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I hate being small. In elementary school, even in High School, I was the littlest, the shortest in the room. I finally got to my 5’8″ in college, although I’ve shrunk 2″ in old age. But I’m small: I’ve been blessed with a big voice, so that big people might know that the little guy in the corner is actually here. Yet in after-school games, or in neighborhood play, I was usually overlooked… I’m Just. Too. Small. Scriptural passages to be heard on the upcoming weekend help affirm God’s concern and plans for the Small.

The prophet MICAH probably did God’s Work just before the Babylonian army carried most of the people of Judah off to Exile. The Northern Kingdom (Israel) had already fallen to the Assyrians and its Ten Lost Tribes were scattered over the Mediterranean world. So why should Micah be hopeful? Because he’d caught the glimmer of what God continues to do: in 5:2-5 he announces that God’s specialty is in the small places, the backwaters, even Bethlehem (means “house of bread”)! While the People are looking for a rough ‘n tough Messiah, Micah expects One who will “feed his flock in the strength of the Lord”. If you’re living in a stable, Rejoice! God is to be found in the nooks and crannies.

HEBREWS 10:5-10 talks a lot about Christ’s sacrifice, which makes us contemporary Christians uncomfortable, although the Jewish traditions in the Day banked a lot upon sacrifice. But to me the central part of the message is that God in Christ alone does it for us, that we cannot fix ourselves. Jesus is born to accomplish what the Law could not–to mend the broken, to make peace with Creator and Creation, to rebuild the tarnished cities… This restoration is seen as Grace, whatever our stature.

In LUKE 1:39-45 we meet the story of the pregnant Mary visiting her cousin Elizabeth–also pregnant with John the Baptizer in her old age– in a “Judean town in the hill country”. No name, so it’s probably Small. The story tells how John the Baptizer gave a kick of joy when he heard the voice of Mary. Two pregnant women on the margins meet in an obscure village, and the world is changed! The message for the Church is that the alienated and the passed-over are often the recipients of the Holy Promise. Even me. Even you.

Brian McLaren has written, in an online mediation, “In Christ, we see an image of God who is not armed with lightening bolts but with basin and towel, who spewed not threats but good news for all, who rode not a warhorse but a donkey, weeping in compassion for people who do not know the way of peace.” The joyous news of Christmas is that God can yet be seen–especially now–in all of the world’s nooks and crannies…

The other day I got a Christmas Card which read, “Wishing you JOY and happiness”. This third weekend of Advent is often called “joy”, and a pink candle is lit on the Wreath. But where is Joy? Certainly not on MSNBC or other news-stations. Not in the rough-and-tumble of shopping at the Maul. Not on the Echo, where a search for Christmas music yields “All I want for Christmas is You”. Readings to be unveiled this weekend remind us of the anticipated Messiah, who will save us from the chains of the System. Dare we anticipate this Good News?

Well, who reads ZEPHANIAH? But this pre-Exilic Prophet begins by telling it as it is, then telling us how it will be (3:14-20)! God does exalt those who suffer by coming to us to show us how it’s done. God speaks, “I will deal with…I will save…I will change their shame…I will bring you home…” Prophets are the ones who hear the voice of God when no one else seems to. “Do not fear” anticipates the angelic promise to the shepherds…and other places where holiness is revealed. Will God really interrupt our cynicism with a message of Joy?

In PHILIPPIANS 4:4-7, Paul gives them/us an almost impossible goal: “Rejoice in the Lord always…” What? Do you know what my day was like? Even though our circumstances are pitiable, still we are told not to worry about anything. The result is that “the peace of God…will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ.” Are you at peace, this Christmas? Why not?

LUKE 3:7-18 remembers the message of John the Baptizer, in the wilderness of the muddy Jordan, away from the urban lights and distractions. He reminds the crowds that they need to open their eyes to the injustice/suffering around them: the indigent need the clothes of the well-appointed; the tax-burdened need the administrators to be honest; the falsely- accused need a fair hearing. God intends to make all things right–yet the People are urged to be part of the process. The whole thing is a matter of Turning it Around, repentance, doing Good where Evil has risen.

