My Blog

Are there times when it’s’ OK to yell in despair, “Where ARE you, God?” Honest pew-sitters have to admit to those moments when it seems as though “the right must fail, the wrong prevail”. Where in headline-land are those moments of Peace on Earth? Lectionary readings give us permission to rant and rave against the unGodliness all around us despite our own good intentions and playing well with others…

JOB 23 sees our hero as complaining, “Oh, that I knew where I might find [God], that I might come even to [God’s] dwelling!” He wants to plead his case of Being Good even when the storms of life are raging at his ears. He believes that God is a good ruler, a Creator of that which God called Good. This Book is Biblical because it invites us to acknowledge the darkness. Thomas Edward Frank suggests that God is waiting for us to be quiet…

HEBREWS 4:12-16 appears to go in two directions: we have the image of a double-edged sword, or is it a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting away the excess fat to revealthe barebones of the soul beneath. And then there’s the idea of a high priest who bears our needs to God, an act of grace. There’s a tension here of the human tendency to indulge and God’s tendency to restore. This sharp sword cuts into our darkness and lets the light out. Cuts through the illusions we cling to and allows God to be God.

You’ll notice that the last several weeks we’ve been studying MARK’s Gospel: Jesus telling his students that they need to be different from the rest of the world. 10:17-31 continues this exercise: an overly-rich fella asks Jesus what he has to do to inherit Eternal Life someday. Jesus tells him about the PRESENT Kingdom: “Go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.” What?! Today?! But I meant Beyond the Sunset! Well, he was close, but no cigar.

Susan B. Andrews tells us that “we can cry out with complete honesty…confessing the worst–and the best–of who we are.” (FEEDING on the WORD, B 4:160) Christianity isn’t a life-style of accepting what comes along as God’s Intent, but it IS an excercise of Hope that the downcast shall be restored.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Every Tuesday we explore the prescribed scripture passages for the upcoming weekend. You’re invited! At horacebrownking.com Gods Beyond the River

–

Again, scripture to be read on the upcoming weekend is a mixed bag. Persons in the pew may be there to be comforted–but these will present more of a theological challenge. Please remember that these were written/spoken in a context not necessarily our own, and that the cutting edge of the lesson (ever so valid) may well be seen in an expression of historical morality.

We begin with some verses from JOB, 1:1 and 2:1-10. These may be some of the earliest segments of what we consider sacred, and address the universal Problem of Evil. You should understand “Satan” to be the opposite of YHWH; the Tempter, more than Old Horns ‘n’ Pitchfork. Satan tells YHWH that Job can’t POSSIBLY love him when the going gets tough. Satan also tells us that YHWH can’t love us, or why do these bad things happen?

The writer of HEBREWS deals with the same conundrum: in 1:1-4 and 2:5-12, he or she presents a suffering savior, “the pioneer of [our] salvation”, called on to “suffer” with the rest of humanity. All the picture of Christ takes its shape in the momentary incarnation of Jesus as a person. The question is reframed: how can a holy Creator allow his own perfection to be trampled so? And does a Loving God really care for me despite the earthly sufferings that seem to come along?

MARK 10:2-16 isn’t about divorce. The hearer should be reminded that in much of the “pagan” culture–Rome, Greece, perhaps Persia–marriage was a matter of convenience, not commitment. Even good Jews understood that divorce was a matter of patriarchal privilege, that a woman was property which could be put away when she became a hindrance. Jesus is here saying that Marriage is a bonding, not just a here-today sort of arrangement. Mistakes can be made, of course; are there reasons why a marriage can sour?

In “Fiddler on the Roof”, Tevye suddenly confronts the idea of Love rather than Convenience as the basis of marriage. He asks his wife, the long-suffering Gilda, if she really loves him. The answer comes in traditional style: She does his laundry fixes his meals, raises his kids… She MUST love him! Does God love us? “To the Moon and back!”

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Tell your friends! –that Scripture to be read on the upcoming weekend slaps us here first; please join us every Tuesday to be examined in its light…

When you think about it, the entire Biblical story is one of God’s grace amidst impossible situations. So lessons to be heard on the upcoming weekend are all about incredible intercessions and a Presence which can be acknowledged by all of us. People in the pews may have heard these stories before–or maybe not!–and they should remind the hearers of their own spiritual journeys and revelations.

