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FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY: THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD 13 January 2013 FIRST LESSON Isaiah 43:1-7 To understand this prophetic verse by Second Isaiah, one must look at the previous chapter.  God had allowed Babylon to conquer and enslave Israel as punishment for their failures to obey his laws. Now he is calling them home, promising safe passage through waters and fire.  He has redeemed them. In this metaphor, God is spoken of as a man redeeming his kinsman from slavery by paying a price.  The image includes the price paid, which is the vast areas of Egypt, Ethiopia, …

The Epiphany 6 January 2013 FIRST LESSON Isaiah 60:1-6 Let me remind you that the book of Isaiah combines three parts.  “First Isaiah,” as he is called today, was a brilliant court prophet who wrote before the Babylonian Exile (Chaps 1-39).  “Second Isaiah” was one of the captives at Babylon, but knowing that his people would soon be released, he sang joyfully of their return, and in his allegory of the “suffering servant,” paid honor to those who had remained faithful during their enslavement (Chaps 40-55).  By convention, scholars call the remainder (Chaps 56-66) “Third Isaiah,” though probably it is …

FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY Jan 3, 2013   FIRST LESSON Jeremiah 1:4-10 The Book of Jeremiah, opens with an introduction to the prophet, who has carried on a ministry for forty years. Our lessons begins a section of twenty chapters in which we have the words of Jeremiah as dictated to or recorded by his young assistant, Baruch. Today we have Jeremiah’s account of his commissioning by the Lord. Earlier prophets, Samuel, Nathan, were political figures, not preachers and poets. But Jeremiah is commissioned to use words. True, a political function is not left out, for he is also told …

FIRST SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS 30 Dec 2012 FIRST LESSON Isaiah 61:10 – 62:3 Third Isaiah sings a hymn of praise to God for redeeming Israel from the Babylonian bondage.  A new name indicates a new status.  Jacob, for instance, was renamed Israel.  Here the nation of Jews is to have a new name, which in fact happened.  The names of the old Jewish states, Israel and Judah, are abandoned and the new state which the Jews were now to establish, with Jerusalem as its capitol, was to be called Judea. SECOND LESSON Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7 Our reading is part of …

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT 23 Dec 2012 FIRST LESSON Micah 5:2-5a Micah (writing about 725 BCE) was a younger contemporary of First Isaiah, but far from being a court prophet, Micah was a young man from the country who distrusted city folk.  Jerusalem would fall to enemies from Mesopotamia because of the corruption of its rulers (3:9-12).  It would eventually rise again under the leadership of a descendent of David born in the insignificant village of Bethlehem.  He shall care for the people like a shepherd feeds his flock (the image of a country boy).  He shall bring them through …

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT 16 Dec 2012 FIRST LESSON Zephaniah 3:14-20 Zephaniah was another court poet like First Isaiah, some think even of royal lineage.  He must have flourished in the court of the great reformer, Josiah, and like his king become a strict adherer to the laws of the Torah.  After predicting doom for those who have corrupted the religion, he prophesies the glorious salvation of Israel by a personal God who will come among them and inspire them to victory in warfare and compassion for the afflicted and will make them renowned to all peoples. SECOND LESSON Philippians …

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT 9 Dec 2012 FIRST LESSON Baruch 5:1-9 The word “bible” means “book.”  Before the invention of the printing press, what we call the “Bible” was called the “Library” because each of the books was separate from the others, either as a codex, that is hand-scripted pages bound like a book, or a scroll.  There must have been many synagogues and churches that could not afford or could not house such a large collection.  So it would have been handy to have choice items from the Library collected in one book.  Baruch is such a collection, a …

ADVENT  SUNDAY 2 Dec 2012 FIRST LESSON Jeremiah 33:14-16 Today we begin the third year of the three-year cycle of readings.  These readings are the outcome of an ecumenical movement to draw together various sects in the US and Canada.  The resulting schedule is now followed by many Roman Catholic parishes, the entire world-wide Anglican communion, and numerous other sects. Today’s Old Testament lesson: Disaster awaits Jerusalem.  The Babylonians and their allies the Chaldeans have taken the northern nation of Judah and are now marching toward Jerusalem.  Jeremiah begins to prophesy.  Jerusalem will fall, he tells the people, for God …

PROPER 29 November 25, 2012 FIRST READING Second Samuel 23:1-17 Last summer we had a series of readings from I and II Samuel on the history of David.  Today’s reading is a hymn of praise to God purportedly by David.  This and another hymn (Chapter 22, which also appears as Psalm 18) have been inserted into the historical account of David at the point where his long series of wars are finally concluded.  David sings about God’s guidance of him in ruling justly and God’s establishment of a covenant with him.  It was firmly believed in later ages that God …

PROPER 28 November 18, 2012 FIRST READING First Samuel 1:4-20 The hill country of Ephraim boasted the most important temple of the day, the hill-shrine of Shiloh, where the sacred Ark was kept.  The chief priest was Eli.  Elkanah, a prosperous man of the town, had two wives (as permitted:  see Deuteronomy 21:15-17),  Peninnah had several children, but Hannah had none.  Peninnah lorded it over Hannah and made life miserable for her, but Elkanah loved her and cared not that she was childless.  Hannah went by herself to the temple and prayed for a son, and vowed to give him …