And so the Season of Joy comes yet again! As I write, there’s rain outside my window, and I’ve yet to hear Silver Bells. I desperately need to hear a message of Joy. In my depression, I’ve found Joy in the Church, in the warm friendships and in the holy message of one who was, one who is, one who ever more shall be. I wish you JOY…

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Biblical texts to be read on the upcoming weekend come to stir our thinking every Tuesday; at horacebrownking.com

Remember the old poem, “There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile…”? Perhaps this weekend’s lessons are all about him–but you and I can listen in, as well. It seems like God is in the restoration business, cleaning up our lives. The texts to be heard at worship serve to remind us that God is at work daily restoring that which was called “Good”.

MALACHI (which means in Hebrew, “my messenger”) is sick and tired of the corruption to be found after the Exiles have returned from Babylon and (finally) rebuilt the Temple. In 3:1-4, he images God as a refiner of precious metals, burning away the superfluous to make the metal true again. Won’t this hurt? Yes, probably…but we don’t need all the trappings of society to be holy. Part of Advent is the expectation that our lives will be purified through God’s graceful presence in the ChristChild.

PHILIPPIANS 1:3-11 is Paul’s introduction to his beloved church in Macedonia. He asks that “your love may overflow more and more…so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless.” He tells of the process of purity, which is unreachable by ourselves, given and supervised by the Christ himself. Paul’s encouragement to these ancient saints-in-training comes to the contemporary Church as well: those who hear these words may know that God is nearby to take away our brokenness and burn away our excess baggage.

Which brings us to the message of John the Baptizer as remembered by LUKE in 3:1-6. Recalling words of the Prophet Isaiah, Luke allegorizes John as “crying out in the wilderness”, i.e. the corruption of God’s Plan. The Wilderness is where we can see God–without the bright lights, the tall buildings, the business of each day. The People of (society’s) Exile are called across the desert from the delights of Babylon (see Revelation and also O. Henry) to reclaim the mislaid promise. “Prepare the way of the Lord…make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

Being refined is usually a painful process. We’ve accumulated lots of toys and other armor-scales which may or may not identify us. Yet in the long term, these extras mean nothing. God’s intent is to burn away the Stuff which separates us from the Kingdom of Heaven, and to stand tall in the nakedness in which we were made. Come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Please join us to be confronted by Scriptural texts to be read on the upcoming weekend; every Tuesday at horacebrownking.com

We’re on the doorstep of Advent, the beginning of the Church Year. Advent is a time to get ready for the coming of the ChristChild, a time for renewing our hopes for a season, to acknowledge God’s future. Lessons to be read on the upcoming weekend signify our trust in a God who does not yield to the despair and worldliness which seem so prevalent around us. These scriptures–and others–call us beyond a return to The Good Old Days into an active faith that God is still in control.

JEREMIAH was not a popular guy. He found himself in all sort of scrapes for preaching against the surrounding idolatry. YET in 33:14-16 he has the audacity to lift up a hopeful alternative to racism/sexism and corruption in general. Despite the prevailing gloom and social malaise, God DOES have ideas about what the Kingdom will look like. Advent is sacred because it proclaims yearly a confidence that God is interested in how the world and its people develop.

St. Paul tells us in I THESSALONIANS 3:9-13 that Jesus has come/is coming into our world to take away our blame and substitute salvation. Not just “heaven bye & bye”, but the opportunity to live in such a way that will green our planet, trash our military establishment, and proclaim release to those who have been captured by possession and accumulation. Advent tells others that we expect a proactive God to continue to refine Creation.

LUKE 21:25-36 tells a little about the “signs” of the coming of “the Son of Man”. But even if everyone else is cowering in fear, the Believers are instructed to stand up and raise their heads, unfolding ourselves before this Son of Man. Thus we are liberated from business-as-usual and put aside the ever-present notion that Santa Claws. Despite the confusion of “when”, we have an assurance that God is in charge and is acting even among the world’s systems… What signs do we recognize today??

Gary Charles rightly claims that “The stories of Advent are dug from the harsh soil of human struggle and the littered landscape of dashed dreams. They are told from the vista where sin still reigns supreme and hope has gone on vacation.” (FEASTING on the WORD, C 1:3) Still we who worship have come yet again to celebrate how God continues to work on this Eighth Day of Creation, appreciating the Nativity and longing for the ultimately Good Community.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Every Tuesday we unpack texts to be read on the upcoming weekend; come along, if you dare, at horacebrownking.com

Acccording to Francis Bacon, a contemporary of Shakespeare, “There is no vice that doth so cover a (person) with shame as to be found false and perfidious”. Scriptures to be heard on the upcoming weekend suggest that the Reign of Christ is a welcome (to some) change from Business as Usual. There are two Empires here at work: the “Roman” (read World Dominant) and that of Christ. How do we live in one without being overwhelmed by the other?