The Book of ESTHER, of which we’ll explore several verses in chapters 7 & 9, may or not be an account of an actual happening. But that doesn’t matter: the story addresses the reclamation of the Diaspora Jews through God’s empowerment of Queen Esther and the receptivity of King Ahazueras. Here again is a tale of God’s rescuing and restoring YHWHs People, of Divine Justice and a care for the community. We think of Mary’s Magnificat, centuries later, where “God has stretched out [a] mighty arm and scattered the proud with all their plans…” (Luke 2:51)

JAMES 5:13-20 is good advice despite its lack of Christology: whenever things get tough, PRAY. “The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.” (v.16) A word of caution: the pray-er may not get all that he or she requests, and it’s too easy to assume that the afflicted one “didn’t pray hard enough”. This all is cast within the understanding of the Church community: confession to one another, a gathering of elders, the restoration of those who may have wandered off…

The Gospel of MARK isn’t designed as a narrative, although we see a timeline of Jesus’ ministry and teachings unfold here. In 9:38-50 we find more references to the Business of Gathered Disciples: acceptance of others, the purging of the un-Godly in order to remain pure (Mark WAS Jewish), and the living in peace with one another. How much can we give up our own standards and keep our Christian identity? Some groups have isolated themselves from the Rest of the World–but that seems not to work. As the Disciples followed Jesus to Jerusalem, there were many decisions to be made.

These are not comfortable passages for the Church: contemporary Christians are urged to make these decisions on a daily basis. Yet the questions which may arise tend to stretch our ideas into further realms of witness. Ancient and more modern stories illuminate the journey of the Church, and serve to remind us that it’s not an easy path.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Please join in the discussion every Tuesday at horacebrownking.com, as we examine–and are examined by–scriptural passages to be shared on the upcoming weekend.

There seems to be no particular silver thread to connect these lectionary passages. But hearers are encouraged to picture the unfolding Church in these three encounters, for they seem counter-cultural and not at all what the Wisdom of Earth demands.

PROVERBS 3:10-31/The Bride of Christ. It’s pretty hard to hear these patriarchal words without flinching. But remember that they come from an era where Women were less than nothing, so they reflect an “enlightened” view of the role of Women. Sorta. The only way I can account for them is to let the Wonder Woman described be an allegory for the Wife of God. Please, ladies, don’t fear that you’ve fallen short; your husband still loves you, so does God.

JAMES 3:13-4:8/The Good Community. Although God is barely mentioned here, the inference of the Greater Epistle is that of encouraging the listener to live a Godly life, showing acts of kindness and righteousness. Here is a comparison of the selfish to the generous, the proud to the humble. “In choosing to draw near to God, we are throwing off the power that earthly wisdom has over us.” (Kathy L. Dawson, FEASTING on the WORD, B 4:90) Does our Church community show this kind of impartiality? Do we subjugate our own accomplishments to the good of the whole?

MARK 9:30-37/The Kingdom of the Uncluttered. A rather humorous story about the Disciples bickering on the way back home about “who was the greatest”. Jesus pretended not to hear this ’til they were settled, then said, “Whoever wants to be first must be last and servant of all”. (‘Cept the line for the pot-luck supper…) Then he showed them a child, naive and simple, and said, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me”.

Mark Douglas reminds us that “the forces of darkness are no threat to those who see with heavenly wisdom….the conflicts we face are those that come from within us–from disordered and conflicting desires that, when they come into contact with the disordered desires of others, lead to disputes and conflicts.” (ibid. p.88) Again, then, what the System honors and to which it defers is wholly different from the culture of Christ.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

You’re invited to pass this “Wisdom” on to a friend–and join us every Tuesday to be confronted by Lessons to be read on the upcoming weekend: at horacebrownking.com

I can still hear my Mother say, as I prepared to mow the lawn in my flip-flops, “Don’t come running to ME when you cut your foot off!” Scriptures to be heard this weekend are meant to remind the worshipper of the Wisdom of GOD, as opposed to the Smart Money here on earth. Through each of them, we’ll hear that God is ‘way more mighty than the incomplete knowledge presented by The System.

