Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 | Pentecost 21 (Cycle C)

Sunday between October 16 and October 22 inclusive

Perseverance by people and by God is the unifying theme in the texts selected for next weekend. The writer of Psalm 119:97-104 claims to continue in meditation over the Torah all day long. It is proclaimed in Psalm 121 that the Lord who keeps watch over Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. Both the Lord and Jacob persevere in the hero of faith saga about Jacob wrestling with the divine figure in Genesis 32:22-30. According to Jeremiah 31:27-34, in the new covenant that the Lord God will make with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, the Lord will watch over the people constantly, writing the commandments of the Lord on their hearts. Finally, we have the admonition to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:14–4:5 to continue steadily on the course that he has taken, and the Gospel account is the parable in Luke 18:1-8 about the widow who persevered so persistently that the judge ruled in her favor even though her cause may or may not have been just.

An emphasis on perseverance, therefore, can hardly be avoided within expository preaching based on these texts. This makes these texts excellent selections for use during Confirmation services in the growing number of congregations in which the Confirmation ceremony is scheduled for late October rather than late May in the calendar year. They are also excellent texts for services of Baptism.

Where, however, is the “gospel” in this emphasis on perseverance? Is the “gospel” adequately expressed in the Lukan parable in which the message seems to be that if a thoroughly secular and selfish civil judge will finally rule in favor of a widow who pesters the judge constantly with her entreaty, how much more will God who is holy and self-giving respond affirmatively to our prayers if we bring them persistently to God? Is the “gospel” for Christians adequately expressed in the hero of faith saga about the struggle between Jacob and the divine man in Genesis 32? Perhaps the “gospel” is most clearly proclaimed within these texts in the assurance in Psalm 121 that the Lord keeps watch over the psalmist every day and every night. The psalmist reacts positively to the Lord, Timothy is urged to react to God through faith in Jesus as the Christ, and God is said to react finally to us if we pray persistently following the example of the widow in the parable in Luke 18:1-8.

Possibly an alternate theme that could be as good or even better than the theme of perseverance — at least in terms of the “gospel” — would be the theme that the good news in these texts is that God interacts with us.

Psalm 121

This psalm is almost entirely an expression of faith in the unmerited grace of God. As a psalm of trust, it is excellent for use in the evening, before we enter into rest and sleep. It is also appropriate for the morning hour, or for the beginning of corporate worship experience. The theme of divine-human interaction as “gospel” is more pronounced in this psalm than is the theme of perseverance.

Psalm 119:97-104

The interaction between the psalmist and God in this portion of this extensive psalm is the interaction between the psalmist and the Torah (the instruction, guidance, word of God), as it is in every section of this psalm. The psalmist begins with an acclamation of love for the Torah, on which the psalmist meditates at all times. Because of meditation on the Torah, the psalmist becomes more wise, more understanding, more perceptive, and more satisfied and fulfilled than anyone else can be. Through the Torah, God sustains and guides every aspect of the life of the psalmist.

Genesis 32:22-31

The interaction of God with Jacob (Israel) causes the “wrestling” to occur, continues throughout the “wrestling” experience, and remains relevant after the “wrestling” ceases in the morning. The “wrestling” interaction is itself good news, especially when we realize that the opposite of this interaction of “wrestling” would be the silence and inaccessibility of God. For those who trust in the grace of God, interaction with God is always good. It culminates in a mutual blessing, as it does in this text.

Jeremiah 31:27-34

For Jeremiah and for those who were inspired to develop the written Jeremiah traditions, in this account there is a message of the judgment of the Lord on their own religious heritage and an optimistic expression of hope for a more intimate interaction and experience with the Lord, an individual experience written in the hearts of the people wherever they might go.

Jews have interpreted this text as an expression of their dynamic covenant relationship with the Lord and have recognized that their covenant has innumerable ever-unfolding manifestations, rich in meaning for them and for all people. Jews have seen in this text one of many blueprints in their tradition for life as it should be, for life as it will be “when the Messiah comes,” or more likely during the anticipated Messianic Age when everyone — whether Jewish or not — will be forgiven and will “know the Lord.”

