Your move
Commentary
Object:
Have you ever set across from someone during a game -- chess, checkers, or a board game -- and waited impatiently for your opponent to make a move? Or have you been the one who was in no hurry to speed things along? Today’s lectionary scriptures all involve both movement on the chessboard of life and perhaps some impatience on the part of someone, including God, to make the next move.
Abram laments that he will walk (the word is sometimes translated “die”) without children and waits for God’s response. Paul writes from prison in Rome to the Philippians that their next move is to stand fast! And the Pharisees warn Jesus about Herod’s planned move to kill him and suggest Jesus literally move out of the neighborhood, but Jesus replies that his next move is to Jerusalem -- and that his moves will be on his terms, not Herod’s.
Regardless of which scriptures (or combination of them) you choose to use this week in your preaching, it might be worth encouraging your congregation to consider their next move. Congregations tend to follow Newton’s first law of motion: bodies at rest tend to remain at rest, and bodies in motion tend to remain in motion -- unless someone or something intervenes. The Body of Christ ought to be on the move, in imitation of Christ (see Philippians), sure in God’s covenant (see Genesis), and with an aim and goal that ignores contemporary politics for its higher sacrificial calling.
Churches tend to want to stay still. These Lenten texts encourage us to move, or else to move over.
Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
Certainly Abram is impatient with God in this passage from Genesis, and possibly with good reason. The story of Abram and Sarai began literally with great promise. On the hinge of history, God abandons the universal plan that permeates the Primeval History (Genesis 1-11) and focuses laser-like on one family -- through whom God promises to bless everyone. God pledges to make a great nation of the childless couple of Abram and Sarai. They begin a great journey.
Years later, however, none of this has come true and Abram laments that he will walk about (the word is sometimes translated “die”) with no children. Abram is moving about on what is becoming a pointless journey. There are no children. There is no land.
Abram's complaint is pretty heartfelt and also accusatory. Well, in the Bible no one gets zapped for complaining to God. In response to his complaint, God’s move is to usher Abram outdoors beneath the night sky and promise him descendants more numerous than the stars. (Little sidebar here -- the bit about Abram’s belief being reckoned to him as righteousness is used by both Paul and James to make radically different points).
This leads to a very mysterious scene in which sacrificed animals are cut into halves as a symbol of the covenant. In Hebrew culture, one “cut” a covenant. A torch then passes between the pieces. The future of Abram’s people is prophesied and it is fraught with danger -- but also with the assurance of redemption.
God has made his move. Now it is Abram’s turn. It won’t be long before the childless couple decide to “help” God by producing a child through a concubine, which will help perpetuate the familial dysfunction that permeates Genesis... and though this will complicate things, the future is assured.
Philippians 3:17--4:1
Paul’s adventures in Philippi began with a vision (as recorded in Acts) of a man in Macedonia begging him to visit. Paul discovers not a man but a woman, Lydia, and her household which is engaged in the manufacture of purple dye. The congregation soon includes Paul’s jailer. The city of Philippi was located on the great east-west road known as the Via Egnatia, and Philippi, an ancient city of renown, was considered a Roman colony. Residents, many of them retired military, were Roman citizens who enjoyed all the rights and privileges of a city they have never seen but believe in with rock-solid assurance: Rome!
So Paul writes to them from prison in Rome, reminding them that they are also citizens of another place they have never seen but believe in implicitly -- heaven! In the verses just prior to today’s passage Paul has been encouraging this largely Gentile congregation to act like athletes training for a great event. Now that they are so close to the finish line, able to see the waving flag that signals the end of the event, he does not want their training to be in vain. So in 3:17 Paul encourages the Philippians to imitate him so they can fulfill their training.
Others may give in to temptations of the flesh, to the point of rejecting the absolute shame and horror of the cross. This cross will be the laurel crown worn by the victor, worn even now by Paul who has triumphed through his suffering. This close to the finish line, we are to stand fast in our training!
Luke 13:31-35
The Herods of the world don’t get it. It’s not about them. It’s about God.
This passage begins with a warning from some of the Pharisees to Jesus (as he gets closer and closer to Jerusalem) that Herod Antipas, one of the sons of Herod the Great, wants to kill him. Interestingly, we are so used to putting people in boxes that at the mention of the word “Pharisees” it is assumed by some commentators that they had to be evil and have ulterior motives for telling Jesus to get out of town. But the Pharisees were the folks who staffed the synagogues and championed the causes of the local people. They were the opponents of the royalist Sadducees. They were the good guys.
In the same way it is wrong to tar all Pharisees with the same brush, it is also wrong to assume that all members of a political party, denomination, generation, or cultural movement are the same. All should be judged on the basis of their own actions.
Jesus addresses the concerns of these particular Pharisees by insulting Herod, referring to him as “that fox,” an animal that in fables was depicted as sly and sneaky, in contrast to the lion, who represented real royalty. The ministry of Jesus is not altered because of the political machinations of foxes masquerading as lions. Nor should we Christians assume that our missions and ministries should be determined or altered by the bluster and bluff of politicians, trend-setters, and cultural icons. Especially in an election year, it is easy to subsume faith to political aims -- but faith comes first, and is not defined or determined by the political plotting.
The passage shifts from politics as usual to the mothering love of God. The lament of Jesus over Jerusalem, where he will (like other prophets) meet his death, and the image of Jesus as the mother hen longing to lovingly gather and protect her own from storms and other dangers, is a startling contrast to the leaders who betray their own people for short-term gain. As Lent continues, it is made clear in the final verse of this passage that Jesus sees where this is heading, and has no intention of stepping to the right or left. The sacrificial love of Jesus for us should inspire us to maintain our sacrificial course, regardless of the lies, fear, and hatred peddled by others with short-term goals for power and dominance.
