielded the hearts of the Hebrews from the holiness being revealed to them. You may remember that when Jesus died the veil which shrouded the Holy of Holies from profane view was torn in two so that EVERYONE could see God face-to-face. And yet our own transformation into the image of Christ is one of gradual increments as we become more and more involved with the faithful ethics of love and justice. “And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as if reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.”

The Gospel, LUKE 9:28-43, is the well-known tale of Jesus taking Peter, James & John up the mountain of Transfiguration to pray. While there they saw him aglow as he talked with Moses and with Elijah–the Law & the Prophets–just as a holy cloud enveloped them. Again, not for the first time nor the last, a great Voice told them to pay attention to the holiness in their midst. Are there other voices that we need to block? Even though veiled by this cloud, the disciples still knew that God was present. Despite Peter’s weak attempt to preserve the moment and capture the Holy, they had to descend from the mountain to business-as-usual in the rest of the world, that is, making whole the boy who had convulsions. The passage is to read as a whole, contrasting the intention of God with the brokenness and suffering of Creation still waiting for redemption.

These readings, at face value, remind the hearers that intimacy with God changes our demeanor and disposition. They also urge those who glow only occasionally to get closer, by faith and by action. We once taught Bible-school kids a little ditty (with apologies to Spike Jones and some others): “Glow little Christian, glimmer, glimmer; Shine little Christian, shimmer, shimmer…” And there was probably more to it, but you get the idea! Get close to God, light up the rest of the world!

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Join me every Tuesday at horacebrownking.com to share the fire and the fear of readings assigned to the upcoming weekend….

Well, I screwed up, last week. Turns out that I sent the scripture lessons for THIS week by mistake. So, with little else to do, I thought we could explore the Psalm of the Day, which is PSALM 37. The Revised Common Lectionary uses only verses 1-11, plus the last two, 39 & 40. What’s with the interior voices, you ask? They’re fine, but rather repetitive; worship planners can still get the gist of the Psalm by using the verses as they appear.

Unlike many of the Psalms, this is neither a prayer nor a “song”: here we have a series of proverbs shared by an elder (or maybe God?) as Wisdom by which the righteous will prosper and the “wicked” will get theirs. “I have been young and am now grown old, and never have I seen a righteous man forsaken.” There are times when, Job-like, we grow impatient for restitution–or is it revenge?–and for the clouds to pass; but this Psalm tells us to be patient, to keep on keeping on.

Is there an incentive, then, for being faithful? “The rich get rich and the poor get children.” Am I convinced of God’s careful intervention when the Military and the Captains of Industry luxuriate with many benefits, while the rest of us campaign for a Living Wage?? Grandma told me that sinful and riotous living will eventually come back to haunt the “wicked”. Zat so?

So the task of the Psalmist is to comfort the reader by reminding said reader that God’s still in charge. Even though the vindication of the righteous isn’t yet in sight (?) God “will make your righteousness shine clear as the day and the justice of your cause like the sun at noon”. We’re told not to get all worked up by the evening news but to view the moral maelstrom with trust and expectant hope.

“Wait for the Lord and hold to [God’s] way….Deliverance for the righteous comes from the Lord, their refuge in time of trouble. The Lord will help them and deliver them; [God] will save them because they seek shelter with [God].”

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

My struggle with Scripture assigned to the upcoming weekend may be enjoined every Tuesday at horacebrownking.com

I know that I feel better when I can just let it go. Holding a grudge for the many times I’ve been criticized (sometimes rightly) or ghosted seems only to make things worse. Much of our prevailing culture is built on revenge or somehow identifying an adversary–readings for the upcoming weekend remind the hearer that forgiveness is “the better way” and that its rewards are freeing us–both complainer and those forgiven–from a prison of guilt which may/probably will eat away at our soul.

The Old Testament story is a familiar one: GENESIS 45:3-11 is the morality tale of Joseph forgiving his “evil” brothers. You may remember that Joseph was the favorite son of Jacob, and he unwisely lorded it over his older brothers, founding fathers of the Twelve Tribes. But now we find him in Egypt, having made it big in the palace of Pharoah. The brothers have come there to beg for aid in the midst of famine, not recognizing Joseph or knowing that he was in charge of the storehouses. Boy, were they surprised! But a generous Joseph said to them, “And do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.” It was necessary for God to preserve Jacob’s family in order to continue the covenant once made with Abraham. Joseph introduces a divine process in maintaining the Hebrew HolyHistory and puts the matter into God’s gracious hands as part of The Plan.

