Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 22 (C), October 2, 2022—Lamentations 1:1–6; 3:19–26 and Luke 17:5–10; 2 Timothy 1:1–14

Lamentations 1:1–6; 3:19–26 and Luke 17:5–10

 

Esther Epp, Western Tract Mission

 

“Increase Our Faith!” They Said

 

I had spoken at my uncle’s memorial service,

Saying the things you might expect,

The kind of guy he was, etc.

I referred to an old oral letter

He’d sent to me on cassette tape which,

On the way back to my pew,

I handed to his only child, his daughter, my cousin.

“You will love it,” I said.

And then I sat down,

Satisfied that perhaps in some way,

I had increased their faith

(In God, if not in me?)

Then we sang a hymn that I didn’t know

(Long before its inclusion

In the Presbyterian hymnal).

But my younger brother, standing next to me,

Belted it out from memory.

His different theological route from mine

Had taken him to this place I did not know.

“Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with thee.”

I can still hear and picture him in that congregation,

Even moreso as he, himself, recently dead,

Still brings tears to my eyes.

And I like to think I learned then,

As maybe the apostles learned,

If they listened that day,

A new theology,

Or new analogy,

Some new hymnology,

Sung way back in Lamentations,

And later served up at table,

In life and in words (the tape of which we still play)

By a Master of such increased faithfulness

You can hardly believe it.

Scott L. Barton

How lonely sits the city that once was full of people!
How like a widow she has become,
she that was great among the nations!
She that was a princess among the provinces
has become a vassal.

She weeps bitterly in the night,
with tears on her cheeks;
among all her lovers
she has no one to comfort her;
all her friends have dealt treacherously with her,
they have become her enemies.

Judah has gone into exile with suffering
and hard servitude;
she lives now among the nations,
and finds no resting place;
her pursuers have all overtaken her
in the midst of her distress.

The roads to Zion mourn,
for no one comes to the festivals;
all her gates are desolate,
her priests groan;
her young girls grieve,
and her lot is bitter.

Her foes have become the masters,
her enemies prosper,
because the LORD has made her suffer
for the multitude of her transgressions;
her children have gone away,
captives before the foe.

From daughter Zion has departed all her majesty.
Her princes have become like stags that find no pasture;
they fled without strength before the pursuer.
...
The thought of my affliction and my homelessness
is wormwood and gall!
My soul continually thinks of it
and is bowed down within me.
But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases,
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
"The LORD is my portion," says my soul,
"therefore I will hope in him."

The LORD is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul that seeks him.
It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.

+ + +

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"  The Lord replied, "If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.

"Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, 'Come here at once and take your place at the table'?  Would you not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink'?  Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded?  So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, 'We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!'"

+ + +

 

2 Timothy 1:1–14

 

Edmund Pettus Bridge, "Bloody Sunday," March 7, 1965

’Til Every Foe Is Vanquished

 

God did not give us cowardice,

A timid spirit holding back;

Bystanding’s not the mark

Of Christ, whose grace for all, attacks

The powers that would thwart

The love for which he gave his all;

He asks us that we follow him:

Can you stand up? Be brave?

Your call.

 

Scott L. Barton

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I am grateful to God—whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you.

For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher, and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him. Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.

 

Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 21 (C), September 25, 2022—Jeremiah 32:1–3a, 6–15; 1Timothy 6:6–19; Luke 16:19–31

 

Washington Allston (1779-1843): Jeremiah Dictating to Baruch

(Yale University)

Jeremiah 32:1–3a, 6–15

 

Rose of Sharon

 

How is it this jailed Jeremiah

Had such a love for his country,

And, conversely, such humility

About himself, held under guard,

Babylon laying siege at the gates,

With no cavalry to rescue,

That with a straight face he could foresee

Everything coming up roses,

Houses and fields and vineyards bought?

He knew One who'd surely ransom,

The redeemed returning and singing,

Not to make the place great again,

But so one day, one could take that deed

From the pot, and put a flower in it.

