The Second Sunday in Lent (A), March 8, 2020—Psalm 121 and John 3:1–17

Nicodemus Visiting Jesus

Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1899

Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia

Remember that you can get these poems, plus all the poems for Year A, complete with a scripture index and title index, in my book published by Wipf and Stock, Lectionary Poems, Year A: Surprising Grace for Pulpit and Pew. Order at 

https://www.amazon.com/Lectionary-Poems-Year-Surprising-Pulpit/dp/1725253062/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=lectionary+poems&qid=1582234114&sr=8-1

or https://wipfandstock.com/lectionary-poems-year-a.html

Or from me for a signed copy, and perhaps inscribed to a giftee, for only $13.50 total. E-mail me, scott.l.barton@gmail.com.

 

Psalm 121

The Funeral

How many know these words by heart,

With memory of open graves,

And lives, so rudely torn apart,

All looking for some word to save.

Not make it better, or remove

The grief and tears by something said,

Nor some far afterlife to prove

By news of rising from the dead;

But a connection make to those

Who also looked for help above,

And finding mountains lacking, chose

To trust that all was made in love.

For only love can heal the heart,

Can keep you well, can be your shade,

Can keep you, e'en when you depart—

Is even why you dared to pray.

 

Scott L. Barton

 

I lift up my eyes to the hills-- 

  from where will my help come?

My help comes from the LORD, 

  who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved; 

  he who keeps you will not slumber.

He who keeps Israel 

  will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD is your keeper; 

  the LORD is your shade at your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day, 

  nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all evil; 

  he will keep your life.

The LORD will keep 

  your going out and your coming in 

  from this time on and forevermore.

 

 +  +  +

John 3:1–17 (see also John 7:45–53 and John 19:38–42)

Winded

Nicodemus knew
That Jesus was on to something
With all that talk
About being born from above,
Even though he hadn't a clue
Of the wind's comings and goings.
Thus he went to that meeting
Where the blowhards
Wanted to do Jesus in,
And tried to talk some sense into them.
I wonder where he got such courage,
Going again by night,
The weight of the world on his back,
Or at least a hundred pounds,
To bury his rabbi,
Winded by the law of love?

Scott L. Barton

John 3:1–17 (see also Numbers 21:9)

Divine

It's not just at a football game
Where you will see the sign
That God so loved the world, God gave
God's son; for now "divine"
Means whatsoe'er is given from
The bottom of the heart;
And when that comes, like wind, unplanned,
You'll find your life can start
Again! You're born as if anew,
Since you've looked up to see
The love which from all poison now
Has set the whole world free.

Scott L. Barton

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God." Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." Nicodemus said to him, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, 'You must be born from above.' The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?" Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?

"Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

"Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."

The First Sunday in Lent (A), March 1, 2020 - Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 and Matthew 4:1-11

Remember that you can get these poems, plus all the poems for Year A, complete with a scripture index and title index, in my book published by Wipf and Stock, Lectionary Poems, Year A: Surprising Grace for Pulpit and Pew. Order at 

https://www.amazon.com/Lectionary-Poems-Year-Surprising-Pulpit/dp/1725253062/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=lectionary+poems&qid=1582234114&sr=8-1

or https://wipfandstock.com/lectionary-poems-year-a.html

Or from me for a signed copy and only $13.50 total. E-mail me, scott.l.barton@gmail.com.

Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7

Marc Chagall: Adam and Eve

Musée du Message Biblique Marc-Chagall

Nice, France

What's Really Original Here

The LORD God governs by the seat of his pants

In this passage, or so it seems.

He creates the man, and then

Has the idea to put him in the garden.

Why didn't he create him in the garden in the first place, and save a step?

He commands the man that he may eat of every tree.

Oh, wait, he thinks. Maybe not.

Scratch that idea of eating from the tree 

Of the knowledge of good and evil. 

So why did he start out with "every," anyway, so he had to backtrack?

