Scripture

Semicontinuous - Psalm 149; Exodus 11:1-10; Matthew 23:29-36

Complementary - Psalm 119:33-40; Ezekiel 33:1-6; Matthew 23:29-36

(What are semicontinuous and complementary readings?)

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Prayer

Let your continual mercy, O Lord, cleanse and defend your Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without your help, protect and govern it always by your goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)

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Reflection

Exodus 11:1-10

The last plague visited upon Egypt, the death of the firstborn sons of Egypt is a disturbing passage to understand. It raises questions about the character of God and divine suffering that is inflicted upon the innocent. This is the final plague and it will be the fatal blow for Pharaoh as he will finally relent and allow the Israelites to leave.

Every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die. This plague is not limited to Pharaoh or government officials. It touches every household and every child who bears no responsibility for the enslavement of Egypt. And it is this blanket universality that makes this passage ethically troubling.

I do not offer any clear solutions to the matter, but I can offer a few thoughts for further consideration. It is important to note that the text itself doesn’t try to resolve these tensions. Instead, it forces the reader to grapple with God who acts as the Lord of history and who works for the liberation of God’s people whom he has chosen.

In Egypt. Pharaoh had absolute authority. The story of the plagues of Egypt is a counter narrative, meant to make it clear that God is the one who has absolute authority. And there is an irony in the story as Pharaoh’s desire to kill the male children of the Israelites. So now the male children of the Egyptians fall victim.

It needs to be remembered that in the ancient near Eastern world, judgment and punishment were communal. If the leader prospered the nation prospered. If the nation suffered, it was the responsibility of the leader. This is difficult for us to understand in the 21st century because collective punishment is not something we readily embrace. But we must understand that consequences can be communal. When a leader declares war on another nation, the citizens of that nation will be affected. And unfortunately the innocent suffer as well.

Exodus ties the salvation of Israel to catastrophe. The judgment visited upon Egypt would have not taken place had Pharaoh heeded Moses’s warnings in the first place. Here is another reminder that judgment results because God lets us have our way.

In the current celebration of the Passover seder, there is a moment when Jews around the table remove ten drops or ten small spoons of wine from their glasses to remind themselves of the suffering of the Egyptians and to lament that the suffering happened. In Judaism, wine signifies joy and even though God’s people celebrate their liberation from slavery, they find their joy tempered by the suffering of their enemies and the innocent connected to them.

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So lament is a valid response to this text. We must hold in tension the liberation of the oppressed and the methods of liberation that are often ethically problematic. It would be a mistake to interpret this text in a way so as to smooth out the tensions. It might make us feel better, but it will do damage to understanding the story itself.

In the end, God involves himself in the mess of human history. And if God is to be with us and to act on our behalf, God himself must metaphorically get God’s hands dirty in the process.

PRAYER: O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)

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Scripture

Semicontinuous - Psalm 149; Exodus 10:21-29; Romans 10:15b-21

Complementary - Psalm 119:33-40; Ezekiel 24:15-27; Romans 10:15b-21

(What are semicontinuous and complementary readings?)

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Prayer

Hear our prayers, God of power, and through the ministry of your Son free us from the grip of the tomb, that we may desire you as the fullness of life and proclaim your saving deeds to all the world. Amen. (Revised Common Lectionary)

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Reflection

Exodus 10:21-29

The ninth plague of darkness in Exodus 10 exposes the spiritual blindness of pharaoh. The confrontation between Pharaoh and Moses, or in reality, God has escalated to a point of no return.

The darkness isn’t ordinary night. It is a deep darkness. Darkness a supernatural paralysis. In fact, it is so dark the text tells us that the people could not see one another and they couldn’t rise from their place. In Scripture, darkness often represents chaos, judgment, and separation from God. The world that Pharaoh lives in at the moment is the very opposite of creation. When God spoke, there was light. While Egypt remains in darkness, Israel enjoys light. God distinguishes his people and protects them even when they live inside a hostile empire.

Once again, Pharaoh offers to let the Israelites leave Egypt, but he demands that they leave their livestock. This is a requirement that simply is not acceptable. Moses refuses. True obedience cannot be selective. Pharaoh tries to retain some economic leverage by keeping the animals of Israel, but God will not allow it.

This ninth plague increase Pharaoh’s resolve and Moses’ courage. Moses speaks with clarity. Pharaoh is unable to understand that Egypt’s darkness reflects his own inability to understand that the God of Israel is in charge. As each plague intensifies, Pharaoh refuses to yield. Sometimes increasing calamity does not wake people from their difficulties; it just escalates their stubbornness.

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There is a serious contrast here between divine light, or illumination, and human darkness. The plague becomes a metaphor for what happens when people reject the truth. But God’s people continue to walk in the light even when the world around them finds itself in the darkness of sin.

The key is for God’s people not to allow that darkness to envelop them.

PRAYER: Move us to praise your gracious will, for in Christ Jesus you have saved us from the deeds of death and opened for us the hidden ways of your love. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Revised Common Lectionary)

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Scripture

Semicontinuous - Psalm 149; Exodus 9:1-7; 2 Corinthians 12:11-21

Complementary - Psalm 119:33-40; Ezekiel 24:1-14; 2 Corinthians 12:11-21

(What are semicontinuous and complementary readings?)

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Prayer

Your voice burns within the depths of our being, O God of our ancestors, and draws us into your presence and service. Hear the cries of your people and speak a word of comfort, that we may proclaim to all the earth the glory of your name. Amen. (Revised Common Lectionary)

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Reflection

2 Corinthians 12:11-21

Leader: Lord, You who strengthen Your servants even when they seem weak,
People: Make Your power perfect in our weakness.

