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The fella next to me at chorus rehearsal let go with a humongous sneeze.  After the laughter,  I politely said, “God Bless You!”   To which he replied, “Name Dropper!”  In our post-Christian age, many folks omit the “God”-part; yet I have a suspicion that lots of  people still crave the notion of being blessed by God.  Scriptures for the upcoming weekend address this desire for “pleasing” God and courting–and accepting–God’s blessing.

Micah 6:1-8 is a familiar passage, especially to us social-action types.  God lists the saving acts of  Hebrew holy-history, and wonders what more can be done to attract the people’s loyalty.  God is disappointed that the faith-community hasn’t yet established a society which reflects liberty and justice for all.  Well, what can I do about it?  Appease an angry tribal deity with mountains of burnt offerings, with rivers of oil?  NO!  “[God] has told you, O mortal, what is good; what does the Lord require of you but (all together, now)  to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”  Well??  Can we claim this blessing or not?

I Corinthians 1:18-31 is as most Pauline passages, a gold mine of preachable/liveable  nuggets, blessings in themselves.  The line that jumped out at me is v.30, “[God] is the source of your life…”  Paul then maintains that Christ Jesus himself is holy wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption.  A study of these could coalesce into a weekend retreat or a series of mid-week messages.  The challenge may well be to bring these blessings into current time as well as in antiquity.  This is in the season after Epiphany because today’s recipient could well spring to her feet and shout “AHA!”

Look, when reading the Beatitudes, Matthew 5:1-12, we’ve gotta come up with something deeper than “Happy”!  These Blessings are not blandly saying, “Oh, well; things will be OK, bye-and -bye; buck up.”  No, Jesus is calling us to acknowledge a Godly presence which even now is sparking divinity within us, even in the midst of mourning for righteousness and mercy, even though we know ourselves to be poor in spirit.  This beatific presence allows us to live in the world calmly offering an alternative to despair and cynicism.

During the recent gift-giving season, we emulated the Magi in our better moments by bestowing on others some token of affirmation and worth.  We read these lessons to publicly note that God has given and continues to give rich slabs of holiness with an echo of Peace on Earth, Good Will to All.

God Bless Us, Every One                                Horace Brown King

My diary of being challenged by scripture lessons for the upcoming weekend can be found every Tuesday at this spot on Facebook; or at horacebrownking.com

Richard F. Ward gives us some questions to guide our exploration of this weekend’s lessons–“How does rhetoric measure up to an arms race?  How can a God whose people are held captive or victims of violence dare to promise the restoration of an order of justice?  How can the community of faith we call the church hear the Servant’s message when the secular culture that holds it captive considers its witness banal or a ‘waste of time’? These are questions that the church takes up during Epiphany.”  (FEASTING on the WORD, A 1:247)

In Isaiah 49:1-7 we’re told that God has polished a wonderful arrow and hidden it in his quiver until just the right time.  Some will see the birth of Jesus as “the right time”; but IMHO the Servant is the greater community of faith–the Jewish People of the Exile AND the unfolding entity which we call the Church today.  The Servant is being prepared (“polished”) to point out the Light “to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”  There is nowhere God’s salvation doesn’t reach!

Paul tells the Corinthians (I 1:1-9) that they’re perfectly prepared for any eventuality:  “for in every way you have been enriched in [Jesus], in speech and knowledge of every kind….so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift…”  This is an important understanding through the ages–we become enriched by Grace, not our own spiritual acrobatics.  Paul fills most of this First Corinthian letter with instances of how this treasure sparkles, especially as contrasted to the fool’s gold of materialism, ambition and pride of place.  The message is to celebrate what has already been received and to be empowered by the ongoing revelation of divine justice and mercy.

“What are you looking for?”, Jesus asked the seekers (John 1:38).  But they had already been set up by John the Baptizer who had publicly pointed out Jesus, “Here is the Lamb of God”.  And the story should include John as a major character who has perceived the Savior as embodying “the polished arrow” tucked away in God’s arsenal.  Yet if the Servant of Isaiah is the Whole People of God, the early disciples and later apologists and still later bearers of light to those who can’t even tell that they’re afflicted must take heart and receive the Good Gifts in order to carry them to the next stop.

