Old Testament for February 12, 2023

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Moses addresses the people of Israel with the “Second Law” (the literal meaning of Deuteronomy). This law is a copy of the original law delivered decades earlier at Sinai, with some augmentations.

We are reminded that the people of Israel have been a nomadic nation for forty years in the Wilderness of Sinai after they were delivered from slavery in Egypt.  Now, they have fought their way through hostile nations to the east bank of the Jordan River, in the shadow of Mount Pisgah.  They are on the eve of entering into the promised land of Canaan.

The term “Deuteronomic Theology” is relevant to our lectionary passage.  Part of this theological understanding is that Israel has been chosen by Yahweh as his covenant people.  This covenant means that Yahweh will be their God, and they will be his people, and will keep his law and commandments.  Another aspect of this Deuteronomic Theology is the notion that if Israel faithfully obeys the law, they will be blessed; if they don’t, they will be cursed.

There is a polarizing, binary set of alternatives that are presented to Israel:

Behold, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and evil.

The choice for life and prosperity requires this:

to love Yahweh your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his ordinances, that you may live and multiply, and that Yahweh your God may bless you in the land where you go in to possess it.

There are a series of interconnecting steps in this process toward blessing:

• Love Yahweh.
• How are they to love Yahweh? Walk in his ways.
• How are they to walk in his ways? Obey his law.
• What will result? Life, fertility, land and blessing.

On the other hand, if their heart turns away from loving Yahweh and walking in his ways, it seems presupposed that they will be worshiping something — and that something will be other gods.  The result will be the reverse of all the blessings that are promised — they will perish and their days will be short.

Moses is invoking heaven and earth as witnesses to this solemn covenant.  Heaven and earth signifies the complete realm of creation, visible and invisible, spiritual and material.  Moses implores his people:

Therefore choose life, that you may live, you and your descendants; to love Yahweh your God, to obey his voice, and to cling to him; for he is your life, and the length of your days; that you may dwell in the land which Yahweh swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

This covenant, and the possession of the land of Canaan, is the fulfillment of the ancient promises that Yahweh had originally made to Abraham some 600 years earlier (Genesis 12:7).

APPLY:  

God’s covenant with his people is peculiar.  God is almighty, and holds all the cards.  Human beings, and our very existence, are contingent upon God’s favor and mercy.

God owes us nothing; we owe God everything.  And yet, God condescends to make covenants with human beings, and makes promises that if we are faithful and obedient to him, we will be blessed.

And if we are disobedient to God, we will suffer the consequences.  Again, I think that this is not because God is a capricious, punitive dictator.  Rather, we are blessed — or cursed — because God knows what is best for us.

If we love God, and we choose to walk in his ways, our lifestyle conforms to what we might call God’s “best practices” for our lives.  Chances are very good that if our lifestyle is “Biblical,” we will be faithful in our relationships, honest, healthy, and good stewards of our resources.

Conversely, a life that resists God’s laws and commandments is far more likely to experience unfaithfulness in relationships, the fruits of dishonesty, and other serious consequences.

A life that is devoted to loving God, walking with God, and obeying his commandments is more likely to be more fulfilled and at peace, internally and externally.

RESPOND: 

One of the prayers from my own tradition is known as John Wesley’s Covenant Prayer.  This prayer is especially precious to me, and I repeat it often.

It is a reminder to me that God is holy, transcendent, and has absolute power; and that I am a sinner saved by grace, and that my very existence is contingent upon him.  So, in this prayer, I surrender completely to God, with the confidence that God loves me and cares for me.

This relationship between God and ourselves is at the heart of the concept of covenant.  I can think of no more appropriate closing prayer than Wesley’s prayer:

I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.

PHOTOS:
“John Wesley’s Covenant Prayer”

Psalter Reading for November 20, 2022

“Birth of John the Baptist”

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Luke 1:68-79
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This is the song of Zacharias, the priestly father of John the Baptist who offers this oracle following the birth of his promised son.

Here is the back story — Zacharias is the husband of Elizabeth.  They are childless and aging.  Zacharias serves as a priest of the order of Abijah, and in the rotation of temple service it falls to him by lot to burn incense in the temple.  There he encounters the Angel Gabriel who tells him that his wife Elizabeth will bear a son, and that his son:

…. will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord, their God. He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to prepare a people prepared for the Lord (Luke 1:16-17).

This child, of course, would be named John and would be the forerunner of Jesus, baptizing repentant Jews and preparing the way of the Lord.