Leader: You who know the hearts of Your apostles and the labor they bear,
People: Establish us in integrity and truth.

Leader: When Your church doubts the sincerity of its shepherds,
People: Purify our discernment and remove suspicion.

Leader: When accusations rise and motives are questioned,
People: Guard us from deceit and hidden agendas.

Leader: You who see every act done for the sake of Your people,
People: Let our service be free from burden and manipulation.

Leader: When we fear we have not built up Your people as we ought,
People: Strengthen our hands for edification, not destruction.

Leader: When Your servants come again to visit Your flock,
People: Prepare us for repentance, humility, and peace.

Leader: Deliver us from quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, and pride,
People: Cleanse Your church from every corrupting spirit.

Leader: If You must humble us again because of sin that remains,
People: Grant us godly sorrow that leads to true repentance.

Leader: Restore what is broken, confront what is hidden, heal what is wounded,
People: Make us a people who walk in holiness and truth.

Leader: For You are the God who builds, not tears down; who convicts, not condemns; who restores, not abandons,
People: Establish Your strength in our weakness, and Your glory in our repentance. Amen.

PRAYER: On this day of rejoicing, O God of our ancestors, as we gather to break the bread, we remember that through the blood of the Lamb you redeemed us and made us pass over from death to new life. Grant that, as we celebrate your mighty deeds, we may be one with Jesus in offering you this sacrifice of praise. Amen. (Revised Common Lectionary)

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Scripture

Semicontinuous - Psalm 83:1-4, Exodus 7:14-25; Matthew 12:22-32

Complementary - Psalm 17; Jeremiah 17:5-18; Matthew 12:22-32

(What are semicontinuous and complementary readings?)

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Prayer

Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)

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Reflection

Matthew 12:22-32

A house divided cannot stand.
Satan casts out demons
War on one's own
never wins.

Any excuse will do
to deny,
reject,
refuse
to believe Jesus has
divine authority.

But if he has the power
over demons,
evil is shrinking,
goblins are hiding,
ghosts banished.

A man is freed,
liberated from shackles
that bound him,
controlled him,
made him crazy.

Jesus the Liberator,
freedom fighter.
Not by violence,
but
divine power.
Exorcising evil
by exercising
compassion,
restoring humanity,
making people whole.

Those who refuse to see
the Spirit's doing
will not receive
the Spirit's blessing.

God will not coerce,
force,
insist upon belief.

Those freed
must be 
willing.

PRAYER: Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)

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Scripture

Semicontinuous - Psalm 83:1-4, 13-18; Exodus 5:1—6:13; Revelation 3:7-13

Complementary - Psalm 17; 2 Samuel 11:27b—12:15; Revelation 3:7-13

(What are semicontinuous and complementary readings?)

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Prayer

Through the waters of oppression and death, Lord God, you led a people into the burning presence of your love. As you fed them in the desert, now feed us with the finest of wheat, that we may know the liberating power of the paschal feast. Amen. (Revised Common Lectionary)

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Reflection

Psalm 17

Verse 1 / Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry; give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit.

The psalmist’s first concern is to plead his innocence and put his case before God. He insists that his motives are pure and he speaks nothing false.

Verse 2 / From you let my vindication come; let your eyes see the right.

God’s judgments are always just. God cannot be persuaded by evil. The psalmist will be exonerated by God’s decree.

Verse 3 / If you try my heart, if you visit me by night, if you test me, you will find no wickedness in me; my mouth does not transgress.

God searching human thoughts is connected to the inability to sleep. Such times are seen as a divine visitation.

Verse 4 / As for what others do, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent.

The word translated, “avoided” can also mean “kept” or “watched.” Another way to translate the term in this context is “beware.” The writer has restrained himself from committing violence.

Verse 5 / My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped.

The imagery of slipping is one of falling into sin. The writer insists that his journey is one of righteousness and, therefore, sure-footedness on the divine path.

Verse 6 / I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words.

The writer professes faith that God will indeed hear his prayers.

Verse 7 / Wondrously show your steadfast love, O savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand.

The psalmist now moves from referring to God as judge to his friend and protector. God encompasses all the roles necessary for the writer’s vindication and success. Refuge is a frequent theme in the Psalms, something God’s people often lacked when surrounded by enemies.

Verse 8 / Guard me as the apple of the eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings,

The apple of the eye is the pupil. This image and the depiction of the shadow of God’s rings harkens back to Deuteronomy 32:10-11.

He sustained him in a desert land, in a howling wilderness waste; he shielded him, cared for him, guarded him as the apple of his eye. As an eagle stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, as it spreads its wings, takes them up and bears them aloft on its pinions.

Verse 9 / from the wicked who despoil me, my deadly enemies who surround me.

God’s deliverance will be complete. Both clauses refer to the same people, but the parallel repetition emphasizes the totality of God’s action.

Verse 10 / They close their hearts to pity; with their mouths they speak arrogantly.

The first clause is literally, “they closed their fat,” perhaps referring to the closing of fat cells around something that has pierced it. It’s a gross image reflecting the self-love and thus hardened hearts of the writer’s oppressors.

Verse 11 / They flush me out; now they surround me; they set their eyes to cast me to the ground.

The psalmist has little rest as his enemies are tracing him down in search for him.

Verse 12 / They are like a lion eager to tear, like a young lion lurking in ambush.

There is paranoia here, though not an unjust feeling. It is hard to relax when those who wish harm are actively seeking to inflict it.

Verse 13 / Rise up, O Lord, confront them, overthrow them! By your sword deliver my life from the wicked,

Their encounter with God is a familiar pattern of judgment. In their seeking God will halt them in their tracks and they will be on the receiving end of what they love—violence.

Verse 14 / from mortals—by your hand, O Lord— from mortals whose portion in life is in this world. May their bellies be filled with what you have stored up for them; may their children have more than enough; may they leave something over to their little ones.

The psalmist’s hope is not in earthly pleasures. The wicked and their children may enjoy them in the current moment, but his satisfaction is ultimately not in revenge upon his enemies.

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15 / As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness.

Ultimately, the psalmist seeks to know God. To see God’s face is a metaphorical way of speaking of being in the closest possible relationship to the Lord.

PRAYER: Grant, O merciful God, that your Church, being gathered together in unity by your Holy Spirit, may show forth your power among all peoples, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)

SOURCES

Nancy L. deClaisse-Walford, Rolf A. Jacobson, Beth LaNeel Tanner, The Book of Psalms (New International Commentary on the Old Testament).

Derek Kidner, Psalms 1-72 (Kidner Classic Commentaries).

Tremper Longman III, Psalms: An Introduction and Commentary (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries).

Gerald H. Wilson, Psalms, Vol. 1 (The NIV Application Commentary).

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Scripture

Semicontinuous - Psalm 83:1-4, 13-18; Exodus 4:10-31; Revelation 3:1-6

Complementary - Psalm 17; 2 Samuel 11:2-26; Revelation 3:1-6

(What are semicontinuous and complementary readings?)

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Prayer

Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)

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Reflection

2 Samuel 11:2-26

It is time for readers of scripture to stop minimizing David’s behavior toward Bathsheba and the subsequent actions that he takes to hide his crimes. David is on the roof of the palace, no doubt one of the highest buildings in the small city. There he sees Bathsheba bathing on the roof where she lives, or perhaps in an enclosed small courtyard with no covering. She is doing nothing unseemly, although more than a few commentators through the centuries have made Bathsheba a temptress who led David into sin. In fact she is bathing in privacy. But David has a bird’s eye view from the top of the palace; and in his refusal to look away, he becomes a peeping Tom.

The king is not able to forget about Bathsheba. He has her summoned to the palace and utilizes his power and proceeds to rape her. This does not mean necessarily that she resisted and he was violent. Perhaps Bathsheba acquiesces because she has no choice. Women who have experienced rape can testify to the truth of this. David is the king. The king gets what he wants. David is capable of making her life and the life of her family miserable.

Sin always carries consequences. Bathsheba becomes pregnant. She is in a precarious position. Her husband is away fighting at the front in the king’s army. Her pregnancy would be revealed and the implications would be obvious. David knows that there are those in the palace who know of the king’s summons of Bathsheba. To keep the rumors from getting out and the subsequent suspicions, he hatches an even more dastardly plan.

First, he brings Uriah home on leave, hoping that having been gone for so long, husbands and wives will do naturally what they do when they haven’t seen each other in a while. But Uriah, the ever loyal and committed soldier, refuses to enjoy himself while his troops in the field are in danger and sacrificing for the kingdom. David tries getting Uriah drunk in the hope that he will go to his house with reduced sexual inhibitions. Nothing works.

And so the dastardly plan is hatched. He arranges for Uriah to fight on the front lines and to be abandoned by his fellow soldiers and to be killed in battle. The plan works. Uriah is dead. Bathsheba mourns and laments for him.

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It minimizes what David has done by calling his act with Bathsheba “adultery.” Adultery implies mutual consent. David utilizes his power to leverage selfishly what he wants; and uses that power to try to cover the deed. In the process, people are hurt and killed. David is guilty of rape and murder. In fact, his behavior has future implications. The Prophet Nathan tells the king of the generational consequences.

Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, for you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. Thus says the Lord: I will raise up trouble against you from within your own house, and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in broad daylight. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and in broad daylight” (2 Samuel 12:10-12).

It is high time Bible translations changed their headings to reflect the seriousness of David’s sins.

It must be remembered that when David is referred to as someone after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14), it is in the beginning of the story of David when he was still a young shepherd boy before he is actually made king. And it is true that the prophets will look back to the kingdom of David as a foretaste of the coming Messianic Kingdom; but that doesn’t give David a pass and neither does it keep us from evaluating the king’s behavior as egregious.

The Bible doesn’t do that and neither should we.

David was a murderer and a rapist. End of story.

PRAYER: God, you are the power of liberation, calling your servant Moses to lead your people into freedom, and giving him the wisdom to proclaim your holy law. Be our Passover from the land of injustice, be the light that leads us to the perfect rule of love, that we may be citizens of your unfettered reign; we ask this through Jesus Christ, the pioneer of our salvation. Amen. (Revised Common Lectionary)

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Scripture

Semicontinuous - Exodus 3:1-15; Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45b; Romans 12:9-21; Matthew 16:21-28

Complementary - Jeremiah 15:15-21; Psalm 26:1-8; Romans 12:9-21; Matthew 16:21-28

(What are semicontinuous and complementary readings?)