I commend to you the movie of some years back, “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”.  You may remember that having survived many dangers through an appreciation of the Holy, Indiana & entourage arrived at the repository of the Sacred Chalice, guarded by an ancient knight who was all too ready to pass on the opportunity.  The Holy Grail was an unadorned wooden cup, remarkably plain when next to the glitter of its competitors.  Many powers and principalities do not recognize treasure, even when they trip over it.  The Servant Community has the mandate to reveal the hidden…or rather to believe that God continues to dig up the treasure even in the strangest places.

God Bless Us, Every One

My reception of scripture lessons assigned to the upcoming weekend can be found every “Tuesday” at this spot on Facebook; or at horacebrownking.com

Preachers & liturgists will have a choice, this weekend:  to present the Second Sunday of Christmas, or to skip a day to the Epiphany.  Since the church at which I’m to preach is following the Epiphany scheme, and since the following week plunges directly into the Baptism of Jesus, I’ve decided to look at the Epiphany lections.   This is the Season of Light, celebrating those AHA! moments when the lightbulb of recognition goes on, when  holiness breaks into our drab post-holiday world.  Secular Christmas promises so much; and realizes so little.  Here’s an antidote.

We begin with a marvelous poem attributed to Third (post-exile) Isaiah, 60:1-6.  “Arise, shine, FOR YOUR LIGHT HAS COME, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon YOU!”  This isn’t a prescient prophecy of the Messiah, but rather a joyous proclamation to all of Zion that God is still ready to break in with renewed hopes and dreams.  The Jewish Publication Society translates verse 5 as “As you behold, you will glow…”  God’s dream, then, is to create a community of glow-ers?  The whole People will burn with holy light:  “Their radiance is essential to any bright future of God’s own imagining.  If they hope to sit on the sidelines while someone else shines instead of them, then they have missed their central role in God’s vision.”  (Barbara Brown Taylor, FEASTING on the WORD, A 1:199)

The opening verse of Ephesians 3:1-12 speaks about Paul’s defining moment, a moment we all need when we (at last) can say, “Oh!  THAT’s why!”  The mystery of Christ, to over-simplify, is the uniting of all humans in the Divine Light which shines over and within them.  The Church Universal is the pipeline through which this light engages the movers ‘n’ shakers of our society:  “Through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”  And of course some places which aren’t so heavenly…

We can’t have Epiphany without providing for the entrance of the Wisemen.  Whoever they were.  However many there might have been.  The Isaiah passage makes reference to camels bringing the Wealth of the Nations, maybe that was their mode of arrival.  Our glamorized traditions have distorted the story a bit–it may be good to re-read Matthew 2:1-12.  Tom Troeger points out that before they presented their gold/frankincense/ myrrh they gave the most important gift of all, themselves!  Can it be that the people who recognize Jesus as Lord ARE the “Wealth of the Nations”?

Barbara Brown Taylor wraps it nicely for us:  “There is no contradiction between proclaiming the epiphany of the Lord and the epiphany of the Lord’s People….He comes to set other people on fire, not to burn like a torch all on his own….People glow with God’s light because God is present with them, not because of anything they have done to secure that presence for themselves….Today Christ’s kin get to behold his glow until they glow themselves. They get to pass the gold and frankincense around as if it belonged to the whole family.”  (op.cit.)

God Bless Us, Every One                             Horace Brown King

My ruminations over scripture readings assigned to the upcoming weekend can be found every Tuesday at this spot on Facebook; or at horacebrownking.com

Christmas is that bright spot in the depth of the year when we dare affirm that the surrounding dark has only limited power over our spirits.  Granted, there are several more weeks of chill to come–yet having visited the manger we find direction home even though the road be gloomy.  Bishop Reuben P. Job reminds us, “But the enormous truth of Christmas rests in the revelation of God’s self to humankind.  At last we can talk about God in terms we understand, human terms.  Because of Jesus,, we can make sense of our lives and understand more fully who we are and where we are going.”  (A GUIDE TO PRAYER…, P.47)

We begin with a shout-out from Isaiah, bringing vital hope within the acknowledgement that there’s a sense of God’s alone-ness in the quest for justice and righteousness (63:7-9).  This is not done long-distance:  “it was no messenger or angel but [GOD’S] PRESENCE that saved them.”  This is a welcome reminder that even in our secular despair of shredded wrapping paper comes a call back to remember that God continues to enter our daily endeavors.  Christmas is our annual reminder that there is a purpose and plan in an ongoing Creation.