But Zacharias is dumbfounded with disbelief, and is thus silenced by the Angel until John is born.

So the words in today’s lectionary reading are Zacharias’ first words uttered after nine months of silence!

These words are reminiscent of the Psalms in their tone and quality.  Zacharias blesses the Lord for his favor to his people, and for fulfilling his promises to send a horn of salvation.  This reference to the horn of salvation is a direct quote from the song of David in 2 Samuel 22:3, when David rejoices that he has been delivered from the Philistines and the hand of King Saul. This ancient symbol of the horn is a metaphor signifying great strength.

Zacharias looks backward to the salvation history of Israel, and then forward to the salvation story in which his son John (The Baptist) would participate.

He remembers the promise that the Messiah would come from the:

 house of his servant David
(as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets who have been from of old),

The Messiah would bring:

salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us;
to show mercy towards our fathers,
to remember his holy covenant…

Zacharias references the covenant of Abraham and the oath to David, and emphasizes the continuity between the Hebrew Bible and the Gospel:

…the oath which he spoke to Abraham, our father,
to grant to us that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies,
should serve him without fear,
In holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.

Zacharias sees his own son as the prophet who will prepare the way for the Lord — giving the knowledge of salvation and forgiveness of sins.  He addresses his newborn in this oracle:

And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of their sins
because of the tender mercy of our God…

This is a brief summary of the vital ministry of John the Baptist, who calls Israel to repentance baptizing penitents, and preparing the way for the Messiah.

And finally Zacharias uses the imagery of light that reminds us of the language of Isaiah:

…dawn from on high will visit us,
to shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death;
to guide our feet into the way of peace

The words of Isaiah resonate with the words of Zacharias:

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
on them light has shined. (Isaiah 9:2)

As Zacharias’ silence has been broken by this lyrical song, so the darkness of sin and death will be pierced by the light of the Lord.

APPLY:  

We are reminded that there is a direct link of continuity between the promises of God in the Hebrew Bible and their fulfillment in the New Testament.

In a sense, Zacharias and his son John represent transitional figures as we move from the Old Testament to the New Testament.  Zacharias represents the priestly office, and John the prophetic office.

But we are especially reminded that the purpose of John as a transitional prophet is to guide us into a deeper relationship with the Messiah — he prepares us by reminding us of holiness and righteousness, and guiding our feet into the path of peace.

RESPOND: 

Thomas Carlyle has been credited with the “Great Man” Theory of history — that is, that from time to time there are great men (or women) who arrive on the stage of history and have a tremendous impact on the direction of the events of the time.  We do tend to study history through the eyes of an Alexander the Great, or Julius Caesar, or Napoleon.

Historians may debate this theory.  But I wonder about those men and women who are transitional figures — these are the people who prepare the way for other great figures, or events.  Only the most arrogant of “great men and women” would assume that they alone were responsible for their great accomplishments. Where would Helen Keller have been without Anne Sullivan?  Most of us can name President Teddy Roosevelt, but forget that he was first William McKinley’s Vice President.  Would Abraham Lincoln have been nominated as the Republican candidate for the presidency in 1860 without the help of David Davis and Norman Judd?

Christians would agree that Jesus of Nazareth is the most important figure in history.  But what of the role of John the Baptist?  He was a transitional figure, but he prepared the way for the coming of Jesus.

There is a word for John’s ministry in modern parlance — he was an “advance man,” who preceded the King with publicity and announcements about his coming.  His role was critical in awakening the people of Judea to the reality that the King was on his way.

We may feel that our own role in the world is insignificant and easily forgotten.  But we can choose to be “advance men and women” for the King who is coming!

Our Lord, your promises for our salvation, holiness and righteousness are from of old.  The promises you have made to Abraham and to David are fulfilled in your Son, Jesus.  Give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and guide our feet into the way of peace. And may we be your “advance men and women” to prepare those around us for your reign.  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
“Geburt Johannes des Täufers” by Jacopo Pontormo, is in the public domain.

Psalter Reading for December 5, 2021

Note from Celeste:

Before we look at today’s lectionary reading, I’d like to draw your attention to my Advent Bible Study books.

Getting Ready for Christmas is part of the Choose This Day Multiple Choice Bible Studies series, available in paperback and ebook.

The daily devotionals take 10-15 minutes and include:

• Scripture passage (World English Bible)
• Fun, entertaining multiple choice questions focused directly on the Scripture passage
• Short meditation that can be used as a discussion starter.

Like an Advent calendar, Getting Ready for Christmas begins on December 1 and ends December 25. However, these 25 devotionals focusing on the Messiah can be used any time of year.