Christians usually interpret this text as a prophetic prediction of the “new covenant” that God established through Jesus as the Christ, and perceive each Christian Baptism and Eucharist as a sacramental action of the “new covenant,” a divine-human interaction instituted by Jesus himself.

Luke 18:1-8

This text includes the rather unusual feature of providing a brief description of the purpose of the parable before the parable is given. This description of purpose in 18:1 suggests that the life setting of the parable is most likely that of the early Church during the period of 70-85 CE when many followers of Jesus were “losing heart” (v. 1b) because of the long, unexpected delay during which God had not vindicated the elect (v. 7) and when there was a question in the mind of the inspired writer over whether when the Son of Man comes he would find faith on the earth (v. 8b). Interaction between God and the followers of Jesus during this period seems to be lacking. The message of the parable in the face of this problem is that the believers of Jesus should persevere in prayer and that God eventually would provide a positive response. If the secular, unjust judge, who neither feared God nor had any compassion for the poor, finally vindicated the widow who persevered in her pleas to him, certainly God, who is God and cares greatly for God’s elect people, will respond favorably to them. The followers of Jesus, therefore, should persevere in their prayers; God will certainly then interact favorably with them. This text and this parable provide the same message for us today.

2 Timothy 3:14–4:5

Problems similar to those addressed in the Lukan parable of the Unjust Judge appear to be factors in this text. Vaticinia ex eventu seem to be operative here. The situation of what is the present time of the inspired writer is described from the vantage point of the past by means of the literary medium of a letter sent by Paul to Timothy at a much earlier date. At any rate, there was (or was to be) a situation in which many who had been participants in the community of faith composed of followers of Jesus were no longer with them, but were involved in Gnostic Christian speculation (vv. 4:3-5). Interaction with God is said to be readily available through use of the “sacred Scriptures,” which in this context were probably the Torah and the Prophetic traditions of the Jews. It is claimed here that God also interacts with God’s people through Jesus Christ, as indicated in 2 Timothy 3:15 and 4:1. How do we believe that God interacts with us today?

This day and these texts, although they are not included in The Revised Common Lectionary, are provided for our consideration here from Evangelical Lutheran Worship (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2006, 58).

For a biblically based reformation emphasis, reflecting over past reformation efforts in the Church during past centuries and reformation efforts needed in our own time, perhaps we should perceive the writers of the four texts listed here to have been reformer figures in four different situations, each writer self-critical within a different religious milieu. Then perhaps we can use these texts as paradigms for our own reformation work within our own religious milieu, for it would be myopic for any of us to think that there is no need for further reformation efforts within the Church in our time and place.

Psalm 46

This familiar psalm of trust in the Lord God is one of the relatively few eschatological, “no-matter-what-may-happen” psalms included in the Psalter. It is a particularly appropriate source of comfort, therefore, in times of great stress such as Martin Luther faced during his struggles as a reformer in the 16th century Western Church.

Even though the earth may be returned to its primal chaos, the city of God (Jerusalem) will be secure, not because of the good behavior of its people, but because God is in its midst. As perceived by the psalmist, the Lord God is the one who brings to Jerusalem both the desolations and the peace that will follow after the desolations are complete. The people of the city are merely to be still and to recognize that the Lord is God. Luther gave this psalm of trust a 16th century application as he paraphrased this psalm in his popular song “Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott.” It is our responsibility to give the psalm an application in our time and in our place. That is our call.

Jeremiah 31:31-34

The context of this reading is one of restoration after the destruction that the Lord God will bring upon Jerusalem. The “new covenant” will focus on salvation oriented toward the individual, who will suffer because of that individual’s own sin, or benefit because of that individual’s obedience to the Lord God, not from the sin of that person’s parents or community. This “new covenant” will put into practice the change from the earlier corporate accountability to the newer individual accountability that is explained in much more detail in Ezekiel 18:1-32.

