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Coming Soon! To a congregation near you! It’s a Brand-New Christian Year! Time to expect Something Completely Different! Is this the time when God is gonna break in? Devout Jews anticipated a Freeing Messiah; what we got is a Baby… For the next four weeks we’ll follow the writings which explore “the hopes and fears of all the years”, which will hopefully articulate our own roller-coaster of Coming Christmas.

The miscellaneous collection of oracles associated with (Trinto-)Isaiah includes this yearning: “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence–” (64:1) The image of a torn veil of heaven leads me also to remember how the sky was torn with the angels announcing the Nativity to the shepherds of Bethlehem, and how the veil of the Temple was torn in two as Jesus died. These are all of God’s initiative, symbols of Grace, moments when Holiness may be seen face to face. Advent prepares us for these holy encounters.

In the meantime, how do we wait? Some have opted to withdraw from the World which God loves so much to a sheltered hilltop, perhaps to drink Kool-Aid with their friends. But life goes on under God’s daily guidance, and we drink eternity where it finds us! Paul begins his letters to the Corinthians with thanksgiving for the rich gifts of “knowledge of every kind”, “so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (I, 1:7) If Advent is a time for re-centering on our personal life-values, then the ONGOING Advent which we preach becomes a time for us to express these in order that the Greater Community may likewise prepare for the Holy.

Mark’s Gospel (13:24-37) is one of those strange messages which folklore loves to quote in those mags that we read in line at Price Chopper. The moon, sun & stars will all be capsized, and nothing familiar shall remain. Jesus says that SOMEday this’ll happen, God knows–but in the meantime, stay on your toes, do your work as assigned, and be glad when The Man comes back! We’re not lacking as we wait.

Preachers are often met with blank stares by their congregants at this Season. Doesn’t she know I have cookies to bake? Where’s the gold garland? I’m sure the belt I bought for Samantha must be in the hall closet!? Nevertheless, we’re gonna remind you until Christmas Eve that the most important preparation is within YOU; and the brightest lights are those inside others you meet….

God Bless Us, Every One! Horace Brown King

Good Amurricans that we are, we pay little attention to Kings–unless it’s Elvis; or Benny Goodman, the King of Swing; or Nat “King” Cole… Yet here we are at Christ the King Sunday, democritized in some congregations to “the Reign of Christ”. Call it as you will, readings for the upcoming weekend deal with a Mighty God who should be beyond all knowing who personally comes to call back the people who’ve wandered away. Words of comfort at the end of the Church Year prepare us for the tip-toe anticipation of Advent.

“For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.” (Ezekiel 34:11-12) Is this a King or what! The Prophet looked for a restoration of a David-like kingdom, whereas later Believers wait for a universal King to establish an enduring realm of Justice, Peace and Righteousness.

Paul speaks of the reign of Christ as if it were already in place: “And (God) has put all things under (Christ’s) feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body…” (Ephesians 1:22) Salvation becomes an invitation to accept a role in Christ’s ongoing work of refining the once-perfect Garden that human caretakers have allowed to fray about the edges.

Matthew’s remembrance of the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (25:31-46) can be problematical if we interpret this to be about Works Alone. The Shepherd/Son of Man commends the Good Sheep for their charitable works because those fed, clothed and nurtured were members of his family. Thus our loving outreach and relief is done because we believe that “the least of these” are still created in Christ, AND that we’ve seen a holy image in them!

Worship for Christ the King affirms that we’re part of a greater family, united and loved by a compassionate Monarch whose Creation runs the spectrum from a seven-age Big Bang to kneeling in the dust and breathing Life into a muddy molding. With the Psalmist we shall shout, “O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.”

God Bless Us, Every One. Horace Brown King

Scriptures about the “end times” usually appear in Advent, in anticipation of a Messiah who comes among humans to straighten out what can be fixed before all heaven breaks loose. So what are these readings doing here, at the end of Kingdomtide, just before The Reign of Christ? The Preacher needs to be aware that they are offered as signs of Grace as an alternative to destruction.