Hebrews 2:10-18 seems quite heavily into suffering, relating Jesus’ earthly life to being in the atonement role of the high priest.  The author is affirming the unity of God with the People who go from one persecution to another.  Tevye, in FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, says something to the effect that Jewish tribes are always running somewhere, that’s why we wear these funny little hats…  “For it is clear that [Jesus] did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham.  Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect….”  Christmas then means that evidently we must count a lot!

Matthew 2:13-23 includes the sad story of the Massacre of the Innocents, Herod’s out-of-control response to the perceived threat to his dynasty.  I suppose that even at Christmas it’s important to recognize that pain still spreads it’s deadly terror.  Contrast Joseph, who continues to be the hero by listening to the angel of his dreams and taking the family to refuge in Egypt, later in Nazareth.  Would the adult Jesus later have survivor guilt?  Or is this account included as one more instance of solidarity with humanity and all of our foibles…..An “old” story tells of the dying King Herod, eaten away with jealousy and cruelty, opening the curtain of his bed-chamber just after he had ordered the slaughter of the infants of Bethlehem:  “I want to see the Star go out!”  But it hasn’t.

We don’t sing enough, “Lo,  how a Rose e’er blooming from tender stem hath sprung!  Of Jesse’s lineage coming, as those of old have sung….It came, a flow’ret bright amid the cold of winter, when half-spent was the night.”

God Bless Us, Every One                         Horace Brown King

My reception of scripture lessons for the upcoming weekend can be found USUALLY on Tuesday at this space on Facebook or at horacebrownking.com

When we name a thing, it develops a personality.  Old cars take on a familiar name, ‘specially when they won’t start.  My father-in-law, a farmer, cautioned against naming any of the animals that would someday appear on the dinner table.  So it is with our children:  giving a name sets them apart from everyone else, and marks them as unique.  More than a number.  More than anonymous cannon-fodder.  With a name, persons acquire a character and often a heritage.  I’m proud to be the fourth “Horace” in five generations.  Names matter.

The Baby as a Sign (Isaiah 7:10-16).  God, through Isaiah, confronted King Ahaz of Judah, who was panicked by the saber-rattling of Israel and Syria.  Isaiah’s message was basically, “Trust in God, ‘The Lord himself will give you a sign.  Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son,  and shall name him Immanuel'”–God With Us.  By canonizing this child with a holy name, Ahaz/Judah will acknowledge his unique role among the nations. What expectations do we have of God as we celebrate the birth of Immanuel/God With Us?  Perhaps more germane, what PANICS can we move beyond?

The Baby as a Statement (Romans 1:1-7).  In the midst of Paul’s run-on sentences and heady terms, we read about Jesus Christ who “was declared to be Son of God…”  As we count down to Christmas, it’s good to be greeted with news of a special Holy Child.  Those who would explore this Epistle further need to carry this greeting with them through Paul’s development of basic Christology.  This Advent season is but a beginning of a life-changing journey.

The Baby as a Savior (Matthew 1:18-25).  Joseph had some life-changing decisions of his own:  he loved Mary, but…where did this baby come from??  Fortunately for the world, he gave importance to dreams, especially when an angel told him to name–that is, own — the child:  “You are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Daniel Harris writes in FEASTING on the WORD, “Sin is the choice to minister to ourselves, rather than allow the savior to minister to us….  Some people choose to minister to themselves through chemical dependency, others thorough acquiring money, shopping, gambling, addiction to work, or simply by going it alone.  [Advent] invites us to ask whether we have managed to save ourselves in any of these ways.”  (A 1:97)

It’s a hectic Season for time- and spirit-constraints.  The ChristChild often is buried not in swaddling cloths but in wrapping-paper of anger and guilt.  We tend to forget that The Baby has a meaningful Name, even as we drag him forth to center our creches on Christmas Eve.  My church at Fly Creek NY had the lovely tradition in which the children who were in worship on Christmas Eve would bear the lifesize-plus statue of Baby Jesus to it’s honored spot in the outdoor creche.  Almost every year, one of those theologians-in- training would exclaim, “Wow, that’s HEAVY!” — and Christmas would begin.

