[Uucf-bible] this week's lectionary readings and commentary

Thu Jan 29 13:17:57 EST 2009

Well for some reason this just came through to the list; so a week  
late but enjoy. Ron

On Jan 24, 2009, at 12:44 PM, RevRonRobinson at aol.com wrote:

> Hi all. Thought I would pass along the readings for this week's  
> lectionary
> selections, plus some of my notes on them I will be using at my  
> bible study
> tomorrow at All Souls Church in Tulsa. I will be prefacing some of  
> it with
> comments and a video selection from John Dominic Crossan about  
> "God's Great
> Cleanup", his way of phrasing the messianic hopes of both the people  
> of Israel  and
> particularly those Jews and others who found that hope expressed in  
> and by
> and through Jesus.
>
> Enjoy, reflect, respond, look forward to commentary by others.
>
> Also if you would like to help lead our sharing in this forum this  
> year,
> drop me a line off the list; I am always looking for those who can  
> cut and paste
> lectionary readings to our online community as often as possible;  
> different
> people take one month of the year would help.
>
> thanks and blessings, _RevRonRobinson at aol.com_
> (mailto:RevRonRobinson at aol.com)
>
>
> God’s Great Cleanup and Lectionary Readings For Jan.  25
> _www.textweek.com_ (http://www.textweek.com/)  and John Dominic   
> Crossan on
> DVD
> God’s Great Cleanup—Justification of the world, here and now;   
> started
> already and coming soon---Hope for Future and Action Now; can it  
> happen  without
> God? No. Can it happen only by God? No.
> Jonah 3:1-10: Great story guiding our Universalist history.   
> Epiphany the
> season for stories about callings, discernment, starting anew,   
> refreshed.
> 3The  word of the Lord came to Jonah a  second time, saying, 2“Get   
> up, go to
> Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I  
> tell  you.”
> 3So  Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the  
> Lord. Now
> Nineveh was an exceedingly  large city, a three days’ walk across. 4 
> Jonah
> began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out,  
> “Forty days
> more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”
> 5And  the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and
> everyone, great  and small, put on sackcloth. 6When  the news  
> reached the king of
> Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe,  covered himself  
> with
> sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7Then  he had a proclamation made in  
> Nineveh: “By the
> decree of the king and his  nobles: No human being or animal, no  
> herd or flock,
> shall taste anything. They  shall not feed, nor shall they drink  
> water. 8Human
> beings and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry
> mightily  to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the  
> violence that is
> in  their hands. 9Who  knows? God may relent and change his mind; he  
> may turn
> from his fierce anger, so  that we do not perish.” 10When  God saw w 
> hat they
> did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his  mind  
> about the
> calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did  not  
> do it.
> The  rest of the story: Jonah’s anger at God for repenting, changing 
>  mind…
> openness;  whose side is God on? Those seeking liberation,  
> transformation,
> forgiveness
> Psalm 62
> 1For  God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my  
> salvation.  2He
> alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall never be  
> shaken. 3How
> long will you assail a person, will you batter your victim, all of  
> you, as
> you  would a leaning wall, a tottering fence? 4Their  only plan is  
> to bring down
> a person of prominence. They take pleasure in  falsehood; they bless  
> with
> their mouths, but inwardly they curse. Selah  5For  God alone my  
> soul waits in
> silence, for my hope is from him. 6He  alone is my rock and my  
> salvation, my
> fortress; I shall not be shaken. 7On  God rests my deliverance and  
> my honor; my
> mighty rock, my refuge is in God. 8Trust  in him at all times, O  
> people; pour
> out your heart before him; God is a refuge  for us. Selah 9Those  of  
> low estate
> are but a breath, those of high estate are a delusion; in the   
> balances they
> go up; they are together lighter than a breath. 10Put  no confidence  
> in
> extortion, and set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches  increase, do  
> not set your
> heart on them. 11Once  God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that  
> power
> belongs to God, 12and  steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord. For  
> you repay to all
> according to their  work
> God’s  Infinite Wisdom vs. Human Finite Wisdom---paradox of God bein 
> g in
> charge, but  needing/willing human cooperation. What kind of power  
> does God have?
> Power over  or Power With?
> 1  Corinthians 7:29-31
> 29I  mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short;  
> from now
> on, let  even those who have wives be as though they had none,  
> 30and  those
> who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice  
> as  though
> they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no   
> possessions,
> 31and  those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings  
> with it.
> For the  present form of this world is passing away.
> Living  as if another world is not only possible, but is here and is  
> just
> around the  corner; isn’t the present form of this world always pass 
> ing away? If
> so, where  then do we put our ultimate confidence? First things  
> first; seek
> the blessed  community, let it define you not your marital status,  
> your
> emotional state, your  possessions and seeking, or your jobs and  
> ways you deal with
> the world…seek how  God is in and coming into your life, world, let  
> it define
> who you are, what you  do, where and how you live.
> Mark  1:14-20
> 14Now  after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming  
> the good
> news of  God, 15and  saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom 
>  of God has
> come near; repent,  and believe in the good news.” 16As  Jesus passe 
> d along
> the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew  casting a  
> net into the
> sea—for they were fishermen. 17And  Jesus said to them, “Follow  
> me and I
> will make you fish for people.” 18And  immediately they left their n 
> ets and
> followed him. 19As  he went a little farther, he saw James son of  
> Zebedee and his
> brother John, who  were in their boat mending the nets.  
> 20Immediately  he
> called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the  
> hired  men,
> and followed him.
> Not  Caeser’s good news, but God’s. “We are the ones we have  
> been waiting
> for?”  Change, believe; no more excuses or rationalizations. Let go  
> your
> occupations,  your divergences, and know that there are people  
> adrift in the drowning
> seas of  their lives, in need of those who would catch them. Note  
> again Jesus’
> call was  not based on reasoning with them, on convincing them by a  
> test of
> logic or  persuasion or creed; but he was on a mission, a presence,  
> complete
> breaking with  their status quo; the fictive family of God’s family  
>  begins.
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