Proper 28
Devotional
Streams of Living Water
Lectionary Devotional for Cycle B
Object:
1 Samuel 1:4-20
In due time Hannah conceived and bore a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, "I have asked him of the Lord."
-- 1 Samuel 1:20
It is clear that God loves children because children, or the lack of them, play such an important role in the unfolding story of God in history. Abram and Sarai had to learn that nothing was impossible for God (Genesis 18:14), so they waited until their old age to bear Isaac. Then Rebecca was barren until Isaac petitioned God, and she bore twins. One of the twins was Jacob who would father twelve sons that would produce the twelve tribes of Israel. Later it would be the child, Moses, who had to be preserved through a series of unusual circumstances in order to prepare for the liberation of God's people from slavery in Egypt. Difficult, unusual, even seemingly impossible births became a continual theme of God's involvement in the world. They became, as Isaiah would tell the reluctant King Ahaz, a sign of Immanuel, or God with us (Isaiah 7:14). The birth of Samuel was seen as such a sign.
It also reaffirmed another theme of the biblical story. God heard the cry of the oppressed and was moved by their cry of anguish. In this case, it was an individual cry of lament as voiced by Hannah both in response to her barrenness and in reaction to the constant harassment by her rival, Peninnah. God was responsive to both personal anguish and the anguish brought on by the behavior of another. The misunderstanding of the priest, Eli, who, upon observing her silent prayer presumed that Hannah was drunk, is a cautious reminder that professional religious training can cause us to overlook the clear signs of piety in those among us. Later, it would be the religious professionals who were unable to recognize what God was doing when another baby was born in Bethlehem.
1 Samuel 2:1-10
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king, and exalt the power of his anointed.
-- 1 Samuel 2:10b
One can easily see why the church picked up Hannah's song and saw in it the same theme that was manifest in the birth of Jesus. While the births were different in many respects, the overarching truth was that both children were gifts from God. Each was dedicated to God's service. Both were heralds of a new era in God's unfolding plan of salvation. The people had been without a king, and Samuel would guide them into a new period when they would have a king to lead them. Jesus would guide them into a new understanding of God's grace in their lives and prepare them for inclusion of the Gentiles into God's people.
Both women, Hannah and Mary, broke into song in response to this surprise gift of God. Their songs affirmed God as a God who challenged the set values and understandings of the world and was particularly attentive to the needy and those who had been treated unjustly. As these songs have been sung in the community of faith, the God who is aware of the cries of the people is affirmed over and over again.
Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25
But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, "He sat down at the right hand of God," and since then has been waiting "until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet."
-- Hebrews 10:12-13
It is generally agreed that Hebrews was written to a Christian community that had grown dispirited and was in need of encouragement. A central theme had been that Christ, as their high priest, was far superior to the Levitical priests that had previously offered sacrifices on behalf of the faithful. When Christ had made his sacrifice on the cross, all that was necessary had been accomplished. There was no need for him to make repeated sacrifices for the new sins of the people. There was a period of waiting that was necessary, but the victory was not in doubt. Jesus was simply waiting until humanity realized the full implications of what he had accomplished. He continued to wait "until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet" (v. 13).
Through Jesus the promise that had been made by Jeremiah had been fulfilled. God had established a new agreement or covenant with humanity. While previously people were incapable of coming into God's presence because of their sinfulness, now God "will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more" (v. 17). So if God is not keeping score of our sins, what is there left for us to do? We are to trust what Christ has done for us. "Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful" (v. 23). But this has implications for our life together in the meantime. "And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another ..." (vv. 24-25). The message for the church is the same today. We no longer have to focus on our sinfulness. Christ has taken care of that. Our focus now should be on how to provoke one another to love and good deeds.
Mark 13:1-8
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines but this is but the beginning of the birthpangs.
-- Mark 13:8
There are many in our culture that would like to build on a partial reading of such apocalyptic passages and apply them to events in our world in order to convince people that we are now at the end time. Such scare tactics conveniently ignore the clear intention of Mark in this passage. The gospel says that the pain of our society, symbolized by wars, rumors of wars, and famine are birth pangs of something new God is giving birth to. One of the major images that early Christians used to interpret the meaning of suffering in this world was the image of God being a mother about to give birth. In the Old Testament, from Sarah to Hannah, God was seen as opening the womb and providing birth where there was no possibility of birth. For the Israelites, that was their faith when the people faced impossible situations.
What was impossible for humans was possible for God. In the gospels, and for Paul, as the writers saw the constant failure of nations to live in peace and the famines that resulted from the greedy exploitation of nature, they built on this theme of giving birth to discern hope. A mother's birth pangs come with a mixture of fear, concern, and hope. It is the hope that enables a mother to endure the pain. She clings to the hope that she is the instrument of a whole new life. Mark offers that same image to us as Christians. The events that generate fear in those who have no hope should be interpreted as the quickening by God that is necessary in order to create something new. Life for a Christian has its share of tragedy, but it is a tragedy that is continually brushed by grace. Even in dark times, we are urged to "look up for your salvation is near" (Luke 21:28b).