It was not the intention, of course, of those who wrote the words of Jeremiah 31:31-34 to provide a prediction of the Christian New Testament covenant. They anticipated a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not with some Jews who more than five centuries later would become followers of Jesus and not with many non-Jews who would join the new communities of faith that would evolve into Christianity. Nevertheless, followers of Jesus apparently rather quickly applied this text to themselves and to their new relationship with God through Jesus, and the influence of this text on the development of the Eucharistic words in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 and in the Synoptic Gospels can be seen. The new covenant concept can have a 16th century and a 21st century application as well. It is important, however, that we consider the text first of all in its own context, in which many Israelite people developed interest in individual accountability after their nation and holy city had been destroyed and within the Persian empire they were influenced by Zoroastrian ideas of the resurrection of the body and of the judgment of each individual person.

Romans 3:19-28

In these verses the Apostle Paul wrote about the limitations of the written revelation for our salvation. In his opinion, the written Torah and Prophetic Tradition provides documentary evidence of our sins, but that in spite of this evidence of our sins we are declared to be forgiven by the grace of God through faith in what God has accomplished in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the Christian Messiah. According to Paul, salvation is a gift of God for followers of Jesus of both Jewish and non-Jewish backgrounds. The gift of salvation is received by the grace of God and accepted for each person through faith in Jesus as the Christ and in what Jesus as the Christ has done and does, not through following the requirements of the Bible as it was known at that time.

Paul’s views regarding life and salvation were and still are considered radical and unacceptable in the Jewish context, but they became normative within Christianity as it developed. Of course, many people within the Christian Church, including many Lutheran Christians, contrary to what Paul wrote, continue to attempt to have assurance of salvation by following the requirements of the Bible as we know it, legalistically, rather than by the grace of God accepted through faith in Jesus as the Christ.

John 8:31-36

This traditional Lutheran Reformation Day Gospel reading is an excerpt from a section of bitter anti-Jewish dialogue in John 8. The Johannine Jesus here claims that truth, freedom, and accessibility to God are possible only through him.

As we read this text, we cannot help but ask some basic questions. Could a group of people such as those who were making this claim, with all of their apparent contentiousness, be characterized as free? Could early followers of Martin Luther engaged in bitter polemic with other leaders in the Western Church and in disagreement with other reformers in the Western Church, some of whom were also followers of Martin Luther, be characterized as free? Can Lutheran Christians today who are engaged in bitter polemic against other Christians, some of whom are also Lutheran Christians, be characterized as free? Are the claims of people in such groups that truth, freedom, and accessibility to God are possible only through them convincing, especially to intelligent, thinking fellow Christians? Obviously, our work of reformation is not complete.

How can we be enthusiastically evangelical and boldly self-critical as reformers in our own religious milieu in a way in which the position and stance of the entire Church as the “Body of Christ” in the world of today will be respected and enhanced? Perhaps we should emphasize each day and each year that the inspired and revealed authority of God that motivates us is not only biblical, but is also ecclesiastical, confessional, and personal, and that we are called by God to be self-critical and actively involved in the reformation of the Church in every area of life.

Sunday between October 23 and October 30 inclusive

The primary theme of the texts designated for next Sunday is expressed most elegantly in a verse just beyond the end of the Sirach 35:12-17 selected reading, in Sirach 35:21ab, “The prayer of the humble pierces the clouds, and it will not rest until it reaches its goal” (NRSV).

Psalm 84:1-7

This psalm is a beautiful expression of appreciation to the Lord for the dwelling place of the Lord in the temple in Jerusalem. The pilgrim who is able to be in the temple for only brief periods of time considers those who can be there at all times to pray and meditate there to be especially blessed. Even the sparrow (the most common and ordinary of all of the birds) finds a home there, and the swallow builds a nest high above the altar, where it is safe from cats and people and other predators.

Psalm 65

The Lord is praised in this psalm in Zion as “O God of our salvation!” Salvation here is defined as forgiveness of sins, control of nature, a bountiful harvest, and the opportunity to worship God in prayer and meditation in the temple in Jerusalem. Therefore, the people of God and all of the earth shall shout for joy.

Joel 2:23-32

The land, which had usually been productive, had been thoroughly devastated by drought and by hordes of locusts, grasshoppers that jump from place to place in every direction, devouring all vegetation, so that nothing can survive. These invaders may refer to a multitude of insects that sweep down from the north that often arrive during a drought. More likely, the “northerner” whom the Lord will remove from the land (v. 20) is a cryptic reference to the successive waves of Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian invaders who came from the north and ravished the land, like grasshoppers do in nature.

