These passages are found in the Narrative Lectionary, Advent 3, Year 2. (Most recently Dec 13, 2015)
Summary: Ezra is a complex story about the relationship between the church and state; between religious freedom and persecution; between civic religion and cult. Given what is happening in our country, this seems like a profoundly relevant passage. Challenge -- making it connection to Christmas and Advent? I think one can find this in chapter 3:10-13 and the idea that the foundation has been laid, but the building is not yet there. We praise God for the foundation, but wait for the fullness of the temple.
Key words:
רוח ("rauch" meaning "spirit"; 1:1) The NIV translates this as "heart." It is literally "spirit." The imagery is that God awoke the spirit of Cyrus. This is an interestingly reflection on how God interacts with the powerful in the world. Oh, Lord, send again your spirit to awaken our leaders!
נדבה ("nedabah" meaning "freewill offering";1:4) This can refer to a specific type of offering, see here for info on this. What is significant is that the people would be under no royal edict to offer this worship. It seems strange that, first, Cyrus would allow people to go home, second, that he would allow people to rebuild the temple, and then third, would not compel people to worship there. (Later in 3:4, there will be mandatory offerings too, but this time imposed by the Jewish religious leaders, not the Persian king.)
כאיש אחד (a preposition, a noun and an adjective meaning "as one man" translated "together"; 3:1) The NRSV translates this as "together" but I don't think that this gives a the sense of unity here full justice! Perhaps this is the unity we experience as we worship on Christmas Eve!
הוסד ("whosed" from a verb meaning "to establish or found";3:11) What I want to point out here is that though foundation is laid, it will be years before the temple is built. Numerous obstacles will occur including a seemingly friendly offer from Samaritans that turns into a total road block. (This is a reminder that religious freedom and worship are not always easy!)
Perhaps in this we can connect to Advent -- we give thanks to the Lord, like the ancient Jews, because the foundation of the new world of Jesus Christ has been laid, but we have not yet seen the full tabernacle. Just the foundation is good enough though, for praise!
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Monday, November 23, 2015
Josiah Reform: 2 Kings 22
This passage is found in the Narrative Lectionary for Advent 1, year 2 (Most recently Nov 29, 2015).
Note: My hope is to make this passage helpful for Advent 1 preaching.
My approach to this passage for Advent 1 will be to talk about the gift that is Advent. By gift I do not mean some sort of rigid battle against Christmas in our church or homes for four weeks. Rather by gift I mean the reminder and invitation to focus on Christ these coming weeks. How can our home and house be a dwelling place of God? I think a sharper Advent message about repentance is possible; this year I will focus on the gift of Advent, home devotions and worship of Christ.
בית ("bet" meaning "house": 22:4,5,6): The word of the temple here is the house of God. We often call our churches houses of worship, but house of God? The description, in both its "everyday-ness" but also its "holiness" is a fertile juxtaposition. How can our church be a house of God? How can our own homes be a house of God? Part of Advent is the grand theme of preparing our life for the second coming of Christ. Perhaps a more realistic assignment is preparing our homes for company. A happy middle -- preparing our homes to celebrate the first coming of Christ?!
חלדה ("Huldah", 22:14) Just a reminder we have a prophetess here. This like 600 BC and we have women speaking the truth to power.
נתנ ("nathan" meaning "give"; 22:5,8,9, 10) This word can be tricky to spot, in spite of the fact that it is one the most common Hebrew words in the Bible. The word is tricky first because linguistically "n"s tend to disappear when prefixes or suffixes get attached. (This is true in English and Latin - con-operation becomes cooperate, e.g.) This word is also tricky to spot because it is often translated in different ways (to avoid repetition of the word 'give').
In this passage, נתנ can mean "entrust" as in vs 5 when Josiah orders the money given (entrusted) to the supervisors and eventually workers. It can also mean "present" when the priest is presented with the book of the Law (vs 10). I think this gets at a lot having to do with money: it is a gift that it also something with which we are entrusted. It also gets at the law: It is a gift, a present to us.
קרב ("qareb" meaning "tear", 22:11) This is a traditional sign of repentance, also cited in Joel 2:13. If one wanted to focus on repentance during Advent, this would be a great place to start.
A little bonus:
גדר ("gadar" meaning "build esp a wall" vs 22:6) Used here to make a noun, in the form of the
"the one who..." we have the word "the one who builds of a wall" or "mason." This then is awesome in that the money is given over to the masons who help recover lost wisdom in the bowels of the temple.
A leadership bonus I:
When people have both skills and are entrusted by leadership, great things happen
Reforms and human covenants do not last forever. They are still good.
Note: My hope is to make this passage helpful for Advent 1 preaching.
My approach to this passage for Advent 1 will be to talk about the gift that is Advent. By gift I do not mean some sort of rigid battle against Christmas in our church or homes for four weeks. Rather by gift I mean the reminder and invitation to focus on Christ these coming weeks. How can our home and house be a dwelling place of God? I think a sharper Advent message about repentance is possible; this year I will focus on the gift of Advent, home devotions and worship of Christ.
בית ("bet" meaning "house": 22:4,5,6): The word of the temple here is the house of God. We often call our churches houses of worship, but house of God? The description, in both its "everyday-ness" but also its "holiness" is a fertile juxtaposition. How can our church be a house of God? How can our own homes be a house of God? Part of Advent is the grand theme of preparing our life for the second coming of Christ. Perhaps a more realistic assignment is preparing our homes for company. A happy middle -- preparing our homes to celebrate the first coming of Christ?!
חלדה ("Huldah", 22:14) Just a reminder we have a prophetess here. This like 600 BC and we have women speaking the truth to power.
נתנ ("nathan" meaning "give"; 22:5,8,9, 10) This word can be tricky to spot, in spite of the fact that it is one the most common Hebrew words in the Bible. The word is tricky first because linguistically "n"s tend to disappear when prefixes or suffixes get attached. (This is true in English and Latin - con-operation becomes cooperate, e.g.) This word is also tricky to spot because it is often translated in different ways (to avoid repetition of the word 'give').
In this passage, נתנ can mean "entrust" as in vs 5 when Josiah orders the money given (entrusted) to the supervisors and eventually workers. It can also mean "present" when the priest is presented with the book of the Law (vs 10). I think this gets at a lot having to do with money: it is a gift that it also something with which we are entrusted. It also gets at the law: It is a gift, a present to us.
קרב ("qareb" meaning "tear", 22:11) This is a traditional sign of repentance, also cited in Joel 2:13. If one wanted to focus on repentance during Advent, this would be a great place to start.
A little bonus:
גדר ("gadar" meaning "build esp a wall" vs 22:6) Used here to make a noun, in the form of the
"the one who..." we have the word "the one who builds of a wall" or "mason." This then is awesome in that the money is given over to the masons who help recover lost wisdom in the bowels of the temple.
A leadership bonus I:
When people have both skills and are entrusted by leadership, great things happen
Reforms and human covenants do not last forever. They are still good.
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Isaiah 5:1-7
This passage is found in the Revised Common Lectionary, Year C (Most recently August 2016).
This passage is found in the Narrative Lectionary for Christ the King Sunday, Year 2 (Most recently Nov 22, 2015).
Summary: This is an action packed passage. Lots of connections to the rest of Bible, allusions to a wedding, word play and rotten food. I think the image of the vineyard is really worth taping into. What kind of work is involved in growing grapes. What can go wrong? Our hope is finally to be connected to a stronger vine, who is Christ our vine and our King!
Key words/concepts:
Romantic connotations:
ידיד (yadeed, meaning "beloved", vs 5:1) I was recently at a Jewish and Christian wedding in which this phrase was used by the betrothed to refer to one another. While I do not know what Jewish weddings looked like 2750 years ago, this is clearly an intimate word.
שיר (shur, meaning "song", vs 5:1) Interestingly, this word begins "Song of Songs."...which quickly discusses life in a vineyard. I do not mean to put in too heavy of "love" overtones here, but it is clear that singing a song to a beloved is an intimate, if not downright romantic, thing to do.
Vineyards:
כרם (karem, meaning "vineyard", vs 5:1) Huge word in the Bible. In the book of Isaiah:
Isaiah 27 The whole redemption of Israel is in the metaphor of a new vineyard
Isaiah 65:21 The actual redemption of Israel includes new vineyards
The Psalmist also describes God's work in Israel in terms of a vine:
You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.