Zephaniah pictures a seeking God: as lantern-lit Diogenes searched for an honest man, “At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the people who rest complacently on their dregs…” (1:12) He portrays the Coming One as prosecutor in the courts of Righteousness and Justice–“in the fire of his passion the whole earth shall be consumed.” (v.18) The presenter can read in harsh tones…but not forget to invite her hearers to stay tuned for better news!

That better news comes in Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonian believers. He by no means downplays the suddenness of the Change of History, yet brings a word of Grace: “For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (5:9) He acknowledges that the stress of daily living can make us forget that we’re citizens of the Kingdom-to-come! “Therefore encourage one another and build up each other as indeed you are doing.” (v.11)

Matthew remembers Jesus’ story of The Talents. (25:14-30) It’s a parable, not an analogy, firmly couched in human attributes. When a rich man went off on a business trip, he gave substantial sums to each of his three vice-presidents. Two of them invested in other business, and did very well! The third, trying to protect his posterior, buried his portion…and it didn’t earn interest OR keep up with inflation. When the Boss returned, he rewarded the two who ventured; but fired the frugal one… So what? Well, there’s gonna be a Day when you Faithful will receive abundance–and that’s a good promise.

Are these lessons a Warning or a Promise? Or both? We’re standing at the junction of the future Day of the Lord and the present Ethic of Faithful Righteousness. “Christ’s life, death, and resurrection inaugurated the realm of God that he proclaimed. While there may well be a future fullness to that realm, it is present in the world now.” (Mark B. Lee)

God Bless Us, Every One Horace Brown King

Remember the BBC television show from ?? years ago, where an elderly “couple”–widow & widower–raised Cain at a retirement home? Both were still pretty feisty, and their bored mischief confounded staff and their relatives alike. They wanted to keep busy and relevant while they waited to die. They didn’t play according to The Rules, which perplexed many and delighted others… This weekend’s readings are about What To Do while we Wait For God.

The feisty prophet Amos annoyed both the King and the Priesthood with his call to civic responsibility. He said that The Day of the Lord, when God comes to straighten out his Creation, wouldn’t be much fun, especially for the Chosen People (who should know better). “Why do you want the day of the Lord? It is darkness, not light…” (5:18) The image is of running from a lion and meeting a bear; and if you DO make it safely home (whew!) getting bitten by a snake! Festivals, solemn assemblies, offerings and noisy songs just aren’t gonna placate a present God. “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” (v.24)

Evidently there was quite a discussion going on in Thessalonica about the parousia, the anticipated “rapture”. Will Jesus come for only those alive? Or will he include ALL the saints “who now rest from their labors”? St. Paul tried to limit this by assuring them, “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died.” (I, 4:14) It struck me as odd that he didn’t have some specific ethical admonitions; although the paragraphs just before reminded Believers to treat each other kindly, with justice. But this week concentrates more on Final Procedures…

So what will the kingdom of heaven be like? Matthew remembers Jesus’ story about the Ten Bridesmaids, half of whom were unprepared. (25:1-13) They just didn’t have enough oil to last out the evening. There’s been plenty of time, Jesus said, to get your “oil” supplied: through the Church, your covenant group, scriptural studies, prayer & meditation… So when The Bridegroom finally gets here, don’t expect others to give you what you shoulda already provided. (Individualists love this story; community-builders wonder why the oil wasn’t pooled in the first place. Let the preacher beware: Smugness isn’t pretty, and doesn’t really belong in Church.)

How then shall we wait for God? Astragon & Vladimir didn’t know the day nor the hour, so they kept on doing what they were doing, for weal or woe. Yet they kept on believing that SOMEDAY –soon, maybe!– the final curtain would drop. I saw a t-shirt which read, “Jesus is Coming! Everybody look busy!” Our busy-ness might well be directed to telling the Gospel by word and deed in the understanding that a timeless Lord will again turn our clocks back…

God Bless Us, Every One Horace Brown King

Now look. I’m a United Methodist clergy, and on the liberal/progressive side of that. I’ve always maintained that Grace prevails over Sin, and that a loving Creative Parent continues to rejoice over and welcome even we who’ve been “Bad”. I’m not going to drop that understanding–but the readings for this coming weekend could certainly lend themselves to a “better watch out, better not pout” sort of theology. So we’ll tiptoe forth, finding Grace where we can.