God comes up with the brilliant punishment 

Of death, not just someday, but on that day,

The day when the man might eat from the tree

That's now forbidden.

What kind of God issues idle threats, anyway, unless he's just making it up?

The text doesn't absolve God from responsibility, either:

He's the one who made a crafty wild animal.

Plus (before the invention of Dr. Doolittle),

One who talks! And is understood!

Why create a talking, crafty animal in the first place? 

Apparently, God is protective of his place in the scheme of things.

At least (if the serpent knows the score)

God would prefer the man not be like him,

Which means, knowing good and evil.

Okay, the obvious, now: So why make that tree in the first place?

Now, before she has the knowledge of good and evil,

The woman sees that the fruit is good for food. 

And was a delight to the eyes,

And was to be desired to make one wise.

Does she have any say in the matter? Whence delight? And who is the subject of that last passive phrase—unless it's God?

Apparently, the man, not quite as quick-witted, didn't see the things the woman did.

He was with her, but maybe he was wondering

How all of a sudden he got to be this woman's husband,

Without benefit of clergy, and all.

And how could he be a husband (and she a wife?) if they didn't know a good thing when they saw it yet?

They eat the fruit, and their eyes are opened.

And all of a sudden they get the concept of nakedness!

And sewing! And metaphor!

(I mean, presumably, nobody had woven loincloth yet!)

There are way too many questions here.

Why do we have to do backflips to make sense of this tale? 

Why spoil it with something nowhere to be found in the text?

Why not call it original relationship?  Because, really. 

Isn't that what this new, astonishing God wants with you and me, a little give and take?

A little, well . . . love?

Scott L. Barton

The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’“ But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

 +  +  +

Matthew 4:1-11

Rembrandt, Satan Tempting Christ, c. 1640-42
Pen and bistre, Graphische Sammlung, Munich

When the Spirit Drove Jesus to Have His Retreat

When the Spirit drove Jesus to have his retreat,

It was hardly a route that you'd call Easy Street,

For the things that he saw when he got there were spare,

Such as no food in sight for a forty-day prayer!

Then Old Satan arrived with a tempting repast:

"Turn these stones into bread—or have you been miscast?"

Deuteronomy, then, was what Jesus recalled,

When the writer tells Israel their daily haul

Of the manna was given so they'd always know

(And not only in places and times long ago)

That it's not just by bread that we find we're restored,

But by every word from the mouth of the Lord;

Next, the devil took Jesus way up to the top

Of the temple, where there, it's as if they talked shop!

Yes, the devil quotes scripture, in this case, a Psalm,

To which Jesus responds, with a certain aplomb,

—Deuteronomy still on his mind—that a test

Of the Lord surely misses the point that we're blessed

By the places we've been with the Lord as our guide,

Giving all that we need, since by love, God provides!

Then the tempter took Jesus to see from up high

All the kingdoms below, and then added his lie

About having it all, if for him, he'd declare;

But again, Deuteronomy calls us to swear

Our allegiance to God, and the Lord only serve,

Since for freedom, by grace, have our lives been preserved;

Now the devil was bested, and angels arrived

And they waited on he whom our spirits revive;

Thus we see here in Jesus the road that he took,

Which he did on his own, but he did by the book.

Scott L. Barton

(Written with Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss) also in mind, born 3/2/1904, who often wrote in rhyming anapestic tetrameter. Think Yertle the Turtle, tempted to get way up high!)

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." But he answered, "It is written,

'One does not live by bread alone,

but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. '"

Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,

'He will command his angels concerning you,'

and 'On their hands they will bear you up,

so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'"

Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! for it is written,

'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'"

Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

Ash Wednesday (A), February 26, 2020—Isaiah 58:1–12

Ticket to Ride

Remember you are dust,

To dust you shall return,

We’re all terminal on this bus,

But maybe we can learn

Today, because that’s true,

To look outside ourselves,

So, when we leave our pews,

By love we’re now compelled

To choose the kind of fast

That makes the oppressed go free,

That welcomes the harassed,

And those of low degree.