You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land.
The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches (80:8-10)
The New Testament also picks up on the Vineyard.
First, Mark 12/Matthew 21 clearly reference in Isaiah 5 parable.
Second, Matthew 20/ Luke 20 contain another another parable dealing with vineyards; see also Luke 13
Third, Jesus describes himself as the vine (John 15)
Trivia: Noah planted vineyard in Genesis 9:20
באשים (beusheem, meaning "wild grapes" really "stinky"!, 5:2,4) This word here means bad grapes, but really means stinky, both literal but also moral. As the TWOT writes,
"Thus this word either describes objects that have a foul odor, bad relationships between people creating abhorrence, and the general principle that evil deeds are so rotten that they have a bad smell in God's nostrils."
That is what happens when we go astray: stink.
משיר ושית (meaning "thorns and briars", 5:6) A note on the Hebrew here: thorns and briers is, I would argue, an example of using two words to paint one picture: a mess of unhealthy vegetation. This phrase would be lost on me, but I recall, with great joy, singing the third verse of Joy to the World: Nor thorns infest the ground. If you are looking for a nice to way to segue from this passage into Advent and Jesus, there you go.
The point is that vineyards can be fertile or not...bear good fruit...or thorns.
Play on words
In verse 7 there are some plays on words
Justice (משפח) vs bloodshed (משפט)
Righteousness (צעקה) vs crying out (צדקה)
This is not sermon stuff, but a reminder of the poetry of the prophets.
This passage is found in the Narrative Lectionary for Christ the King Sunday, Year 2 (Most recently Nov 22, 2015).
Summary: This is an action packed passage. Lots of connections to the rest of Bible, allusions to a wedding, word play and rotten food. I think the image of the vineyard is really worth taping into. What kind of work is involved in growing grapes. What can go wrong? Our hope is finally to be connected to a stronger vine, who is Christ our vine and our King!
Key words/concepts:
Romantic connotations:
ידיד (yadeed, meaning "beloved", vs 5:1) I was recently at a Jewish and Christian wedding in which this phrase was used by the betrothed to refer to one another. While I do not know what Jewish weddings looked like 2750 years ago, this is clearly an intimate word.
שיר (shur, meaning "song", vs 5:1) Interestingly, this word begins "Song of Songs."...which quickly discusses life in a vineyard. I do not mean to put in too heavy of "love" overtones here, but it is clear that singing a song to a beloved is an intimate, if not downright romantic, thing to do.
Vineyards:
כרם (karem, meaning "vineyard", vs 5:1) Huge word in the Bible. In the book of Isaiah:
Isaiah 27 The whole redemption of Israel is in the metaphor of a new vineyard
Isaiah 65:21 The actual redemption of Israel includes new vineyards
The Psalmist also describes God's work in Israel in terms of a vine:
You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.
You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land.
The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches (80:8-10)
The New Testament also picks up on the Vineyard.
First, Mark 12/Matthew 21 clearly reference in Isaiah 5 parable.
Second, Matthew 20/ Luke 20 contain another another parable dealing with vineyards; see also Luke 13
Third, Jesus describes himself as the vine (John 15)
Trivia: Noah planted vineyard in Genesis 9:20
באשים (beusheem, meaning "wild grapes" really "stinky"!, 5:2,4) This word here means bad grapes, but really means stinky, both literal but also moral. As the TWOT writes,
"Thus this word either describes objects that have a foul odor, bad relationships between people creating abhorrence, and the general principle that evil deeds are so rotten that they have a bad smell in God's nostrils."
That is what happens when we go astray: stink.
משיר ושית (meaning "thorns and briars", 5:6) A note on the Hebrew here: thorns and briers is, I would argue, an example of using two words to paint one picture: a mess of unhealthy vegetation. This phrase would be lost on me, but I recall, with great joy, singing the third verse of Joy to the World: Nor thorns infest the ground. If you are looking for a nice to way to segue from this passage into Advent and Jesus, there you go.
The point is that vineyards can be fertile or not...bear good fruit...or thorns.
Play on words
In verse 7 there are some plays on words
Justice (משפח) vs bloodshed (משפט)
Righteousness (צעקה) vs crying out (צדקה)
This is not sermon stuff, but a reminder of the poetry of the prophets.