God Bless Us, Every One                                   Horace Brown King

Join me every Tuesday as I ponder the Scripture lessons for the upcoming weekend–found at this spot on Facebook, or at horacebrownking.com

I’m a city guy; I don’t know anything about a Wilderness.  The nearest time I met with one was in early-marriage when we got turned around in our VW Beetle in a strip-mining operation near Carbondale PA.  We drove through a confusing maze of dirt tracks looking for a way out–at first it was an adventure, then it got to be a less-than-funny puzzle, and as the sun went further & further beyond the hills, a desperate quest for the Way Out.  ANY way out.  Finally we happened upon a shallow creekbed and drove downstream–did I say that it was a Beetle?–until we met with what passed for a road…  Readings for this Third Week of Advent speak about finding a way through the wilderness; and speak to the many confused by unfamiliar terrain in their hearts and spirits.

We begin with words of hope given by the Prophet Isaiah to those transported to Bablylon, 35:1-10.  He says that the glory of the Lord will yet cause the desert to flower and rejoice with singing.  “Say to those who are of a fearful heart, ‘Be strong, do not fear!  Here is your God….[God] will come and save you.'”  Then again, a highway will be found in the wilderness, with no wild beast or danger there.  “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing…”  This poetry literally drips with Grace, and should be read in worship with a sense of delicious fulfillment.

James 5:7-10 is a brief call to patient waiting (who wants to do THAT?).  Evidently the restoration of the wilderness is a process often buried under headlines of the day.  Perhaps the duty of the Advent Christian is to guide others who haven’t yet appreciated the story to mark the oases amid the sand dunes.  And while we’re waiting, don’t grumble but remember other prophets!

Is this Jesus the Real Thing?  The question comes from John the Baptizer, according to Matthew 11:2-11, but is an eternal question of those who’re imprisoned and need reassurance.  Jesus replies with notes about the visibility of Advent:  “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them”.  He then extolls John for his message in the desolate places to those who could put their comfort behind them.  They too were finding a way home through the wilderness.

Bruce C. Birch, in FEASTING on the WORD (A 1:53) reminds us that “the transformed way through the wilderness is also the sign of God’s impending new age, when all that is less than whole is restored and made new….the coming of God’s Kingdom is signaled by reversals in the world’s priorities and understanding.”  Even those most prone to the tapestries of power can be humbled as the world lurches toward God’s fulfillment.

God bless us every one.                              Horace Brown King

My travels with scripture readings for the upcoming weekend can be enjoined every Tuesday at this spot on Facebook; or at horacebrownking.com

OK, scholars–I lifted that phrase from Karl Barth.  He & I think that this is a description of Advent:  an invitation to dream along with God about the perfection which is foreseen and already well-begun through the Birth of the Christchild.  And so it’s a season of letting go previous disappointments, of being remorseful for the world-worship and feathering of our own nests–AND anticipating with hope the Ultimate Revelation provided in the Incarnation.  Lessons for this weekend affirm the nearness of God.

The stage is dark, although the curtain has long gone up.  Into a single spotlight steps the Prophet Isaiah, daring to sing words of refreshment to a yet-unseen cast.   Here (Isaiah 2:1-5) begins Advent:  an announcement of YHWH’s ambitious plan to convert armaments into farming tools, to change that which destroys life to that which sustains life.  Do we inwardly smirk at such baffling radicality?  We long for the peaceable kingdom; but can we believe it?

St. Paul prods a dozing Church to wake up, ’cause something BIG is happening!  “The night is far gone, the day is here!  Get dressed in Christ, and don’t worry about all your stuff!”  (Romans 13:11-14)  Every moment, Second Coming or not, is rich in possibility.  Even though crumbs of the dark remain (do they ever!), God is still running the whole light-board.  Joanna M. Adams suggests that “People justify for themselves the most outrageous behavior and callous disregard for the well-being of others…Why?  Because they do not believe any longer that anything is expected of them.”  (FEASTING on the WORD, A 1:17)  Do we not know what time it is?

Matthew remembers (24:36-44)  how Jesus turned aside the Disciples’ question about When ‘n’ Where–they just wanted to impress their relatives at the Thanksgiving dinner table.  “About that day and hour, no one knows.”  Good thing, too, else we’d be a bunch of reprobates gaily sinning right up ’til D-Day.  “To use the terminology of our raging times,…[this says] ‘Stay Woke!’  That is, be vigilant in violent times while adhering to hope.”  (Kenyatta R. Gilbert, in SOJOURNERS, December 2019: 48)  “Jesus’ coming brings to our expectant minds the essential nature of a God who wields love and salvation.  God always provides a way to secure such provisions.”

