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

Wed Sep 1 13:34:28 EDT 2004

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

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

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