Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - A
Cathy Venkatesh
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose would by any other name smell as sweet." Shakespeare's Juliet bemoans Romeo's family name of Montague and begs him to cast it off, but all who have seen the play know that is not so easily done. Names have power, both the names we are given and the names that we choose. Each of our lessons today touches on the power of names and naming in our lives of faith. Are there names we need to cast off? Are there names we need to claim? Today's readings offer much to ponder.
Exodus 1:8--2:10
Exodus 1:8--2:10
David Kalas
I should confess that I do not begin with a prejudice in favor of nonconformists. Some
people do, of course. Some people, I think, have protest hardwired into their
souls, and so they applaud almost any personal stand against whatever the prevailing
mores happen to be. But by temperament I am not of the camp.
On the contrary, I have often looked at nonconformity with suspicion. I have observed in some settings, for example, that nonconformity has become an unquestioned virtue, and so it has become the new norm within that setting. I suppose that reflects some basic human need for equilibrium. We may want to dispute the establishment's understanding of which way is up, but we still need to be able to affirm with some other folks which way it really is....
On the contrary, I have often looked at nonconformity with suspicion. I have observed in some settings, for example, that nonconformity has become an unquestioned virtue, and so it has become the new norm within that setting. I suppose that reflects some basic human need for equilibrium. We may want to dispute the establishment's understanding of which way is up, but we still need to be able to affirm with some other folks which way it really is....
Wayne Brouwer
Coaching is nothing without a team that responds. Leaders are merely overblown egos if there is no one who will follow. During the tumultuous French Revolution of 1789, mobs and madmen rushed through Paris streets. One journalist reported a wide-eyed, wild-haired wastrel lumbering along one day, feverishly demanding from all he saw, “Where is the crowd? I must find them! I am their leader!”
God is the greatest coach, of course, but most often teams on earth seem unwilling to follow. Because of that, people mill about or wander aimlessly, losing their way and muting the testimony of the church.
God is the greatest coach, of course, but most often teams on earth seem unwilling to follow. Because of that, people mill about or wander aimlessly, losing their way and muting the testimony of the church.
Frank Ramirez
As plot devices go, tables turned depends on a radical change of perspective. One second the hero, or the villain, is on top. A second later, the tables are turned. Like Bob Dylan once said:
The line it is drawn, the curse it is cast;
The slow one now will later be fast
And the present now will later be past.
The order is rapidly fading.
And the first one now will later be last
For the times, they are a changing.
Come to think of it, Jesus said that too.
Anyway, one of the best examples of Tables Turned occurs in the Hebrew scriptures, in prophetic utterances about the day of the Lord. Guess what? It’s not what you think. People who assume things will be looking up for them when the day of the Lord arrives may...
The line it is drawn, the curse it is cast;
The slow one now will later be fast
And the present now will later be past.
The order is rapidly fading.
And the first one now will later be last
For the times, they are a changing.
Come to think of it, Jesus said that too.
Anyway, one of the best examples of Tables Turned occurs in the Hebrew scriptures, in prophetic utterances about the day of the Lord. Guess what? It’s not what you think. People who assume things will be looking up for them when the day of the Lord arrives may...
Wayne Brouwer
Appearances can be deceiving. John Wayne, for instance, acted the part of a genuine cowboy in dozens of motion pictures and fired make-believe rifles and revolvers hundreds of times. Even his last starring role in The Shootist, he portrayed an aging western gunslinger. Yet here is what Wayne had to say about his skills with a firearm: “I couldn’t hit a wall with a six-gun, but I can twirl one. It looks good!”
Appearances can be deceiving. Still, we often trust what we see more than what we read or hear. That is one of the reasons why television is so captivating. “Seeing is believing,” we say.
Sometimes appearances can even change the way we think about things, and “deceive” us into a whole new attitude. Consider, for example, the report of...
Appearances can be deceiving. Still, we often trust what we see more than what we read or hear. That is one of the reasons why television is so captivating. “Seeing is believing,” we say.
Sometimes appearances can even change the way we think about things, and “deceive” us into a whole new attitude. Consider, for example, the report of...
