Words Once A Week 1.26.23
Some introductory thoughts on some of the lectionary texts for this Sunday – Fourth after Epiphany
Micah 6.1-8 What does the Lord require of you?
+ a conversation -
vs 1 God calls Israel
vs 2 God calls the creation (mountains and foundations of earth) to witness
vs 3-5 God’s complaint about Israel’s behavior
vs 6-7 Israel’s response – fear, progresses from reasonable to ludicrous
vs 8 Micah’s proclamation of what God really wants
+ what has God done for Israel? What has God done for us? How is our life today what God wants it to be? How is it lacking?
+ note specific complaints are not listed in this passage? Assume from the “justice, kindness, righteousness” of vs 8? Look elsewhere n Micah? “wicked scales” of vs 11? “violence, lies” of vs 12. Look up Balak, Balaam, Shittim, Gilgal? Apparently reading through Micah (and/or some good commentary!) would at least be a good place to start.
+ does the setting mirror a courtroom, or international treaty situation, or disturbance in the worshipping community? (PRCL suggests the latter! - noting cultic images of vs 6-7. So the underlying issue might be “who is allowed to approach the Lord if apostacy and wickedness are rampant in cult and community?” Can we think of contemporary issues?)
+ justice, kindness, and humility are not deeds we can do to meet qualifications, but are qualities we acquire (through worship?) in God’s salvation.
+ so “there is no salvation outside the worshipping community”(?) Does “nature worship qualify?”
+ salvation is not ethics but transformation. Note that Ps 15 presents ethics as “the other side of the coin”, or “the rest of the story”!
Psalm 15 Who is righteous?
+ a list of 11 qualifications. Lists like this don’t really work so well for me, even when they get developed into a sermon series!
Matthew 5.1-12 The Sermon on the Mount begins with the Beattitudes
+ context: Jesus gets baptized, goes into and comes out of the wilderness, begins his ministry (to fulfill what Isaiah had said) by proclaiming “Repent, the time of God’s Peace is beginning/has begun”, calls four disciples (who leave nets(tools!) and family), goes about through Galilee preaching/speaking, healing, attracting crowds. Then (5.1) “seeing the crowds he went up the mountain, his disciples came to him.”
+ so, is this just a few folks? Or have the crowds followed even here? Note 7.28 (the end of the sermon as Matthew has fashioned it) – “the crowds were astounded…” [or Swanson “were driven out of their minds”!] Who are these people? Where did they come from? Is Matthew’s narrative meant to be taken literally, or does this represent development over the whole of Jesus’ ministry, even death and resurrection and birth of the church?
+ Jesus “blesses” the hearers. This is blessing, not exhortation. We don’t need to try to become poor in spirit!
+ note “you” is plural throughout – this is communal.
+ “They will be” - “divine passive”, God wills this to be done?
+ the word translated blessed, happy, fortunate is apparently not as clear as we might hear it. Swanson translates “Godlike in happiness…” Awkward, but throught-provoking.
+ verses seem to vary between “more spiritualized” and “more reality-based”
+ the whole list develops from “poor in spirit” to “being persecuted, hunted down, killed”
+ merciful shall receive mercy – does not mean “this for that”, rather that “grace begets grace, violence leads to violence.”
+ those who mourn – will be comforted, will be told to cheer up, will be called as witnesses. Apparently they are all valid translations. Just goes to show that we do not understand as completely as we thought!
Finally a prayer -
God of the Mountains, of the foundations of Earth, and by extension,
of the brilliance of stars and galaxies,
of the darkness and emptiness of space -
come to us as we stumble through life,
confused, self-concerned, even wicked.
Turn us towards justice, kindness, and humility,
that we might walk in confidence and in peace
with you.
That’s what I got for now……..
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