Thanksgiving Eve/Day, Cycle A

It is appropriate to give thanks to God during every moment of every day. It is appropriate also for us to give thanks to God together with all of the people in our land on a special National Day of Thanksgiving. When we prepare to offer a worship service on a National Day of Thanksgiving, however, we realize that there are no biblical texts that refer specifically to our nation as we know it today. We realize also that worship services on our National Day of Thanksgiving should be inclusive of all of the people who live in our nation. They should not be limited to one group of Christians. They should not be limited to Christians. They should include recognition for the natives who were displaced and whose lives and culture were destroyed by those of our ancestors who immigrated to our land. The worship services should be public, open, and conducted with integrity.

With all of this in mind, we see that such worship services should be led in public places by the president of our nation, who is by virtue of that office the “High Priest” of American Civil Religion, and/or by other elected or appointed officials in our government at the national, state, and local levels. Special liturgies should be used that focus our attention on our national, civil religion at its best, inclusive of all people, serving all people, and giving thanks to God as a people. The leaders in this worship should not be clergy of any ecclesial religion. Instead, they should be representatives of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of our government.

In most instances, however, we have expected members of the clergy in our ecclesial religions to plan and to conduct such worship services, even though we have no biblical texts that apply directly to our nation and even though most of the clergy in our ecclesial religions have not had significant training in their seminaries or elsewhere to prepare them to lead in civil religion worship services. (Clergy in our ecclesial religions who have had training and experience for service as chaplains in the military, corrective institutions, hospitals, and so forth of our nation are partially exceptions to this.)

In spite of all of this, if we choose to conduct worship services on our National Day of Thanksgiving within our individual congregations or together as groups of congregations, there are texts selected in our lectionary for this year in Series A.

Deuteronomy 8:7-18
This text, designed for use in the civil religion of ancient Israel, is one of the texts in our biblical tradition most applicable for our adaptation and use in our ecclesial National Day of Thanksgiving worship services. It offers no recognition and no concern, however, of the native peoples who were displaced by the Israelite immigrants. It provides warnings and admonitions about how to live in the land, for the most part, rather than expressions of thanksgiving.

Psalm 65
The Lord is praised in this psalm as the 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.

2 Corinthians 9:6-15
Within chapters 8 and 9 of this composite letter of Paul to followers of Jesus in Corinth, Paul urges that significant offerings be collected, designated, and then taken to share with followers of Jesus in Jerusalem. Paul wrote in what for us is 2 Corinthians 9:11 that his readers will be blessed for sharing generously portions of their resources and this should result in thanksgiving to God. There is a good application here for our National Day of Thanksgiving, especially when we joyously share our resources through offerings, benevolent work, and taxation with those in our nation who are in need, and when we do this throughout the year and not only for a day or two around the time of November and December holidays.

Luke 17:11-19
Here again the inspired Lukan writer provides a story that is so vividly told that we can practically “see” every detail in it. The Lukan Jesus is near the end of his theological journey toward Jerusalem. He is passing theologically between the Galilean Jews and the Samaritans. All of them (perhaps symbolically represented by the number 10) are unclean. They stand at a distance, acclaim Jesus as their Master, and ask for his mercy. When they are obedient to Jesus, they are cleansed. Only one of them, however, when he sees that he has been cleansed, abandons the traditional way of going to show himself to the priests for certification of cleanliness, and returns to Jesus, giving glory to God and falling at the feet of Jesus in thankfulness. The nine who go the Jewish way, even though they have been cleansed by Jesus, are compared unfavorably with the single Samaritan who returns immediately to thank Jesus and to praise God.

The extent that this account can be traced back to the Jesus of history is uncertain. It is probable that the identity as a Samaritan of the one who returns to Jesus to praise God was given at the point in the transmission of the account when the mission of the followers of Jesus to the Samaritans became prominent, and the resulting anti-Jewish polemic is an additive that stems from the period of 80-90 CE when the break between the developing Church and the Synagogue became irreparable. We see that the Lukan tradition and the Fourth Gospel tradition praise the Samaritans and renounce the Jews, but in different ways. The positive emphasis in this Lukan text and in all of the texts selected for this occasion is the obedient, faithful, thankful response to God for forgiveness, life, healing, and salvation. That is what we are called to proclaim.

Sunday between November 13 and November 19 inclusive

The emphasis in many of these texts is on living our lives in the full light of the Lord while we wait for the redemption that the Lord has planned for us. There is a sharp contrast between those who live in the darkness and those who live in the light.