Use this book personally during a coffee break or with the family in the car or at the dinner table.

Order Getting Ready for Christmas  today to prepare your family for this year’s Christmas season!
CLICK HERE for Amazon’s Kindle book of Getting Ready for Christmas.
CLICK HERE for Amazon’s Paperback of Getting Ready for Christmas.

And here’s the link to its puzzle companion book: Getting Ready for Christmas Word Search Puzzles for Advent. 

It’s a large-print puzzle book with over 1,200 hidden words taken straight from the same 25 Scripture readings. (30 puzzles in all.)

If you’re not in the U.S., you can still order the books from your country’s amazon platform. Simply search for “Getting Ready for Christmas” by Celesta Letchworth.

Thank you for your consideration! And thank you for faithfully following Tom’s SOAR blog!

---

AND NOW, BACK TO TODAY’S LECTIONARY READING:

“Birth of John the Baptist”

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Luke 1:68-79
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This is the song of Zacharias, the priestly father of John the Baptist who offers this oracle following the birth of his promised son.

Here is the back story — Zacharias is the husband of Elizabeth.  They are childless and aging.  Zacharias serves as a priest of the order of Abijah, and in the rotation of temple service it falls to him by lot to burn incense in the temple.  There he encounters the Angel Gabriel who tells him that his wife Elizabeth will bear a son, and that his son:

…. will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord, their God. He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to prepare a people prepared for the Lord  (Luke 1:16-17).

This child, of course, would be named John and would be the forerunner of Jesus, baptizing repentant Jews and preparing the way of the Lord.

But Zacharias is dumbfounded with disbelief, and is thus silenced by the Angel until John is born.

So the words in today’s lectionary reading are Zacharias’ first words uttered after nine months of silence!

These words are reminiscent of the Psalms in their tone and quality.  Zacharias blesses the Lord for his favor to his people, and for fulfilling his promises to send a horn of salvation.  This reference to the horn of salvation is a direct quote from the song of David in 2 Samuel 22:3, when David rejoices that he has been delivered from the Philistines and the hand of King Saul. This ancient symbol of the horn is a metaphor signifying great strength.

Zacharias looks backward to the salvation history of Israel, and then forward to the salvation story in which his son John (The Baptist) would participate.

He remembers the promise that the Messiah would come from the:

 house of his servant David
(as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets who have been from of old),

The Messiah would bring:

salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us;
to show mercy towards our fathers,
to remember his holy covenant….

Zacharias references the covenant of Abraham and the oath to David, and emphasizes the continuity between the Hebrew Bible and the Gospel:

….the oath which he spoke to Abraham, our father,
to grant to us that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies,
should serve him without fear,
In holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.

Zacharias sees his own son as the prophet who will prepare the way for the Lord — giving the knowledge of salvation and forgiveness of sins.  He addresses his newborn in this oracle:

And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of their sins
because of the tender mercy of our God….

This is a brief summary of the vital ministry of John the Baptist, who calls Israel to repentance, baptizes penitents, and prepares the way for the Messiah.

And finally Zacharias uses the imagery of light that reminds us of the language of Isaiah:

…. dawn from on high will visit us,
to shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death;
to guide our feet into the way of peace

The words of Isaiah resonate with the words of Zacharias:

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
on them light has shined. (Isaiah 9:2)

As Zacharias’ silence has been broken by this lyrical song, so the darkness of sin and death will be pierced by the light of the Lord.

APPLY:  

We are reminded that there is a direct link of continuity between the promises of God in the Hebrew Bible and their fulfillment in the New Testament.

In a sense, Zacharias and his son John represent transitional figures as we move from the Old Testament to the New Testament.  Zacharias represents the priestly office, and John the prophetic office.

But we are especially reminded that the purpose of John as a transitional prophet is to guide us into a deeper relationship with the Messiah — he prepares us by reminding us of holiness and righteousness, and guiding our feet into the path of peace.

RESPOND: 

Thomas Carlyle has been credited with the “Great Man” Theory of history — that is, that from time to time there are great men (or women) who arrive on the stage of history and have a tremendous impact on the direction of the events of the time.  We do tend to study history through the eyes of an Alexander the Great, or Julius Caesar, or Napoleon.

