Taking Comfort in Signs of the Kingdom
The theme running through many of the February lectionary readings is God’s commitment to do a new thing. The lessons from the Hebrew Bible focus on the promises that God makes to the believers and the power of God to heal and transform. First, a connection is made between the holiness of God and the righteousness of God who “gives power to the faint and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Is 40:21–31) Faithfulness to God brings help to those who believe. Second, the power of God to heal is narrated in the story of the healing of Naaman’s leprosy by the prophet Elisha. (2 Kings 5:1–14) One implication is that when the new breaks through, healing occurs. The readings for the following week, Transfiguration Sunday, are the parallel stories of the assumption of Elijah into heaven (2 Kings 2:1–12) and the narrative of the transfiguration in Mark 9:2–9. Later we will examine how the transfiguration story functions in the Markan Gospel account as an assurance of God’s new reign.
The gospel lessons are taken from Mark’s Gospel. The readings relate three healing narratives: Jesus heals Peter Simon’s mother-in-law and silences the demons (Mk 1:28–39) and Jesus heals the leper (Mk 1:40–45). The climax of the month is the Transfiguration (Mk 9:2–9).
Mark’s Gospel is full of action with the story built around a structure of mission, journey, and conflict. The writing style in this Gospel communicates a sense of urgency. It is strongly influenced by Jewish apocalyptic literature, a form of communication commonly used in Mark’s time for the expression of political protest. For Mark, the apocalyptic is at the center of the story of Jesus’ life, teaching, miracles, and the conflicts culminating in the cross.
Mark tells the story of Jesus in a way that requires a clear choice between good and evil. Through the depiction in his Gospel of the radical dualism between good and evil, Mark conveys to his followers that a showdown with the forces of domination and evil is utterly inevitable. The parable of the strong man’s house (3:22–27) illustrates this confrontation with “the powers” and indicates that Jesus is going to engage in direct action against them.
In the context of this apocalyptic struggle, Mark’s healing narratives are meant to be signs of assurance that God’s reign is indeed breaking into time. In the midst of the struggle against “the powers,” Jesus’ presence brings healing. Healing now is the assurance of radical change later. In this life-and-death struggle, believers are to be faithful to the signs of the new. The healing events in Mark’s story of Jesus are meant to point to the Reign of God. Believers are to take comfort in “the signs of the kingdom” as demonstrated in Jesus’ life and death.
The Markan community is given three eschatological signs of assurance that in Jesus the reign of God is appearing. First is the baptism of Jesus (1:9–11), when the heavens open, the Spirit descends like a dove, and a voice from heaven proclaims, “You are my Son, the Beloved’ with you I am well pleased. Second is the Transfiguration (9:2–8), when, after Jesus converses with Moses and Elijah, the heavens open and a voice says, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” Finally the crucifixion is the concluding sign of apocalyptic victory (15:33–39). As at baptism and the Transfiguration, there is an announcement from heaven: “Truly this man was God’s Son!”
The third set of readings for February is from the Corinthian correspondence. The first two of these readings could be regarded as strategies for faithful obedience to the mission of Jesus. In the first, Paul talks about “becoming all things to all people” for the sake of the Gospel (1 Cor 9:16–23), and the second reading (1 Cor 9: 24–27) Paul considers strategies for “running the race” for the sake of the Gospel. Both readings are focused on the practical application of the Reign of God to daily discipleship. The third reading is an assurance to the believers about God’s presence and power. This lesson (2 Cor 4:3–6) which is read on Transfiguration Sunday, affirms that the light of the glory of God is in the face of Jesus.
With this introduction in mind, I will look more closely at the reading for each Sunday. My primary focus will be on the gospel lessons, with secondary attention given to the other readings.
February 1, 2009
Deut 18:15–20; Ps 111; 1 Cor 8:1–13; Mk 1:21–28
As we come to this final Sunday in January we find that the contemplation of this seemingly unfathomable concept has led us to consider our reentry, if you will, into the work of God in the world today. It is important that we pause in our busyness to spend time in reflection, but having done so, it is now time to reconsider how we as children of God can make a difference in the time and place in which we live.