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Prayer

In the flaming bush you promised deliverance to your people, O God, and in the cross of Jesus you embraced our suffering and pain. In times of misery, show us the transforming power of your love that we may know the hope of your glory. Amen. (Revised Common Lectionary)

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Reflection

Exodus 3:1-15

And as to the shoes, let him who is about to touch the holy land which the feet of God hath trodden, put them off, as Moses did upon the mount, that he may bring there nothing dead; nothing to come between humanity and God (Gregory of Nazianzus, Oration 45.19)

As Moses stands in the presence of God on Mount Horeb, he is commanded to take off his shoes for the place on which he stands is holy. In the ancient Near East, the custom of taking off one’s sandals was a sign of respect. But Gregory of Nazianzus turns our minds to the moral implications of what it means to stand in the presence of the holy. For Gregory, Moses’ shoes signify those unholy things that stand between God and human beings. If any of us is to stand in the presence of the holy, we too must be holy. St. Augustine picks up on the same theme as well:

What are the shoes? Well, what are the shoes we wear? Leather from dead animals. The hides of dead animals are what we protect our feet with. So what are we being ordered to do? To give up dead works. This is symbolically what he instructs Moses to do in his honor, when the Lord says to him, “Take off your shoes. For the place you are standing in is holy ground.” There’s no holier ground than the church of God is there? So as we stand let us take off our shoes, let us give up dead works (Sermon 101.7).

The story of Moses and the burning bush is one of calling. Moses is being called by God, and the people are being called too—out of their bondage to a place of freedom where they will live as God’s people. The foundation of the divine law is the holiness of God, which God’s people are to reflect in their lives. It is no accident that holiness is connected to the call; for the call cannot be fulfilled without throwing off what is dead within us, that which keeps us away from the holy presence of God, that which interferes with the charge we have been given to keep.

Israel’s wanderings in the wilderness will be the result of their lack of trust in God; their lack of holiness. In refusing to cast off the dead things, God’s people often found themselves at odds with the living God on their way to the Promised Land.

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Holiness is not an option; it is but another name for the image of God reflected in God’s people. The Bible says that without holiness, no one can see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). It is also the case that without holiness no one can see the Lord reflected in the Lord’s people.

The sandals of Moses offer a simple but searching image of the Christian life. We come into the presence of God carrying all kinds of things with us: old habits, misplaced loyalties, fear, pride, resentment, self-interest, and the dead works that prevent us from responding fully to God’s call. The invitation to remove our shoes is an invitation to let go of whatever keeps us from walking faithfully with God. Yet the goal is not simply to stand barefoot on holy ground. Moses eventually has to leave that holy ground and return to Egypt. Israel must leave Sinai and continue toward the Promised Land. In the same way, Christian holiness is never merely about having a private experience of God. We encounter the holy so that we can become holy people who carry the character of God into the world. The question is not only, “What must I take off?” but also, “What kind of person is God calling me to become?”

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PRAYER: Faithful God, you are the hope of all the oppressed, and the source of freedom for those held captive. Make us strong to witness to your liberating power, in generosity of life and in humility of spirit, that all the world may delight in your goodness. Amen. (Revised Common Lectionary)

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SUNDAY: Casting Off in Order to Become

MONDAY: King David Was a Rapist and Murderer

TUESDAY: A Plea for Justice: Explanatory Notes on Psalm 17

WEDNESDAY: A House Divided

THURSDAY: Return to Holiness: A Litany

FRIDAY: When Darkness Isn’t Ordinary

SATURDAY: Making Sense of the God We Don’t Understand

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Scripture

Semicontinuous - Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45b; Exodus 4:1-9; Matthew 8:14-17

Complementary - Psalm 26:1-8; Jeremiah 15:10-14; Matthew 8:14-17

(What are semicontinuous and complementary readings?)

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Prayer

Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)

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Reflection

Exodus 4:1-9

Leader: Moses asked, “What if they will not believe me or listen to me?”
People: O God, meet us in our questions, fears, and apprehension.

Leader: God asked Moses, “What is that in your hand?”
People: Teach us that what we already possess is an instrument for your service.

Leader: Moses answered, “A staff.” On the ground it becomes a serpent.
People: Transform what we surrender to you, O God.

Leader: God told Moses to reach out and take the serpent.
People: Give us courage to face what frightens us and trust your presence.

Leader: God showed Moses that his diseased hand could be restored.
People: Heal what is broken within us and make us ready to serve.

Leader: God gave Moses signs so that the people might believe.
People: Give us eyes to recognize your work among us.

Leader: We bring you our ordinary gifts, our questions, our fears, and our weaknesses.
People: Receive them, transform them, and use them for your purposes.

Leader: The God who called Moses calls us.
People: Here we are, Lord. Use what is in our hands.

All: Gracious God, when we doubt, give us faith. When we are afraid, give us courage. When we feel inadequate, remind us of your sufficiency. Take what we have and use it for your honor and glory. Help us trust our calling. We place ourselves in your hands. Amen.

PRAYER: O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)

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Scripture

Semicontinuous - Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45b; Exodus 3:16-25; 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12

Complementary - Psalm 26:1-8; Jeremiah 15:1-9; 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12

(What are semicontinuous and complementary readings?)

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Prayer

On this day of rejoicing, O God of our ancestors, as we gather to break the bread, we remember that through the blood of the Lamb you redeemed us and made us pass over from death to new life. Grant that, as we celebrate your mighty deeds, we may be one with Jesus in offering you this sacrifice of praise. Amen. (Revised Common Lectionary)

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Reflection

2 Thessalonians 2:7-12

The mystery of lawlessness
is already at work,
quiet as a whisper and
waiting for the heart to say,
“I will answer to no one.”

Lawlessness does not always come with fanfare,
with shouting or violence.
Sometimes it comes quietly,
adorning the language of freedom,
promising release from every boundary,
from rules,
and every command of God.

It says,
Do what you want.
Believe what you want.
Serve yourself.
It's all about you.

And over time,
what once troubled the conscience
becomes ordinary.
Abnormality normalized.

Paul warns of a day
when lawlessness
will step into the light
and demand allegiance.