Historians may debate this theory.  But I wonder about those men and women who are transitional figures — these are the people who prepare the way for other great figures, or events.  Only the most arrogant of “great men and women” would assume that they alone were responsible for their great accomplishments. Where would Helen Keller have been without Anne Sullivan?  Most of us can name President Teddy Roosevelt, but forget that he was first William McKinley’s Vice President.  Would Abraham Lincoln have been nominated as the Republican candidate for the presidency in 1860 without the help of David Davis and Norman Judd?

Christians would agree that Jesus of Nazareth is the most important figure in history.  But what of the role of John the Baptist?  He was a transitional figure. He prepared the way for the coming of Jesus.

There is a word for John’s ministry in modern parlance — he was an “advance man,” who preceded the King with publicity and announcements about his coming.  His role was critical in awakening the people of Judea to the reality that the King was on his way.

We may feel that our own role in the world is insignificant and easily forgotten.  But we can choose to be “advance men and women” for the King who is coming!

Our Lord, your promises for our salvation, holiness and righteousness are from of old.  The promises you have made to Abraham and to David are fulfilled in your Son, Jesus.  Give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and guide our feet into the way of peace. And may we be your “advance men and women” to prepare those around us for your reign.  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
“Geburt Johannes des Täufers” by Jacopo Pontormo, is in the public domain.

Old Testament for February 16, 2020

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Moses addresses the people of Israel with the “Second Law” (the literal meaning of Deuteronomy).  This law is a copy of the original law delivered decades earlier at Sinai, with some augmentations.

We are reminded that the people of Israel have been a nomadic nation for forty years in the Wilderness of Sinai after they were delivered from slavery in Egypt.  Now, they have fought their way through hostile nations to the east bank of the Jordan River, in the shadow of Mount Pisgah.  They are on the eve of entering into the promised land of Canaan.

The term “Deuteronomic Theology” is relevant to our lectionary passage.  Part of this theological understanding is that Israel has been chosen by Yahweh as his covenant people.  This covenant means that Yahweh will be their God, and they will be his people, and will keep his law and commandments.  Another aspect of this Deuteronomic Theology is the notion that if Israel faithfully obeys the law, they will be blessed; if they don’t, they will be cursed.

There is a polarizing, binary set of alternatives that are presented to Israel:

Behold, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and evil.

The choice for life and prosperity requires this:

to love Yahweh your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his ordinances, that you may live and multiply, and that Yahweh your God may bless you in the land where you go in to possess it.

There are a series of interconnecting steps in this process toward blessing:

• Love Yahweh.
• How are they to love Yahweh? walk in his ways.
• How are they to walk in his ways? Obey his law.
• What will result? Life, fertility, land and blessing.

On the other hand, if their heart turns away from loving Yahweh and walking in his ways, it seems presupposed that they will be worshiping something — and that something will be other gods.  The result will be the reverse of all the blessings that are promised — they will perish and their days will be short.

Moses is invoking heaven and earth as witnesses to this solemn covenant.  Heaven and earth signifies the complete realm of creation, visible and invisible, spiritual and material.  Moses implores his people:

Therefore choose life, that you may live, you and your descendants; to love Yahweh your God, to obey his voice, and to cling to him; for he is your life, and the length of your days; that you may dwell in the land which Yahweh swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

This covenant, and the possession of the land of Canaan, is the fulfillment of the ancient promises that Yahweh had originally made to Abraham some 600 years earlier (Genesis 12:7).

APPLY:  

God’s covenant with his people is peculiar.  God is almighty, and holds all the cards.  Human beings, and our very existence, are contingent upon God’s favor and mercy.

God owes us nothing; we owe God everything.  And yet, God condescends to make covenants with human beings, and makes promises that if we are faithful and obedient to him, we will be blessed.

And if we are disobedient to God, we will suffer the consequences.  Again, I think that this is not because God is a capricious, punitive dictator.  Rather, we are blessed — or cursed — because God knows what is best for us.

If we love God, and we choose to walk in his ways, our lifestyle conforms to what we might call God’s “best practices” for our lives.  Chances are very good that if our lifestyle is “Biblical,” we will be faithful in our relationships, honest, healthy, and good stewards of our resources.

Conversely, a life that resists God’s laws and commandments is far more likely to experience unfaithfulness in relationships, the fruits of dishonesty, and other serious consequences.

A life that is devoted to loving God, walking with God, and obeying his commandments is more likely be more fulfilled and at peace, internally and externally.

RESPOND: 

One of the prayers from my own tradition is known as John Wesley’s Covenant Prayer.  This prayer is especially precious to me, and I repeat it often.

It is a reminder to me that God is holy, transcendent and has absolute power, and that I am a sinner saved by grace, and that my very existence is contingent upon him.  So, in this prayer, I surrender completely to God, with the confidence that God loves me and cares for me.

