Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 27 (C), November 6, 2022—Haggai 1:15b—2:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:1–5, 13–17; Luke 20:27–38

 

Haggai 1:15b—2:9 and Luke 20:27–38

 

The Heart of It

 

This really is the heart of it, isn't it?

They "neither marry nor are given in marriage."

Or try this:

"The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former."

"We will all be changed."

"They thought it was a ghost."

"Because I live, you also . . . ."

Like a Sadducee,

I just can't wrap my head around any of this.

And maybe that's the point.

This God

. . . this word

. . . this news

. . . this love

Changes everything.

Most of all, my heart.

This really is the heart of it, isn't it?

 

Scott L. Barton

 

In the second year of King Darius, in the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai, saying: Speak now to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, and say, Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Is it not in your sight as nothing? Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the Lord; take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; take courage, all you people of the land, says the Lord; work, for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts, according to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt. My spirit abides among you; do not fear. For thus says the Lord of hosts: Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land; and I will shake all the nations, so that the treasure of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of hosts. The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity, says the Lord of hosts.

 

—

 

Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to him and asked him a question, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married, and died childless; then the second and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her.” Jesus said to them, “Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage; but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. Indeed they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.”

 

+ + +

 

2 Thessalonians 2:1–5, 13–17

 

Stand Fast

 

A college friend from long ago,

Not seen in nearly fifty years,

Reflecting on the climate’s change,

And plastic spreading o’er the sphere,

Proclaimed today that, “We are screwed;

Humanity is finished.

Done."

 

And I was left to wonder if

Despair once felt by everyone

To whom Paul wrote, meant hope was gone

And they, too, felt their goose was cooked.

There seemed no more that they could do;

They had been rendered hopeless.

Numb.

 

But Paul said, No; do not forget

That you are those whom God just chose!

You can’t throw in the towel now;

My job, and yours, is to oppose

The evil in our midst! Stand firm,

Hold fast, do not give up—

Or in.

 

The glory of the Lord himself

Is where, in Christ, we must begin.

The one who loved the world to death,

And rose, to show we all are kin,

Still comforts, so we’re not deterred

From loving with our hearts

All stirred.

 

Scott L. Barton

 

As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we beg you, brothers and sisters, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here.

 

Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one destined for destruction. He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God. Do you not remember that I told you these things when I was still with you?

 

But we must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth. For this purpose he called you through our proclamation of the good news, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter.

 

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.

 

+ + +

 

Luke 20:27–38

 

If This Be Love

 

A person dies, someone you love.

Mother, father, sister, brother.

Then this headline, which today blared,

"Girl, 9, dies in bus accident."

Oh, dear God, who can bear such news?

How could any of us survive?

That any do, is miracle.

I weep to think of deaths I've known.

And yet. And yet. Perhaps it's true

That for our God, all are alive.

I know not what that means, except

Even when I'm long forgotten,

Just a tombstone name, in some book—

I'm alive, you're alive, and all

Who've ever lived, in him, somehow

Live, and move, and have our being.

 

Scott L. Barton

 

Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to him and asked him a question, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married, and died childless; then the second and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her.” Jesus said to them, “Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage; but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. Indeed they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.”

 

 

Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 26 (C), October 30, 2022—Habakkuk 1:1–4; 2:1–4; Luke 19:1–10

Zion National Park's "Watchman," 

photo by Carol Sumner, 

Road Scholar participant, 2016

 

 

Habakkuk 1:1–4; 2:1–4

 

Keep Watch

 

On the plane,

I watch the man

Across the aisle

Reading the magazine

With at least one gun

Pictured per page.

Some of the headlines,

Mostly ads, read:

 

American exceptionalism

A smoother way to shoot

Clinton and Shumer are one election away from taking your guns

Stop any threat dead in its tracks

 

I worry about this kind of vigilance.

It purports to trust in oneself;

But if truth be told,

The trust is really

In all you can buy

To keep you safe—

Ever bigger, ever faster,

Ever smoother, ever prouder.