The Joel traditions proclaim that the Lord who has punished the people of Israel will now heal the land and its people. The Lord who sent the army of ravishers will now provide bountifully food and the spirit of revelation to the sons and daughters of the people. Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved (v. 32).

Jeremiah 14:7-10, 19-22

In spite of the horrendous sins of the people and the punishments that they deserve, the prophet and people call unceasingly to the Lord for help, for they believe that only the Lord can bring relief from the prolonged drought that threatens the survival of the people.

Sirach 35:12-17

It is possible that the inspired Lukan writer was familiar with the wisdom material in this text from Ecclesiasticus, the Wisdom of Jesus Son of Sirach. There are no direct quotations of this text in the Third Gospel, but the text may have been a resource in the development of some of the material in Luke, including the Luke 18:9-14 parable about the Pharisee and the tax collector praying in the temple, especially what is written in Sirach 35:21ab about the prayer of the one who is humble. It is a valuable text also for us.

2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

The Apostle Paul is presented, or presents himself, in this text as about to be sacrificed. This and the reference to his having been rescued from the mouth of the lion at the time of his first defense are indications that the life of Paul was threatened and eventually taken by the oppressive advocates of Roman Civil Religion whom Paul publicly and repeatedly opposed by proclaiming that Jesus the Risen Christ, not Caesar, is “Lord.”

It is said here that Paul humbly credited the Lord with providing the strength to proclaim the message that Jesus is Lord, not only with Paul’s words but also with Paul’s actions.

Luke 18:9-14

It is important for us to recognize that the tax collector in this parable was praised not because he was a tax collector but because he was humble as he prayed and admitted that as a horrible sinner he needed the grace of God. The Pharisee was said not to have been fully justified, not because he was a Pharisee but because in the parable he exalted himself. Fasting, tithing, and good ethical behavior are not rejected in this parable; neither is sinful behavior condoned.

November 1 or the First Sunday in November

As we pause to remember those loved by us who have died during the past twelve months or within the scope of our memories, we turn to the inspired writers of each of the texts selected for this occasion. Shall we not also on this All Saints’ Day worship God with these writers, along with all whom we remember who have lived among us? Let us boldly worship God as God is perceived within Christianity, as Creator Father of Jesus and of all of us throughout the expanse of time and space, as Redeeming Son, the Risen Christ our Savior, and as Loving, Active, Sustaining Spirit, continuously involved in our lives. Let us acclaim the saints of all times and places, and let us worship God as God is revealed to us, with no limitations or reservations.

Psalm 149

The reason for the selection of this psalm for this occasion was probably the reference to the assembly of the faithful in 149:1 and the cry “Let those who are faithful rejoice triumphantly in glory” in 149:5. The reading should be limited, however, to 149:1-5 to avoid the use of the holy war command for violence and vengeance that is in 149:6-9a.

Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18

Together with the oppressed of ancient Israel and with all others oppressed up to the present time, we share in joyful anticipation the hope expressed in this apocalyptic text that soon the oppressed saints of the Most High will receive and possess the kingdom. The text reminds us that apocalyptic literature is not merely other-worldly and theological; it is also this-worldly and political. This text reminds us also that our emphasis on this All Saints’ Day occasion must be both a joyful anticipation of release from suffering and a powerful protest against economic, political, social, and spiritual oppression in our time and place.

Ephesians 1:11-23

In this portion of the blessing section of this epistle the Pauline writer was assuring those who would read the document that both Jewish-background followers of Jesus and non-Jewish-background followers of Jesus would share in the glorious inheritance of the saints. The amazing power and grace of God are said to have been shown both in the raising of Jesus from the dead as Lord and Christ and in the sealing of both Jewish and non-Jewish background followers of Jesus with the promised Holy Spirit of God.