This relationship between God and ourselves is at the heart of the concept of covenant.  I can think of no more appropriate closing prayer than Wesley’s prayer:

I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.

PHOTOS:
“John Wesley’s Covenant Prayer”

Psalter Reading for November 24, 2019

“Birth of John the Baptist”

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Luke 1:68-79
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This is the song of Zacharias, the priestly father of John the Baptist who offers this oracle following the birth of his promised son.

Here is the back story — Zacharias is the husband of Elizabeth.  They are childless and aging.  Zacharias serves as a priest of the order of Abijah, and in the rotation of temple service it falls to him by lot to burn incense in the temple.  There he encounters the Angel Gabriel who tells him that his wife Elizabeth will bear a son, and that his son:

…. will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord, their God. He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to prepare a people prepared for the Lord  (Luke 1:16-17).

This child, of course, would be named John and would be the forerunner of Jesus, baptizing repentant Jews and  preparing the way of the Lord.

But  Zacharias is dumbfounded with disbelief, and is thus silenced by the Angel until John is born.

So the words in today’s lectionary reading are Zacharias’ first words uttered after nine months of silence!

These words are reminiscent of the Psalms in their tone and quality.   Zacharias blesses the Lord for his favor to his people, and for fulfilling his promises to send a horn of salvation.  This reference to the horn of salvation is a direct quote from the song of David in 2 Samuel 22:3, when David rejoices that he has been delivered from the Philistines and the hand of King Saul. This ancient symbol of the horn is a metaphor signifying great strength.

Zacharias looks backward to the salvation history of Israel, and then forward to the salvation story in which his son John (The Baptist) would participate.

He remembers the promise that the Messiah would come from the:

 house of his servant David
(as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets who have been from of old),

The Messiah would bring:

salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us;
to show mercy towards our fathers,
to remember his holy covenant….

Zacharias references the covenant of Abraham and the oath to David, and emphasizes the continuity between the Hebrew Bible and the Gospel:

….the oath which he spoke to Abraham, our father,
to grant to us that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies,
should serve him without fear,
In holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.

Zacharias sees his own son as the prophet who will prepare the way for the Lord – giving the knowledge of salvation and forgiveness of sins.  He addresses his newborn in this oracle:

And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of their sins
because of the tender mercy of our God….

This is a brief summary of the vital ministry of John the Baptist, who calls Israel to repentance, baptizing penitents, and preparing the way for the Messiah.

And finally Zacharias uses the imagery of light that reminds us of the language of Isaiah:

…. dawn from on high will visit us,
to shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death;
to guide our feet into the way of peace

The words of Isaiah resonate with the words of Zacharias:

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
on them light has shined. (Isaiah 9:2)

As Zacharias’ silence has been broken by this lyrical song, so the darkness of sin and death will be pierced by the light of the Lord.

APPLY:  

We are reminded that there is a direct link of continuity between the promises of God in the Hebrew Bible and their fulfillment in the New Testament.

In a sense, Zacharias and his son John represent transitional figures as we move from the Old Testament to the New Testament.  Zacharias represents the priestly office, and John the prophetic office.

But we are especially reminded that the purpose of John as a transitional prophet is to guide us into a deeper relationship with the Messiah — he prepares us by reminding us of holiness and righteousness, and guiding our feet into the path of peace.

RESPOND: 

Thomas Carlyle has been credited with the “Great Man” Theory of history — that is, that from time to time there are great men (or women) who arrive on the stage of history and have a tremendous impact on the direction of the events of the time.  We do tend to study history through the eyes of an Alexander the Great, or Julius Caesar, or Napoleon.

Historians may debate this theory.  But I wonder about those men and women who are transitional figures — these are the people who prepare the way for other great figures, or events.  Only the most arrogant of “great men and women” would assume that they alone were responsible for their great accomplishments. Where would Helen Keller have been without Anne Sullivan?  Most of us can name President Teddy Roosevelt, but forget that he was first William McKinley’s Vice President.  Would Abraham Lincoln have been nominated as the Republican candidate for the presidency in 1860 without the help of David Davis and Norman Judd?

Christians would agree that Jesus of Nazareth is the most important figure in history.  But what of the role of John the Baptist?  He was a transitional figure, but he prepared the way for the coming of Jesus.

There is a word for John’s ministry in modern parlance — he was an “advance man,” who preceded the King with publicity and announcements about his coming.  His role was critical in awakening the people of  Judea to the reality that the King was on his way.

We may feel that our own role in the world is insignificant and easily forgotten.  But we can choose to be “advance men and women” for the King who is coming!

Our Lord, your promises for our salvation, holiness and righteousness are from of old.  The promises you have made to Abraham and to David are fulfilled in your Son, Jesus.  Give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and guide our feet into the way of peace. And may we be your “advance men and women” to prepare those around us for your reign.  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
“Geburt Johannes des Täufers” by Jacopo Pontormo, is in the public domain.

Psalter Reading for December 9, 2018

Author’s Note: I encourage all of my readers to prepare for the Christmas season with the Choose This Day Family Bible Study  for the Advent season. It’s a fun, short (10-15 minutes) Bible study that the whole family can enjoy daily from December 1 to 25. You can visit that website by clicking this link.

And now, back to today’s lectionary reading:

“Birth of John the Baptist”

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Luke 1:68-79
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This is the song of Zacharias, the priestly father of John the Baptist who offers this oracle following the birth of his promised son.

Here is the back story — Zacharias is the husband of Elizabeth.  They are childless and aging.  Zacharias serves as a priest of the order of Abijah, and in the rotation of temple service it falls to him by lot to burn incense in the temple.  There he encounters the Angel Gabriel who tells him that his wife Elizabeth will bear a son, and that his son:

…. will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord, their God. He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to prepare a people prepared for the Lord  (Luke 1:16-17).

This child, of course, would be named John and would be the forerunner of Jesus, baptizing repentant Jews and  preparing the way of the Lord.

But  Zacharias is dumbfounded with disbelief, and is thus silenced by the Angel until John is born.

So the words in today’s lectionary reading are Zacharias’ first words uttered after nine months of silence!

These words are reminiscent of the Psalms in their tone and quality.   Zacharias blesses the Lord for his favor to his people, and for fulfilling his promises to send a horn of salvation.  This reference to the horn of salvation is a direct quote from the song of David in 2 Samuel 22:3, when David rejoices that he has been delivered from the Philistines and the hand of King Saul. This ancient symbol of the horn is a metaphor signifying great strength.

Zacharias looks backward to the salvation history of Israel, and then forward to the salvation story in which his son John (The Baptist) would participate.

He remembers the promise that the Messiah would come from the:

 house of his servant David
(as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets who have been from of old),

The Messiah would bring:

salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us;
to show mercy towards our fathers,
to remember his holy covenant….

Zacharias references the covenant of Abraham and the oath to David, and emphasizes the continuity between the Hebrew Bible and the Gospel:

….the oath which he spoke to Abraham, our father,
to grant to us that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies,
should serve him without fear,
In holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.

Zacharias sees his own son as the prophet who will prepare the way for the Lord — giving the knowledge of salvation and forgiveness of sins.  He addresses his newborn in this oracle:

And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of their sins
because of the tender mercy of our God….

This is a brief summary of the vital ministry of John the Baptist, who calls Israel to repentance, baptizing penitents, and preparing the way for the Messiah.

And finally Zacharias uses the imagery of light that reminds us of the language of Isaiah:

…. dawn from on high will visit us,
to shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death;
to guide our feet into the way of peace

The words of Isaiah resonate with the words of Zacharias:

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
on them light has shined. (Isaiah 9:2)

As Zacharias’ silence has been broken by this lyrical song, so the darkness of sin and death will be pierced by the light of the Lord.

APPLY:  

We are reminded that there is a direct link of continuity between the promises of God in the Hebrew Bible and their fulfillment in the New Testament.

In a sense, Zacharias and his son John represent transitional figures as we move from the Old Testament to the New Testament.  Zacharias represents the priestly office, and John the prophetic office.

But we are especially reminded that the purpose of John as a transitional prophet is to guide us into a deeper relationship with the Messiah — he prepares us by reminding us of holiness and righteousness, and guiding our feet into the path of peace.

RESPOND: 

A very high-achieving, high-expectation mom was out for a walk with her two young children.  One was in the stroller, and the other was walking alongside her, holding her hand.  A stranger came along and commented on how well-behaved the children were, and the mom took the opportunity to introduce the children, while raising the bar of expectations.

She said, “Yes, the older one is the doctor, and the baby is the lawyer.”

When we hear Zechariah’s song, we get a sense of a father’s expectations:

 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways . . .

That is also quite a lot to live up to!  But the expectations of John and his more illustrious cousin Jesus come from a transcendent source, and those expectations are fulfilled.