Judges 4:1-7
This is one of the many texts in the Judges document in which the recurring pattern is presented of the people of Israel doing evil in the sight of the Lord and then being punished by the Lord who makes it possible for their enemies to gain power over them until the Lord raises up a new judge, in this instance a woman, Deborah, under whose leadership the Lord delivers them from their enemies. Every generation in a sense passes through this pattern from darkness to light. We may wonder why they never seem to learn the consequences of sin until we begin to realize their story is also our story.

Psalm 123
In this poetic prayer, the psalmist personally and in behalf of the psalmist’s community looks up to the Lord and humbly asks for mercy, for relief from having to endure the contempt of those who in their wickedness are proud and insolent.

Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18
The Day of the Lord here, as in the Amos 5:18-24 text considered last week, is a day of wrath, of darkness and destruction the Lord will bring upon those who walk like those who are blind because they have sinned against the Lord. The implication is clear that this destruction will not come upon those who do no wrong and utter no lies, who live lives that are honest and upright in the sight of the Lord.

Psalm 90:1-8 (9-11) 12
As was noted when this psalm was on the list of texts to be read three weeks ago, the psalmist looks back here as an old person pondering human life and the transience of all life other than the life of God. This psalmist suggests if we are wise we will realize that even the sins we commit in secret are fully exposed to the light of the face of God, and we should love God and only God unconditionally since only God is perfect and immortal. When we love God unconditionally we are linked to God who is perfect and immortal.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
According to the Apostle Paul in this text, we as Christians are not children of the night or of darkness. We are children of the light and of the day. If Paul could advise the followers of Jesus in Thessalonica whose lives were endangered by the zealous advocates of Roman Civil religion to live their lives openly and honestly, alert and sober, how much more ought we to be advised in a similar way!

Matthew 25:14-30
The servant in this parable of the talents who had hidden his one talent in the darkness of the earth was cast into the deepest darkness farthest from the joy of the master. The servants, on the other hand, who had used their talents in the full light of commerce and trade while their master was away on a journey were welcomed into the joy of their master. The message of the parable, therefore, is that while we wait for the return of our Lord we should use our lives and our abilities fully and openly in honest service for others in the name of the Lord. This message is to be given special emphasis as we near the conclusion of another Church Year.

Sunday between November 20 and November 26 inclusive

The symbolic images of “shepherd” and of “king” are predominant in these texts. In the texts that are from the Israelite Scriptures it is, of course, the Lord who is “like a shepherd” and “like a king.” In the Newer Testament texts, it is Jesus raised from the dead as Lord and Christ who is “like a shepherd” and “like a king.” The symbolic image of “shepherd” connotes tenderness, caring, love, and immanence. The symbolic image of “king” connotes power, strength, force, and transcendence. Both the Lord God of Israel and Jesus as Lord and Son of God are perceived as having the characteristics of an ideal shepherd and an ideal king.

The Christ the King emphasis at the conclusion of the Church Year is basically doctrinal. It has its greatest affinity within our Church Year calendar with Trinity Sunday. It marks the culmination each year of the process of theological development through which Jesus the man became and becomes in the piety of his followers Christ the King. The process of theological development attributes to Jesus as Risen Lord and Christ the same attributes Israelites and Jews attribute to the Lord God. Within the texts selected for this occasion, this includes the role of gentle shepherd who is also sovereign over all. This should be our emphasis on this occasion as well.

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
In sharp contrast to the shepherds who have been feeding themselves instead of the sheep (Ezekiel 34:1-10), it is said in these texts that the Lord will rescue the sheep from the selfish, uncaring shepherds and will gather the sheep together that have been scattered abroad. The Lord will bring these sheep once again into their own land, and will make it possible for them to graze on the hills of Israel once more, and will let them rest there. The Lord will seek out the lost, bring back the ones who have strayed, bind up the ones who are crippled, and strengthen the weak.

Within the Ezekiel traditions, these texts are obviously references to the late exilic and early restoration periods of Israelite history. For us as Christians, these texts also depict the activities of Jesus as Lord and Christ.

Psalm 100
Calling upon people in all lands of the earth to sing praises to the Lord, the writer of this psalm follows a series of psalms (93. 95-99) celebrating the Lord as King of all and describes those who serve the Lord as the Lord’s people, the sheep of the Lord’s pasture.

Psalm 95:1-7a
The reason for including this Community Hymn of Praise on this occasion is easily seen in 95:3, “For the Lord is a great God, and a great king above all gods,” and in 95:7, “For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.”