The creature will try to take
the place of the Creator.

What begins with
“I answer only to myself”
ends with
“I will become my own god.”

That is the danger.

Deception rarely announces itself
as deception.

It comes with confident voices,
impressive claims,
and promises we want to believe.

People perish, Paul says,
because they refused
to love the truth.

They preferred the lie
because the lie was easier.
The truth asks us to change.

This is how lawlessness works.
It begins in the heart
before it appears in the world.

It teaches us
to distrust repentance,
to reject accountability,
and eventually
to confuse what we desire
with what is true.

But lawlessness
is not the final word.
Christ will overthrow
the lawless one.

The counterfeit
cannot defeat the truth.
The darkness
cannot extinguish the light.

So Paul gives us
a warning and an invitation:

Love the truth.
Hold fast to what is good.

When truth costs you something,
will you still love it?
When righteousness
requires repentance, will you still choose it?

The mystery of lawlessness is already at work.

But so is the grace of God.

And in the end,
lawlessness does not have
the final word.

Jesus does.

PRAYER: O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)

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Scripture

Semicontinuous - Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45b; Exodus 2:23-24; Ephesians 5:1-6

Complementary - Psalm 26:1-8; Jeremiah 14:13-18; Ephesians 5:1-6

(What are semicontinuous and complementary readings?)

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Prayer

On this day of rejoicing, O God of our ancestors, as we gather to break the bread, we remember that through the blood of the Lamb you redeemed us and made us pass over from death to new life. Grant that, as we celebrate your mighty deeds, we may be one with Jesus in offering you this sacrifice of praise. Amen. (Revised Common Lectionary)

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Reflection

Ephesians 5:1-6

In our text, Paul opens with a command that is impossible to fulfill without grace, but it is an important command that is essential to Christian identity. “Be imitators of God as beloved children,” says the apostle. Holiness is not just about the performance of deeds, but resembling the one who made and redeemed us. The divine image in each follower of Jesus is to reflect the character of the one they follow.

The pattern of imitation is clear. It is seen in Christ’s sacrificial love. Christ’s offering for us is reminiscent of the book of Hebrews, in which Christ is depicted as our high priest. In priestly terms, the apostle says that Christ’s sacrifice was a fragrant offering. The ethic of the Christian Life starts with worship and adoration.

The apostle now names a list of general vices to be avoided. Sexual immorality, impurity, and greed. All of these are distortions of love. They are rival desires that reshape the human heart away from the heart that is cruciform—shaped by the cross. Greed is referred to as idolatry because the focus of greed is the self. Hoarding more and more for one’s own selfish ends is a form of self-worship.

The apostle also addresses the important witness of speech. In the Bible, words matter. Jesus warns us that we will be judged by every idol word we speak. In like fashion, Paul warns against filthy language and foolish, stupid talk, and crude jokes. These are not trivial transgressions; they reveal what is first and foremost in the heart. As Jesus himself reminds us, it is out of the mouth that the heart speaks (Matthew 12:24). Christian speech, on the other hand, should be marked by thanksgiving and gratitude. It reframes our perspective and our orientation around God’s generosity rather than human appetites and desires.

Paul says earlier in the letter that followers of Jesus are “in Christ.” That is our identity; and identity is intrinsically related to behavior. Identity is revealed by how we live. Paul who warns that the continued practices of the things he condemns have no place in the kingdom of God. The apostle is not threatening the Ephesians; he is just reminding that Kingdom life is incompatible with the sins of idolatry.

The apostle not only warns against doing these things, but he warrants against allowing others to deceive them with what he refers to as “empty words.” The great danger is reinterpretation of sin where immorality gets rebranded as freedom. The apostle insists that’s such empty words will lead to the judgment of God.

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Holiness is distinctive. Christians are to look different from the world around them. This is not withdrawal from the world. Christians participate in the community and in the life of the city, but they embody an alternative to the ways of the world, pointing the world to the ways of Christ.

Love and purity are held together. Love protects it, honors it, and sacrifices for it. False portrayals of love consume, distort, and demand from others what they refuse to fulfill in themselves.

For Paul, holiness is love’s proper shape.

PRAYER: Let your continual mercy, O Lord, cleanse and defend your Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without your help, protect and govern it always by your goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)

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Scripture

Semicontinuous - Psalm 8; Exodus 2:15b-22; Matthew 26:6-13

Complementary - Psalm 18:1-3, 20-32; Isaiah 28:14-22; Matthew 26:6-13

(What are semicontinuous and complementary readings?)

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Prayer

Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)

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Reflection

Isaiah 28:14-22

In chapter 28, the prophet Isaiah confronts the leaders of Judah for trusting in their own political schemes instead of God. Isaiah exposes what he refers to as their “covenant with death.” It is an agreement of self-deception and warns that God’s judgment will be certain and unavoidable.

Judah’s rulers believe that their alliance (most likely with Egypt) will protect them from the threat of the Assyrian empire, but the prophet mocks this as an agreement with death itself. Their political maneuvering is spiritual rebellion against God.

Isaiah targets the leadership in Jerusalem whom he refers to as “scoffers.” They are arrogant. Their blindness is spiritual. They have contempt for the warnings of the prophet. They have placed their confidence in lies and deception. They trust their own human ingenuity rather than the covenant faithfulness of Israel’s God.

God counters this false sense of security with a cornerstone that symbolize true stability and God’s reliability. Here is a contrast between trust in God and the frantic political scrambling of people who act in order to save themselves. In later Jewish and Christian traditions, Isaiah’s ultimate cornerstone points toward the Messiah, God’s Anointed One.