The Book of PROVERBS gives itself over to wise sayings, and a presentation of Wisdom in all Holiness. Verses 1:20-33 speak of God’s willingness to enlighten the People; and of a petulant parent-figure who says, “I told you so!” “I will make my words known to you….[but] because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity…” Bishop Kenneth Carter opines, “The church is but one voice among many, clamoring for the attention of the marketplace.” (FEASTING on the WORD, B 4:50) The neglect of Wisdom is ultimately the neglect of God.

JAMES 3:1-12 has no Christology, only the author’s observations. He compares the tongue to a ship’s rudder, a small piece controlling the entire boat. The words we say can cause a great conflagration: “It only takes a spark to start a fire going”. If we’re followers of the Holy, we’ll watch our tongues! Inherent in the reading is the idea that as we believe, so should we speak.

The Gospel according to MARK, 8:27-38, has Jesus asking the disciples, “Who do you say I am?” Peter speaks of the Christ, and almost immediately denies the humanity of Jesus. Jesus rebukes all who would set Incarnation on the shelf, identifying them with the Tempter. Then he calls EVERYbody to hear that God wants to be God, that the followers of Jesus have to do away with their egos and accept whatever “cross” is laid on them… Denial is more than giving up peanut butter in Lent: it’s adopting a new priority, a new perspective on who we are and who Jesus is.

Charles Wesley: “Sinners turn, why will you die? God, your Maker, asks you why….Noblest of {God’s} creatures, why, why will you forever die?” What makes us “sinners” is that we’ve been lured into the wisdom of the System instead of hearing what GOD has to say!

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Every Tuesday we explore scriptural texts which are designed to carry the worship of the upcoming weekend. Come join us at horacebrownking.com

So says The System. Work! Sweat! Keep your nose to the grindstone, your shoulder to the wheel! And then you’ll be rich! And if you’re not, then you must have done something wrong. Or else God just doesn’t like you. Texts to be heard this weekend challenge us to change our stance toword the Work Ethic, reminding us that God loves rich and poor alike.

Selected verses from PROVERBS 22 tend to bend the point to our counter-cultural direction. But Vicki of Nashville has included v.22, “Do not rob the poor because they are poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate.” The purpose of these proverbs is to guide the hearer into a wise and ethical community. The prevailing social view is that the Poor–or anyone not fitting the conventional mark–is a Loser. Bullies usually pick on the smallest, most vulnerabled kid on the playground. Yet all are created in the image of God, and deserve their place within the community.

The Epistle of JAMES (2:1-17) continues to ask the embarassing question, “Do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ?” Through the generations the System has told us, “Cultivate those that have power, befriend the well-to-do”. But there’s no place for favoritism within the House of God! How then shall we stitch the outcasts of The System into the Living Church?

The stories told by MARK in 7:24-37 serve to be models of our own discipleship. Here was Jesus, in an alien culture, being asked by throw-away Gentiles for healing. If nothing else, these picture an expansion of the Chritstly mission to disregard the borders someone drew: in national territories, in proper expressions of tradition, in self-indulgent views of the rich and those poor… These also speak of the community formed by expectation–the mother interceding for the daughter, the crowd interceding for the deaf & speechless man. As Jesus ministered to these “least” ones, how can we not minister to the needy nearby?

When I got my doctorate, one of my pals sent me a congratulatory card which read, “If you’re so smart, why aint ya rich?” The System will raise its viscious head until the Last Day (see Revelation). True faith is demonstrated through our acts of mercy and welcome; again we’re asked to Walk the Walk.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Every Tuesday we delve into the core of Biblical readings to be heard in worship on the upcoming weekend; please join us at horacebrownking.com

Back in 1967, the guys in the house where I lived all decided to write music for our impending weddings. My piece, “Arise, My Love” turned out quite well, I think. At any rate, the text lives on; as do the other exhortions we read today in preparation for the upcoming weekend services. These indicate a matter of priorities: what really means something in our daily lives.