Ephesians 1:15-23
For the writer of this Pauline epistle later designated as “to the Ephesians,” Jesus as the Risen Christ is as we might say today, “the bottom line.” In the midst of the carefully constructed literary edifice, the one sentence in Greek that extends to twelve verses in Ephesians 1:3-14, we read in verses 8b-10a, “In a way that surpasses all human wisdom and understanding, God has made known to us the mystery of God’s will, according to God’s desire to show favor, which God put into effect in Christ as a plan of salvation for the fullness of time that all things should be summed up in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth.” This line of thought is continued in Ephesians 1:20-23, in which the writer referred to the power of God’s might “which God put into effect in Christ when God raised Christ from the dead and placed him at God’s ‘right hand’ in the heavens far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And God subjected all things under Christ’s feet, and gave him preeminence over all things in the Church, which is Christ’s body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way” (my translation in The New Testament: A New Translation and Redaction [Lima, Ohio: Fairway Press, 2001]). This writer provided for us much of the theological reflection that we shall want to use in our Christ the King worship service this year.

Matthew 25:31-46
Matthew 25:31-46 provides for us a Matthean perspective of futuristic expectation for our Christ the King celebration. It is an indication that there was emphasis within the Matthean segment of the “mainline” followers of Jesus late during the first century on the importance of right living, of concern for one’s neighbor, and of loving one’s neighbor as one loved one’s self. These “mainline” followers of Jesus believed that only those who were doing these things would enter with Jesus into eternal life.

November 1 or the First Sunday in November

The relationship between God and the “saints” is the basic theme of these texts and of this occasion. The “saints,” as the term is used here, are the holy People of God. They are “holy” because of their relationship with God, who is ultimately “Holy.” This includes the holy People of God who are still living and are in a covenantal relationship with God here and now, and those who have lived and died with faith in God and are perceived as being with God in a wondrous way now. Some Christians perceive the “saints” in a narrow, limited sense that may even be restricted to their own denomination or local fellowship. Other Christians have a much more open and broad perception of the holy People of God in which God, rather than they, keep the statistical records.

As we pause to remember on this occasion those loved by us who have died within the past year or within the scope of our memories, we have a point of contact with the writers of the texts selected for this week. Let us acclaim the writers of these texts, along with those loved by us who have died within the scope of our memories, without worshiping them. Let us boldly worship God, if we are Christians, 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 Living, Active, Sustaining Spirit, continually involved in our lives.

Revelation 7:9-17
The intimate relationship between God and the People of God in the great multitude of those gathered around the throne of God is beautifully expressed in this text. These verses provide great comfort to the afflicted in all times. They provide for us a graphic illustration of the life to come with God that we, by the grace of God, joyfully anticipate.

Psalm 34:1-10, 22
Perhaps a Beatitude Wisdom Psalm such as Psalm 1, or perhaps Psalm 24 would be more appropriate for us to be used along with the Matthean Beatitudes on this occasion than are these portions of Psalm 34. Nevertheless, the reference to the afflicted humble ones hearing the psalmist has a point of contact with Matthew 5:5, and the mention of “his holy ones” (saints) in Psalm 34:9 forms an important association with the “All Saints” theme of this day. Psalm 34 has many of the characteristics of an individual Hymn of Praise. The psalmist bears testimony to the Lord and invites the other members of the congregation to join with the psalmist in proclaiming the glory of the Lord. It should be noted that in this psalm “his holy ones” (saints) are holy already in this life.

1 John 3:1-3
The followers of Jesus who have remained within the Johannine community of faith at the time of the writing of this theological treatise, in words that are similar in some respects to a “pep talk” that a football coach might give to the players who had remained on the team until the final game of a no-win season, are called “children of God” here. There is anticipation in this text that the life to come with God and with Jesus the Risen Christ will be far better than the present life with its discouragements and turmoil. The anticipation is that in the “next season,” our eternal life, our relationship with God will be much closer and better than anything we can imagine now. It is that way also for us.

Matthew 5:1-12
The main body of this text (5:3-10), the Matthean Beatitudes proper, is an excellent collection of “happiness sayings.” It is likely that this collection is based on words Jesus expressed many times in his concern for his fellow Jewish people who were suffering along with him as a result of the Roman occupation of the area by the time Jesus was crucified had been endured for eighty to ninety years and was becoming increasingly oppressive.

There is no doubt that the Jesus of history, followed and loved by significant numbers of his poor and oppressed fellow Jews such as those depicted in these sayings, appeared to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor in Jerusalem, to be a Jewish Messiah figure, a person who might be acclaimed as a potential “King of the Jews.” Therefore, Pilate ordered the crucifixion of Jesus and instructed his officers to post the designation “King of the Jews” on his cross in order to demonstrate to the oppressed Jews that this is what we, the Romans, do to anyone among you whom you would like to have as your “king.” It was a horribly effective insult to the Jewish people.

