Lectionary Blog

^{JN 1:29} The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is the one I meant when I said, `A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' ³¹ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel."

The Lamb

Andrew and John turned gave each other a look, speechless as Jesus walked away. They had been disciples of John the Baptizer for some time and they had heard him say some incredible things. That was what was so exciting about being around him. He preached that something was coming. At night around the fire he would tell his disciples of the Messiah who was coming. At those times he wasn’t ruthless or abrasive, rather clothed in vulnerability he would impart to them his passion for the one who comes.

This was what John and Andrew were thinking about as they watched Jesus walk away. Could this really be the one that the Baptizer had been telling them about so long? That night around the fire they talked about it.

“What does he mean the Lamb of God?” Andrew asked John. Andrew was a man of action; John was a thinker and a dreamer.

“Think about the Passover Lamb sacrificed so that death would pass over. Or think about the lamb Isaiah talked, the servant of God about being led before the slaughter with calm, Or think about the conquering lamb who will one day lie down with the lion.”

“That’s what I mean, which one?”

“All of them I think, rolled in to one,” John replied.

“Did you see him? The man our Baptizer spoke of?” Andrew asked.

“yes”

“Did he look greater than our teacher? Did he look like the long awaited messiah? Did he seem to you to be a man of miracles, a man who has seen the presence of God?”

John remembered this man, he remembered seeing him baptized by John a few days earlier. Then today as he watched him walk away, the man turned and glanced over his shoulder. Their eyes met. And he saw him.

Have you seen him? Have you seen the Lamb who can take a way the sins of the world? Cast the eyes of your heart upon him. Look to that secret place in your heart where the spirit communes with God and you will see him looking back at you as well. He is powerful, he is amazing, he is God’s Son, Chosen, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the World to take your sins away. He is looking at you? Do you see him?

As they were staring into the fire, thinking, The Baptizer came up behind them and spoke.

^{JN 1:32} Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. ³³ I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, `The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' ³⁴ I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God."

Themes:

John points Jesus out to his disciples:

Look the lamb who takes away the sins of the world - The lamb of sacrifice. I came baptizing in order to find him. He will baptize with the Spirit. The work of God is proclaimed the rest of the story is the disciples work of response. “Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning.” - D. Willard.

The disciples follow Jesus:

Where are you staying - that question will take a while to answer.
Come and see - Come have dinner with me. Come to my table, I will feed you. Spend the night. Are we willing to go after him or are we content to look with our eyes only.

The disciples point Jesus out:

They run to find their brothers, Andrew finds Simon - we have found the messiah!

Apocalyptic inversion … it seems like the season is full of them. Isaiah’s imagery of the straight paths to the point of mountains being made low and valleys raised is in keeping with apocalyptic tradition. When the Lord comes it wrongs are righted and chaos brings order. It heralds a new life, a new existence.

John the Baptist is charged with the same image. He prepares the way for the Lord. The imagery carries the force of the upheaval long expected. The one coming would baptize with fire after all. Even if we indict John with having a flawed image of the roll of the messiah, he is not wrong. Jesus did, does and will bring the kind of upheaval and new order that the apocalyptic eschatology describes.

Isaiah goes on to say men wither and fade like grass.
Peter picks up the refrain also employing apocalyptic imagery.

Today’s readings call us to watchfulness. Isaiah assures us that God works for those who wait in faithfulness, especially through challenging times. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul affirms his readers for their spiritual gifts, which well equip them for the return of the Lord Jesus. In today’s gospel, Jesus directs us to "keep awake" (v. 37).

I realized this picture of Ella at the Folsom Children's Zoo being mobbed by goats is a good one for this week.

Who are the little ones? The disciples? The needy in the world? Some commentators reject the general needy because the attitudes to the disciples seems more in keeping with people belonging to the church. The world could give a cup of cold water, some clothes and a visit. Does that mean that they will be welcomed into the kingdom because of what they've done?

I say it is unimportant if you see the discourse from the negative.

It is not the acts of mercy and justice that saves, but lack of mercy is evidence of unrighteousness.

It isn’t that they did these little things – but that they were sheep. The doing only made it possible to distinguish them from the goats.

Still, how do we treat Christ? Is it in keeping with who we are now, by his grace?

Diocese of East Tennessee: Weekly Lectionary: "Today's readings celebrate Christ, our compassionate King. Ezekiel pictures God as our Shepherd, who rescues and watches over us. In both his letter to the Corinthians (BCP) and his letter to the Ephesians (RCL), Paul pictures Christ reigning triumphantly over creation, over his enemies, over the Church and even over death. Jesus presents a vision of final judgement, in which the Son of Man welcomes into God's kingdom those who have treated others with compassion and mercy."

“The third slave was responsible for less, but he did not have less responsibility…. He went off by himself, dug a hole and buried what his master had given him. He was treating it the way people treated money that was stolen. Actually he did this because he looked at the talent with fear instead of faith.  He saw it as a burden instead of an opportunity….  So believers are not free to receive gifts from God and fail to use them for His glory.” – Stanley Horton

Second slave didn’t apologize for having made less. A couple weeks ago,  I took up the offering by having the people give their offering to someone else  to take up.  I wanted them to recognize that when we give it is to each other, but perhaps you see the problem I did not.  People were weary about others knowing what they gave.  May we never be ashamed before men.

A talent based on my income would amount to $400,635.62  I can imagine myself that one talent guy.  How could I feel slighted simply because I’m not a millionaire?  This is a huge gift, the kind of thing that will actually get me to eat at McDonald’s for the opportunity of pulling off a monopoly sticker.  Oh God of gifts, teach me that you have showered gifts on me.  Teach me how to use it for your glory!