We begin with an excursion into II SAMUEL 23:1-7, often considered the last words of King David. “One who rules over people justly, ruling in the fear of God, is like the light of morning…” Saying good-bye is like returning to God’s Promises and forgetting all the lesser stuff. David claims that the God who so blessed and accepted him will also bless and accept those who are still here. Those who read the earlier part of this book will note that David had his share of terror and suffering, his bad days and his sinful temptations. Yet his final words were a reminder of God’s grace and ultimate redemption.

The Book called the REVELATION to St. John should be read as a symbollic allegory, a spiritual experience which passes our rationality. 1:4b-8 is a sudden acknowledgement that Jesus, the Alpha & Omega (the Beginning and End) is a triumphant alternative to the existing Roman Empire. Here, the leadership of Christ is proclaimed as loving us and freeing us, actually knowing who we are. This is certainly a welcome change from the political machinizations and rejections of the current and traditional “leadership”.

JOHN 18:33-37 tells the story of Jesus before Pilate, the governor of Judea. “Are you a king?” asks Pilate. “YOU say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to Truth.” Jesus rejoined. This separation of Church & State is necessarily said, for the Kingdom of God is not of this earth. “Crowns and thrones may perish, kingdoms rise and wane…” Jesus’ encounter here announces to the world-system that the allegiance of his followers is with Heaven and not with Earth. (Can I be a Christian and still say the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag?)

Lucretius says, “It is a pleasure to stand upon the shore, and to see ships tossed upon the sea; a pleasure to stand in the window of a castle, and to see a battle and the adventures thereof below; but no pleasure is comparable to the standing upon the vantage ground of Truth, and to see the errors, and wanderings, and mists, and tempests, in the vale below…” Sort of a dismal way of looking at it; but our Leader gives an alternative to these aberrations in the Eternal Kingdom of Truth.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Join us every Tuesday to be confronted by the lessons to be read on the upcoming weekend’s worship; at horacebrownking.com

I dunno about you, but I hate change. I’d like things to be just like they were when we were growing up: clocks had hands, phones had dials, and we had to restore the oil every 1000 miles. Who’m I kidding? I enjoy current medicines, indoor plumbing and the instant knowledge of Artificial Intelligence. Scripture passages heard on the upcoming weekend serve to acknowledge that nothing is permanent, and that God is continually refining and tweaking that which God daily calls Good.

I SAMUEL 1:4-20 tells of Hannah, Samuel’s mother, who wanted a child so badly that she pledged him to the Lord. One commentator, Malcolm Sinclair, suggests that the unseen player in the story is the Sanctuary at Shiloh. Shiloh’s gone, now. Even in Biblical times it vanished, yielding to other Holy Places. But for one brief shining moment , Shiloh was a place to sit quietly with God, to engage God in conversation, to face “the great gap of mystery”. Even though Shiloh is a ruin, we remember it as the territory of Eli & Samuel, and celebrate what God has done there.

The Author of HEBREWS 10:11-25 reminds us that even though places perish, Jesus Christ remains the same. The community can put behind it the adherence to Tradition–with all the guilt it brings–and joyfully take on the promises of a Living God. The Old has passed away, and the Unfinished has opened new days. Who will celebrate God’s Living Presence? Who will cling to the Old Fashioned, even if that means tethering ourself to stone blocks which will ensure that we drown without claiming the Future? Jesus has “perfected for all time those who are sanctified”.

The Gospel is that of St. MARK, 13:1-8. Jesus & Co. have entered Jerusalem and are gawking at the fine buildings. Jesus told them that “not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down”. And so it has been. Nothing is permanent. Change happens. Our old perceptions have been proven wrong: only God is trustworthy. BUT even as the Old way begins to fade with calamities, the New way waits at the door! Some of us will establish weird calendars to calculate the Day of Jesus’ reappearance; but God tells us to celebrate each day as if it were the Ultimate…

To what, then, shall we look forward? Is there New Life after the birth pangs of calamity and warfare? Yesterday is gone, and tomorrow waits to dawn. Change can be scary (to me, it is) yet we can affirm that the world systems are unfolding with us…What will this day bring??