Luke 6:20-31

With the insights that have come from oppressed Christians in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and elsewhere during recent decades, we recognize that the sense of Luke 6:20 is probably “Blessed are you who are oppressed (rather than merely poor), for the kingdom of God belongs to you!” “Poor” is the more general sense of the Greek word πτωχοι used here; “oppressed” is the more specific. Those who are oppressed are also always poor, since the oppressors take everything from them. People who are oppressed economically, politically, socially, and spiritually are always hungry and lacking of adequate shelter, clothing, and medical care, and they often weep bitter tears of helplessness.

Sunday between October 30 and November 5 inclusive

The theme of “salvation” in many of these texts relates our worship services for the coming weekend to our need for the ongoing Reformation of the Church in our time on October 31 and to All Saints’ Day on November 1, as well as being a reminder to us that we are nearing the end of our annual Church Year cycle.

Psalm 32:1-7

Within the beatitudes of 32:1-1 and again in 32:5 the three most important words for sin in the Hebrew Bible are used. In the sequence of the use of these three words in 32:5 we see the increase in the seriousness of the type of sin from one word for sin to another. First the psalmist acknowledged the lowest level of sin: the failure to please God even when we try. Then the psalmist admitted that the psalmist had moved to the second level of sin: breaking the rules that God had established to be helpful to God’s people. Finally, the psalmist confessed the most serious sin of all: attempted violent insurrection against God.

As is typical in Israelite Individual Hymns of Praise, Psalm 32 tries to teach to all who will hear the wisdom of acknowledging one’s sins to the Lord. The greatest need of people and the greatest gift of God are brought together here, as in so many other places in both our Older Testament and in our Newer Testament, in God’s gracious gift of salvation.

Psalm 119:137-144

The interaction between the psalmist and the Lord is expressed here in terms of the righteousness and covenant-faithfulness of the Lord God. The Israelite and Jewish perception of righteousness and covenant-faithfulness is that it is a condition in which God and the people of God are just and fair in all of their interpersonal relationships. Faithfulness to the covenant requires ongoing and enduring interaction between God and the people of God. In this covenant God provides security and salvation to the people and the people receive their security and their salvation from God.

Isaiah 1:10-18

Even though the people of Jerusalem are addressed as Sodom and as Gomorrah and are said to be as evil as Sodom and Gomorrah, offering animal sacrifices while making no effort to rescue the orphans, widows, and other weak and heavily oppressed persons among them, if they wash themselves and learn to do good, God will provide salvation for them. Although their sins are like scarlet, crimson red, their sins will be like clean wool, as white as the falling snow.

Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4

Since this text is one of the options for use in Proper 22 above, a modified portion of the notes given for Proper 22 are offered again here.

The good news in the latter portion of 2:4, that “the tsaddik (righteous person) who remains consistently in emunah (faithfulness to the Lord) shall live” was a favorite for the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans, was very important for Martin Luther during his theological crisis, is significant for all of us as Christians, and certainly has been a basic guide for Israelites and Jews down through the centuries. The tsaddik, who within the outer limits set by the commandments in the Torah makes the necessary decisions in life, assigning priorities among the many demanding relationships of the righteous person, shall live in security, in firmness, shall have salvation within a covenant relationship with the Lord, with all responsible people, and with the material things of this world. It is the same for us.

2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12

The Thessalonians are praised in this text for their fortitude, for their faith, and for their love for one another, even while they are enduring manifold struggles and tribulations. The writers testify that they are praying that God will make the followers of Jesus in Thessalonica worthy of their calling and will fulfill for them every desire that they have for that which is good. All of this is said to be done in order that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified among the Thessalonians.

The people to whom this is written are said within 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10, the portion of chapter 1 that is not included within the text selected for us for this occasion, to be worthy of rest and salvation because of their suffering, not by the unmerited grace of God that the Apostle Paul himself emphasized so strongly within the seven basic letters written by Paul and included in the Christian Scriptures.

Luke 19:1-10

This story about Zacchaeus is familiar to us, especially because it has been a favorite in our children’s education curricula and because of the action song for children, “Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he?.” The story is in Luke only.

Because Zacchaeus in this story welcomed Jesus joyfully and because he made ample restoration to his associates and to the poor, he has salvation. It would be interesting to share within our message this coming Sunday the various ways in which salvation is said to be received within each of the texts selected for this occasion.