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God’s justice is also portrayed with construction tools that offer precision and true measurement. God’s judgment is not chaotic but exact. In Isaiah’s repeated waves of judgment, the prophet insists that the covenant they have made with Egypt will not protect them. Reality will confront them with the actual truth. The metaphor of a bed that is too short and a blanket too narrow highlights the futility of Judah’s political strategy. Human solutions cannot provide protection for Israel. God will judge, and while not God’s preferred action, it is a necessary one.

In his warnings, Isaiah recalls the past—a very prophetic thing to do. It reminds Israel, that in the previous times, God has intervened on behalf of his people. David’s defeat of the Philistines serves as an example. Isaiah ends his warning by urging the leaders to stop mocking God. The more they do so, the more the judgment becomes heavier.

Like Judah’s leaders, we human beings today can spiritually delude ourselves. We trust others more than we trust God. But we must remember that in Jesus Christ, we have the true cornerstone that offers us stability and true direction.

PRAYER: Your voice burns within the depths of our being, O God of our ancestors, and draws us into your presence and service. Hear the cries of your people and speak a word of comfort, that we may proclaim to all the earth the glory of your name. Amen. (Revised Common Lectionary)

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Sarah’s writing is thoughtful and insightful.

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Scripture

Semicontinuous - Psalm 8; Exodus 2:11-15a; Romans 11:33-36

Complementary - Psalm 18:1-3, 20-32; Deuteronomy 32:18-20, 28-39; Romans 11:33-36

(What are semicontinuous and complementary readings?)

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Prayer

Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)

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Reflection

Deuteronomy 32:18-20, 28-39

32:18 / You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you; you forgot the God who gave you birth.

The sin itself is readily apparent from the first verse. The people have forgotten God. God is a rock who has been involved faithfully and dependable in giving Israel life. God birthed Israel into existence. That they have forgotten God means they have betrayed their heavenly parent.

32:19 / The Lord saw it and was jealous; he spurned his sons and daughters.

God’s anger is portrayed in the metaphors of jealousy and rejection. God’s jealousy can best be interpreted as the jealousy of a covenant God in the intensity of God’s commitment. Israel belongs to God, and yet Israel has rejected their relationship to God. God is grieved over their rebellion. God, the adoptive father of Israel can no longer continue to bestow blessing upon them.

32:20 / He said, ‘I will hide my face from them; I will see what their end will be, for they are a perverse generation, children in whom there is no faithfulness.

For God to hide God’s face means the removal of the divine hand of protection. Israel had acted unfaithfully and will be punished accordingly. The words “faithless generation” highlighted how unlike the way God led was how his people acted; their problem was relational. They had received the steadfast love and faithfulness of God and they had acted faithlessly in response.

32.28 / They are a nation void of sense; there is no understanding in them.

The people do not possess wisdom; they do not understand. It is not merely that their minds are not capable but they have not processed the spiritual truth of their experience of God. Israel has observed God’s loyalty and has still come to the wrong conclusions. Biblical wisdom is living the right way based on the knowledge of God. Failure to understand what they live is a failure of their wisdom.

32:29 / If they were wise, they would understand this; they would discern what their end would be.

Wisdom would have given Israel insight into where they were going. They should surely have seen that a rebellion of that magnitude would bring Israel to this dead end. What is so sad is that Israel is wise enough to have seen the end of this trail; their lack is not in information but in action. Wisdom is the ability to perceive the nature of the road on which our decisions lead us.

32:30 / How could one have routed a thousand and two put a myriad to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, the Lord had given them up?

Israel’s great victories were never their own doing. It was only because God was fighting on their behalf that such incredible victories were achieved. In much the same way, their failures need to be understood in relation to their covenant with God. When God withdraws his supporting hand, it should remind Israel of their utter dependence upon God. It points, once again, to the danger of seeing success in terms of human might, power, or intellect.

32:31 / Indeed, their rock is not like our Rock; our enemies are fools.

What comparison is there between Israel’s Rock and the rocks of Israel‘s enemies? Whatever people believe in, their gods, armies, their political power, there is no comparison to Israel’s God. God has been steadfast and proven faithful time after time; and God insists that his people know the difference.

32:32 / Their vine comes from the vinestock of Sodom, from the vineyards of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of poison; their clusters are bitter;

The imagery of the vineyards reveals the evil of Israel’s opponents. They are compared to Sodom and Gomorrah. The roots of evil bear rotten fruit. One reaps what one sows. Whatever comes out of something corrupted will necessarily itself be corrupted. Sin itself is a form of God’s judgment.

32:33 / their wine is the poison of serpents, the cruel venom of asps.

The poisonous imagery continues. That which was called good, was blessed with the gift of life; now it is corrupt and now it is something harmful. Evil produces death, not life. Venom suggests a threat which is delivered silently; the consequences of which will only appear much later. Sinful choices may appear attractive for a time while carrying destructive consequences within them.

32:34 / Is not this laid up in store with me, sealed up in my treasuries,

God records the deeds of the unrighteous. Nothing is beyond the divine sight. Whether individuals overlook injustice, forget wrongdoing, or fail to see the necessity of accountability, none of it escapes the notice of God. In God’s timing, judgment will take place. God’s patience is not indifference. God knows all that has happened, and will bring justice when it is time.

32:35 / for the day of vengeance and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip? Because the day of their calamity is at hand; their doom comes swiftly.

Punishment and final recompense are left to God. There is a boundary drawn that limits human retaliation. Vengeance is God’s prerogative and God’s alone. The foot slipping highlights the sudden reversal of circumstances. Those who appear secure discover in a quick moment the danger they are in. Human beings are not the final arbiters of justice.