Several different lectionaries present possible Old Testament readings; I have Micah 3:5-12 before me today. Micah spoke almost 800 years before Jesus: the glory years of David & Solomon had passed into rival kingdoms, and graft & corruption prevailed among both secular and priestly rulers. “Its rulers give judgment for a bribe, its priests teach for a price, its prophets give oracles for money…” (v.11) Worse, they claim Divine protection despite their abuse of the poor and needy. “Because of you Zion shall be plowed as a field…” The prophet said that they were not living a life worthy of God.

Paul refers to some human images in his letter to the Thessalonians: “As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a father with his children, urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead A LIFE WORTHY OF GOD, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.” (I, 2:12) My own sainted father would often admonish me not to do anything that would bring shame to the family; I suppose that I’ve said similar things to my two boys.
Memo from God: “Try not to screw up!”

But we do, of course we do. Matthew recalls Jesus telling the crowds, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.”(23:2-3) The religious leaders evidently courted the honors and privileges of their office, yet expected others to engage in spiritual acrobatics and guilt-trips to prove their solidarity with God. So what should they do, to live a life worthy of God? “All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.” (v.12)

So maybe “worthiness” isn’t so much what we do as it is our state of mind which keeps us humble. If I were preaching this time around, I think that I would tell folks that a connection with Jesus as servant is Worthy, as it also reminds us that God is God…and that we’re not!

God Bless Us, Every One Horace Brown King

I love short stories; they’re focused, concise and notably lacking in prolonged navel-gazing. And the best stories are ones where a surprising hero enters to save the day, someone you’d least expect! Stories that we’ll explore this weekend feature the entrance of a shocking authority–and the disdain of the Old Guard in recognizing salvation when it hits ’em in the face…

Cyrus ruled Persia and most of the known world from 558 to 530 BC. He was extolled by those he ruled for his unusual tolerance of local customs and religious practices. Isaiah of Babylon calls him the Lord’s “anointed” (!), “whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him…” (45:1) “Anointed” has been read by some to mean “Messiah”, but this is more of a royal than religious understanding. Call him what you will, but Isaiah exults that at last there shall be a restoration of Israel…so get it right, this time! Cyrus, although not a traditional believer, is seen by Yahweh as a Saving Restorer of The Lord’s supremacy. “I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides me there is no god.” (v.5)

The congregation at Thessalonica in Greece would also be a surprise to those of the old Jewish understanding: these were non-Hebrews, and formerly pagans. Paul is overwhelmed by “how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God…” (I Thessalonians 1:9) He had earlier affirmed that “he has chosen you” (v.4) They have become not only recipients, but anointed messengers of salvation: they have become part of the Divine Restoration of All Creation, not just some acres in Palestine!

You probably remember how Jesus was engaged by the Pharisees (who espoused non-Empirical government) and the Herodians (who favored strong Roman rule). “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the Emperor, or not?” (Matthew 22:16) Jesus confounded them by taking a coin, pointing out the Emperor’s image, and famously saying, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”(v.21) What things ARE God’s? And is the Emperor God’s Anointed? (see Romans 13) Those who hear this passage on Saturday or Sunday are challenged yet again about this whole matter of allegiance.

On the corner of South Turnpike Road and Main Street, John Rawlings kept a variety store for decades. Behind the counter, a prominent sign read, “In God We Trust. All Others Pay Cash.” We in our Confirmation Class wrote a paraphrase: “Render unto Mr. Rawlings the things that are Mr. Rawlings,…” Some felt that the Emperors of Persia & Rome were anointed by God. Where is our Revolution now??

