Some behind the curtain stuff to start the week.  The traditional “Revised Common Lectionary” differs from the Episcopal version I typically use this week.  Nine times out of ten they are the same, but on occasion, we get what we have this week which are four completely different readings. I’ll go with the RCL and let our Episcopal friends do their own thing.

With that being said, here’s what we have today:

Jeremiah 1:4-10

Psalm 71:1-6

1 Corinthians 13

Luke 4:21-30

This section of Jeremiah used for the Old Testament lesson this week is near and dear to my heart.   Every Sunday morning at some point, I pray what I call the Jeremiah prayer.  I pray that God put the words in my mouth, whether he already placed them there in my writing process or should I need to say something different.   Whatever comes out of my mouth, I pray that the words are not my own.  Like Jeremiah, I come before God asking how it is that I am his instrument, not because I fear I’m too young like Jeremiah (that’s for sure not the problem), but simply because I am in awe of God.  Jeremiah’s calling is likely an important passage to anyone in ministry and I appreciate that so many of the calling stories in the Bible are different.   Jeremiah is somewhere in between Isaiah’s “send me!” and Jonah fighting the call and task set before him.  Hard for me to ignore that my hymn devotional today was “We’ve a Story to Tell the Nations.”  We are all called in some way to share the Gospel and the Good news of Jesus Christ.

Some interesting themes running through the OT lesson and the Psalm.  Two readings that both mention the womb, one was a prophet being called even before his conception and the other praising God for being by his side since the day he was born.  We only get the first half of the Psalm this week and it is the “positive” part of it, as David is writing about God’s provision and protection.  Verse five speaks to me especially, “For you are my hope, O Lord God…”  Perhaps there is a calling for us at the end of the reading, that we should praise God continually.

Who wants to get married?   Paul’s words here in 1 Corinthians are often read or spoken when two people join in marriage and I am sure they are familiar to us, that love is patient and kind and that it does not envy, etc.  In the NKJV part of verse five tells us that love thinks no evil.  It got me thinking about the ever-popular southern phrase, “bless your heart.”  We all know what it means, but is it somewhat of a children’s sermon type message for us to understand some of what Paul is saying here?  Bless her/his heart sounds like something good and might even make the person who says it feel better about their put-down, but it is hardly rooted in love.  It is not kind and despite how it sounds, it is not “bearing all things.”  Many of you who know me that the real lesson in this reading is found not in my NKJV translation (it omits love is patient).   Patience is a virtue we have all been told and it is part of the love we are supposed to have for one another.  It is a constant struggle for me and my heart is heavy at times after acting in a certain way or saying something that was entirely unnecessary.  The lectionary has given me some extra homework this week.

In light of the other Scripture, especially the Epistle lesson, we get a specific context in which we could read the words here in Luke.  Deep into this reading, Jesus talks about who was helped in certain situations and they might not be the people who were at the top of everyone else’s list.  I think we can see that Jesus is talking strictly about his message here and that it has a much better chance of being received by those outside of the synagogue and those who were not even Jewish.  In a contemporary context, where I think the lectionary is pointing us, is to look at how we ourselves react when it is others who receive favor.   This could be a place where our faith and politics intersect (as it could have just as easily when Jeremiah was talking about being knit together in the womb).  Our conservative side loves the Jeremiah reading, but like the Syrian being healed by Jesus, what does our conservative side feel when an undocumented immigrant gains some sort of benefit from being in the United States?   Our liberal side would be uplifted by the latter and get a bit squeamish at the prior.  As much as it consumes us, we were not put on this earth to support one political party or the other, we were put here to love God and one another.   Great, more homework.

Join me this week in spending more time with each of these readings and giving them the full study that they deserve.  Above, you have read my initial thoughts as I read the week's recommended Scripture for the first time and invite you to look at them as well.