Wayne Brouwer
Schuyler Rhodes
Appearances can be deceiving. John Wayne, for instance, acted the part of a genuine cowboy in dozens of motion pictures and fired make-believe rifles and revolvers hundreds of times. Even his last starring role in The Shootist had him portray an aging western gunslinger. Yet here is what Wayne had to say about his skills with a firearm: "I couldn't hit a wall with a six-gun, but I can twirl one. It looks good!"
Sometimes appearances can even change the way we think about things, and "deceive" us into a whole new attitude. Consider, for example, the report of Dr. Maxwell Maltz, a former New York cosmetic surgeon, who tells of a magazine contest to find the ugliest young woman in the United States. Cruel as such a competition may seem, the magazine editors actually hoped...
Sometimes appearances can even change the way we think about things, and "deceive" us into a whole new attitude. Consider, for example, the report of Dr. Maxwell Maltz, a former New York cosmetic surgeon, who tells of a magazine contest to find the ugliest young woman in the United States. Cruel as such a competition may seem, the magazine editors actually hoped...
As of this writing, Secretary of State Colin Powell is in Israel, meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, trying to prevail on him to pull Israeli troops and forces out of the West Bank. Powell also met with PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, trying to convince him to condemn and work to stop the terrorist attacks by Palestinians against Israel.
This latest piece of a continuing conflict began some 20 months ago, when a Palestinian Intifada erupted after Sharon took a tour of Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Since then we have seen attacks and reprisals and revenge. The Palestinians engage in suicide bombings by young people against civilian targets inside Israel. With tanks and soldiers and missiles Israel attacks Palestinian towns and refugee camps inside the West Bank.
This latest piece of a continuing conflict began some 20 months ago, when a Palestinian Intifada erupted after Sharon took a tour of Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Since then we have seen attacks and reprisals and revenge. The Palestinians engage in suicide bombings by young people against civilian targets inside Israel. With tanks and soldiers and missiles Israel attacks Palestinian towns and refugee camps inside the West Bank.
Living in a world that runs on the basis of rewards and punishments, many people have difficulty with the biblical understanding of God's grace. Grace means that everything we need for salvation has already been done for us. It's not the good old American way! Or Canadian or German or French for that matter. "You get what you deserve" in the world, and so that logic is carried over to God.
Many people in the church who confess that Christ died for us, to save us from our sins, will still insist that there is something we need to do: have faith. Faith becomes that good work that is still required, because nothing in this world is free.
Our three lessons challenge that worldly wisdom in profound ways, leaving us to respond with a resounding No! to the question...
Many people in the church who confess that Christ died for us, to save us from our sins, will still insist that there is something we need to do: have faith. Faith becomes that good work that is still required, because nothing in this world is free.
Our three lessons challenge that worldly wisdom in profound ways, leaving us to respond with a resounding No! to the question...
Today's English Version of the Bible suggests that Jesus' word to Peter, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Bar Jonah," could well be translated, "Good for you, Peter!" Though Peter's understanding of what he said was very elementary and would not be fully formed until after the resurrection and the Day of Pentecost, he does at least have enough sense of the person and mission of Christ to be able to call him "Messiah." At that juncture, that is all our Lord expected of him. Even Christ himself may not yet have seen fully the purpose of his mission in the world. Thus, his word to Peter is both an affirmation of Peter's growing faith as well as a word to the other disciples that the confession of Peter is one they, too, should embrace.
If one is not careful, she can so focus attention on the terrible judgmental words of the selections for this week that she is blinded to the word of grace.
I once invited a friend of mine to come and be the preacher for a week of special services at the church I was pastoring. Every night he drummed the terrible and the negative. He would get out his whip and lash into the congregation without fail. Near the end of the first week I quizzed him about his approach and he replied by assuring me that people liked to hear the word of judgment because it made them feel better. Well, it wasn't making me feel better and, in addition, I felt that he was misrepresenting the Good News that we have to share.
I once invited a friend of mine to come and be the preacher for a week of special services at the church I was pastoring. Every night he drummed the terrible and the negative. He would get out his whip and lash into the congregation without fail. Near the end of the first week I quizzed him about his approach and he replied by assuring me that people liked to hear the word of judgment because it made them feel better. Well, it wasn't making me feel better and, in addition, I felt that he was misrepresenting the Good News that we have to share.
Lectionary Commentary and Sermon Illustrations
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