 

Scott L. Barton

 

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of King Zedekiah of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar. At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and the prophet Jeremiah was confined in the court of the guard that was in the palace of the king of Judah, where King Zedekiah of Judah had confined him. 

 

Jeremiah said, The word of the Lord came to me: Hanamel son of your uncle Shallum is going to come to you and say, “Buy my field that is at Anathoth, for the right of redemption by purchase is yours.” Then my cousin Hanamel came to me in the court of the guard, in accordance with the word of the Lord, and said to me, “Buy my field that is at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.” Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord. 

 

And I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel, and weighed out the money to him, seventeen shekels of silver. I signed the deed, sealed it, got witnesses, and weighed the money on scales. Then I took the sealed deed of purchase, containing the terms and conditions, and the open copy; and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel, in the presence of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, and in the presence of all the Judeans who were sitting in the court of the guard. In their presence I charged Baruch, saying, Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, in order that they may last for a long time. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.

 

+ + +

 

1Timothy 6:6–19

 

Rooting for a Different Love

 

The love of money is a root

Of evil of all kinds;

This ancient, famous saying

Sadly now is still behind

The fear and pain so many know

When seeking refuge, where

They may be turned away because

Their skin be not so fair

As those afraid they’ll take their job,

Or even need some aid;

But generosity is why

All wealth by God is made.

 

Scott L. Barton

 

Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. 

 

But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will bring about at the right time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. 

 

As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.

 

 +  +  +

 

Luke 16:19–31

 

What We Owe

 

How tempting that we read this tale

As if we are allied

With Lazarus, whose sores dogs licked,

Until, at Abra'm's side,

He saw the justice done unto

The man who ate his fill,

Without a glance at brother Laz,

Or gestures of goodwill.

We make it out a moral tale

That we should be "more" good,

And be not arrogant or proud,

And humbly share our food—

Or else! That's partly true, except

Just skip the fear and shame,

Since showing God is "just" to all

Is always our Lord's aim;

That is, the nature of the One

Who made both great and small

Is that the gifts of God who loves

Come, without fail, to all!

But why the torment? You might ask,

Does such a thing exist?

Or as his wont, a parable

By Jesus 'bout the risk

Of thinking that, when we've been blessed,

But then, things turn out bad,

It seems that those once down and out

Should dare not then be glad

Whene'er God's gifts have come to them!

Instead, with tables turned,

Our hell is thinking that we're owed

By those whom we had spurned;

Thus, Jesus rises from the dead

So we will always know

God's work of giving everything

Makes giving what we owe.

 

Scott L. Barton

 

“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ He said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME/PROPER 20 (C), September 18, 2022—JEREMIAH 8:18—9:1; 1 TIMOTHY 2:1–7; LUKE 16:1–13

 

Rembrandt: Jeremiah lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem (1630)

Rijksmuseum (The Netherlands)

 

Jeremiah 8:18—9:1 

How Make the Wounded Whole

 

The hymn says there’s a balm in Gilead

To make the wounded whole;

But Jeremiah wasn’t there—for grief,

When real, demands the toll

That no assurances can e’er assuage,

And thus, his tears long flowed.

He knew Judah’s disaster was their fault,

And yet his crying showed

That empathy comes from above, which still,

Through all the years, is love.

Scott L. Barton

My joy is gone, grief is upon me, 

my heart is sick.

Hark, the cry of my poor people 

from far and wide in the land: 

"Is the LORD not in Zion?

Is her King not in her?" 

("Why have they provoked me to anger with their images, 

with their foreign idols?")

"The harvest is past, the summer is ended, 

and we are not saved."

For the hurt of my poor people I am hurt, 

I mourn, and dismay has taken hold of me.

Is there no balm in Gilead? 

Is there no physician there? 

Why then has the health of my poor people 

not been restored?