If you have used this month in reflection, the final Sunday will no doubt be directed to and driven by the concerns that have surfaced during your month’s work with your congregation. It does seem to me, however, that the readings for this last Sunday in January offer many possibilities for bringing this month of reflection to a close.
In the reading from Deuteronomy for today we are told that God will raise up a prophet. As you guide your congregation from contemplation to commitment you might reflect with them on the promises of God to raise up prophets in the world. We in the twenty-first century have been privileged to hear the words of prophets of God in our own time. You might think here of relating stories of some of these such as Gandhi, Bonhoeffer, Mandela, and Martin Luther King Jr. In God’s reign there continue to be those called, raised up by God, who can bring the rest of us along. Part of our task as children of God is to recognize and heed those whom God has called.
The New Testament readings have much to contribute to a discussion about the need to be well-informed and discerning children of the kingdom. The Corinthians needed to be reminded by Paul that it was time to rethink some of the ideas they had. It is as important for us as it was for the Corinthians to revisit some of our assumptions. In every generation there comes a time when it is necessary to look anew at how we are in the world. Similarly, the gospel reading is a lesson in discernment. The unusual authority with which Jesus taught caught the worshippers by surprise. He taught them with such authority as they had never seen. We’re told that the news of this spread quickly. Do we spread the news? As we move from contemplation to commitment we begin to understand that, once called, there is great responsibility for those who are children of the kingdom.
Finally, the psalm for this week is the perfect place to end. A “month of Sundays”—both literally and figuratively—is insufficient for comprehending the reign of God and our role therein. That does not mean we should not continue trying. We should and we must. The psalmist’s voice can be our guide. Our God of mercy and grace is worthy to be praised.
As I have had the pleasure of reflecting on these lectionary readings for the five Sundays of January, I have been reminded of the opportunity that is ours as we make a deliberately slow and thoughtful journey through our reflection on the reign of God. It is indeed one of those topics that Heschel would have called “the ineffable,” and surely our words, no matter how considered or thoughtful, are that with which we must at times part company. Still, it seems to me that it is only when we are willing to set aside time for such deliberation that we become better prepared to live as children of God in the reign of God.
February 8, 2009
Isaiah 40:21–31; 1 Corinthians 9:16–23; Mark 1:29–39
The reading from Mark’s Gospel is the first of the healing stories for the month of February. This story is one of the few uninterrupted healing stories in the Gospel. The healing of Simon’s mother-in-law goes without comment and is a prelude to the healing that occurs as the “whole city gathered around the door.” Jesus casts out demons but forbids them to speak because they knew his identity. Jesus’ message is secret, but “the powers” know despite the disciples themselves having trouble grasping the secret.
After a time alone in prayer, Jesus says, “ ‘Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.’ And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons” (1:38–39).
How does the preacher present this healing story to contemporary congregations? One approach is to use all three readings to build a message of hope and consolation. Simon’s mother-in-law could be regarded as an example of the promise of Isaiah 40:21–31 that God will give power to the faint and strengthen the powerless. Jesus, the first fruit of the Reign of God, returns the nameless women to full life as a prelude to giving strength and health to people all through Galilee. In this instance the women’s restoration is a dramatic example of God’s new reign being both experienced and shared. The reading from the letter to the Corinthians presents the congregation with the challenge of its mission. How do we present this good news? Paul suggests that we become weak to those who are weak, that we become strong to those who are strong. That is, we adapt to our context so that the Gospel may be experienced at the point of people’s greatest need. In this sense the healing of the mother-in-law can be seen as a call to mission. The church needs to declare and proclaim this radical promise to men and women and do it in a way that is effective and relevant. Hence, one approach to these lessons is to treat them as ecclesiological marching orders to the contemporary church.
February 15, 2009
2 Kings 5:1–14; 1 Corinthians 9:24–27; Mark 1:40–45
Mark’s story is about a leper who comes to Jesus and begs him to make him clean. Jesus heals the leper but sternly warns him not to say anything to anyone. Nonetheless, the leper goes out and freely proclaims that he has been healed. As a result, Jesus could no longer go into town openly but stayed out in the country.
