The Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (A), October 8, 2017 - Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 and Matthew 21:33-46

Illustrated wood relief, Catholic Church, Paszyn, Poland

Vanderbilt Divinity Library: Art in the Christian Tradition

Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20

Ten Little Words

These words, so old, are easy to ignore

Because we think they bear the force of Law,

(As thought by people such as Judge Roy Moore

Suspended - twice - because his thinking's flawed!)

While we, the church, are people who think grace

Implies God does not tell us what to do.

And yet these words are one more classic case

Revealing One whose passion still breaks through.

For these "commandments" simply say what's true

About a way of life that's good for all;

It's mostly common sense that's so construed

By holy writ, in hopes it might forestall

Our self-destructive acts which jeopardize

Community! Because deep down, God yearns 

Such rules might save this human enterprise,

'Till love for all, from God, we might discern.  

Scott L. Barton

Then God spoke all these words: 

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me. 

You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 

You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. 

Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work.

Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 

You shall not murder. 

You shall not commit adultery. 

You shall not steal. 

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid and trembled and stood at a distance, and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that you do not sin.”

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Matthew 21:33-46

Van Gogh: The Red Vineyard at Arles (c. 1888)

The Landowner

Our view of God's so saccharine

We shrink from such a God where sin

Results in consequence! So hence,

We think this tale's about the Jews

Who, like those tenants, didn't choose

To follow Jesus, but instead

Made sure that he'd be silenced - dead!

But what if all this violence

Is in itself the great offense,

Where not just Jews, but those in pews

And pulpit, too, can be ensnared,

If ever, all our wealth we dare

To think is ours! And we refuse

To think that God is owed God's dues?

God's mercy is forever sure,

Not just for those who think they're pure,

And God can offer all God owns

To all who thought they were disowned.

Scott L. Barton

“Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.” So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.” Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.” When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

The Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A), October 1, 2017 - Exodus 17:1-7 and Matthew 21:23-32

Exodus 17:1-7 

 

Nicolas Poussin: Moses Striking the Rock (1649)

The Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg

Is the LORD Among Us or Not?

Is the LORD among us or not?

Is a question everyone's asked,

In the face of suffering and pain, 

When by loss and grief you're harassed.

When life sucks, and death hits your gut,

It's so clear that God is no more;

Just mentioning God seems absurd -

Until there's a knock at the door.

There, a neighbor friend has come by,

And with kindness touches your heart,

Uninvited, out of the blue,

You taste what this Moses imparts.

And you've found you won't die of thirst,

And for now, you really believe,

For the best of love is the kind

That by grace you've simply received.

Scott L. Barton

From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried out to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” The Lord said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

+  +  +

Matthew 21:23-32 

A portrayal of John's baptism by He Qi, currently of Minnesota, who was the first among Mainland Chinese to earn a Ph.D. in religious art after the cultural revolution.

Brand New: Not Just a Slogan Anymore

Since, if anyone is in Christ,

There's a new creation -

Since the past is finished and gone,

And everything's brand new -

There's no need not to change your mind!

Old convictions don't count,

Don't worry about precedents,

Don't worry you'll look weak,

Who you are today is what counts;

Maybe you were dead wrong,

Or maybe even partly right,

But that was then, before;

And God is not above getting

Down on hands and knees to

Bring the least of us around to

The here and now of love.

Scott L. Barton

When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

“What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.

Bonus Poem: Reclaiming the Benediction for the Church

Reclaiming the Benediction for the Church

(Or: What's this business of sitting for the postlude?)

I've noticed in more congregations

A new addition to the service,

Purporting to be part of praying,

But counter to the church's purpose.

The benediction by the pastor -

Good words to all (by definition) -

Should be the people's marching orders

To be the church, a commendation.

It sets them on their path of foll'wing

The One from whom the blessing's given,

Have courage, now; in peace be going,

Be brave, let not your light be hidden!

But then imagine you're not going,

As if your prayers before were lacking?

Or you'd not heard enough fine playing,

And now the organist, you're thanking?

I was all pumped to love! you're thinking, 

But now the steam is gone in sitting;

Oh, pastors, please reclaim an ending

For followers of Christ, more fitting!

