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Good News - Week of 11/27/2017

11/28/2017

PRAYER OF THE WEEK
As I listen for your voice, O God, so I become more alert to the signs of your coming. Amen.

Picture of a painting of three Haitian men carrying buckets of water as they walk to a fire.

Walking to the Fire (Isaiah 64:1-9)

NOTES ON THE SCRIPTURES

Isaiah 64:1-9: A prayer for God to come and display God’s might as in the past. Also, a confession that, while God welcomes those who do good, God’s people have not done good, and have failed to confess. Finally a plea for God’s forgiveness.

Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19: A plea for God to reveal God’s glory and come to God’s people to turn them back to God, to make God’s face smile on God’s people, and to save them.

1 Corinthians 1:3-9: God has given us every spiritual gift, and will sustain us and strengthen us, as we await the return of Christ.

Mark 13:24-37: Jesus speaks about the signs of his coming – darkened sun and moon and fallen stars – and encourages his followers to watch the signs and be alert. Then he tells a story about a man who goes on a long trip, leaving his servants with work to do, and telling the gatekeeper to keep watch for his return. In the same way we are to keep watch for we don’t know when the Master will return.

Reflection
As the new Church Year begins and we enter the Advent season once again, the Lectionary offers us a challenge to reflect carefully on our lives and our response to God’s presence and activity in our lives and our world. Both Isaiah and the Psalm for this week offer a plea for God to come to rescue and restore God’s people, with repentance as a strong element of this plea. The recognition here is that the people have landed in the trouble they are in because of turning away from God, and now they long to be turned back and healed. In the New Testament this theme is developed and connected with the coming of Christ to a troubled world. The passage from Mark’s Gospel – which certainly relates to the war which arose from the Jewish uprising of 66AD – gives an apocalyptic picture of a world in turmoil to which Christ comes, and from which God’s people are rescued. This rescue is not so much an escape from the struggle as it is an experience of God’s presence and protection in the midst of it – although the image of harvest is often interpreted (unhelpfully, I believe) in “evacuation” terms. In Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church, God’s blessing and sustaining presence are celebrated as the things that sustain us as we await the hope we have in the coming of Christ’s consummated reign. This Advent season starts, then, with a reminder of our hope in Christ, and the assurance of God’s presence in our lives, even as we are encouraged to be alert and repentant in order to ensure that we do not miss God when God comes to us.

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Good News - Week of 11/13/2017

11/13/2017

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PRAYER OF THE WEEK
I praise you, Jesus, for you reign over the cosmos with love and justice.

This picture represents the parable of the three talents found in Matthew 25:14-30. The setting is an African village. There is a man richly dressed. He is surrounded by three men. He is counting out money to give to the three men.

The three servants

NOTES ON THE SCRIPTURES

Judges 4:1-7: At a time when the Israelites are oppressed by the Canaanite King and his army led by Sisera, Deborah, the prophetess, instructs Barak to assemble an army, and she promises to help him to overpower Sisera.

Psalm 123: A psalm affirming trust and devotion to God, and pleading for God’s mercy in the face of the shame and mockery that has been endured.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11: A reminder that Christ’s coming will be like a thief in the night, and an encouragement for God’s people to stay alert and live sober lives protected by love, salvation and faithfulness, in union with Christ.

Matthew 25:14-30: Jesus tells a story about a wealthy man who entrusts some of his wealth to his servants. Two of them increase the money, while one simply buries the money & gives it back when the master returns. The master is angry and rejects the third servant, giving his small amount of money to the servant who made the most.

Reflection
This week we are still reflecting on the coming of God’s reign through Christ. In the letter to the Thessalonians, the believers are encouraged to stay alert and live Christ-like lives in order to know union with God both now and in eternity. In the Gospel, the parable of the talents is a difficult challenge for us to reflect on how we are making a contribution to the coming of God’s reign into the world. In the Old Testament readings this call to alertness and to utilising the resources God has given is emphasised still further by Deborah story in which she challenges Barak to be the military commander Israel needs, and in which (in Zephaniah) the wealthy and powerful are challenged not to trust in their wealth and power to save them from the coming of God’s reign. Finally in the Psalms, faith and devotion go along with the recognition of our human frailty and the need for us to use our time and our lives wisely. The word to us this week, then, is for us to use our resources – time, talents and treasures – mindfully in service of God’s purpose in order to share in the coming of God’s reign into our world. In addition, we are to recognise that whatever wealth or influence we may have does not “protect” us from the confrontation of God’s new order, but rather must be used in service of God’s reign.

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Good News - Week of 11/6/2017

11/6/2017

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PRAYER OF THE WEEK
I praise you, O God, because, no matter what I’m going through, your Reign is always present and working.
Amen.

The Ten Virgins

NOTES ON THE SCRIPTURES

Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25: Joshua challenges the people to turn from their idols and serve only God, and they commit to doing so.

Psalm 78:1-7: A call for people to hear a message of God’s greatness and goodness, remembering how God gave the people laws and instructions so that they and their children could remember God’s deeds and hope in God.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18: A word of encouragement to remind the believers that death is not the end, but that believers, both dead and alive, will enjoy life eternal in union with Christ, which is our Christian hope.

Matthew 25:1-13: Jesus tells a story about bridesmaids who are waiting for the arrival of the bridegroom at a wedding. Some have extra oil and are able to wait for as long as it takes, while others, who do not have extra, have to leave to find more and so miss the groom’s arrival. Then, when they return, they are shut out and not allowed in. Then Jesus encourages his hearers to be alert.

Reflection
There is a strong connection between hope, wisdom and connection. Without hope, we struggle to stay the course, and we make foolish, impulsive mistakes. With hope, we discover stamina and perseverance we didn’t know we had, and we are able to slow ourselves down and move beyond our fear to the choices that bring life. This is the basic message of the Lectionary this week.

May our worship renew our hope, and, through it, give us strength to commit to, and the wisdom to act in alignment with, God’s always coming reign – for which we remain always watchful.

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Good News - Week of 11/27/2017

Good News - Week of 11/13/2017

Good News - Week of 11/6/2017

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