We should focus our attention, therefore, as we use this text on the principal Beatitudes in 5:3-10 and view them from the perspective of those who are poor and oppressed today, both in other nations and in our own. We should remember that the poor in these Beatitudes are poor because they are oppressed. The oppressed are always poor. Perhaps also the poor are always oppressed. The poor are not necessarily lazy. If we understand this and if we proclaim this, perhaps we will see that a few poor and oppressed people may become interested in worshiping God together with us in our congregations, joining with us as additional “saints.” Do we have room for them?

Sunday between November 6 and November 12 inclusive

Within the Amos 5:18-24, 1 Thessalonians 5:18-24, and Matthew 25:1-13 texts there is the theme of watching and waiting for the coming of the Lord and living in ways that are appropriate in preparation for that coming. Other situations are addressed within the other texts selected.

Amos 5:18-24
This is a tremendously important text, relevant for us and for all People of God in every time and place. It is stated that the demands for justice and for uninterrupted righteousness must be heeded. Those who are waiting for the Day of the Lord are addressed. In the life situation of this text, however, the Day of the Lord is a day of darkness and of judgment, not merely of the darkness of the night in which the Lord will come to rescue us, but the darkness of death for those whose religiosity is not accompanied by their caring for those who are poor and oppressed. There are no maidens with lamps here as there are in the Matthew 25:1-13 parable. This text, unlike Matthew 25:1-13, is addressed to the oppressors rather than to the oppressed. The oppressors must end their oppression and use their resources to help those whom they have oppressed immediately, before the Lord comes to destroy them.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
The major issue in the document that is known to us as 1 Thessalonians is concern for matters related to the parousia of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul wanted those who would read his letter to live quietly, to “mind their own affairs,” and to work with their hands while they waited for the Lord Jesus the Risen Christ to come to liberate them from the oppressive political situation in which they were expected to submit to the absolutist claims of Caesar and the Roman State.

In 4:13-18 the specific concern Paul addressed was the anxiety of followers of Jesus in Thessalonica that those among them who had died would not be taken with them with the Lord in the clouds when the Lord came to rescue them. Paul assured them there was no need for them to worry about that while they were waiting. Those who had died would not be left behind when the hour of liberation would come. That assurance continues for us after billions of Christians have died.

Matthew 25:1-13
The point of this parable is easily seen. The details are taken from marriage customs in Galilee and Judea during the first century. The hour that is awaited is the hour of liberation from the oppressive Roman rule, although the specifics of that liberation could not be spelled out openly in the Gospel According to Matthew without endangering the followers of Jesus even more than they already were. It was relatively safe to use the coded terminology “the kingdom of heaven” and “the coming of the kingdom of heaven” to depict the hour of liberation. How shall we in our time depict the hour of liberation for us? What is the oppression that endangers our lives? Who is and what is oppressing us? Is it our own sin, guilt, fear of loss of health, anxiety about our own aging and impending death, anomie, meaningless existence?

Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25
There are some similarities between what is depicted in this account of the covenant with the Lord ceremony that Joshua is said to have established for the people of the tribes of Israel after they had been established in the land and our nationalization ceremony for citizenship in the USA. In both instances there is the requirement of a renunciation of previous allegiances and a commitment to service in and loyalty to the new political/religious entity. This has relevance for us as we consider and adapt our national immigration policies and the possibilities in some instances for some forms of dual citizenship. How is our religious citizenship related to our political citizenship?

Psalm 78:1-7
The psalmist desires that the wisdom derived from experiences of the people with the Lord in the past be shared with future generations. The people and their children should be continually reminded of all the Lord has provided for them, and they are to live their lives in accordance with the commandments and the will of the Lord.

Wisdom of Solomon 6:12-16
The beauty of wisdom personified in a female form is acclaimed here as easily accessible to those who are receptive to her. Those who are wise will focus their attention on her and will not have anxiety about anything.

Wisdom of Solomon 6:17-20
The person who desires to be taught will attain wisdom. Wisdom in this sense is a characteristic of deity, of God. Those who are receptive to wisdom and pursue wisdom will be assured of immortality, of nearness to God in a life in which God is the ruler.

Psalm 70
The psalmist cries out to the Lord for deliverance from those who are inflicting pain and injury on the psalmist. There is great urgency in the psalmist’s cry. The psalmist has faith in God that those who seek the Lord will rejoice when the Lord has saved them.