I CORINTHIANS 15:35-38,42-50 continues Paul’s exhortation to this church of diversity and many beliefs about death. He speaks of the “physical body” and then of the “spiritual body”, both of which grow by gracious plan. “Resurrection” puzzles most of the believing world, not just the ancient Corinthians! Paul contrasts the folk-belief about angels and dancing in heaven (see this morning’s obituaries) with the eternal power given even to the weak and invalid. The concept of putting off mortal ills and putting on gracious perfection deals a great deal with whether we can accept that we ARE forgiven….

LUKE 6:27-38 is more of Jesus’ “Sermon on the Plain”, a whole laundry-list of ethical behavior which is quite different from the way the world usually turns. “But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for [he] is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.” We are told to go against the prevailing “wisdom”, to row bravely against the currant. It’s not easy, least for me. Yet despite our struggles to love our enemies, God continues to love us, continues to pick us up, dry our tears and dust us off for the next encounter. The “great reward” of which Jesus speaks is not one of material wealth or even personal satisfaction, but rather one of becoming more like Jesus, “going on to perfection”.

Allen Hilton tells us that “in the moment of forgiveness, the wronged one is transformed as a critic of the world as it is to co-creator with God of a brand-new world.” (FEASTING on the WORD, C 1:367) And so is the one forgiven, despite the depth of his/her rancor! Be at peace with others, and may God help all of us to mend our bridges…

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Join me every Tuesday to examine (and be examined by) Scripture lessons assigned to be read during the upcoming weekend–at horacebrownking.com

Back in The Day, we Jr.-Hi boys would spend all our nickels at Rocky Glen Park on the old Nickelodeon machines, where you’d crank a handle and see a “racy” victorian scene: What the Butler Saw. The machines rarely worked..and were always disappointing. Scriptures read this weekend are intended to help humanity see God–or at least appreciate God’s other-ness. They deal with meeting God in a Holy Place or at the seashore. Seems God is everywhere…

ISAIAH 6:1-8 is a passage well-known to every “professional” minister. It compares the majesty of God with the human realization that we’re small imperfect creatures. Says the prophet on our behalf, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips: yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” But a messenger of the Lord touched Isaiah’s mouth with a hot coal from the altar, burning the sin away. In response, the prophet volunteered to take the divine message to the world: “Here am I; send me!” The story isn’t so much about Isaiah as it is the magnanimity of God’s Grace. The hearer is encouraged to respond in faithful reaction; but God moves first… Isaiah doesn’t heal himself, indeed he cannot; yet he acknowledges God’s might in changing his life, which is more than he can do with any resolutions.

I CORINTHIANS 15:1-11 is one of those Pauline passages emphasizing the divinity and permanence of Christ. Through a litany of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances, Paul reminds the Church of their dependence upon Grace. This tweaks our ethic of Being Good, for indeed we ARE a people of unclean lips! Our conduct is to reflect our beliefs. We walk the slippery slope leading to perfection only by Grace, realizing that our world still has brokenness, poverty and homelessness. How do we encounter the risen Lord in all of this??

The billboard reads, “You catch ’em, I’ll clean ’em!”–referring, I suppose, to LUKE 5:1-11. And the message about making James, John & Peter “fishers of humans” is indeed worthy. But there’s more to this story: here is Immanuel (God With Us) being recognized by the crowd and needing a better podium from which to teach about the Kingdom of God. Does the immense catch of fish serve as a reward to Peter for the rental of his boat? or is the point of the tale Peter’s confession of his own shortcomings…? Yet another life being changed by the perception of God!

Unlike the balky nickelodeon machines, the vision of the Holy never disappoints. God seems to like being seen, although we rarely appreciate the holy vision until it appears. This season of Epiphany is created to point to the places where we can point to God! Where will the Lord show up today?

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Every Tuesday I’m privileged to stand in awe of scripture to be read on the upcoming weekend: join me at horacebrownking.com

Most days I say with the helpless, “The Ocean is wide, and my boat is so small…!” It’s a daunting challenge to be prophetic: to speak truth to power, to address the idols. Scripture to be read this weekend is meant to assure the timid and to demonstrate God’s undying hopefulness in even the smallest and self-admitted little ones rising to a point of speaking the Kingdom of Righteousness.