Some commentators will say that SONG OF SONGS 2:8-13 is to describe the mystical relationship of God with the Church. Well, maybe. But I opt for the face-value song of appreciation between a lover and his lass which celebrates the earthly infatuation of very human youth! The winter has indeed been long and icy–but now the rains are over and gone! “God’s in his heaven, all’s right with the world!” Your congregation is invited to dance with God in joy for the proliferation of young lovers…

JAMES wrote his letter to the Greek-speaking new Christians in Asia Minor; and here in 1:17-27 he plunges right into the core of his message: “But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act–they will be blessed in their doing.” Again, a matter of priorities. Evidently some of these folks thought that saying Christian words would be enough, that it didn’t matter what they did. The One who rejoices over human love continues to rejoice when this love is expanded to all Creation, both in personal morality and social justice.

Some of the old rules had their purpose, others were merely poses. MARK 7 elaborates on this with the confrontation of Jesus and the Good People about eating restrictions: the disciples of Jesus didn’t wash their hands correctly before eating! Oh, come on! Jesus went on to say that whatever goes into the body through the mouth is mere nutrition, however you see it–but what comes OUT of the body (usually through the mouth) is harmful to the person AND society: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, slander, pride, folly…. So what do YOU discard? Better, so what will you embrace?

At the weddings I’ve officiated, I often tell the groom, “Well, now your troubles are at an end!” But I never told him WHICH end… Still, God celebrates Young Lovers and those who choose to Be Doers and those who know that holiness is more than the proper rituals! We’re told to get our priorities straight.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Several of you have made my day by telling others about our weekly examination of and by Scripture to be heard on the upcoming weekend! All are invited to horacebrownking.com every Tuesday.

We’re a strange people, aren’t we? Especially when we know better! Scriptures to be heard on the upcoming weekend will hopefully remind those who hear that we still run after alien gods, whether we call them by ancient names or more contemporary ones: trust in military might, the newest vehicles/razors/broadband services, the supremacy of an athletic team, or the wonders of artificial intelligence. (You can insert your own personal god right here.) A prophet is one empowered by the Real God to speak against idolatry by whatever name it bears. Do we need more prophets?

In JOSHUA 24, we see that the habiru/desert wanderers have arrived at the Promised Land. Joshua has called the leaders of the tribes, and exhorts them to be loyal to YHWH. There’s a critical choice to be made between the local gods “of the ancestors” or the God who has led them through the wilderness with many signs and intercessions. Joshua encourages the People to embrace the Laws & Command-ments and not give in to the temptations of compromising their relationship with the True God by running after things that can tarnish with time.

The key verse in EPHESIANS 6:10-20 seems to be “For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities (see Titus 3:1), against the cosmic powers of this present darkness….” Paul counsels that we are to stand firm and not go with the flow. Does your congregation take this seriously, or is the bottom line the measure of “success”?

We’ve been exploring in the Gospel of JOHN the seemingly shocking speeches of Jesus about the consumption of his body and blood. Many of his followers said, “This is too much” and ran away. In 6:67 we read Jesus’ question, “Do you ALSO wish to go away?” Notice that he’s not speaking just to those disciples, but to present ones as well. You and me. Peter forms the Church as he replies, “We have come to believe and know that YOU are the Holy One of God.” More than “spirituality”, our life in Christ demands that we go with him beyond our comfort zone.

Susan Henry-Crowe gives us some demaning questions (FEASTING on the WORD, B 3:366): “What are the names of the ancestral gods still worshiped in his or her own congregation? What benefits have these gods provided in the past? What losses may result from deserting them for the One God who promises relationship instead of rewards?” Living the God-like life is hard.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Every Tuesday we examine–and are likewise examined by–the Scriptures to be heard on the upcoming weekend. Please join us!

When I was in Eighth Grade, the pals I hung out with were derisively called the Wise Guys, especially by male faculty members. We always had a smart answer for our shenanigans. Scriptures to be read during worship on the upcoming weekend remind us that in God’s eyes, we’re not always that smart. Real Wisdom is a gift from God, and often (usually?) runs counter to the wisdom of The System.