I've always tried to be careful to seperate the idea of our talents and giftings from the money in the parable. Then I had a thougth, and this confirms it. The english meaning of talent, as in talent show, developed directly from this parable! That is very interesting...

talent

1292, "inclination, disposition, will, desire," from O.Fr. talent, from M.L. talenta, pl. of talentum "inclination, leaning, will, desire" (1098), in classical L. "balance, weight, sum of money," from Gk. talanton "balance, weight, sum," from PIE *tel-, *tol- "to bear, carry" (see extol). Originally an ancient unit of weight or money (varying greatly and attested in O.E. as talente), the M.L. and common Romanic sense developed from fig. use of the word in the sense of "money." Meaning "special natural ability, aptitude," developed c.1430, from the parable of the talents in Matt. xxv:14-30.

Diocese of East Tennessee: Weekly Lectionary: "In today's readings, God asks us to make appropriate use of our gifts and talents. Zephaniah announces God's coming judgment against the self-indulgent and complacent. Paul urges his readers to quit worrying about the time of Jesus' return, and instead to live fully, now, as children of light. In Jesus' parable, two slaves wisely invest the talents entrusted to them, while a third slave cowers in fear."

"Who then is this party of ten virgins? And where is the bride? There seems to be a puzzling omission here in this parable. The bride herself is not featured. The parable focusses on a bridal party, here termed virgins or bridesmaids. Bridesmaids typically are closely associated with the bride. But isn't a bridesmaid one who is preparing for her own future role as a bride? Is she not readying herself for her own wedding? This is a picture of the divine romance is it not? If that is so, then might the issue of bridal preparation be the main theme in this parable of the 10 virgins? "

Amos says that it is a day of darkness, not of light. The day of the Lord we look forward to Paul describes as a day of celebration and reunion. So for whom will it be a day of darkness? Jesus answers the question. Those who run out of oil are left in the darkness of a lampless night.

I diverge from the traditional A/G teaching that mirrors the “Left Behind” eschatology. So don’t misunderstand me, I am not thinking of Amos’ dark night as being the Great Tribulation, but it is certainly God’s judgment on injustice and unrighteousness. There is a great upheaval the apocalyptic revelation brings. The unrighteous will be leveled; the poor made rich like the mountains - the great and terrible day of the Lord. The day Amos reminds us of is awful and terrible, just as Paul reminds us it is awesome and glorious.

"Reflection and Response
St. Paul reminds us that the messiness and fatigue of labor and toil are an intrinsic part of proclaiming the gospel. He was not above getting his own hands dirty to avoid burdening anyone else. If we become too distant from the work of busboys, maids and janitors, we run the risk of practicing a religion grown too airy to be real. As we struggle to keep a balance between this world and the next, Paul encourages us to notice that what is at work in us is no human phenomenon, but the vital leaven of God's word.
How clearly Jesus saw down the ages into the 21st century, when the people of God desperately need a reminder of their call to service. Today's readings challenge us to examine the times and places in our lives where we have valued applause or esteem over genuine service to others.
As we reflect on our own lives, it may be helpful to bear in mind models who live what Jesus described. Do we know people who disregard the places of honor and the titles of respect? Do we know those who prefer genuine service to the fluff of adulation? Such people are the best subjects for meditation today: spend some time savoring them in your mind.
Given such positive examples, perhaps we can look critically at the accretions of power that have grown like a cancer in the Church. The phylacteries have turned into miters and crosiers; the marble altars and gem-encrusted chalices affront the poor. Surely Christ calls us to correct these outrages�and to amend our own lives.
So do the difficult thing, and think about yourself: do you gravitate toward the head table and insist on the honorary title? What is your modern equivalent of phylacteries and tassels? Have such tokens of esteem become idols that threaten to replace God on the altar of your heart? If it's hard to be this objective about y"

Diocese of East Tennessee: Weekly Lectionary says, "[Sunday's] readings call us to bring God's word to others, humbly and respectfully. Micah admonishes Israel's leaders, who, instead of speaking for God, have led people away from God. Paul's tenderness in bringing the gospel to the Thessalonians helped them receive the gospel as the word of God. Jesus teaches mutual respect and humility as the path to true honor."

Stewardship - Sermon Starters: "To live as a steward of God's love means giving that love tangible expression in the forms of justice, integrity, affection, generosity, mercy, attention, and respect, to name a few ways. It will show up in our personal and public lives, in things that cost money and in things that cost time. To be God's steward is to use all the powers at our disposal for God-pleasing purposes. God is pleased when the love God has for all people, perfectly fleshed out in Jesus, can be experienced through us too."

ONEFamily Outreach - Jerry Goebel, Presenter, Facilitator, Musician and Outreach Ministry: "In addition, Jesus uses the verb for agape love [agapao]. This is a "get off your duff, no holds barred, immediately get up and run out and find someone who needs to be included" type of love! It is the type of love that prompted our savior to come to earth and love sinners like us. It is also the type of love that would confront the Pharisee's pseudo-religion of "it's all about God and me.""

Last week I saw the coin as a question of reckless abandon. This too shows up as we love. How do I love as a steward of God? Extravagantly.

God goes before Moses, one who is hidden in the cleft as his glory passes.  God goes before Cyrus, who doesn’t know him, but for Israel’s sake will show His glory. The psalmist cries his glory and awful power.  We quake and tremble with the whole earth!

And what is our response as stewards?