God Bless Us, Every One Horace Brown King

I woke up to a feeling of serenity, of peace. Bright sunshine was streaming in, and a little breeze teased the curtain. The wine-rich air smelled of yellow leaves and fading mums. Later, Marie and I will take a walk around the block, crunching the dried maple leaves and kicking them into windrows. Tonight, we’re promised a full Harvest Moon, complete with eclipse… No one can be an atheist in October!

Lessons for this period of Kingdomtide focus in on God’s Great Bounty. We begin this weekend with Isaiah of Jerusalem, who has his usual warning about the zealous Might of a Righteous God. But then he offers a vision of Grace to the needy: “For you have been a refuge to the poor,…a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat.” (25:4) And then an invitation to abundance: “On this mountain {Zion} the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines.” (v.6) More, “let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”

Even Paul gets in the joyful spirit of Grace! To the Philippian believers he writes, “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (4:6-7) Don’ worry, be happy? Nathan Eddy has said, “Prayer here is relationship with God, not a technique….even in difficult situations, one lets go of being one’s own savior.”

Matthew’s recollection of Jesus’ parable of the Wedding Banquet continues his direction of building the Church out of the remnants of Israel. (22:1-14) Jan Abel points out that the killing, destruction and casting into outer darkness can be “ghastly”. Yet the spirit of the story is not so much revenge upon the unrighteous as it is the generosity of the Lord in bringing in EVERYbody, riff-raff & all!

Dr. Oz–whose word is law in my house–has advised us that we feast entirely too much, that our over-indulgence is killing us. But when the Kingdom has fully drawn near, you can bet that I’m gonna enjoy every fork-full! Even the Green Marshmallow Salad…

God Bless Us (urrrp), Every One Horace Brown King

As October smiles in, hillsides all across New York are overflowing with ripened grapes! Mostly Concord & Riesling, yet some other varieties, they’re just now being gathered and readied for pressing. I don’t know much about grapes, ‘cept that I recently squeezed one and it let out a little w(h)ine… Our readings for this World Communion Day honor the Grower of Grapes with two readings about a Vineyard and a personal introspection about vintage.

Isaiah’s famous Song of the Vineyard (5:1-7) is a divine lament over Israel, God’s “pleasant planting”. The Vintner went to a great deal of trouble to create the Best Vineyard Ever — cultivation, selective planting, a vat & tower, all the amenities– “he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded WILD [sour] grapes”. What more could he do? In disgust, he wrecked it and gave it over to wasteland… “for the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!”

St. Paul had good roots. Circumcised, “a Hebrew born of Hebrews”, a Pharisee, blameless under the Law. (Philippians 3:4-6) But having known Christ, he considered all these fruits as “rubbish”, as wild grapes. Giving further credit to the Grower of Grapes, he says that he has “not …a righteousness that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith.” (v.9) Ah! God must be reworking the old Vineyard.

Matthew remembered a similar Vineyard story told by Jesus to the Scribes & Pharisees (21:33:41). The landowner made a nice vineyard and, in his absence, leased it to tenants. When he sent for his share of the produce, his messengers were abused and killed. Finally he sent his son; but he also was mistreated and killed by the tenants. “Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.” “Therefore,” replied Jesus, “I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.”

These readings pretty much speak for themselves. The task of the Preacher or Teacher is to remind the rest of us that this isn’t just Ancient History, or an anti-Semitic rant; it’s really about honoring God through responsible and worthy lives!

God Bless Us, Every One! Horace Brown King

PS — My Lectionary friends suggest that appropriate hymns might be, “Grape Is Thy Faithfulness”, or “How Grape Thou Art”. For What It’s Worth… HBK

I kept my badge behind the sun-visor. It was always there when I needed to visit someone in Bassett Hospital. It was a nice badge: had my picture, my name spelled right, maybe some other important information. When I wore it, Security would know that I was OK to be there; it was my authorization. Credentials are necessary to be at schools, government offices and some church meetings. Without a passport, international travelers are grounded and maybe locked up! Do I have a right to be who I am, to do what I do?? Who sez?