May we repair the breach,

The streets to live, restore,

And by our acts so preach

That hate will be no more.

Scott L. Barton

(“We are all terminal on this bus” is from Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird [Anchor, 1995].)

Shout out, do not hold back!

Lift up your voice like a trumpet!

Announce to my people their rebellion,

to the house of Jacob their sins.

Yet day after day they seek me

and delight to know my ways,

as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness

and did not forsake the ordinance of their God;

they ask of me righteous judgments,

they delight to draw near to God.

“Why do we fast, but you do not see?

Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?”

Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day,

and oppress all your workers.

Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight

and to strike with a wicked fist.

Such fasting as you do today

will not make your voice heard on high.

Is such the fast that I choose,

a day to humble oneself?

Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush,

and to lie in sackcloth and ashes?

Will you call this a fast,

a day acceptable to the Lord?

Is not this the fast that I choose:

to loose the bonds of injustice,

to undo the thongs of the yoke,

to let the oppressed go free,

and to break every yoke?

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,

and bring the homeless poor into your house;

when you see the naked, to cover them,

and not to hide yourself from your own kin?

Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,

and your healing shall spring up quickly;

your vindicator shall go before you,

the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;

you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.

If you remove the yoke from among you,

the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,

if you offer your food to the hungry

and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,

then your light shall rise in the darkness

and your gloom be like the noonday.

The Lord will guide you continually,

and satisfy your needs in parched places,

and make your bones strong;

and you shall be like a watered garden,

like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.

Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;

you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;

you shall be called the repairer of the breach,

the restorer of streets to live in.

Transfiguration Sunday, February 23, 2020 - Matthew 17:1-9 (10-21). A hymn for worship.

Raphael: The Transfiguration

                 Crucified Lord Who Rose So We Might Live 

                                                        (NICAEA)

Scott L. Barton (2014)                                              John Bacchus Dykes (1861)

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
After six days, you took them up the mountainside,
There a new defining, in your face all shining,
You, our new Moses, ever here abide.

We have come before you, seeking to adore you,
In this sanctuary, our songs to you we raise,
Your word still astounds us, grace for all surrounds us,
Our love for you, and all, our greatest praise.

There is no delaying, for we hear you saying,
"Follow where I go, and cure the sick and heal the lame;
Folk of every label, welcome to my table,
Fear not, by faith, my love to all proclaim."

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Now we go returning, out to the world you give;
Traveling together, through all kinds of weather,
Crucified Lord, who rose so we might live!

Scott L. Barton

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” And the disciples asked him, “Why, then, do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” He replied, “Elijah is indeed coming and will restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but they did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.

When they came to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him, and said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly; he often falls into the fire and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.” Jesus answered, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”

The Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany/in Ordinary Time (A), February 16, 2020—Deuteronomy 30:15–20 and Matthew 5:21–37

Frederic Edwin Church: Moses Viewing the Promised Land (1846) Private collection

Deuteronomy 30:15–20

The River We Crossed

Perhaps by now we're too removed 

From when our ancestors improved

Their lives by coming to this land,

Since far too many now command

A blanket prohibition to

The people who don't look like you

Against their coming 'cross the sea—

Forgetting that the guarantee 

Of blessings is to keep in mind

God's people e'er have been defined

By their rememb'ring whence they came,

And still by love, God's love proclaim. 

Scott L. Barton

See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity.If 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. But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I 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. I 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, loving 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.

+  +  +

Matthew 5:21–37

Like a Poem

Is this just an ideal time

He posits, where reason and rhyme

Will fin'lly rule the way we live?

Or do his words an image give

Of faith right now, where anger, lust,

And all the things that he discussed

—Which cause us woe—make us averse

To let our lives by them be cursed?

This "You have heard it said, but I . . ."

Reveals that he's the reason why

We, too, might live with trust and thanks,

And—surprise!—on unmetered love now bank.

Scott L. Barton

“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.

“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

“Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one."