Daily Lectionary Readings for Year A
Read once. Read a second time aloud. Read a third time. How are these texts bringing you closer to the cross? Isaiah 50:4-9a The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by morning he wakens-- wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught. The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward. I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting. The Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame; he who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who are my adversaries? Let them confront me. It is the Lord GOD who helps me; who will declare me guilty? Psalm 70 Be pleased, O God, to deliver me. O LORD, make haste to help me! Let those be put to shame and confusion who seek my life. Let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who desire to hurt me. Let those who say, "Aha, Aha!" turn back because of their shame. Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. Let those who love your salvation say evermore, "God is great!" But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay! Hebrews 12:1-3 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart. John 13:21-32 After saying this Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, "Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me." The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he was speaking. One of his disciples--the one whom Jesus loved--was reclining next to him; Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So while reclining next to Jesus, he asked him, "Lord, who is it?" Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish." So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, "Do quickly what you are going to do." Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Some thought that, because Judas had the common purse, Jesus was telling him, "Buy what we need for the festival"; or, that he should give something to the poor. So, after receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night. When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Daily Lectionary Readings for Year A
Rather than pointing you by hyperlink to the lectionary, each day this week I would like to include the full text followed by brief reflections. Scripture tells the story of this holiest of weeks. Read it once. Read it again aloud. Read it a third time. Take 40 minutes each day of Holy Week. Allow God to speak to you through the Word. Isaiah 42:1-9 Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching. Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. I am the LORD, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols. See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them. Praise for the servant. The servant is given a mission and nothing will get in the way of the mission's fulfillment. The servant will lead with steadiness and humility. The servant will pursue the mission with tenacity. How can the servant pursue the mission with such strength? Because the mission comes from God. And the mission is to be a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. The steadfast pursuit of this mission brings to light a new day. A new hope. Who does this servant represent for you? How are you a part of the fulfillment of this mission? Psalm 36:5-11 Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your judgments are like the great deep; you save humans and animals alike, O LORD. How precious is your steadfast love, O God! All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. O continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your salvation to the upright of heart! Do not let the foot of the arrogant tread on me, or the hand of the wicked drive me away. All people take refuge in the shadow of God's wings. In what ways do you feel God is sheltering you or others these days? With images of a feast and drink, how does God call people to the table? God is the fountain of life. What does the phrase "in your light we see light" mean to you? Hebrews 9:11-15 But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation), he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God! For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, because a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant. The early Christian community sought to understand the shift that was occurring in the community of faith. Rules put in place by God were suddenly changing. There was no longer a need to go to the temple to make sacrifices - Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice. What a radical reorientation of a life of faith. We find ourselves worshiping in new ways these days. We are discovering that we no longer have to go to the church and sit in particular pews to be a community. We can find Christ in these places of shelter and respite. How has online worship felt to you? Has it made you think about our traditions differently? Have you experienced Christian community in new ways? What do you miss? What have you discovered? John 12:1-11 Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?" (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me." When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus. Do you remember the Terry family reading the story of Mary and Martha grieving with their friend Jesus, and of Jesus raising their brother Lazarus from the dead? This is the continuation of that story. It is a meal to say thank you. During this meal, Mary takes a pound of costly perfume and pours it over Jesus' feet. Imagine the fragrance! A quick Google search of "costly perfume" brought up Chanel's coromandel and maisons d’art coffret perfume, costing $10,000 for 1.7 ounces. A pound of this would cost roughly $150,000. In the text, it cost 300 denari. Herein lies the seeds for the arrest of Jesus. Judas can think of a hundred better uses for that kind of money including keeping some for himself. The crowd (smelling the aroma of the house?) gather because they want to see Jesus and Lazarus. The leaders now pledge to kill not only Jesus but also Lazarus, because the people loved them both. It is getting messy. What do you think Jesus meant when he said, "You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."? Peace, Dean
Daily Lectionary Readings for Year A
