Category: SSCSJ
Paragraphs from SSCSJ
These are thoughts on the texts for September 2, 2012. Subscribers of Sacred Steps: Children’s Sermon Journal receive exegesis, commentary, and ideas for crafting the children’s sermon based on the Lectionary each week.
Psalm 15
If we simply take the final form of Ps 15, the plot twist can still make sense. While the one praying may begin the liturgy with an expectation of gaining access to a place, at the end she/he learns that worshiping God is best done in how one lives than in where one worships. This is a lesson that Israel struggled to remember throughout the stories of the 1st Testament. It is a reminder that prophets attempted to provide for the community throughout the generations. We also need to be reminded of this important connection between our worship and our work, between our prayer and our practice. What images do the “LORD’s tent” and “holy hill” call to mind for you? What is a holy place in your life? Is the sanctuary of your congregation such a space? Who gets to enter the sanctuary? Can you think of people who may not feel worthy to be in church because of the words spoken there? How does your life reflect the God you worship? How does your congregation live out their worship of God through service to the world? Does the liturgy in your worship assure people of God’s enduring presence, so that they “shall never be moved”?
Song of Solomon 2:8-13
While the Lectionary has listed “Song of Solomon” as the name of this biblical book, that is a traditional title and not its actual name. In Hebrew, this book is titled shir ha’shirim, which translates as “Song of Songs” (SoS). This is the Hebrew way of expressing the superlative; this text is the song that is better than all other songs. The next words in the Hebrew text are ‘asher le’shlomo, “which is of Solomon.” Like the many superscriptions in the Psalms (e.g., le’david), this is not meant as a byline but rather probably indicates that the text is “in honor of” Solomon or “dedicated to” Solomon. Since King Solomon was known for his many wives and concubines, one can see why this book of love poems would come to be associated with him. One tradition suggested that Solomon wrote these poems about his relationship with the Queen of Sheba (see 1 Kgs 10 or 2 Chr 9), but there is no evidence to support this claim.2
SoS is found among the Ketuvim, “Writings”, the third portion of the Jewish Bible, which was the last section to be canonized (perhaps not until 200 CE). Scholars think that SoS either was written at a late date (after the Babylonian Exile, no earlier than 5th century BCE) or was not accepted until late in the canonization process. The subject matter of SoS is erotic love that is expressed within a non-marital context. It contains no expressions of Israelite nationalism or of any explicit religious/ethical values. It is suggested that the subject matter of SoS almost prevented it from making it into the canon, or it might have been questioned because the female has such a dominant voice; she is in control of her sexuality and not the possession of some male (which was common in many ancient cultures, including Israelite). We know that the rabbis did debate its inclusion, and some believe that it was included only because of the traditional belief in Solomon’s authorship. However, it is more plausible that SoS was kept in the Jewish canon because the rabbis understood that the Divine was a part of all life, including sexuality. And we are indebted to them for this wise decision.
James 1:17-27
Are you “quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger?” Maybe a better way to consider the question is to think of settings in which you are likely to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, as compared to situations in which you are quick to anger, interrupt, and not listen to others.8 How does this reflect on who you are as a person that claims Christian faith? Another way to ingest this text would be to evaluate your belief and practice as a “doer” or “hearer” of the word. A first question would be, “Whose word or what word?” Is it the “Word” proclaimed by the Gospel of John? Is it the “Word” proclaimed by the Apostle Paul? Is the “Word” the good news of God as proclaimed by Jesus of Nazareth in the gospels as a whole? The author of James provides a hint in vv. 23-24, though it is an awkward metaphor. A translation note in the NISB provides another way to read and hear the text.
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
This is a good week to put a few of your congregation’s traditions, as well as a few traditions of Christianity, under a microscope and ask, “Why?” Think about your worship service. Where are communion, offering, and preaching placed in your order of worship? Why do you have that order of worship? Who is chosen from the congregation as deacon or elder? How do you practice baptism, what do you ask a person who comes forward to join your congregation, and who is welcome into membership of your congregation? This is not about questioning for questioning’s sake. It is about determining the intentions of “traditions” and if those are consistent with the teachings of Jesus and your understanding of God. It’s about recognizing when a person, congregation, or religion chooses tradition’s interpretation of a sacred text over what the sacred text says or does not say. It is important to remember that the biblical witness was organized based on “tradition’s” power structures as well. Many Christian siblings, who continue to believe and argue that women should not be ministers, do so even though all the gospels agree that Mary Magdalene was one of the first to experience Christ’s resurrection and, according to the Gospel of John, was told by the risen Christ to go and tell (preach) to the disciples the good news that he had risen. Yet, the Roman Catholic Church and many Protestants deny women the process and the affirmation to answer their call to ordained Christian ministry, often based on church’s tradition.
Paragraphs from SSCSJ
Paragraphs from Sacred Steps: Children’s Sermon Journal for August 19, 2012. Subscribers receive commentary, exegesis, and ideas for crafting the children’s sermon based on the Lectionary texts each week via email. Some subscribers use this resource with Sunday school classes of all ages and some preaching ministers use it as part of their sermon preparation.
Psalm 111
The psalmist celebrates God’s saving acts in the story of Israel: the Exodus from Egypt (v 9a), the giving of manna and quail in the wilderness (v 4a), the covenant at Sinai (v 9b), and the giving of the Promise Land (v 6b). In addition, Ps 111 describes key characteristics of both God and what God does: honor and majesty (v 3a), righteousness (v 3b), wonderful (v 4a), gracious and merciful (4b), faithful and just (v 7a), trustworthy (v 7b), and holy and awesome (v 9c). All of these things are reasons to praise the LORD. Clearly, Ps 111 is to be sung by a community that has experienced blessings from God and is in a secure place. It would not be appropriate for those who are suffering and have experienced God as anything but “gracious and merciful”. Thankfully, the Psalter contains both praise and lament, along with every other emotion in between. Are you in a place where you can sing Ps 111? Is your congregation? What list of Divine actions and attributes would you/your congregation create?
1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14
A visit from God is exactly what Solomon receives, and the content of this vision is one question: “Ask, what shall I grant you” (I Kgs 3:5b)? This seems to be an unprecedented opportunity; the king can ask God for anything he wants, and God will give him whatever he asks. One might imagine a request for wealth, though as a king, Solomon probably already has all that he needs or wants. Will he ask for power? Again, does a king need more power? Does Solomon want to live a long life? Well, as a wealthy man, he will probably outlive his peers (unless there is a coup). Instead, Solomon thanks God for the divine grace extended to both his father and him. Then, he confesses that he might be a bit too young and inexperienced to rule over a nation at this point. Solomon’s comment in v 8 (“I am a young lad, with no experience in leadership”) is more literally rendered as “I am a lad, [and I] do not know to go out or come in.” This Hebrew idiom reminds me of a couple of sayings we have in English for those we deem either foolish or inexperienced. “She/he does not whether she/he are coming or going.” “He/she does not have sense enough to come in out of the rain.” Whatever translation we use, the implication is clear; Solomon feels unprepared to take his father’s place on the throne. What Solomon really needs, and what he requests, is wisdom. “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people” (v 9)? Again, the Hebrew of this verse is more revealing. The “understanding mind” is literally translated as a “listening heart”; Israel saw the heart as the seat of decision-making. The verb, “judge”, can also have the sense of “leading, guiding, or administering justice” (e.g., the way Deborah “judged” Israel). Solomon wants God to give him what it will take to make good decisions and to govern justly.
Ephesians 5:15-20
As I’ve read the biblical texts this year, a line from the old TV series, “Mission Impossible,” has rattled around in my brain, “Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is . . .” This epistle reading offers the opportunity, if you choose to accept it, to ponder the mystery of wisdom and reflect on one’s own living as a “wise” or “foolish” person. How balanced is your life, overall, between being wise and being foolish? It is easy to name the wise and foolish sitting in the pews next to you, at work, or in your neighborhood. CSPAN, the news divisions of the TV Networks, and 24hr cable news demonstrate the wise and foolish in culture, government, and around the world every day. It is the foolish that attract the most attention and coverage. What does that say about our culture? There is no lack of “foolish” and “wise” within Christianity around the world or in your community. There are as many “hucksters” and believers selling foolish wisdom as there are Christian consumers and consuming seekers trying to fill a void in their lives. What does that say about Christianity? The question underneath the text is about that void and how believers and seekers try to fill it. It is also about with what believers and seekers choose to fill it.
John 6:51-58
Communion, Eucharist, or the Lord’s Supper, no matter what you call this part of your worship experience, this gospel text highlights imagery, words, and common arguments that continue in the life of Christendom. Is Jesus speaking in metaphor, is he cannibalizing his tradition, or transubstantiating common elements from daily life into a divine buffet of forgiveness for generations after? The answer depends on your expression of Christian faith and its traditions. But, notice in John that there are no words that consecrate, institute, or mysteriously alter bread and wine into body and blood. Jesus is making comparisons about his being, his presence, and his understanding of God. It is the gospel writers way of incarnating divinity in Christ.
Jesus abides. That idea, “abides”, appears again, as Jesus describes the kind of presence he will have with followers and believers. That presence is like the one Jesus experiences with God, whom he calls, “Father.” Bread and wine were sustaining staples, everyday items, in his context. What are pantry staples for you? In our technological context, it is like Jesus claiming to be “the Cloud,” “Google Drive,” or “Dropbox” — always accessible from any device that is connected just as God is always accessible. That could be the good news of God of which Jesus speaks through the gospel writers that Jesus offers us meaning-filled eternal life for those how have eyes to see and ears to hear.