[Uucf-bible] readings from lectionary for Sept. 5

[RevRonRobinson at aol.com]

Hi all.
Three readings from the texts for this Sunday that are rich and ripe for 
discussion and sharing. 
First, a famous passage from Deuteronomy. On one hand it contains the 
standard Deuteronomic theology that strikes me as a quid pro quo faith--the answer to 
which caused other biblical writers to come up with Job and Ecclesiastes and 
Jonah. But there is such a stirring and striking passage, a call, or demand 
about life itself which says to Choose Life, that says in the balance of things, 
choose to live. This seems to go beyond what it might mean to choose to obey, 
in some Leviticus sense, but choose Life. It says you have a choice, and 
that's always a pretty radically religious thing to say, whether 2500 years ago or 
now. My own faith has been shaped by hearing the Rev. John Wolf from All 
Souls in Tulsa preach on this passage and use it so many times; and it is a part 
of my usual benediction words at the close of worship--go now in peace and 
choose life, in all its abundance and diversity and spirit of freedom.

Deuteronomy 30:15-20
15 See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. 
16If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am commanding you 
today, by loving the LORD your God, walking in his ways, and observing his 
commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, 
and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to 
possess. 17But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to 
bow down to other gods and serve them, 18I declare to you today that you shall 
perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan 
to enter and possess. 19I call heaven and earth to witness against you today 
that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so 
that you and your descendants may live, 20loving the LORD your God, obeying 
him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so 
that you may live in the land that the LORD swore to give to your ancestors, 
to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 

Second, a passage from one of the authentic letters of Paul. I will sneak in 
here a recommendation for a good new book on Paul called "Paul--A Jew on the 
Margins" by Calvin Roetzel of Macalester College in, appropriately, St. Paul, 
MN, published by Westminster John Knox Press, a good example of the new 
perspectives on Paul. He writes that besides being on the margins of many different 
communities/identities himself, besides others trying to marginalize him, that 
Paul "embraces the margin" for its openness to radical possibilities through a 
new identity that doesn't erase the world's separations and identities but 
supercedes them. 

Philemon
1   
Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our 
dear friend and co-worker, 2to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow 
soldier, and to the church in your house: 3Grace to you and peace from God our 
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4When I remember you in my prayers, I always 
thank my God 5because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith toward 
the Lord Jesus. 6I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective 
when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ. 7I have indeed 
received much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints 
have been refreshed through you, my brother. 8 For this reason, though I am 
bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, 9yet I would rather 
appeal to you on the basis of love—and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also 
as a prisoner of Christ Jesus. 10I am appealing to you for my child, 
Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. 11Formerly he was useless 
to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me. 12I am sending 
him, that is, my own heart, back to you. 13I wanted to keep him with me, so that 
he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the 
gospel; 14but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your 
good deed might be voluntary and not something forced. 15Perhaps this is the 
reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back 
forever, 16no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother—
especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. 17So if 
you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18If he 
has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19
I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about 
your owing me even your own self. 20Yes, brother, let me have this benefit 
from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ. 21Confident of your obedience, 
I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. 22One 
thing more—prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping through your prayers to 
be restored to you. 23Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends 
greetings to you, 24and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow 
workers. 25The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

And, thirdly, the very interesting passage that the "family values" crowd 
often ignores. LOL. 
Oh, that mild-mannered nice boy named Jesus who just wants everyone to get 
along...The Jesus seminar gives the words about hating amilies a barely pink 
rating, as probable of Jesus, and the rest a black rating as coming from much 
later. They base that a lot on the cross being a Christian symbol and since 
Christianity came much later the passage must have too; however, I'm not so sure. 
The cross was used some as a Jewish symbol even before Jesus was born, and I 
would think Jesus was acquainted during his lifetime with the Romans profligate 
use of the cross as punishment and that it might very well have been much on 
the mind of Jesus and those who followed with him. 

 
Luke 14:25-33
25 Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them, 
26‘Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, 
brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. 27
Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28For which 
of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the 
cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? 29Otherwise, when he has 
laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to 
ridicule him, 30saying, “This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” 31
Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down 
first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who 
comes against him with twenty thousand? 32If he cannot, then, while the other is 
still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. 33So 
therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your 
possessions. 

I guess one of the questions tying them together, if one is interested in 
doing so, is---so what is most important to God? Or, do Paul and Luke tell 
stories, maybe a midrash, about what it means to "choose life"?

Anyway, blessings for a September day, for the turning of the year, for the 
coming Labor Day weekend. As always, I look forward to reflections when you are 
able to post them.

Ron Robinson