The reading in 2 Kings is a mirror of Mark’s narrative. The reading relates the account of the healing of Naaman’s leprosy by the prophet Elisha. It is a much longer narrative about healing than the account found in Mark, but it too is focused on the common problem of leprosy.
While the healing of the leper in Mark is a sign of the Reign of God breaking through, what else might it mean for contemporary believers? In both Mark and 2 Kings, we see being healed of leprosy as “cleansing” and a return to purity that has little parallel for us. After all, ritual purity is certainly not at the center of twenty-first-century life for Christians. Perhaps the closest parallel to leprosy in our time is HIV/AIDS. Many contemporary concerns about purity cluster around this disease. Did first-century Christians experience leprosy in ways similar to how we experience AIDS? If so, then how do these biblical healing events influence our own attitudes toward AIDS?
The reading in 1 Corinthians emphasizes the importance of having discipline to run the race. The race is long, and the goal is not just to finish, but to win. This is commonsense advice to a community that is in conflict with its culture. What kind of race is the Christian running today? What does the Corinthian context tells us about the nature of the first-century race? We are certainly not talking about a race characterized primarily by exaggerated personal piety or sexual purity. Nor are we talking about a race to consume more and more. This is a race for the creation of a new community of men and women centered on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. How does the preacher explain the nature of the contemporary race that Christians are asked to run? Does this metaphor still work for us?
Transfiguration Sunday
February 22, 2009
2 Kings 2:1–12; 2 Corinthians 4:3–6; Mark 9:2–9
The month of February climaxes with the account of the transfiguration in Mark and the account of the ascension of Elijah in 2 Kings. The Old Testament narrative helps in interpreting the New Testament narrative and vice versa. There is the common theme of power in both stories. I suggest that both stories need to be told and interpreted in the celebration of Transfiguration Sunday. The Corinthians reading is its own version of transfiguration with the “the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
As noted earlier, the Transfiguration serves in Mark as an apocalyptic assurance to the Markan households of faith that God’s work in Jesus will come to a good end. The beleaguered believers can take comfort in this special appearance of Elijah and Moses with the message, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him.”
How do we make sense of the Transfiguration as a contemporary event and not just a historical narrative? In what ways do we need assurance that the Christ event is still the life-giving and life-changing event that we continue to seek and to serve? What does contemporary transfiguration look like?
We certainly need some words of assurance in the midst of the conflict, disbelief, and sinfulness of our age. Can the preacher use this event to assure the hearer that God is still in the business of healing, helping, and changing? This was a word of hope for Mark’s community. Can it be a word of hope for us?
Ash Wednesday
Wednesday Feb 25, 2009
Joel 2:1–2, 12–17; Matthew 6:1–6, 16–21
Ash Wednesday challenges the preacher to set the tone for the entire season of Lent. In a world in which we are all bombarded with news, sounds, and information; the Lenten opportunity for some quiet reflection is both sorely needed and strongly counter-cultural. As popular media shouts about what is trendy and stylish; we have the opportunity to ask our congregations to step back and ask some important questions about what is not superficial and trendy but what really matters and what is truly enduring.
The lectionary provides an opportunity to gain new insights and to renew ourselves with familiar words and old traditions. The themes of change, fasting, community, and self-examination are all presented. While most preachers will select the gospel reading for Ash Wednesday, Joel’s call, “Return to the Lord, your God,” is just one facet of this powerful and under-preached lesson.
The gospel reading for Ash Wednesday is from the Sermon on the Mount and the reminder that our loving God sees us, accepts us, and loves us as we are. As we counter the popular advertising that we must be seen to wear the right clothes, seen to drive the right car, and seen to own the right gadgets to be esteemed by others; we have this wonderfully affirming lesson telling us what God’s criteria are for acceptance and it is never one of what other people see. Whether speaking about fasting, charitable acts, or prayer we are told repeatedly it is not what we wave under the noses of others that matters but what God “sees in secret” for which we will be rewarded. We have the opportunity to invite our congregations to use their Lenten walk to enrich and expand that part of their life which their God sees in secret.