Tired and re-tired preachers tend to greet this Season by thinking, “Advent.  Again.  Well.”  Weary of sparking dim candles in dark towers, we wonder how to put a modern spin on this yearly quest…and lose ourselves in the bright busyness of revelry and charitable parties.  So of all earth’s pitiful beings, we who are confronted by these readings need to be challenged the most by them.  Believe it or not, there will be some in our pews who are hearing them or taking note of them for the first time!  Help my eyes to sparkle again, Lord, even as I read them yet one more time….

God Bless Us, Every One                            Horace Brown King

My encounters with scripture lessons for the upcoming weekend can be found every Tuesday at this spot on Facebook; or at horacebrownking.com

Many will skip over Christ the King Sunday.  We don’t know or tolerate the absolute power of royalty, although some countries maintain kings & queens as a nostalgic reminder of past glories.  Americans have celebrated a celebrity rock-star and an overgrown primate as “king”:  there must be some hidden quest to be in vassalage in our subconsciences.  Nevertheless, “on Reign of Christ Sunday we celebrate the fulfillment of the Biblical revelation of God in Christ”.  (Reuben P. Job, A GUIDE TO PRAYER FOR ALL WHO SEEK GOD, p.407)

Jeremiah 23:1-6 continues to speak God’s words of condemnation to the “false shepherds”, i.e. kings–perhaps Jehoiakim and Zedekiah–who have abused their power to the detriment of the People.  But now an immanent LEGITIMATE shepherd in the tradition of David is approaching the horizon.  God will round up the People from where they’ve scattered and restore justice and righteousness in the flavor of the Garden of Eden.  We continue to wait for this Messiah:  has this Kingdom begun?

An actual “garden” isn’t mentioned in Colossians 1:11-20, but Paul or his accomplice has written, “[God] has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of (his) beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”  The “power” of darkness is our own fear and insecurity; spectres & demons vanish in the Light of Christ.  Perhaps the Colossian Church was beset by dark and uncertain times.  Perhaps those in the pews this weekend are feeling likewise pressured.

The Gospel is a reprise of Luke’s crucifixion account, 23:33-43.  What jumped out at me was the conversation between Jesus and the “good” thief:  “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”  And Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”  Paradise is a Persian term for the King’s garden/hunting ground–NO ONE got in there without a royal escort, or at least credentials from the royal family.  Much breath has been wasted debating when “today” is–but the idea of being Jesus’ guest in the already-blooming Garden is a most pleasing concept!

What dare we cling to in these dark times when all of Creation seems out of balance?   What mercies and prayers can the Church offer that may inspire those in the life-raft to trust that God’s Kingdom has budded?  “So committed, we are ready to face every eventuality of life because we now know the One in whom our life is found, redeemed, and kept secure.  Our radical trust is in the One who is completely trustworthy. Life in Christ is good and complete.”  (Job, ibid.)

God Bless Us, Every One                          Horace Brown King

My encounter with scripture lessons for the upcoming weekend can be witnessed every Tuesday at this spot on Facebook; or at horacebrownking.com

The peripatetic life of a United Methodist minister!  Marie & I have lived in 9 different parsonages, and now in this pleasant double-house in our retirement.  Most of those places were very nice, although some needed attention.  For good or ill, weal or woe,  I’m grateful for these shelters from the storm and places to keep our never-shrinking pile of Stuff.  The weekend’s scriptures hopefully will be a reminder to the well-heeled that “Be it ever so humble, there’ no place like home”.  Or, as Bugs Bunny maintained, “Be it ever so crumbly, there’s no place like Rome”.  C’mon, Toto, I don’t think this is Kansas any more…

Isaiah 65:17-25 is aimed at those returning to Jerusalem from Babylonian Exile who gaze on the ruins of the Temple and say, “Nope; it’ll never be the same”.   To them God says, “For I am about to create NEW heavens and a NEW earth….Be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating.”  Human short-sightedness is no match for God’s joyous re-creation!  However bleak things seem, a productive and holy treasure is waiting just below the frost line.  The Peaceable Kingdom is ready to blossom, and no longer shall be heard the cry of distress.  This is a good place after all!

