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

Tue Sep 14 14:15:04 EDT 2004

Hi Ron and all,

I find the contrast between the Deuteronomy and the Luke texts to be
especially interesting.  The Hebrew scripture asks us to choose life, while
Jesus tells us that we must choose death.

In my bible study, it was the "carry your cross daily" part that most upset
the rest of the participants.  They felt it was asking for too much of a
sacrifice for God.  For me, though, the idea of dying to my old life and
living in the embrace of God is joyful beyond words.  In the end,
Deuteronomy and Luke are really telling us HOW to live.  Choosing life
means, also, choosing to let some things die.

Love,
Rachel

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <RevRonRobinson at aol.com>
To: <uucf-bible at lists.uua.org>
Sent: Wednesday, September 01, 2004 12:51 AM
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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