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Hosea 13:1-11
This passage is found in the Narrative Lectionary year 2 (Most recently Nov 15, 2015)
Summary: Hosea is a relatively unknown book that contains problematic imagery. Furthermore, there are a number of spots in the passage where the Hebrew meaning is unclear. Given all of that, I would like to focus on just a few avenues into a sermon for this passage.
אהב ("love"; 11:1). It is very rare that God declares his love for the people (or any individual for that matter). Malachi 1:2 is the only other example I could find of this.
- The love is for the whole people, not just an individual.
- Great love is often revealed in great suffering.
- Matthew will pick up this verse and ascribe it to Jesus. Jesus is the new Israel, not just the Messiah!
אוכיל (from אכל meaning "to eat"; 11:4) This word, along with many others, suggest a very caring and intimate relationship between God and the people. I think one could argue here for a rather feminine understanding here of God. Perhaps this is a can of worms, but suffice to say, the imagery in Hosea is really tough. This is a beautiful moment of loving kindness.
שוב (shuv "return"; 11:5) The people will not return because they have not returned (this play on words is missed in the NIV, which translates the word שוב as repent. It is a reminder that repenting means changing the road we are on. Or more realistically: people, places and things.
נחמים (from נחם "comfort" or "compassion"; 11:8) This word is a fascinating one in Hebrew because it means something along the lines of "take a deep breath in a way that changes one's emotional mind." Like a worked up parent, God is taking a deep breath before executing punishment on the child. The word is often seen as problematic because the idea of God changing one's mind is theologically difficult for many. Used as a noun in this verse, it simply means compassion and mercy. Definitely not problematic. However, verse 8 does point toward the malleability of God's will, always seeming to move toward mercy over justice.
הושע The name Hosea (or more accurately, Hoshea) is pretty fascinating, likely meaning "the salvation" or "He saves." But like all things ancient Hebrew, there is a bit of uncertainty! I had some fun looking at this website this morning for some background: Here.
Summary: Hosea is a relatively unknown book that contains problematic imagery. Furthermore, there are a number of spots in the passage where the Hebrew meaning is unclear. Given all of that, I would like to focus on just a few avenues into a sermon for this passage.
אהב ("love"; 11:1). It is very rare that God declares his love for the people (or any individual for that matter). Malachi 1:2 is the only other example I could find of this.
- The love is for the whole people, not just an individual.
- Great love is often revealed in great suffering.
- Matthew will pick up this verse and ascribe it to Jesus. Jesus is the new Israel, not just the Messiah!
אוכיל (from אכל meaning "to eat"; 11:4) This word, along with many others, suggest a very caring and intimate relationship between God and the people. I think one could argue here for a rather feminine understanding here of God. Perhaps this is a can of worms, but suffice to say, the imagery in Hosea is really tough. This is a beautiful moment of loving kindness.
שוב (shuv "return"; 11:5) The people will not return because they have not returned (this play on words is missed in the NIV, which translates the word שוב as repent. It is a reminder that repenting means changing the road we are on. Or more realistically: people, places and things.
נחמים (from נחם "comfort" or "compassion"; 11:8) This word is a fascinating one in Hebrew because it means something along the lines of "take a deep breath in a way that changes one's emotional mind." Like a worked up parent, God is taking a deep breath before executing punishment on the child. The word is often seen as problematic because the idea of God changing one's mind is theologically difficult for many. Used as a noun in this verse, it simply means compassion and mercy. Definitely not problematic. However, verse 8 does point toward the malleability of God's will, always seeming to move toward mercy over justice.
הושע The name Hosea (or more accurately, Hoshea) is pretty fascinating, likely meaning "the salvation" or "He saves." But like all things ancient Hebrew, there is a bit of uncertainty! I had some fun looking at this website this morning for some background: Here.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Ruth 1:1-17
This passage occurs in the Narrative Lectionary, Year 2 (Most recently: Oct 18. 2015)
Summary: This moving passage about love and grief needs no Hebrew to be understood. However, the Hebrew helps us see that Naomi has a very deep faith. A deep faith that lets her weep, that lets her "let go" and finally that lets her embrace.