32:36 / Indeed, the Lord will vindicate his people, have compassion on his servants, when he sees that their power is gone, neither bond nor free remaining.

God’s people are now specifically in mind. After Israel is no longer able to survive on its own, divine mercy will be dispensed. The loss of human strength is essential, for in desperate conditions, Israel cannot rely on her own power. God’s saving power comes when it is evident that the people cannot save themselves. The link between judgment and mercy benefits God’s people. It means judgment never gets the last word. Endurance of God‘s people happens, God disciplines Israel, but divine discipline does not mean the abandonment of God’s people nor his covenant purposes.

32:37 / Then he will say, ‘Where are their gods, the rock in which they took refuge,

The rhetorical question shows how helpless idols are in affecting salvation. The gods who promised security to Israel are now trapped themselves in the same plight. These supposed deities cannot provide what Israel actually needs for security and reassurance. Whatever is presented as a substitute for God, proves weak and pathetic when the crisis is upon the people.

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32:38 / who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their libations? Let them rise up and help you; let them be your protection!’

The irony is amplified as the false gods are being summoned for help; yet despite the appeals and sacrifices made toward them, they are mute in helping their devotees in times of trouble. This stands in stark contrast to the God of Israel. Israel’s God does not just receive from God’s people; the Lord acts on their behalf. Idolatry reverses that relationship by asking human beings to give themselves to powers that ultimately cannot give them life.

32:39 / See now that I, even I, am he; there is no god besides me. I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal; and no one can deliver from my hand.

The passage ends on a theologically triumphant note of God’s uniqueness. No other God exists like Israel’s who is Lord over death and life, sin and redemption. The language of suffering and healing are designed to trigger their memory that the God who judges is also the God who redeems. There is no power that will save Israel from the hand of judgment. The providence of God is not portrayed as something only to fear. God is also the Rock who created Israel and the compassionate God who ultimately vindicates God’s people.

SOURCES

Daniel I. Block, Deuteronomy (The NIV Application Commentary).

Peter C. Craigie, The Book of Deuteronomy (New International Commentary on the Old Testament)

Patrick D. Miller, Deuteronomy (Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching).

Edward J. Woods, Deuteronomy: An Introduction and Commentary (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries).

PRAYER: Through the waters of oppression and death, Lord God, you led a people into the burning presence of your love. As you fed them in the desert, now feed us with the finest of wheat, that we may know the liberating power of the paschal feast. Amen. (Revised Common Lectionary)

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Tomb of Samuel the Prophet (Biblical Mizpah)

Scripture

Semicontinuous - Psalm 8; Exodus 1:1-7; Romans 2:1-11

Complementary - Psalm 18:1-3, 20-32; 1 Samuel 7:3-13; Romans 2:1-11

(What are semicontinuous and complementary readings?)

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Prayer

Grant, O merciful God, that your Church, being gathered together in unity by your Holy Spirit, may show forth your power among all peoples, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)

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Reflection

1 Samuel 7:3-13

In our passage, Samuel’s first command as Israel’s prophet and judge to the people is to return to the Lord with all of their heart. Israel has done more than neglect God; they’ve been trying to worship the God of Israel, while also holding on to the pagan deities of the surrounding nations. But nothing less than complete repentance, that is a turning away from these idols is required. Their allegiance must not be divided.

Repentance involves action. Samuel tells Israel that they must put away their foreign gods for good. Biblical repentance is more than just feeling sorry for one’s sins and expressing regret. That is an acceptable definition for children’s Sunday school, but it does not explain what repentance is in its totality. Repentance involves changing one’s direction, thinking differently, acting differently, and speaking differently. Whatever it is that has displaced God in their lives must be removed. And it’s action that demonstrates repentance is also inward. How one acts reveals the condition of the heart.

Samuel gathers Israel at Mizpah. For Israel, Mizpah becomes a place of national gathering, confession, and renewal. The people take water and they pour it out before the Lord. This is a ceremony that represents their penitence and their dependence upon God. They also fast along with their confession of sin. Their confession is direct and clear. They do not blame the Philistines. They don’t condemn their circumstances. They don’t indict the previous generations. Confession does not look for scapegoats. It understands who is directly at fault.

Samuel intercedes on behalf of his people. He is a prophet, a judge… and an intercessor. He stands between God and the people and he prays on their behalf.

And as Samuel offers burnt offerings, the Philistines now approach to attack. But God is present and responds with thunder and throwing the Philistines into confusion. Israel pursues and defeats them. This victory is attributed specifically to God. The people’s deliverance does not happen because all of a sudden Israel has become a military power. It is God and God alone.

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Samuel does something that we have seen in Genesis and Exodus. He wants the people remember what God has done; so he sets up a marker—a stone—that becomes a physical reminder of God’s faithfulness. To remember God’s help in the past strengthens faith in the present for the future. Faith needs memory. Human beings are forgetful and can soon forget what God has done. Samuel names the stone “Ebenezer,” which in Hebrew means “thus far the Lord has helped us.” God will continue to help his people in trouble.

But their faithfulness to God is required.

PRAYER: God, you are the power of liberation, calling your servant Moses to lead your people into freedom, and giving him the wisdom to proclaim your holy law. Be our Passover from the land of injustice, be the light that leads us to the perfect rule of love, that we may be citizens of your unfettered reign; we ask this through Jesus Christ, the pioneer of our salvation. Amen. (Revised Common Lectionary)

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Scripture

Semicontinuous - Exodus 1:8—2:10; Psalm 124; Romans 12:1-8; Matthew 16:13-20

Complementary - Isaiah 51:1-6; Psalm 138; Romans 12:1-8; Matthew 16:13-20

(What are semicontinuous and complementary readings?)