In due time Hannah conceived and bore a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, "I have asked him of the Lord."
-- 1 Samuel 1:20
It is clear that God loves children because children, or the lack of them, play such an important role in the unfolding story of God in history. Abram and Sarai had to learn that nothing was impossible for God (Genesis 18:14), so they waited until their old age to bear Isaac. Then Rebecca was barren until Isaac petitioned God, and she bore twins. One of the twins was Jacob who would father twelve sons that would produce the twelve tribes of Israel. Later it would be the child, Moses, who had to be preserved through a series of unusual circumstances in order to prepare for the liberation of God's people from slavery in Egypt. Difficult, unusual, even seemingly impossible births became a continual theme of God's involvement in the world. They became, as Isaiah would tell the reluctant King Ahaz, a sign of Immanuel, or God with us (Isaiah 7:14). The birth of Samuel was seen as such a sign.
It also reaffirmed another theme of the biblical story. God heard the cry of the oppressed and was moved by their cry of anguish. In this case, it was an individual cry of lament as voiced by Hannah both in response to her barrenness and in reaction to the constant harassment by her rival, Peninnah. God was responsive to both personal anguish and the anguish brought on by the behavior of another. The misunderstanding of the priest, Eli, who, upon observing her silent prayer presumed that Hannah was drunk, is a cautious reminder that professional religious training can cause us to overlook the clear signs of piety in those among us. Later, it would be the religious professionals who were unable to recognize what God was doing when another baby was born in Bethlehem.
1 Samuel 2:1-10
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king, and exalt the power of his anointed.
-- 1 Samuel 2:10b
One can easily see why the church picked up Hannah's song and saw in it the same theme that was manifest in the birth of Jesus. While the births were different in many respects, the overarching truth was that both children were gifts from God. Each was dedicated to God's service. Both were heralds of a new era in God's unfolding plan of salvation. The people had been without a king, and Samuel would guide them into a new period when they would have a king to lead them. Jesus would guide them into a new understanding of God's grace in their lives and prepare them for inclusion of the Gentiles into God's people.
Both women, Hannah and Mary, broke into song in response to this surprise gift of God. Their songs affirmed God as a God who challenged the set values and understandings of the world and was particularly attentive to the needy and those who had been treated unjustly. As these songs have been sung in the community of faith, the God who is aware of the cries of the people is affirmed over and over again.
Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25
But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, "He sat down at the right hand of God," and since then has been waiting "until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet."
-- Hebrews 10:12-13
It is generally agreed that Hebrews was written to a Christian community that had grown dispirited and was in need of encouragement. A central theme had been that Christ, as their high priest, was far superior to the Levitical priests that had previously offered sacrifices on behalf of the faithful. When Christ had made his sacrifice on the cross, all that was necessary had been accomplished. There was no need for him to make repeated sacrifices for the new sins of the people. There was a period of waiting that was necessary, but the victory was not in doubt. Jesus was simply waiting until humanity realized the full implications of what he had accomplished. He continued to wait "until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet" (v. 13).
Through Jesus the promise that had been made by Jeremiah had been fulfilled. God had established a new agreement or covenant with humanity. While previously people were incapable of coming into God's presence because of their sinfulness, now God "will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more" (v. 17). So if God is not keeping score of our sins, what is there left for us to do? We are to trust what Christ has done for us. "Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful" (v. 23). But this has implications for our life together in the meantime. "And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another ..." (vv. 24-25). The message for the church is the same today. We no longer have to focus on our sinfulness. Christ has taken care of that. Our focus now should be on how to provoke one another to love and good deeds.
Mark 13:1-8
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines but this is but the beginning of the birthpangs.
-- Mark 13:8
There are many in our culture that would like to build on a partial reading of such apocalyptic passages and apply them to events in our world in order to convince people that we are now at the end time. Such scare tactics conveniently ignore the clear intention of Mark in this passage. The gospel says that the pain of our society, symbolized by wars, rumors of wars, and famine are birth pangs of something new God is giving birth to. One of the major images that early Christians used to interpret the meaning of suffering in this world was the image of God being a mother about to give birth. In the Old Testament, from Sarah to Hannah, God was seen as opening the womb and providing birth where there was no possibility of birth. For the Israelites, that was their faith when the people faced impossible situations.
What was impossible for humans was possible for God. In the gospels, and for Paul, as the writers saw the constant failure of nations to live in peace and the famines that resulted from the greedy exploitation of nature, they built on this theme of giving birth to discern hope. A mother's birth pangs come with a mixture of fear, concern, and hope. It is the hope that enables a mother to endure the pain. She clings to the hope that she is the instrument of a whole new life. Mark offers that same image to us as Christians. The events that generate fear in those who have no hope should be interpreted as the quickening by God that is necessary in order to create something new. Life for a Christian has its share of tragedy, but it is a tragedy that is continually brushed by grace. Even in dark times, we are urged to "look up for your salvation is near" (Luke 21:28b).