Scott L. Barton

The Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A), September 24, 2017 - Exodus 16:2-15 and Matthew 20:1-16

Ercole de' Roberti: Israelites Gathering Manna (1490's), London National Gallery

Jesus Mafa: The Late-arriving Workers (1973), Cameroon

Manna (For Late Workers, Too)

They said, "What is it?" each to each,

For they did not know what it was;

(Some workers, the owner beseeched

With their clear but self-righteous cause;)

The kingdom's hard to recognize,

Though it be in front of our nose;

(The generous Giver defies

When we think we know how things go;)

We never know when we might see

New gifts rained right down on our heads;

(Others, too, have had answered pleas:

"Give us this day our daily bread;")

To you it will come, and to all,

And each and all hungers erase;

(The last will be first, the first last,

Surprise is the hallmark of grace.)

Scott L. Barton

(The poem is a re-write from the one for 9/21/14)

The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.” So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your complaining against the Lord. For what are we, that you complain against us?” And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning, because the Lord has heard the complaining that you utter against him—what are we? Your complaining is not against us but against the Lord.” Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, ‘Draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.’” And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. The Lord spoke to Moses and said, “I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’”

In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.”

+ + +

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

The Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A), September 17, 2017 - Exodus 14:19-31 and Matthew 18:21-35

Marc Chagall: Crossing the Red Sea (1955) 

National Museum Marc Chagall, Nice

Exodus 14:19-31

 

Dead on the Seashore

This text, awash in vividness,

Reveals the LORD's omnipotence,

But maybe not in how it seems;

It's not just that the waters cleared,

But that the LORD here persevered

To see the still enslaved, redeemed.

The program of this one we laud 

Is less that we, the act applaud,

And more we're grounded in the why:

God always stands with those oppressed,

While those who cause others' distress

God with a mighty arm, defies.

Scott L. Barton

The angel of God who was going before the Israelite army moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behind them. It came between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel. And so the cloud was there with the darkness, and it lit up the night; one did not come near the other all night.

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided. The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. The Egyptians pursued, and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and chariot drivers. At the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and cloud looked down upon the Egyptian army, and threw the Egyptian army into panic. He clogged their chariot wheels so that they turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the Israelites, for the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and chariot drivers.” So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. As the Egyptians fled before it, the Lord tossed the Egyptians into the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers, the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not one of them remained. But the Israelites walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.Israel saw the great work that the Lord did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the Lord and believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

+  +  +

Matthew 18:21-35

 

For Your Own Good

Beware the preacher who pontificates,

The one who has to tell the people what to do;

Beware bad news, when we are in bad straights:

"Forgiveness is the thing to which we all must hew

Or else!"

                For though the text appears to say

That God is like a king who'll throw you into jail -

Who, if you don't forgive, will make you pay -

If Jesus said it, he means evil will prevail

Within our hearts, 'cause that's the way things are!

It's how God made it; enmity will eat away,

Forever burning, evermore to scar,

Until its hold by you is loosed; and that's the day

When you discover that what God holds dear

Is you! 

               Forgiveness is what puts you in the clear.

Scott L. Barton

Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

The Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time (A), September 10, 2017 - Matthew 18:15-20 and Exodus 12:1-14

Kirshenblatt, Mayer (1916-2009)

Passover Seder at My Paternal Grandfather's, 1992

Matthew 18:15-20

Ouch!

In case you think that Jesus gave us rules

That we can use to run the church, some tools

For how to deal with disagreement;

Or how, in anyone's community,

The way to solve all that disunity

Is give the worst the kicked-out treatment -

Remember how he treated tax collectors,

Or people over in the Gentile sector,

And love them even more than it's convenient!

Scott L. Barton

“If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”

+  +  +

Exodus 12:1-14

Know How to Party!

This text, combining liturgy

And narrative in one,

Things like, "You shall" plus "I'll pass over"

Say that we're not done

With any biblical "account"

Until we realize,

What makes it sacred is when we,

Somehow, internalize

The things that happened way back when;

Thus, in our time and place

The story's meant to give to us

A measure of the grace

That we still need, that is, the news

That God's the one who saves

From slavery, disaster; and,

From cradle to the grave

Will not abandon you, so therefore,

Do not hesitate,

Within your households everywhere,

Such love to celebrate.

Scott L. Barton

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the Lord. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.