As children of God, by virtue of the life and ministry of Jesus, we also are empowered to live up to the expectations of God by his grace working in us:

. . . to all who received him (Christ), who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God,  who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God (John 1:12-13).

Our Lord, your promises for our salvation, holiness and righteousness are from of old.  The promises you have made to Abraham and to David are fulfilled in your Son, Jesus.  Give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and guide our feet into the way of peace. Amen. 

PHOTOS:
“Geburt Johannes des Täufers” by Jacopo Pontormo, is in the public domain.

Old Testament for February 12, 2017

Start with Scripture:

Deuteronomy 30:15-20

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Moses addresses the people of Israel with the “Second Law” (the literal meaning of Deuteronomy).  This law is a copy of the original law delivered decades earlier at Sinai, with some augmentations.

We are reminded that the people of Israel have been a nomadic nation for forty years in the Wilderness of Sinai after they were delivered from slavery in Egypt.  Now, they have fought their way through hostile nations to the east bank of the Jordan River, in the shadow of Mount Pisgah.  They are on the eve of entering into the promised land of Canaan.

The term “Deuteronomic Theology” is relevant to our lectionary passage.  Part of this theological understanding is that Israel has been chosen by Yahweh as his covenant people.  This covenant means that Yahweh will be their God, and they will be his people, and will keep his law and commandments.  Another aspect of this Deuteronomic Theology is the notion that if Israel faithfully obeys the law, they will be blessed; if they don’t, they will be cursed.

There is a polarizing, binary set of alternatives that are presented to Israel:

Behold, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and evil.

The choice for life and prosperity requires this:

to love Yahweh your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his ordinances, that you may live and multiply, and that Yahweh your God may bless you in the land where you go in to possess it.

There are a series of interconnecting steps in this process toward blessing:

• Love Yahweh.
• How are they to love Yahweh? walk in his ways.
• How are they to walk in his ways? Obey his law.
• What will result? Life, fertility, land and blessing.

On the other hand, if their heart turns away from loving Yahweh and walking in his ways, it seems presupposed that they will be worshiping something — and that something will be other gods.  The result will be the reverse of all the blessings that are promised — they will perish and their days will be short.

Moses is invoking heaven and earth as witnesses to this solemn covenant.  Heaven and earth signifies the complete realm of creation, visible and invisible, spiritual and material.  Moses implores his people:

Therefore choose life, that you may live, you and your descendants; to love Yahweh your God, to obey his voice, and to cling to him; for he is your life, and the length of your days; that you may dwell in the land which Yahweh swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

This covenant, and the possession of the land of Canaan, is the fulfillment of the ancient promises that Yahweh had originally made to Abraham some 600 years earlier (Genesis 12:7).

APPLY:  

God’s covenant with his people is peculiar.  God is almighty, and holds all the cards.  Human beings, and our very existence, are contingent upon God’s favor and mercy.

God owes us nothing; we owe God everything.  And yet, God condescends to make covenants with human beings, and makes promises that if we are faithful and obedient to him, we will be blessed.

And if we are disobedient to God, we will suffer the consequences.  Again, I think that this is not because God is a capricious, punitive dictator.  Rather, we are blessed — or cursed — because God knows what is best for us.

If we love God, and we choose to walk in his ways, our lifestyle conforms to what we might call God’s “best practices” for our lives.  Chances are very good that if our lifestyle is “Biblical,” we will be faithful in our relationships, honest, healthy, and good stewards of our resources.

Conversely, a life that resists God’s laws and commandments is far more likely to experience unfaithfulness in relationships, the fruits of dishonesty, and other serious consequences.

A life that is devoted to loving God, walking with God, and obeying his commandments is more likely be more fulfilled and at peace, internally and externally.

RESPOND: 

One of the prayers from my own tradition is known as John Wesley’s Covenant Prayer.  This prayer is especially precious to me, and I repeat it often.

It is a reminder to me that God is holy, transcendent and has absolute power, and that I am a sinner saved by grace, and that my very existence is contingent upon him.  So, in this prayer, I surrender completely to God, with the confidence that God loves me and cares for me.

This relationship between God and ourselves is at the heart of the concept of covenant.  I can think of no more appropriate closing prayer than Wesley’s prayer:

I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.

PHOTOS:
“John Wesley’s Covenant Prayer”

Psalter Reading for November 20, 2016

“Birth of John the Baptist”

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

Luke 1:68-79

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This is the song of Zacharias, the priestly father of John the Baptist who offers this oracle following the birth of his promised son.