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Please join with us every Tuesday to unpack biblical lessons which are to be read on the upcoming weekend; at horacebrownking.com

You would think we would have learned–but the world is yet full of the abused and vulnerable, the Strangers and Aliens, the widows and orphans. Folks who sit in the pews and hear these scriptures CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE as they go about living within the System! Lessons to be heard this upcoming weekend should speak to the heart of the Church about Godly living and not throwing our lot in with the ones who make a big buck by bleeding the unfortunate.

RUTH (3:1-5, 4:13-17) was an immigrant from Moab. We don’t know if she pushed drugs or ate the neighbors’ cats & dogs. But we do know that she was a faithful caregiver to Naomi, offering all she had–herself–to her mother-in-law and her new community. We could see it as an analogy: God takes care of the poor widows without questioning their background. Martin B. Copenhaver quips, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained the great-grandmother of a king!” (FEASTING on the WORD, B 4:270) Thank goodness there was no beefed-up security on the border…

Please try to think within the Jewish tradition as you read HEBREWS 9:24-28. We’re still comparing the earthly priest with the eternal priesthood of Christ. Heavenly living isn’t a matter of sinning again and again, knowing that the Day of Atonement will come again this year. There’s no term of renewal for our license to live in God’s Kingdom. Christ has “appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin.”

How many times have I heard some well-meaning member say, “Pastor, I just give the widow’s mite”? I was always glad to commend them, cuz the widow in the story gave all that she had! (MARK 12:38-44) What about the earlier-mentioned scribes who wear long robes, get the best seats, and say long prayers full of empty words? I understand that even some of by fellow clergy carry signs that say, “Clergy, Official Business” which they use to park in handicapped or no-parking spots… Depends, I suppose, on whether we like the status quo. (watch out for those Moabites and Mexicans; they don’t deserve grace. Ah, Those Were the Days.) The widow herself was nameless, and probably no one but Jesus noticed. Thank God he did!

These lessons should hit us hard, especially as we consider the events of Voting Week. Are we supposed to go back to the ’50s when we played Cowboys & Indians, when the seat of power resided in white males? Do we tear down the Statue of Liberty which invites “Give me your tired, your poor, your humble masses yearning to breathe free?” God continues to give a call to the People to welcome all Creation.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Please join us every Tuesday as we’re confronted by texts to be read during worship on the upcoming weekend; at horacebrownking.com

Please join us every Tuesday as we’re confronted by texts to be read during worship on the upcoming weekend; at horacebrownking.com

Many of us subscribe to the erroneous view that God is out to get us if we sin/transgress/deviate from being good. Scriptures to be heard on the upcoming weekend’s services try to tell us that God created us for life and not death, for perfection and not suffering. There’s not a scorecard in the sky! We do rightly believe that God has expectations about truth and justice, and that exposure to the Christian ethic will lead us on to a right relationship which lasts for ever.

The WISDOM of SOLOMON is rarely read in Protestant circles, and that’s too bad. Here in 3:1-9 is a contrast between Righteousness and Business as Usual. Sometimes ugly things happen; “for though in the sight of others they were punished, their hope is full of immortality”. The “ungodly” rationalize away the Believers’ attempts at love and justice: “we’re gonna die anyway”. Wisdom maintains that righteous souls remain with God eternally, and that a Creative God cares for each one. Can we, do we, totally trust God?

HEBREWS 9:11-14 continues to compare earthly priests with Jesus, who has entered the Holy Place in our behalf. This action makes all of Creation a Holy Place, where the People of God can gather without fear of devilish temptation. The Tempter tries, of course, to charm us with good ideas: relevance, being spectacular, power–but our relationship with Christ stands with us even in the storms.

The Gospel walks us with MARK (28-34) into Jerusalem itself, the seat of tradition and political cowardice. The seeker who asks about the commandments is ready to move beyond perfunctory prayers into a total commitment; the first and greatest commandment is to totally love the Creator, and the second is to totally love the Creation. (Scholars will remind us that commandments 1 through 4 are related to holiness; while number 5 through 10 are related to how we live out this holiness.) The man affirms that whole love of God and neighbor are worth much more than sacrifices and offerings.