 

Look at them, says Habakkuk;

Some spirit is not right.

But wait for it. Wait for it.

Wait for the exception,

Trust the one who comes to you,

Live like no one will let you down,

Watch for grace for all

That'll knock your socks off.

 

Scott L. Barton

 

 

Still

 

“Look at the proud!

Their spirit is not right in them,

but the righteous live by their faith.”

 

Yep. Still good news!

 

Scott L. Barton

 

The oracle that the prophet Habakkuk saw. 

O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, 

and you will not listen? 

Or cry to you “Violence!” 

and you will not save? 

Why do you make me see wrong-doing 

and look at trouble? 

Destruction and violence are before me; 

strife and contention arise. 

So the law becomes slack 

and justice never prevails. 

The wicked surround the righteous— 

therefore judgment comes forth perverted.

 

I will stand at my watchpost, 

and station myself on the rampart; 

I will keep watch to see what he will say to me, 

and what he will answer concerning my complaint. 

Then the Lord answered me and said: 

Write the vision; 

make it plain on tablets, 

so that a runner may read it. 

For there is still a vision for the appointed time; 

it speaks of the end, and does not lie. 

If it seems to tarry, wait for it; 

it will surely come, it will not delay. 

Look at the proud! 

Their spirit is not right in them, 

but the righteous live by their faith.

 

+ + +

 

Luke 19:1–10

 

Zacchaeus Was a Wee Little Man

 

Zacchaeus was a wee little man:

We loved to sing that song!

With finger wagging, "You come down!"

We knew we all belonged

To Jesus, who, to us might come

Someday, though we were small!

These days, much taller, would he still

To my house make a call?

And if he did, would I be so

Astounded that he came,

I'd change my ways, perhaps give more?

And he would change my name?

Or is this scene all by itself

A parable of grace,

Since those who'd like to know this God—

No matter time or place—

Will find Christ even more inclined

To knock upon their door,

For he insists! Not just observed

Will he be anymore!

This God e'en now, across the years,

Would still with us consort,

For faith is not some taxing thing,

Nor some spectator sport;

To be a "child of Abraham,"

Means you have been restored

Not by your efforts, but by love—

Which is its own reward.

 

Scott L. Barton

 

[Jesus] entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”

 

 

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 25 (C), October 23, 2022—Joel 2:23–32; Luke 18:9–14

 

Michelangelo Buonarroti: The Prophet Joel 1508–1512, Sistine Chapel

Joel 2:23–32

Hymn: Lord of the Harvest

Tune: SAMANTHRA (Isaiah the Prophet Has Written of Old)

O children of Zion, be glad and rejoice,
The LORD has poured down for you, rain;
The wine vats and threshing floors all will be full,
And no one will be put to shame.
There soon will be plenty, and all satisfied,
The LORD still does wonderful things;
I'll say it again: no one need be ashamed,
The praises of heaven you'll sing!
 

My spirit I'll pour, says the LORD, on all flesh,

Your children will all prophesy,

Your old shall dream dreams, and your young shall see visions,

My spirit to all I'll supply;

For when all seems lost and the world is all dark,

My spirit will not disappear,

When the world is all changed, then I call to my people,

And save them with love ever dear.

Scott L. Barton

O children of Zion, be glad
and rejoice in the Lord your God;
for he has given the early rain for your vindication,
he has poured down for you abundant rain,
the early and the later rain, as before.
The threshing floors shall be full of grain,
the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.

I will repay you for the years
that the swarming locust has eaten,
the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,
my great army, which I sent against you.

You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
and praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has dealt wondrously with you.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.
You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,
and that I, the Lord, am your God and there is no other.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.

Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
Even on the male and female slaves,
in those days, I will pour out my spirit.

I will show portents in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lordshall be saved; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.