Abram laments that he will walk (the word is sometimes translated “die”) without children and waits for God’s response. Paul writes from prison in Rome to the Philippians that their next move is to stand fast! And the Pharisees warn Jesus about Herod’s planned move to kill him and suggest Jesus literally move out of the neighborhood, but Jesus replies that his next move is to Jerusalem -- and that his moves will be on his terms, not Herod’s.
Regardless of which scriptures (or combination of them) you choose to use this week in your preaching, it might be worth encouraging your congregation to consider their next move. Congregations tend to follow Newton’s first law of motion: bodies at rest tend to remain at rest, and bodies in motion tend to remain in motion -- unless someone or something intervenes. The Body of Christ ought to be on the move, in imitation of Christ (see Philippians), sure in God’s covenant (see Genesis), and with an aim and goal that ignores contemporary politics for its higher sacrificial calling.
Churches tend to want to stay still. These Lenten texts encourage us to move, or else to move over.
Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
Certainly Abram is impatient with God in this passage from Genesis, and possibly with good reason. The story of Abram and Sarai began literally with great promise. On the hinge of history, God abandons the universal plan that permeates the Primeval History (Genesis 1-11) and focuses laser-like on one family -- through whom God promises to bless everyone. God pledges to make a great nation of the childless couple of Abram and Sarai. They begin a great journey.
Years later, however, none of this has come true and Abram laments that he will walk about (the word is sometimes translated “die”) with no children. Abram is moving about on what is becoming a pointless journey. There are no children. There is no land.
Abram's complaint is pretty heartfelt and also accusatory. Well, in the Bible no one gets zapped for complaining to God. In response to his complaint, God’s move is to usher Abram outdoors beneath the night sky and promise him descendants more numerous than the stars. (Little sidebar here -- the bit about Abram’s belief being reckoned to him as righteousness is used by both Paul and James to make radically different points).
This leads to a very mysterious scene in which sacrificed animals are cut into halves as a symbol of the covenant. In Hebrew culture, one “cut” a covenant. A torch then passes between the pieces. The future of Abram’s people is prophesied and it is fraught with danger -- but also with the assurance of redemption.
God has made his move. Now it is Abram’s turn. It won’t be long before the childless couple decide to “help” God by producing a child through a concubine, which will help perpetuate the familial dysfunction that permeates Genesis... and though this will complicate things, the future is assured.
Philippians 3:17--4:1
Paul’s adventures in Philippi began with a vision (as recorded in Acts) of a man in Macedonia begging him to visit. Paul discovers not a man but a woman, Lydia, and her household which is engaged in the manufacture of purple dye. The congregation soon includes Paul’s jailer. The city of Philippi was located on the great east-west road known as the Via Egnatia, and Philippi, an ancient city of renown, was considered a Roman colony. Residents, many of them retired military, were Roman citizens who enjoyed all the rights and privileges of a city they have never seen but believe in with rock-solid assurance: Rome!
So Paul writes to them from prison in Rome, reminding them that they are also citizens of another place they have never seen but believe in implicitly -- heaven! In the verses just prior to today’s passage Paul has been encouraging this largely Gentile congregation to act like athletes training for a great event. Now that they are so close to the finish line, able to see the waving flag that signals the end of the event, he does not want their training to be in vain. So in 3:17 Paul encourages the Philippians to imitate him so they can fulfill their training.
Others may give in to temptations of the flesh, to the point of rejecting the absolute shame and horror of the cross. This cross will be the laurel crown worn by the victor, worn even now by Paul who has triumphed through his suffering. This close to the finish line, we are to stand fast in our training!
Luke 13:31-35
The Herods of the world don’t get it. It’s not about them. It’s about God.
This passage begins with a warning from some of the Pharisees to Jesus (as he gets closer and closer to Jerusalem) that Herod Antipas, one of the sons of Herod the Great, wants to kill him. Interestingly, we are so used to putting people in boxes that at the mention of the word “Pharisees” it is assumed by some commentators that they had to be evil and have ulterior motives for telling Jesus to get out of town. But the Pharisees were the folks who staffed the synagogues and championed the causes of the local people. They were the opponents of the royalist Sadducees. They were the good guys.
In the same way it is wrong to tar all Pharisees with the same brush, it is also wrong to assume that all members of a political party, denomination, generation, or cultural movement are the same. All should be judged on the basis of their own actions.
Jesus addresses the concerns of these particular Pharisees by insulting Herod, referring to him as “that fox,” an animal that in fables was depicted as sly and sneaky, in contrast to the lion, who represented real royalty. The ministry of Jesus is not altered because of the political machinations of foxes masquerading as lions. Nor should we Christians assume that our missions and ministries should be determined or altered by the bluster and bluff of politicians, trend-setters, and cultural icons. Especially in an election year, it is easy to subsume faith to political aims -- but faith comes first, and is not defined or determined by the political plotting.
The passage shifts from politics as usual to the mothering love of God. The lament of Jesus over Jerusalem, where he will (like other prophets) meet his death, and the image of Jesus as the mother hen longing to lovingly gather and protect her own from storms and other dangers, is a startling contrast to the leaders who betray their own people for short-term gain. As Lent continues, it is made clear in the final verse of this passage that Jesus sees where this is heading, and has no intention of stepping to the right or left. The sacrificial love of Jesus for us should inspire us to maintain our sacrificial course, regardless of the lies, fear, and hatred peddled by others with short-term goals for power and dominance.