PROVERBS 9:1-6 “introduces” Wisdom as the feminine side of Creation; she calls those who will hear to “lay aside immaturity and live, and walk in the way of insight”. Wisdom goes beyond obeying the rules to accepting a divine relationship with a God who has generously created Life. Our ethics have turned upside down, and if we care to wait out the dark times, the Light will eventually win out. Well, THERE’s hope! Do we pursue the path of Wisdom, or do we squander our dreams on that which does not satisfy? Please note that Dame Wisdom freely offers bread and wine, the Nourishment of Eternity.

EPHESIANS 5:15-20 speaks to our need to live as wise people, acknowledging God’s Presence at all times. “The mark of the wise, according to this passage, is using time wisely, and using it to change the world.” (Paul V. Marshall, in FEASTING on the WORD, B 3:350) The Christ-follower is to put themself where the Wisdom is, abstaining from that which dulls the senses, and giving thanks for all that is, certain that God is there.

Many have skipped over the Gospel of JOHN 6:51-58, where Jesus announces that to eat his body and drink his blood is the fulfillment of Godliness. Many cringe when they realize that he means it: consumption is allowing each bit to flow through the circulation into the smallest of capillaries. Luther maintains that the emphasis should be on “MY”, instead of concentrating on “FLESH” and “BLOOD”. All of us “consume” something, sometimes the evils of The System. Real salvation is about attending to God’s Presence by not selling out to the impotent forces that surround us.

So the Wise are those men & women who proclaim that the Word has moved into our backyard and must be acknowledged. They commit to a life never quite in-sync with the common values, to a life on the fringes of The System, and of self-giving to the destitute and loveless.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Every Tuesday we’ll explore the lessons to be read during worship on the upcoming weekend, at horacebrownking.com

Sometimes, not often, I recognize that the commentators I follow have said better things than I can with my limited language. This week, I’ve decided to let them speak for themselves; I’m reading the Common Lectionary from FEASTING on the WORD, Proper 14 in Year B, pages in Volume 3 of 314 through 337.

I KINGS 19:4-8 (Susan E. Vande Kappelle, once pastor of 4th Presbyterian, Washington PA) “Elijah is a faithful servant of the living God. In the prophetic office, Elijah has known the Lord’s provision in drought and famine….Even without blatant personal sin, Elijah sees no good in his life….He assumes that he can be of no further service to the Lord….Feeling the hopelessness of his situation, Elijah flees into the wilderness and seeks an end to his life….In every situation God makes redemption possible….God breaks the power of evil and offers new life….In response to an individual who has lost hope and direction for life and who has a poor sense of self-worth, God acts with compassion….The redemption of Elijah takes time. It requires compassionate nurture and the recovery of Elijah’s sense of his value to God….Elijah’s worth is found in God’s love for him and in the call of God upon his life….Human worth does not depend upon living a sinless life. It is the concrete love of God that provides humans with self-worth and meaning for life.”

EPHESIANS 4:25-5:2 (G. Porter Taylor, Episcopal Bishop of Western North Carolina, Asheville NC) “The new believers are to ‘put off’ or ‘strip away’ the old self so that God can give them the new….Because we are reborn, the habits of the old self have no dominion over us….Therefore, the works described by Paul are not merit badges set out for us to achieve. Rather, they are marks of the new life given to us in baptism….Paul is calling for the new Christians to remember who they now are in Christ and to focus on the way to life, instead of turning back to the ways of death….God gives us the capacity to turn around as well as to refrain from turning back….Paul is calling for these early Christians not merely to worship God in Christ, but through the Holy Spirit to imitate Christ in their own behavior…”

JOHN 6:41-51 (Will Willimon, Bishop of the United Methodist Church and resident scholar at Duke University) “As modern scientific people, we have learned so much about everything we can taste, and touch, and feel. In the process, the world got demystified, explained, unbearably flattened and figured out. We therefore long to peek behind the veil, to penetrate the less obvious….What the Bible names in places as ‘idolatry’ could also be called attempts to seek sustenance in places other than with Jesus, who says he is the bread of life….Whatever we need in order to comprehend Jesus must come as a gift, insight not of our own devising.”

Egad, what a lot of words! I pray that they’ll direct your life as they do mine.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Join us next Tuesday to explore Scripture passages to be read during worship on the upcoming weekend.