+  +  +

Luke 18:9–14

Remedy for Chest-Thumping

It is surprising, is it not,
How righteous we can stay?
Shenanigans in Washington
Are just Exhibit A
Of how some folks perceive themselves
As better than the rest,
While calling out, "Full speed ahead!"
As if, alone, they're blessed
With knowing what is right and good!
But they are justified
—As we—when knowing all we have
The Lord our God provides!
It might change how we see ourselves,
And all the world, as well,
I we think no more of our "base,"
Since faith in God propels
Our looking out, not in!  That is,
These days, God's mighty deeds
Will show when taxers and those taxed
All know it's love we need.

Scott L. Barton

[Jesus] also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

 

 

Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 24 (C), October 16, 2022—Jeremiah 31:27–34; 2 Timothy 3:14—4:5; Luke 18:1–8

John August Swanson: Celebration
Luther Seminary Fine Arts Collection, St. Paul, Minnesota

 

Jeremiah 31:27–34

 

What We Might All Know

 

In time to come, there'll be no blame,

One generation to the next;

To save one's pride, none will inflame,

Claim by another tribe they're vexed;

But each one will, within their heart,

A common humanness believe;

Such is the covenant for which God yearns,

That we perceive, conceive, receive.

 

Scott L. Barton

 

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of humans and the seed of animals. And just as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring evil, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the Lord. In those days they shall no longer say: “The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” But all shall die for their own sins; the teeth of everyone who eats sour grapes shall be set on edge. The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

 

+ + +

 

2 Timothy 3:14—4:5

 

The Cure for Itching Ears

 

How did this ancient author know the time in which we live?

This “having itching ears” describes so many who now give

Their hopes for greatness over to the tellers of big myths

With which our godly heritage of grace for all conflicts.

 

Oh, preacher, simply tell of Christ, who came the world to save,

Whose fearless love could no more end with cross, or then the grave

Than any love his followers would dare to live these days,

And thus not point to self—or tribe—but sing the maker’s praise!

 

Scott L. Barton

 

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.

 

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.

 

+  +  +

 

Luke 18:1-8

 

HYMN: Better Than a Calm Façade

Tune: MELITA (Eternal Father, Strong to Save)

or ST. PETERSBURG (My Song Forever Shall Record)

 

It's quite all right to bother God!

That's better than a calm façade,

Or resignation of your lot;

For Jesus says the one who's got

The gumption not to knuckle under

Lives with real faith and wonder.

 

God’s justice, always, God intends,

Although we may not comprehend

The schedule! Thus, the widow's might

Is in her cry the judge make right—

Which teaches us to fight despair

By voicing what becomes real prayer.

 

The universe’s moral arc

Is long, but let us all now hark

To Christ, who by love God did send

Since justice towards that arc still bends;

Now work and play, and cry and plead,

For God forsakes not those in need.

 

Scott L. Barton

 

Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

 

 

Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time/Proper 23 (C), October 9, 2022—Jeremiah 29:1, 4–7; Luke 17:11–19

Jeremiah 29:1, 4–7

In Its Welfare You Will Find Your Welfare

The headline said that  “Evangelicals despair.”*
Some felt, with no one in their Presidential camp,
Their values, back then, really didn’t stand a prayer,
Since attitudes about gay rights had been revamped.

But they've signed on, and I don't see how easily
Some Christians still embrace the public words of hate,
Which, by example, put down people breezily
As if that’s how we all might make a country great.

Perhaps a word from Jeremiah still pertains
To those who feel in exile in their native land:
If we’d all seek the good of all where we remain,
We might yet grow in love, that faith in Christ demands.

Scott L. Barton

 

*https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/30/us/donald-trump-christians-gay-marriage.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region

These are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

 

+  +  +

 

Luke 17:11–19

 

Why Wait?

He could not wait to have the priests
Declare that he was well;
Besides, as a Samaritan,
The priests would never tell
Him he was clean—and then it dawned
On him that he could shout!
For why hold back? Why keep it in?
Perhaps, day in, day out,
He'll help us realize that life
That's whole, includes loud joy!
When we're surprised at every gift,
Then faith's the real McCoy!

Scott L. Barton

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”