Here is the back story — Zacharias is the husband of Elizabeth.  They are childless and aging.  Zacharias serves as a priest of the order of Abijah, and in the rotation of temple service it falls to him by lot to burn incense in the temple.  There he encounters the Angel Gabriel who tells him that his wife Elizabeth will bear a son, and that his son:

…. will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord, their God. He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to prepare a people prepared for the Lord  (Luke 1:16-17).

This child, of course, would be named John and would be the forerunner of Jesus, baptizing repentant Jews and  preparing the way of the Lord.

But  Zacharias is dumbfounded with disbelief, and is thus silenced by the Angel until John is born.

So the words in today’s lectionary reading are Zacharias’ first words uttered after nine months of silence!

These words are reminiscent of the Psalms in their tone and quality.   Zacharias blesses the Lord for his favor to his people, and for fulfilling his promises to send a horn of salvation.  This reference to the horn of salvation is a direct quote from the song of David in 2 Samuel 22:3, when David rejoices that he has been delivered from the Philistines and the hand of King Saul. This ancient symbol of the horn is a metaphor signifying great strength.

Zacharias looks backward to the salvation history of Israel, and then forward to the salvation story in which his son John (The Baptist) would participate.

He remembers the promise that the Messiah would come from the:

 house of his servant David
(as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets who have been from of old),

The Messiah would bring:

salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us;
to show mercy towards our fathers,
to remember his holy covenant….

Zacharias references the covenant of Abraham and the oath to David, and emphasizes the continuity between the Hebrew Bible and the Gospel:

….the oath which he spoke to Abraham, our father,
to grant to us that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies,
should serve him without fear,
In holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.

Zacharias sees his own son as the prophet who will prepare the way for the Lord – giving the knowledge of salvation and forgiveness of sins.  He addresses his newborn in this oracle:

And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of their sins
because of the tender mercy of our God….

This is a brief summary of the vital ministry of John the Baptist, who calls Israel to repentance, baptizing penitents, and preparing the way for the Messiah.

And finally Zacharias uses the imagery of light that reminds us of the language of Isaiah:

…. dawn from on high will visit us,
to shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death;
to guide our feet into the way of peace

The words of Isaiah resonate with the words of Zacharias:

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
on them light has shined. (Isaiah 9:2)

As Zacharias’ silence has been broken by this lyrical song, so the darkness of sin and death will be pierced by the light of the Lord.

APPLY:  

We are reminded that there is a direct link of continuity between the promises of God in the Hebrew Bible and their fulfillment in the New Testament.

In a sense, Zacharias and his son John represent transitional figures as we move from the Old Testament to the New Testament.  Zacharias represents the priestly office, and John the prophetic office.

But we are especially reminded that the purpose of John as a transitional prophet is to guide us into a deeper relationship with the Messiah — he prepares us by reminding us of holiness and righteousness, and guiding our feet into the path of peace.

RESPOND: 

Thomas Carlyle has been credited with the “Great Man” Theory of history — that is, that from time to time there are great men (or women) who arrive on the stage of history and have a tremendous impact on the direction of the events of the time.  We do tend to study history through the eyes of an Alexander the Great, or Julius Caesar, or Napoleon.

Historians may debate this theory.  But I wonder about those men and women who are transitional figures — these are the people who prepare the way for other great figures, or events.  Only the most arrogant of “great men and women” would assume that they alone were responsible for their great accomplishments. Where would Helen Keller have been without Anne Sullivan?  Most of us can name President Teddy Roosevelt, but forget that he was first William McKinley’s Vice President.  Would Abraham Lincoln have been nominated as the Republican candidate for the presidency in 1860 without the help of David Davis and Norman Judd?

Christians would agree that Jesus of Nazareth is the most important figure in history.  But what of the role of John the Baptist?  He was a transitional figure, but he prepared the way for the coming of Jesus.

There is a word for John’s ministry in modern parlance — he was an “advance man,” who preceded the King with publicity and announcements about his coming.  His role was critical in awakening the people of  Judea to the reality that the King was on his way.

We may feel that our own role in the world is insignificant and easily forgotten.  But we can choose to be “advance men and women” for the King who is coming!

Our Lord, your promises for our salvation, holiness and righteousness are from of old.  The promises you have made to Abraham and to David are fulfilled in your Son, Jesus.  Give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and guide our feet into the way of peace. And may we be your “advance men and women” to prepare those around us for your reign.  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
“Geburt Johannes des Täufers” by Jacopo Pontormo, is in the public domain.