This call of JEREMIAH ( 1:4-10) gives us some insight as to how God’s Word grabs us, ready or not. Young Jeremiah danced around a lot, giving reason (“Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy”) for avoiding this call. “Nonsense,” says God, “don’t be afraid.” But calls from God ARE scary: “You want me to WHAT?” We do not choose God, rather God chooses us, usually involuntary and beyond our skill-level. The phrase, “nations and kingdoms” goes beyond the tribal worship of the Hebrews–which may have been uncomfortable. George H. Martin reminds us that “no matter how far we may go from the call of God, no matter how many reasonable excuses we may offer, God is there watching out for us and even giving us words to say.” (FEASTING on the WORD, C 1:294)

I CORINTHIANS 13 is a cute text for weddings, but it really doesn’t have anything to do with eros! The Hebrews have a word for it, HESED; this steadfast love of God is always in effect despite our proclivity to run after the imperfect and the perishable. Paul is asking this diverse congregation, “Is this how you live? Do you value your neighbor as loved by God?” We don’t create love, we can only receive it… Old and young together are called to announce a more perfect way.

LUKE 4:22-30 continues what we began last week, where Jesus visits his hometown synagogue and all the folks marvel at his wisdom and grace. He shoulda stopped there; but God never lets things rest. When we say, “Don’t go there!”, God always does! Jesus reminded the self-righteous that there were others outside the tribe that God helps. They didn’t like that, and were going to throw him off the cliff; but God wasn’t done with him/them yet. Jesus had challenged the pre-conceived idol of “We’re In, They’re Out.” Moreover, he had announced a God for everyone, no matter how negligible they feel.

So don’t be afraid! God doesn’t care whether the Prophet is too young, too old, too tired, too unlike those around her. “Beyond the box” is where vaccines, symphonies and computer chips come from. “Beyond the Box” is where God is leading. You’ll be sustained and comforted: don’t be afraid!

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

I invite you to be struck by God’s presence as we look at scriptures to be read on the upcoming weekend. Join me every Tuesday at horacebrownking.com

Is it just me, or are all the folks around me feeling despair? We’re in the midst of this tiresome pandemic that seems to have no end. Lawmakers are jousting over voting rights, an issue that I thought was resolved long ago. There are hungry people and homeless. Our tax-money is spent on “defense”, which means intimidating other nations. Worshipers this weekend will join their forebears in yearning for a word of hope…and receiving biblical words to sustain and encourage, across the generations.

The Exiles in Babylon remembered their homeland and the grandeur of the Temple. Now they were given a chance to go home and luxuriate in its glories again! Not. Fortunately King Artaxerxes of Persia sent two good leaders, Ezra the priest and NEHEMIAH the governor, to oversee what turned into a reclamation project. We read from NEHEMIAH 8:1-10 about how Ezra gathered all the people into Watergate Square and read to them The Law, probably the Book of Deuteronomy. He hoped to re-gather the people into a community surrounding and nurtured by the Law of God; and it seems to have worked. Remorseful, these people wept and despaired of ever getting right with YHWH–but Ezra & Company told them that “this day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” The Law didn’t condemn them, rather it freed them in hope to be God’s chosen! No matter how unraveled their lives and land had become, here was a spot for a new beginning. A holy hope includes enjoying God’s extravagant gifts…

The reading from I CORINTHIANS is a long one: Paul is assuring a diverse congregation (12:12-31a) that each member has a special gift, which may differ from that of others but is just as important. Some had evidently been wounded by others who bragged about their “specialness”. Paul exhorts them to see that each has a unique place in the Church and that here can be found an authentic community formed around the ministries assigned by Jesus the Christ.

In LUKE 4:14-21, we read about Jesus’ homecoming at Nazareth, where he had grown up. He read from Isaiah about the Messiah being anointed to heal the broken–all well and good–but then he told them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled…” He HAD heard God’s voice affirming Jesus’ mission; he HAD come through a desert-experience of introspection and vocational understanding–so why wouldn’t he announce his role in “the acceptable year of the Lord.”? But do we walk in his footsteps, maintaining our own roles? Can we also speak good news to the poor and new beginnings for the wounded?

All of these words of life remind us that the time is now–today–to reject the selfishness and scramble which tears society apart, and remember that God’s Holy Spirit gives us the means and presence to change the world. Take up the challenge?

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Please join me every Tuesday in exploring the scriptural lessons to be read on the upcoming weekend: at horacebrownking.com