Paragraphs from SSCSJ
This Sunday many Christians will observe either Christ the King Sunday or Thanksgiving Sunday as we have in the lectionary an actual Sunday between Thanksgiving and the beginning of Advent on Dec 2. Here are some paragraphs from SSCSJ for this Sunday, Nov 25.
Psalm 132:1-12 (13-18)
Undergirding the memories of Ps 132 is a plea from the one praying that God remember the Davidic covenant and bless the ruler. Implicit in this request seems to be a sense that those who dwell in Zion are fearful about the future. Perhaps they are facing an outside threat, and they are calling God to keep covenant and act on their behalf. The psalm is a reminder that what happens to a ruler also happens to the people under her/his authority. Praying for the well-being of their monarch is also a prayer for the people’s safety. Could it be that this psalm comes from the days before the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple? In the face of such imminent doom, all the people know to do is pray. While we do not know what happened after the words of Ps 132 were prayed, we can read the psalm as a reminder that prayer is an appropriate response in all situations, and that God is always present with us, especially when we feel most alone.
2 Samuel 23:1-7
The story of David and the legend of his “greatness” is not based on either his ethical or political leadership. Rather, for the later Jewish community (in Exile and after the return from Babylon), the reign of David was a way of referring to an idealized “golden age” of Israel’s history. It was a time when Israel was self-governed, and God smiled upon the city of Jerusalem. In order to firm-up this “memory”, the compilers of the Deuteronomistic History (who represented a “southern” perspective) used the idea of the Davidic Covenant to support their view of who should be in leadership, both political and religious (those who can trace their story back to David). Living under the oppressive government of the Greeks, an idea was born among some in the Jewish community that one day God would send “God’s servant” (from the lineage of David), who would take back control of Jerusalem from the occupying forces and reestablish the Davidic reign and an independent Jewish state.
Inherent in all of creation, and especially within humans (the only part of creation to be made in God’s image), is a Divine promise to be with us in good and bad times, when we are faithful and when we are not, even until the last breath we take and beyond. God keeps covenants, and that is one of the core themes of the 1st Testament (and of the whole canon).
Revelation 1:4b-8
To see the “reign of God” as an impressionist’s depiction of the arc of justice, and thus locate oneself, or one’s community, along its continuum, is as faithful and healthy a way to approach Revelation as anything Christian tradition has blessed. Then, one can consider if the arc of the moral universe is controlled/ maintained for the good of all creation, or altered by miracles for some but not others, or ignored by the Almighty. Within the entire biblical witness are texts that proclaim each of these perspectives. So, the best place to wrestle with this text, on the eve of Advent, no matter what you believe or don’t believe about Jesus of Nazareth or the Christ of faith, is offered in these words, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (v 8).
John 18:33-37
The Lectionary year ends with a good question to carry into Advent, “What is truth?” In choosing this text from John, the Lectionary committee does what many Christians do; it ties the birth of Jesus to the crucifixion of Jesus, as if his birth and his life are not important, if Pilate does not condemn Jesus to death. In the process, we miss the significance of Jesus’ words that lead to Pilate’s question. “For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice” (v 37). What is the “truth” about the way of Jesus? What is the truth about God that Jesus proclaims? What is the truth about life, about living, that Jesus portrays?
So, on the edge of a time of waiting and anticipation that is adorned with the words: hope, peace, joy, and love, what “truth” are you seeking in your journey to Bethlehem this year? Asked another way, “What kind of Messiah do you need birthed this year?” Are you willing to allow yourself to consider that question? History is full of “truths” vying for attention and loyalty. To which are you loyal? Which are you seeking? Too few among those who claim Christian faith can find “truth” in the First Testament without reading Jesus into its texts, and that is a great scandal because it limits God to a “propositional” or “prophetic” truth that has to have a dead and risen savior. Otherwise, prophetic and propositional truth is false. But Jesus pointed to God and not himself; he found “good news” in the Torah, Prophets, and Writings. Is the good news of God that Jesus proclaimed “truth” enough for you?