Perhaps these readings will offer you peace–or perhaps show you how much you really don’t care for God of the Christian ethic. Some will go away sorrowful, because the little they do announces our lack of commitment. Others will rejoice, not because they ARE perfect, but they’re now on the road…

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

You’re invited to read these meanderings and comment on them every Tuesday, at horacebrownking.com

Richard Rohr, one of my heroes, writes that “there must be a happy middle”. He’s talking here about the Great Question, “Why does this stuff happen to me? (I’ve been good…)” There well may be disconsolate persons in the pew who need to know that a Loving God doesn’t guarantee them a safe passage through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. Scriptures to be heard on the upcoming weekend remind us that there may be rough roads on our journey to Life.

Some of us have been looking at JOB for several weeks. This old story is about an honest man who’s been assailed by the Tempter to see how much he can take. He’s lost everything, and has railed against God: “How can you let this happen?” But today’s passage, 42:1-17, describes Job’s now-broader understanding about how God works. “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes see you.” Job has moved from being rewarded for being good to receiving God’s grace just because God loves him. The restoration (?) of Job’s lands and the prosperity of his new family will not take away the grief and suffering of before, but it reflects the honor of beginning anew.

The author of HEBREWS continues to assail us with the comparison of Jesus, the eternal High Priest, to earthly counterparts who’re blessed/hampered by their foibles of imperfection. Here in 7:23-28, those who “priest” others come and go, but Jesus is immutable. “Forgiveness is Jesus’ amazing discovery that we do not need to be bound by our past trespasses; through repentance and forgiveness we can be transformed; we can find release from past pain and learn how to forgive ourselves and others.” (Ginger Grab in FEASTING on the WORD, B 4:211)

The Gospel continues us in MARK 10:46-52, where Jesus responds to blind Bartimaeus who has been begging near the roadside. We don’t know the backstory of Bartimaeus, but we DO know that Jesus has been trying to impress upon his followers the necessity of not conforming to the world’s systems but GOD’s authority. Friends and onlookers tried to stop the beggar from meeting Jesus–it just wasn’t done–yet Jesus asked for the man’s presence and healed him because he believed that Jesus could and would. The last verse is the kicker: “Immediately he regained his sight…” Isn’t that what we all want??

Our liturgies are full of restoration. Even in the ashpits of life God joins us. God’s acquainted with suffering and knows well our human frailties. The Good News is that “earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal”.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Bring your friends to join with us each Tuesday at horacebrownking.com as we explore Scripture texts to be heard on the upcoming weekend.

Every so often, perhaps every other day, I speak to a theory or concept of world importance; and I’m always wrong. I don’t know what I’m talking about. Scripture passages to be heard on the upcoming weekend remind me and others who worship that humans have a very small voice compared to the creative words of God. The Reformers have a saying, “Man proposes, God disposes”. Yet the air is thick with rage and invective, misinformation and plain silliness…

In JOB 38, God finally answers Job’s complaints out of the whirlwind. “Where were YOU?!” Job finally gets to the realization that his discomforts are but temporary, even though God has singled him out to speak in person. What is this humanity of which we speak, and how does it differ from a holy overview? And whose world is this? Do I really know how the world should be run, or is God’s vision greater than can be experienced from my streaky front window?

HEBREWS 5:1-10 is the usual hodge-podge of otherwise holy thoughts. One of my colleagues said some time ago that the author of Hebrews had notes on 3×5 cards, but the electric fan blew them every which way. This passage could be seen as a paean to Grace: we become priests to one another “according to the order of Melchizedek” through Divine Appointment. And we accomplish this role by accepting Jesus’ model of Perfection through our own prayers and concerns. Those who speak words without knowledge are still on the Journey; treat them tenderly.

MARK 10:35-45 tells about even close disciples missing the point. James & John, the Sons of Thunder, ask Jesus for special prominence in the Kingdom. Jesus tells them that they don’t know what they’re asking. He’s talking about ministry, they’re talking about political safety. “Blessed Assurance, Jesus is MINE!” When the other guys in the group heard that the Sons of Zebedee were looking for special treatment, they were pretty mad! This was a good opportunity for Jesus to tell them–and us–that Discipleship wasn’t in their comfort zone, that many of them would really suffer for being his adherents. Here again was Mark’s constant reminder that this is an ALTERNATIVE life, whether or not we speak with a limited vision.

Nothing has changed, each generation spews sludge where knowledge is elusive. It’s only when we admit that the world is bigger than I am, and that a loving God is still in charge, that we can truly revel in the majesty which is, after all, around us.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Come every Tuesday with your friends to be challenged by the lessons to be read on the upcoming weekend: at horacebrownking.com