רעו ("rahav", meaning "famine", vs 1) For most Americans, the idea of famine is nonsense. Grocery stores are always full, in years of drought and years of floods. Yet in the Bible, famines are quite common. Often they move the plot along (famine forces Abram to move to Egypt; famine forces prodigal son to near starvation).
בית לחם ("Bethlehem", meaning "house of bread" vs 1) This little verse suggests to the person familiar with the Hebrew Bible (or whole Bible!) that something special is going on here. Bethlehem is a small town...from which both David and Jesus come! Great and beautiful irony that Jesus and David come from town called "house of bread."
פקד ("peqad", meaning "visit" vs 6) This verb, when used in conjunction with the Lord, is quite significant. In this case it means something like, "God turned full attention toward..." While is not necessarily good, it is used in a few cases of something wonderful happening in the Bible:
- Birth of Isaac (Gen 21.1)
- God deciding to free Israelite people from slavery (Exodus 4.31)
- Birth of Samuel (2 Sam 2:21)
- Cyrus rebuilding temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 1.2)
In short, its inclusion here is quite a bold statement by Naomi
אמה ("am", meaning "mother" vs 8; see note on "h") I was struck by the fact that Naomi instructs them to go to the house of their mothers. Is this because this is a gathering of women? Or that their fathers are dead? Perhaps they know grief too?!
note: the ה"h" on the end signifies "direction" as in "go in the direction of your mother"
חסד ("kesed" meaning "steadfast love", vs 8) This is a crucial word in the Old Testament. What I want to point out is that Naomi's words are deeply theological. She is able to discuss both the Lord visiting her people; the Lord's steadfast love; the Lord's arm against her in death. This is a complex and mature faith, one that should not be overlooked.
ותבכינה (a conjugated version of (בכה), meaning "weep", vs 9) A feminine plural is not a common verb conjugation in Hebrew (alas!) But notice how although Naomi kisses, they all weep. The word weep is akin to wail. It is a deep expression of grief (Psalm 137:1, Genesis 21:16). I wonder how often, in America, we do not let people weep as they should.
Summary: This moving passage about love and grief needs no Hebrew to be understood. However, the Hebrew helps us see that Naomi has a very deep faith. A deep faith that lets her weep, that lets her "let go" and finally that lets her embrace.
רעו ("rahav", meaning "famine", vs 1) For most Americans, the idea of famine is nonsense. Grocery stores are always full, in years of drought and years of floods. Yet in the Bible, famines are quite common. Often they move the plot along (famine forces Abram to move to Egypt; famine forces prodigal son to near starvation).
בית לחם ("Bethlehem", meaning "house of bread" vs 1) This little verse suggests to the person familiar with the Hebrew Bible (or whole Bible!) that something special is going on here. Bethlehem is a small town...from which both David and Jesus come! Great and beautiful irony that Jesus and David come from town called "house of bread."
פקד ("peqad", meaning "visit" vs 6) This verb, when used in conjunction with the Lord, is quite significant. In this case it means something like, "God turned full attention toward..." While is not necessarily good, it is used in a few cases of something wonderful happening in the Bible:
- Birth of Isaac (Gen 21.1)
- God deciding to free Israelite people from slavery (Exodus 4.31)
- Birth of Samuel (2 Sam 2:21)
- Cyrus rebuilding temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 1.2)
In short, its inclusion here is quite a bold statement by Naomi
אמה ("am", meaning "mother" vs 8; see note on "h") I was struck by the fact that Naomi instructs them to go to the house of their mothers. Is this because this is a gathering of women? Or that their fathers are dead? Perhaps they know grief too?!
note: the ה"h" on the end signifies "direction" as in "go in the direction of your mother"
חסד ("kesed" meaning "steadfast love", vs 8) This is a crucial word in the Old Testament. What I want to point out is that Naomi's words are deeply theological. She is able to discuss both the Lord visiting her people; the Lord's steadfast love; the Lord's arm against her in death. This is a complex and mature faith, one that should not be overlooked.
ותבכינה (a conjugated version of (בכה), meaning "weep", vs 9) A feminine plural is not a common verb conjugation in Hebrew (alas!) But notice how although Naomi kisses, they all weep. The word weep is akin to wail. It is a deep expression of grief (Psalm 137:1, Genesis 21:16). I wonder how often, in America, we do not let people weep as they should.
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