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Prayer

God of Miriam and Moses, you are our help from age to age. Accept our worship, our living sacrifice, and transform us by your Spirit, that, being many members of one true body, we may dare to pray together in the name of Christ the Lord. Amen. (Revised Common Lectionary)

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Reflection

Exodus 1:8—2:10

In the first section of the Book of Exodus, there is an ominous beginning. “A new king arose who did not know Joseph.” Historical memory can be myopic. Joseph’s contributions to the people of Egypt and the contributions that the Israelite settlers made have been forgotten; and we have a shift from hospitality to hostility. Throughout history, the stories of people, nations, and cultures have been selectively rewritten to justify oppression.

Pharaoh fears Israel’s increase. He is afraid the population will become too numerous, powerful, and influential. He is afraid the Israelites will change Egypt forever. So in his fear, Pharaoh resorts to instilling fear. He enslaves the Israelite people and uses them to construct his vanity projects for the city. Enforcing Joseph’s descendants into slavery, Pharaoh is able to exploit them economically and crush their identity. People without identity soon will no longer resist.

But despite the harsh treatment, Israel continues to multiply. It seems that resisting divine blessing is futile, so Pharaoh resorts to the continued ways of tyrants. Pharaoh doubles down. Fear has not worked. The answer is even more fear. The oppression intensifies.

But there will always be people who resist and often it’s the people we least expect. Pharaoh orders the Hebrew midwives to kill the Hebrew boys just after they are born, but they will not comply. Two women are mentioned in particular Shiphrah and Puah. It is not common for women to be named in the biblical text. They are often anonymous. But here their contribution is remembered, so much so that their names come down to us from history. They are remembered, while the name of the Pharaoh who wields power and influence is absent from the story.

And we must not forget Moses’ mother. Gregory of Nyssa writes,

When the mother entrusted her child to the river, she did not abandon hope, but committed him to the care of God, who guides all things (The Life of Moses, II.13).

Their civil disobedience against Pharaoh is also grounded in fear, but it is in the fear of God as opposed to the fear of Pharaoh. These heroes represent a different way of exercising power. God honors the midwives. The story shows God’s solidarity with those who protect life. Their resistance is a model for faithful courage.

Moses is born in the context of this genocide and his mother’s actions, in hiding him for three months, not only show faithful motherhood, but quiet resistance as well. A basket becomes Moses’s ark as he is hidden among the reeds in the Nile River. The Nile being a death site for Hebrew boys becomes for Moses, a place of Deliverance. Here is a channel of Divine rescue.

And as God so often acts unexpectedly a surprising agent of salvation comes from Pharaoh’s own household. The compassion of Pharaoh’s daughter undermines the king’s decree and highlights the difficulty of enforcing oppressive laws. In naming the child Moses, his identity is marked with both Egyptian and Hebrew overtones. Both will serve him well as an adult.

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It is interesting to note that while God is not explicitly active in these verses, divine providence is interwoven in the narrative through human courage, which becomes the medium through which God preserves the covenant people. Pharaoh’s attempts to control Israel repeatedly fails. The powerless people, the midwives, mothers and daughters are the ones who undermine the violence of the empire. And now the stage is set for God’s direct confrontation with Pharaoh in subsequent chapters of Exodus.

PRAYER: O God, you blessed Abraham and Sarah, and made them a great nation. Keep us in remembrance of the rock from which we are hewn, that the waste places of our lives may blossom to your glory. Amen. (Revised Common Lectionary)

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Scripture

Semicontinuous - Psalm 124; Genesis 50:15-26; Matthew 16:5-12

Complementary - Psalm 138; Ezekiel 36:33-38; Matthew 16:5-12

(What are semicontinuous and complementary readings?)

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Prayer

O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)

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Reflection

Psalm 138

Leader: We give you thanks, O God, with our entire being.
People: We bow before your holiness.

Leader: We exalt and honor your name. We answer when you call.
People: You strengthen us every day.

Leader: All the kings of the earth will come to praise you, O Lord.
People: They have heard the truth of your words. Their haring will lead to singing of your ways.

Leader: Even though you are God, you have special regard for the vulnerable.
People: The proud are divinely observed from a distance. Their ways are not of the Lord.

Leader: When I am in trouble, you preserve my life from those who would harm me.
People: Your hands reaches out before me; your right hand delivers me.

Leader: God will see his purpose fulfilled in my life.
People: You steadfast love endures forever.

All: O Lord, do not turn your back on the work of your hands.

PRAYER: Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)

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“The Cave of Machpelah,” Vincent van Gogh (1877)

Scripture

Semicontinuous - Psalm 124; Genesis 49:29—50:14; 2 Corinthians 10:12-18

Complementary - Psalm 138; Ezekiel 31:15-18; 2 Corinthians 10:12-18

(What are semicontinuous and complementary readings?)

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Prayer

Loving God, open our ears to hear your word and draw us closer to you, that the whole world may b…

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Michael and Allan get beyond the memes and political talking points to examine the issues more closely.

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Scripture

Semicontinuous - Psalm 124; Genesis 49:1-33; 1 Corinthians 6:1-11

Complementary - Psalm 138; Ezekiel 28:11-19; 1 Corinthians 6:1-11

(What are semicontinuous and complementary readings?)

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Prayer

Life-giving God, heal our lives, that we may acknowledge your wonderful deeds and offer you thanks from generation to generation through Jesus Christ our …

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