The readings for today can help us begin our journey into Holy Week. For three days now we have read Psalm 31:9-16. This repetitive contemplation of the Psalm is like praying the Scriptures. Lectio Devina is a spiritual practice of allowing the text to speak to our hearts. This text has a lot to say. It speaks of suffering and sorrow, of humiliation and pain, of trust and hope. These are the prayers of those who are attacked by a deadly virus, as well as those who are hurting in body, mind, and spirit. Lamentations is a book in the Bible that weeps. It contains the prayers and words we say when we are most desperate. They are the words we speak when we are alone, feeling overwhelmed, or filled with fear and dread. They are pleadings to God to rescue us in the time of our trial. In naming the pain and the heartache, lamentations help us find our way through the most difficult times of life. One person on Twitter posted this yesterday: My Dad died of Covid 19 almost two weeks ago. I have lost hours of sleep thinking about him dying alone. I found out last night that a nurse, a stranger, held his hand during his final minutes. I hope that nurse could hear me clapping last night. It was for them. Our sorrows and all the worries we are experiencing lead us into Holy Week. In the Gospel of Mark, as Jesus enters Jerusalem, some were amazed while others were afraid. He goes knowing that suffering and death lie before him. He goes to overcome the power of death's separation forever. Jesus is on his way to the cross which soon will become a doorway into the light. Let us follow. Please tune in to worship tomorrow at 10 am, or anytime after. Peace, Dean Daily Lectionary Reading for Year A The cries of the Psalmist, the suffering of Job, and Paul's contemplation of death while encouraging people to live fully meet us on this day. Today, like days before, we wake to the news of more death. Bill Withers died due to the coronavirus. He wrote many amazing songs, including "Lean On Me" and "Grandma's Hands." And so, we continue distancing from one another. We know the alternative is grim. Still, it is hard not to hug or connect to one another. My mom wrote a poem. Maybe we can find new ways to love one another and do all we can to keep people healthy. We’ve Got New Rules to Follow by Phyllis Prentiss We’ve got new rules to follow and they are quite hard to swallow. We wash our hands and stay at home It’s fine unless you live alone. We can’t help wondering how it will end with our social distant rules, is there a new way to greet a friend? We can’t hug anymore—- maybe a bow! It’s so easy and natural We’ll have to learn how. We bow with respect when dignitaries meet. We would have to get used to a new way to greet. We bow in square dances in respect of each other; Let’s give it a try when we all get together! Hugging and handshakes will take a backseat to a mysterious virus we don’t want to meet. Peace, Dean Daily Lectionary Readings for Year A I thought they were dead. The caterpillars crawled into their cocoons more than two weeks ago. I had since moved them from the church altar to the altar at my home. I even went out and bought them a bouquet of bright yellow flowers. But it didn't look good. I googled it and found that sometimes caterpillars don't survive. I was heartbroken. I had hoped these would be the ones. I had hoped that this focus on caterpillars, metamorphosis, chrysalis, and butterflies would help us all understand in a new way God's love for us all. I wanted Lent to be understood as a time set apart, within the cocoon. In this isolation, God was at work, transforming us into something new. We were going to become something we couldn't understand. Maybe something got into the cocoons to stop this miracle from happening. They were crusty and dried out. I wondered how to talk about what had happened if this hope had died. I grieved. And I waited. And then! I walked into this holy space, and I saw that the cocoon had been opened. A magnificent butterfly was gaining footing. A butterfly was stretching its wings! It was so incredibly beautiful. I watched with amazement. Have you ever assumed that God stopped working, so you gave up hope? Have you ever given up on something only to find that God wasn't done quite yet? This journey of faith is hard. There are times when we are in the valley - there are times when we are stuck in our cocoons. It might seem like nothing exciting is happening. We could grow impatient and frustrated. But imagine in those moments, God was doing some of God's most amazing work. Before you give up too quickly, trust that God will appear at a time that you least expect. And God will do something that you can hardly imagine. The wait will be worth it. "For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God." Peace, Dean PS: Tune in to our website at www.wesleypark.org and watch the rest of the butterflies emerge. Daily Lectionary Readings for Year A
Jeremiah 32:1-9 Imagine the deep faith in God that Jeremiah is demonstrating. The city is under siege. Enemy forces are about to overwhelm the guard and ransack the town. Houses, barns, and businesses are fated to be burned to the ground. The residents will be captured and forced into slavery in a faraway country. The outlook is pretty grim. What does Jeremiah do? He buys some land. Jeremiah writes up a contract, gathers together witnesses, negotiates a price, and draws significant attention to his actions. Many would think he was crazy. He is pouring money down the drain buying what is now a worthless field that they will probably never see again for the rest of their lives. Some would think Jeremiah was foolish. God knew he was faithful. For, even when it appears that there is no hope, God is at work. Jeremiah is infusing in the minds and hearts of all who witness his foolish actions, a vision of hope. When God's people are in captivity, they will remember Jeremiah's unwavering belief that God would bring them home again. In their suffering, the people will hold onto the promise that God will help them overcome. Jeremiah bought a field when it seemed like the whole world was falling apart. And people began to believe that they would survive. We are in a tight spot these days. There are projections of deaths in the hundreds of thousands. Loved ones are dying alone. Our communal structures are not just on hold, but perhaps permanently changed. We are staying away from one another because we love each other. But we love each other and long to see one another. The church building, which has been our gathering place for so long, is now empty. Jeremiah was confronting a siege. We are battling a pandemic. Some might say that it is foolish to hold onto things like the church in times like this. But you have been faithful. Sara has told me that you have given to the church financially in ways that have brought grateful tears to her eyes. Marie says that you are joyful on the phone when she calls to check on you. Eric says the youth still want to keep meeting using technology to study and share. Jane Ellen says the children continue to shine with joy when they see Jesus in their front yard. Maybe these are the days that we sign the deed and purchase the field at Anathoth. The faith that we show now will be a sign of hope to any who are discouraged. The people in Jeremiah's time discovered that God was not limited to Jerusalem. God was with them, even in Babylon. We are witnessing the church as more than any building can hold. The church exists in beamed internet images, kind phone calls, and where people are home and praying for their neighbors. The church is in the hearts of those who love God and love others. It is not foolish to buy a stake in that today. It is a faithful sign that God is at work among us every day and someday will call us back together again. May it be so. Peace, Dean |
REv. Dean N. PrentissI am blessed to be the Pastor at Wesley Park UMC. Find Daily Lectionary Readings Here. Archives
February 2021
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