O that my head were a spring of water, 

and my eyes a fountain of tears, 

so that I might weep day and night

for the slain of my poor people!

+ + +

1 Timothy 2:1–7

 

All of Us

 

The prayers for the king,

And all in high positions,

Are pleas for godliness

And dignity for all.

No conditions.

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself a ransom for all—this was attested at the right time. For this I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

Luke 16:1–13

 

Funny Grace

 

The steward is a funny guy:

Quick-thinking, smart and very spry!

He finds a way to save his skin

By bringing all the debtors in,

And makes them happy—and what’s more—

This steward really knows the score,

Since gen’rous will his master seem

To all the town; and now, redeemed

From grudging Daddy Warbucks fame,

All people will extol his name!

So while I still am puzzled by

The word, “dishonest,” Jesus tries,

Still now, he calls us all to dare

Believe that nothing will impair

God’s wish that we be reconciled!

Much like a father and his child,

Or debtors and the man who’s rich,

These prodigals can help us switch

From thinking grace we understand,

To knowing grace we can’t withstand.

Scott L. Barton

Then Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. So he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.’ Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.’ So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.’ Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘A hundred containers of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill and make it eighty.’ And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.

“Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 19 (C), September 11, 2022—Jeremiah 4:11–12, 22–28; Luke 15:1–10

Jeremiah 4:11–12, 22–28

Weatherman

 

You don't need a weatherman 

to know which way the wind blows,

Yet Jeremiah even knew

Wherefrom hot wind to come arose—

And why! And yet, his people failed 

To grasp the reason for the storm,

Since how they'd lived, revealed they hadn't

Let the news of God transform

Stupidity of feeling best

Into awareness they were blessed.

 

Scott L. Barton

 

At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem: A hot wind comes from me out of the bare heights in the desert toward my poor people, not to winnow or cleanse— a wind too strong for that. Now it is I who speak in judgment against them. 

 

“For my people are foolish, 

they do not know me; 

they are stupid children, 

they have no understanding. 

They are skilled in doing evil, 

but do not know how to do good.” 

 

I looked on the earth, and lo, it was waste and void; 

and to the heavens, and they had no light. 

I looked on the mountains, and lo, they were quaking, 

and all the hills moved to and fro. 

I looked, and lo, there was no one at all, 

and all the birds of the air had fled. 

I looked, and lo, the fruitful land was a desert, 

and all its cities were laid in ruins 

before the Lord, before his fierce anger. 

 

For thus says the Lord: The whole land shall be a desolation; yet I will not make a full end. 

 

Because of this the earth shall mourn, 

and the heavens above grow black; 

for I have spoken, I have purposed; 

I have not relented nor will I turn back.

 

+ + +

 

Luke 15:1–10

Tissot, James Jacques Joseph: Lost Drachma

(between 1886 and 1894) Brooklyn Museum

 

Coming Near to Listen

 

If anyone is “Bible believing”

It seems it would be well worth receiving

This news that Jesus has about sinners,

Which illustrates the meaning of “winners”

As people who would dare to go seeking

The lost, because our God is still speaking;

The question now, which this text is whisp’ring,

Is who, out there, among us is listening?

 

Scott L. Barton

 

Found

 

What sin did the lost sheep commit?

Sins are intentional, right?

Sheep are just plain stupid.

It's in their nature to get lost.

Likewise, what sin did the coin commit?

They get lost, period.

(Think of how many times you've lost

Your keys, or your cell phone.)

So was it a bad analogy?

 

Or did Jesus mean that

The + very + definition + of + repent =

God + has + found + you.

 

The very definition of repent

Is God's joy!

Repenting = rethinking your life

To the point of imagining God's joy

That you are! That you are God's!

You don't have to do anything

You don't have to do anything

You don't have to do anything!

God found you!

 

No point being sheepish about that,

Or chintzy—now—with anything!

(You still don't get it?  Well, there was this father, 

see . . . .)

 

Scott L. Barton

 

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to [Jesus]. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. “Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”