During services of this coming weekend, we’ll think about Authority: many will challenge a commission–or ordination!–of holiness, however that’s read…. Ezekiel speaks on behalf of Yahweh, “Know that all lives are mine; the life of the parent as well as the life of the child is mine…” (18:4) This comes within a wisdom-speech about sin not being passed from one generation to the next, and refutes the idea that children are accountable for the misbehavior of the whole family. God’s Authority AND GRACE deal with each individual on their own merits.

Paul’s Letter to the Christians of Philippi includes a hymn to Christ which may already be popular in that city. In 2:9-11 we read of Christ Jesus, “Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Wherever Jesus has been, says the poet, he has carried Supreme Authority: he is The LORD!

Matthew remembers the time when Jesus was teaching in the Temple and was carded by the priests and elders. (21:23-27) “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus turned it back on them, of course, by asking about John the Baptizer’s empowerment to baptize: “from heaven, or was it of human origin?” An anti-Church acquaintance made a similar statement to me, just the other evening: “These rules, you know, are all man-made.” Where lies the Gospel?

Deep within the Last Century, Bishop J. Gordon Howard draped a stole around my neck and said, “Take authority for the work of an Elder, preaching the Word of God and administering the Holy Sacraments.” I’ve been proud of and humbled by this Ordination: it is a credential which I take very seriously–and I believe that it comes from God. Do I jealously protect “my” turf from unauthorized yet obviously accomplished newcomers? What IS this authority??

God Bless Us, Every One Horace Brown King

Indignation. It often gets the best of me, and seems to be a major driver in international history. When I know that I’m right, it becomes RIGHTEOUS indignation. However, when it’s YOU, I easily dismiss it as your incomplete knowledge. Indignation can keep me awake during the wee hours, and clouds my disposition. Indignation grows in me much more than it’s source is worth, and preoccupies my sense of “fairness”. This weekend’s readings involve folks whose indignation spoils their sense of compassion…and God’s rehabilitation processes.

We look first at Jonah: whether or not he was an actual person, this is a crackin–good story! You probably remember about the Big Fish that God sent to give Jonah a second shot; and about how he really did go to Ninevah to proclaim God’s displeasure. To his great amazement, the citizenry from the King on down DID re-think their brokenness! This disgusted Jonah, who wanted a nuclear air-strike to fix ’em. Pouting, he built a shelter to watch–and God sent a nice vine/bush to give him shade. But the next day, God also sent a cut-worm; the bush/vine shriveled, and again Jonah was indignant. “Then the Lord said, ‘You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow….And should I not be concerned about Ninevah, that great city?'” (4:10-11)

St. Paul’s Letter to the believers at Philippi is an encouragement to cling to the Christian teaching and ethic in the face of other competing (and pleasurable?) world-views. He encourages them to stand side by side for the faith–which seems like good advice to any congregation, then and now. He is concerned that they “are in no way intimidated by [your] opponents….And this is God’s doing.” (1:28) Indignation may seem like fun…until we get ulcers and depression. What IS God doing?

Now look! This parable of Jesus is patently un-American, goes against all of our system of reward and hard work! It’s found in Matthew’s account, 20:1-16. You know, about the vintner whose crop came in all at once, and he had to go back to the labor exchange all through the day to recruit more and more day-workers. He agreed with the first crew for a denarius–a day’s wage–but at the end of the day, he gave EVERYBODY the same!! “No fair! We worked harder & longer; we should get a bonus!” Indignation, again. “Qwitcherbellyakin'” , they were told. “I’ll run my shop as I please!” Kinda deflates our illusions about Bigger Mansions in a heaven where even kings cast their own crowns before the throne of the one true King. Equality? This is God’s doing.

We’ve been reading for several weeks now about building the Faith-Community. Certainly indignation is one of the major demons which destroys trust and compassion. I can be like Jonah and sulk; or I can build a bridge and get over it. Not everything is “fair”, we tell our kids. Yet this, too, is God’s doing: will it work in our churches??

God Bless Us, Every One Horace Brown King