What shall we do with II Thessalonians 3:6-13?  The reader needs to be very careful not to extol the value of “work” to the point of discomfort to the retired, the disabled or the unemployed.  Here the savvy speaker can offer  many congregational opportunities for service and aid, reminding worshipers that prayers and social-media contact can be seen as meaningful “work” in God’s Kingdom–and that these endeavors can be a thankful exercise in responding to this Kingdom as a good place to live.  The Pauline author leans on the believers’ obligation, and also on the obvious fact that appreciation and ownership come through involvement in the community.

Luke’s Gospel, 21:5-19, can be terrifying!  Oh my, is the sky really falling?  This reader likes to emphasize Jesus’ words in verse 12, “But before all this occurs…”  Of course there’ll be wars & earthquakes & famine & drought–even climate change–but our worries are more immediate.  They (?) are coming for ya:  don’t worry about what to say, God’s words will be sufficient.  It’s still a nice place to live.

Beauty, they say,  is in the eye of the beholder.  Of course there are glitches.  And missteps.  And the ravages of accumulated years.  I’m trying really hard–with mixed success–to look past these as “normal” and to thankfully play whatever role is yet given me to enhance still further this Good Place.

God Bless Us, Every One                   Horace Brown King

My wrestling with scriptures assigned to the upcoming weekend can be observed every Tuesday at this spot on Facebook; or at horacebrownking.com

I’m getting older by the day; but I don’t yearn for those “good” Old Days–cuz they weren’t.  Yet I can empathize with the many who look vainly for familiar landscapes, and despair when all they can find is ruins.  So scriptures for this upcoming weekend are meant to encourage those who wear a Faded Rose of Days Gone By, those who sift through rubble hoping to find viable heirlooms of a once-valid past which will never return again…

Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem lay in ruins.  When the Exiles returned from Babylon in 539 BC, they found no glory or splendor remaining in this central symbol of their Nation and Faith.  And here comes Haggai, urging them to build back better than ever (1:15b-2:9)!  Church restoration projects are HARD, and require putting to bed the Old at the same time imagining the New.  In 1969 I was assigned to a congregation considering such a thing; and being too young to know better, we did it.  There were plenty of times when we looked at the half-finished shell and despaired of surviving.  But even today, Embury UMC in West Scranton offers a worshipful space to  spirit-travelers…  God speaks through Haggai, “My spirit abides among you; do not fear.” The glories of this new temple would be as good as–even better than–the old temple of ancient memory.

The Second Coming of Christ is the central theme of II Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17.  As memory changed to tradition, the Thessalonians debated and speculated about When & Where Jesus would reappear.  How many needless and divisive conversations about this have been held by good people who’ve lost the imagination of a Creation yet unfolding!  Despite the gloom ‘n’ doom of those who “remember when”, the sky is NOT falling!  Is it not marvelous to preach a God who makes a way even though there may be only ruins surrounding?  By the way, Jesus may not look like you think you remember him…

Kenyatta R. Gilbert writes in SOJOURNERS, “In Luke 20 [27-38], the Sadducees pose a tricky question.  [Whose wife is the widow of seven brothers in the afterlife?]  Resurrection is not resuscitation or re-animation of the physical self; rather, according to Reginald H. Fuller, it signals the active work of a divine sovereign to bring about a complete psychosomatic transformation of the human body.  Resurrection is an absurd notion unless one’s faith-claim is premised on the assumption that the historical process is not theologically closed.” (November 2019)  The Sadducees honored only the Torah, the five books of Moses which begin our current canon.  They were unable to look past the Old Days to envision God’s continued creation.  Are there Sadducees today?

It seems that there are two basic choices: we can sit on the debris of how we remember our past–or we can meet new possibilities, anticipating that the Lord of Light will make things better and better.  “Jesus does not answer all our questions, though one of our fondest illusions is that he should.  What he does is point us to a God whose faithfulness to those whom God has called is immeasurable and inexhaustable, and in that faith-fulness we find enough to endure all that life and death will ask of us.”  (FEASTING on the WORD, C 4:289)

God Bless Us, Every One                      Horace Brown King

My encounter with scripture lessons for the upcoming weekend can be observed every Tuesday at this spot on Facebook; or at horacebrownking.com