The Adventurous Lectionary for October 6, 2013: Aiming High!

Last updated on: September 30, 2013 at 7:25 pm by Bruce Epperly

The Adventurous Lectionary for October 6, 2013: Aiming High! 2013-09-30T19:25:26-04:00 Bruce Epperly

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Lectionary Reflections for October 6, 2013

Lamentations 1:1-6; Psalm 137; 2 Timothy 1:1-14; Luke 17:5-10

This week’s lectionary is filled with challenging passages. The Hebraic scriptures speak of national desolation and its impact on the faithful. They challenge our belief in a God who is exclusively on our side. The New Testament passages challenge us to expect great things of ourselves and God. We are to aspire toward living “the sacrament of the present moment,” investing ordinary things with extraordinary care and aspiring to become Christ-like. In rekindling our faith, we can shine brightly for God.

Lamentations describes a nation overrun by its enemies. The author remembers the good old days when Jerusalem was proud and the Temple was magnificent in its glory. Now, the city, its rulers and wealthy business leaders, and its religious shrines have been decimated. The author recognizes the people’s culpability in their fate, but wonders if God has gone too far in treating Israel like the rest of the nations, in letting the heathen proclaim victory. Looking for an explanation, the author doesn’t want to jettison his image of divine sovereignty: “the Lord has made her suffer for the multitude of her transgressions.” Yet, this explanation begs the question, perhaps nagging the author of Lamentations: Is the punishment unfair? Does Israel’s unfaithfulness deserve so severe a penalty? Is God truly the engine of destruction?” How does this square with his proclamation that God is faithful; and that God’s mercies are new every morning?

Is God truly the source of our pain? Or, do our lives reflect a dynamic interplay of divine call and human response in which turning our back on God weakens God’s impact on our lives and community? Do we somehow limit or enhance divine possibility and presence by our openness or closedness to God’s way?

In reading this passage, we must take another course than those self-proclaimed Bible expositors who clearly identify natural and human calamities with God’s condemnation of homosexuality, promiscuity, and banning of prayer in schools. Such preachers neglect the Bible’s emphasis on social sins such as injustice, dishonest business dealings, neglect of the poor, and unbridled consumption.

Still, in a world where what we do matters, Lamentations may describe a butterfly effect in reverse. Our injustice and abuse of the environment can be a factor in human chaos and natural catastrophes. It can tip the scale from fair weather to a storm or creative social order to social chaos.

Psalm 137 falls into the category of a lament, a Psalm of disorientation. Can we worship God in a strange land? Can we sing praise when the foundations of our social order have collapsed? The Psalmist laments but also proclaims his love of God. He cannot forget God. God is the center of his life, even as he makes his “cry of absence.”

The Psalmist still loves Jerusalem and clings to God, and this inspires a type of Israelite exceptionalism and blood revenge toward Jerusalem’s enemies. They little ones and dash them against the rock!” This is true bloodlust, reflective of a stream of Biblical thought, that has inspired persecution of the infidel and revenge on the innocent.

The Epistle reading is a love letter from an older sage to young Timothy. He is truly the beloved follower of the author (identified as the Apostle Paul). Paul gives thanks for the faith of Timothy’s mother and grandmother, who have been this young man’s models in discipleship. He reminds the young man that the faith of Christ must be rekindled and from that burst of fire new energies emerge. The laying on of hands conveys God’s presence in ways that renew our spirits and give us power to be God’s agents of creative transformation.

Paul is able to face his sufferings because of his faith in Christ. He knows that whether he lives or dies, he belongs to God. God’s vision of salvation in Christ nurtures and sustains him and enables him to face suffering with hope.

Paul’s words are highly countercultural today. Christians in North America seldom suffer for our faith. Our churches receive non-profit status and pastors receive tax benefits. This text asks us: For what are we willing to suffer to be faithful to the way of Jesus? Where might we trust God and place ourselves in the position to suffer for the Gospel?

In the Gospel reading, the disciples ask Jesus, “Increase our faith.” Jesus responds, reminding them that only a little faith can transform the world. Luke, then, suggests that faithfulness and loyalty to Christ’s way are not optional, but mandated for believers. Increasing faith emerges in the everyday events of life. In the spirit of the Buddhist saying, we chop wood and carry water; we do what is required of us in the quotidian responsibilities of life. Faith is a matter of life – it is a “how” and not a “what.” Belief finds its fulfillment in our responses to ordinary events. The word is made flesh at the work place, driving a child to school, dealing with conflict, and facing the challenges of difficult relationships or challenging family situations.

The passage smacks of hyperbole both in its description of tree-moving faith and its chiding the disciples as “worthless slaves” for just doing their duty. The latter is not intended to encourage “works righteousness” or the attempt to earn God’s love by our propriety or perfectionism. Rather, it is a reminder that faith is a lifestyle as well as a belief system. There are certain things that Christians simply do because they are Christians! We need to expect great things of ourselves and great things of God. We are not to settle for such half-hearted sentiments as “Christians aren’t perfect, they’re just forgiven,” but aim high in our ethic and spirituality. We are to aspire after lives of holiness and wholeness, living with our imperfection and knowing God loves us, but constantly asking more of ourselves as followers of Jesus in family life and in the social order.

These passages point to the importance of living in the spirit of Jesus and aiming high in our faith journeys. Aiming low leads to personal and social destruction. In contrast, a life of faithful discipleship creates circles of well-being that transform families, communities, and nations.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

September 30, 2013

The Cost of Discipleship, Bob Fu, and “God’s Double Agent”

Next Post

October 7, 2013 The Adventurous Lectionary for Oct 13, 2013: Hope in Challenging Times

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Book Reviews The Adventurous Lectionary Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 December 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz