Holy Textures

Welcome to Holy Textures, Year B, Season of Pentecost, Part 2

   

Holy Textures is a spot for my musings on the various Biblical texts that come our way through the Revised Common Lectionary.

My goal is to provide timely, short, easy to use and faith-provoking background commentary for your sermon or bible study preparation.

Year B - Season after Pentecost - 2021, Part 2
September to Reign of Christ or Christ the King

One of the things I like about Year B with its focus on Mark is that we get a fuller reading of the Gospel text. A richer, more detailed hearing of Mark's narrative, of Mark's testimony, of Mark's proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ. The final weeks of Pentecost move us to reflecting on end times, taking up our own crosses, and asking "What will do after this?" This are questions our world needs good responses to. May these texts guide us to find the way of life and truth.

The questions I ask myself in each of the commentaries below are always: "Why was this Good News at the time of Jesus? Why is this Good News for us, here and now?" I pray you will be able to use these offerings to respond to those questions in your own context.

Note that in Pentecost, the Sundays are numbered as "after" Pentecost Sunday. So the first Sunday after Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, is Pentecost 1. And because the dates of Easter and Pentecost change each year, so do the number of Sundays that follow Pentecost.

David Ewart
Permission is granted for non-profit use of these materials.
Acknowledgement in oral presentations is not required.
Otherwise, please acknowledge source as, "David Ewart, www.holytextures.com."

 

 

Eating with unclean hands

Pentecost 14
August 29, 2021
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
"The struggle that every community in every age - including our own - faces is how can the 'tradition of the elders,' which has given us our identity, now be changed so that what was good in it - the desire to live according to the will of God - can actually be expressed in our current circumstances."

 

Even dogs eat the crumbs

Pentecost 15
September 5, 2021
Mark 7:24-37
"The racial and religious differences between Jesus and the Gentile woman are unchanged. But what has changed is that courage and caring for a daughter have been shown to be acceptable to God - even when they come from a Gentile heart; even when they come from a woman's heart; even when they come from the heart of a woman who has publicly shamed herself by being out alone, by speaking to a man, and by daring to speak back to a man."

 

Those who follow me must take up their cross

Pentecost 16
September 12, 2021
Mark 8:27-38
"Poor old Peter. In verse 30, he calls Jesus, the Messiah. Three short verses later, Jesus is calling Peter, 'Satan.'"

 

Whoever welcomes one such child ...

Pentecost 17
September 19, 2021
Mark 9:30-37
"The disciples response of not understanding, being afraid to ask, and then being silent echoes the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden. Their initial reaction of being afraid to ask breaks communication with Jesus; breaks their relationship with him. It leaves them with only themselves to talk to, and it leads them to do things for which they feel ashamed to name."

 

A call to loyalty, not purity

Pentecost 18
September 26, 2021
Mark 9:38-50
"The Good News in this parable is ... that Jesus knows we will stumble and expects us to show up in Heaven lame and scarred by the inner struggle to be true to our loyalty to God as frail and faulty human beings."

 

What God has joined

Pentecost 19
October 3, 2021
Mark 10:2-16
"Jesus is being tested for his detailed knowledge of the Torah and his ability to demonstrate wisdom in his application of it to real life issues."

 

Do not worry about your life

Thanksgiving Sunday (Canada)
October 10, 2021
Matthew 6:25-33
"The opposite of worry / fear / anxiety is faith - or better still - trust."

 

You lack one thing

Pentecost 20
October 10, 2021 
Mark 10:17-31
"The only way to 'inherit' eternal life is to be the eldest son of the one who owns eternal life. Everyone else can only receive eternal life as a freely given gift from the owner."

 

You must be slave of all

Pentecost 21
October 17, 2021
Mark 10:35-45
"Jesus says that his followers are to treat one another as they would treat their own family: meeting each other's needs without concern for pay back."

 

Lord, let me see

Pentecost 22
October 24, 2021
Mark 10:46-52
"Notice that Mark says Bartimaeus is told that it is 'Jesus of Nazareth' - which identifies Jesus only by his low cast, peasant, hillbilly status by birth - but Bartimaeus SHOUTS out, 'Jesus, Son of David' - identifying Jesus by his God-given status."

 

Lazarus come out

All Saints
November 1, 2021
John 11:32-44
"Using this text for All Saints is problematic because it confuses RESTORED life with RESURRECTED life."

 

The greatest commandment is ...

Pentecost 23
October 31, 2021
Mark 12:28-34
"No one in that crowd of both opponents and admirers would dispute, "Love of God," as the greatest commandment. But when Jesus goes on and links it to, "Love of neighbour as oneself," he has lifted attachment to the welfare of one's neighbours above all other duties and obligations."

 

She has given all she had to live on

Pentecost 24
November 7, 2021
Mark 12:38-44
"The widow who has given "all she had to live on" foreshadows the coming contribution of Jesus to his mission of proclaiming God's Good News of non-violent justice in the face of Rome's violent injustice. Like the widow, Jesus holds nothing back."

 

(c) KIMO, www.kimostudios.com

Pentecost 25
November 14, 2021
Mark 13:1-8
"Whatever system of government may currently be in power, God's Royal Proclamation comes as a Word that evokes an accounting from - and possibly a confrontation with - earthly rulers. And as Jesus simply observes: don't be led astray, earthly rulers never accept accounting kindly. There will be resistance."

 

Source: Cerezo Barredo

Pentecost 26
Reign of Christ or Christ the King
November 21, 2021
John 18:33-37
"Thus the tension in the Gospels is not between Jesus and 'the Jews.' The tension is between Jesus the Galilean hillbilly proclaimer of the coming of God's Kingdom of non-violent justice and the Judean snobbish elites who are also collaborators of the Roman Empire of violent non-justice."

 

Do not worry about your life

Thanksgiving Day (USA)
November 25, 2021
Matthew 6:25-33
"The opposite of worry / fear / anxiety is faith - or better still - trust."

 

2021 Key Liturgical Dates

 

Welcome to Holy Textures, Year B, Season of Epiphany

   

I can't think of a good time to send out an email during Advent-Christmas with help for thinking about Epiphany. So I hope this one finds you in good spirits and enjoying the many gifts that come our way especially during these times.

Holy Textures is a spot for my musings on the various Gospel texts that come our way through the Revised Common Lectionary.

My goal is to provide timely, short, easy to use and thought-provoking background commentary for your sermon or bible study preparation.

Year B - Season of Epiphany - 2018

This year, there are 6 Sundays following Epiphany, January 6 and before Ash Wednesday, February 14. This will give us time to read through Chapter 1 of Mark - with one detour into John (for reasons that escape my imagination).

I like a long Season of Epiphany because it gives a chance to catch one's breath after Advent-Christmas before plunging into planning and preparations for Lent.

I've also included links to the final few readings for Epiphany even though they aren't scheduled for this year. These are good texts that are too often not read at all because of their placement at the end of Epiphany. So every once and a while, I adjust the schedule to include them.

Epiphany of the Lord
January 6 or May be used on the First Sunday of January
Matthew 2:1-12.
"That this comet is understood to be a sign of the birth of a "child who has been born King of the Jews" is particularly frightening to Herod since HE is King of the Jews and this unknown child is a threat to him and his heirs." 

Baptism of the Lord
First Sunday After The Epiphany
January 7, 2018
Mark 1:4-11.
"We might understand the baptism of Jesus as a selfless aligning / embodying of self with the desires of God. Rather than a functional baptism - that is, being baptized so that some function could happen - the forgiveness of sins - this is a revelatory baptism - that is, enacting, confirming and making visibly real what is already the case: You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." 

Epiphany 2
January 14, 2018
John 1:43-51.
"I believe the keys in understanding this passage are, on the one hand, to NOT treat it as simply a story of how Nathaniel met Jesus; nor, on the other hand, to get all mystical and obscure. John wants us to SEE Jesus, to COME to him, and thereby to receive LIFE in its abundance." 

Epiphany 3
January 21, 2018
Mark 1:14-20.
"The fact that Jesus is out alone at night and that the four all leave their families to follow / travel with Jesus is abnormal and deviant behaviour. By and large, most followers of Jesus today will never become itinerant night owls. However if we also never do anything that threatens the status quo, never do anything that is abnormal or deviant, then one wonders how exactly are we following Jesus?"  

Epiphany 4
January 28, 2018
Mark 1:21-28.
"Jesus may have the authority to silence unclean spirits, but as we all learn to our own peril, no one can silence gossip, not even Jesus. And so his fame begins to spread through those who were there telling others what Jesus has done." 

Epiphany 5
February 4, 2018
Mark 1:29-39.
"Jesus' followers have an immediate and worthy need that should be attended to. It is something they have already done - with great success - and could do again - also likely with great success. Very tempting. But it is not, 'What I came out to do.'" 

Epiphany 6
February 11, 2018 or May be replaced by Transfiguration Sunday below.
Mark 1:40-45.
"The leper does not simply beg, "Please heal me." Rather, there is an affirmation of Jesus' authority that also requires his willingness: If you choose, you can make me clean." 

Epiphany 7
Not used this year.
Mark 2:1-12.
"When Jesus calls the man, "Son," he breaks the social barriers that normally isolate disabled persons. This is actually the real miracle in this story." 

Epiphany 8
Not used this year.
Mark 2:13-22.
"Jesus' response successfully rebuts the Scribe's challenge by quoting an ancient proverb. This is a double victory because it demonstrates Jesus' knowledge of wisdom lore, and his ability to think on his feet - to use popular knowledge to come up with a witty, punchy reply. Score 2 for Jesus; 0 for the Scribes." 
 

Epiphany 9
Not used this year.
Mark 2:23--3:6.
"So what are we religious people to do with this lesson? On the one hand, like the Pharisees, we want to live our lives in accord with the Bible. But on the other hand, we find Jesus using the Bible to challenge understandings of what the Bible tells us to do!" 

Transfiguration Sunday
February 11, 2018.
Mark 9:2-9.
"The Transfiguration is an apt Preface to Lent and Jesus' journey to Jerusalem because what lies ahead is both a confrontation between the non-violent justice of the Kingdom of God and the violent injustice of the Roman Empire; as well as the non-violent way of the Beloved versus the hoped-for victory by the Messiah." 

 

 

Welcome to Holy Textures, Year B, Seasons of Advent and Christmas

Holy Textures is a spot for my musings on the various Biblical texts that come our way through the Revised Common Lectionary.

My goal is to provide timely, short, easy to use and thought-provoking background commentary for your sermon or bible study preparation.

Year B - Seasons of Advent & Christmas - 2017

Advent 1
December 3, 2017
Mark 13:24-37.   
"The lesson for Advent is still: Stay awake. Be alert. Live in expectation. Live now as you will when the Son of Man does return."

Advent 2
December 10, 2017
Mark 1:1-8.  
"Unlike us, John the Baptizer is a wild and woolly character. But like us, he lives to point people to one who is greater than himself. John is the first Christian in the sense that he is the first who gives witness to Jesus."

Advent 3
December 17, 2017
John 1:6-8, 19-28.  
"This Advent season is a time for us to wake up and see the light. It is time for us to do what is our work: to prepare the soil of our souls, so that the seed of God’s word can take root in us and put down deep and strong roots."

Advent 4
December 24, 2017
Luke 1:26-38.  
"As the story of Jesus' life is bookended with a special embedding of the spiritual and the material (spiritual conception at birth; spiritual body at resurrection), so too, just within each bookend, as the first and last books on the shelf, are stories of total shame, violation and degradation (pregnancy outside of wedlock; naked execution on a cross)."

Note: Any of the following lessons may be used on Christmas Eve / Day.

Christmas Eve, December 24, or Christmas Day, December 25
Proper   I: Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)   
Proper  II: Luke 2:(1-7), 8-20    
Proper III: John 1:1-14   

First Sunday After Christmas Day
May be replaced by readings for Epiphany. See note below.
December 31, 2017
Luke 2:22-40. 
"By the time we have finished reading Chapters 1 and 2 of Luke, we should realize that the stage has been set for a powerful confrontation between two kingdoms. The Pax Romana of Caesar - the way of peace through force of arms; and the peace of Christ - the way of peace through justice."

New Year's Day - January 1
Matthew 25:31-46
"What I love about this parable is that BOTH those judged to be honourable AND those judged to be dishonourable have exactly the same response: Lord, when was it we saw you hungry ...?."

Second Sunday After Christmas Day
Sunday Between January 2 and January 5 Inclusive
May be replaced by readings for Epiphany. See note below.
Not used in 2018
John 1:(1-9), 10-18.  

Note: The Season of Epiphany begins on January 6, the Day of Epiphany of the Lord.

If January 6 is a weekday, Epiphany may be celebrated on the first Sunday in January and replace the readings for Sundays following Christmas Day.

Welcome to Holy Textures

Holy Textures is a spot for my musings on the various Biblical texts that come our way through the Revised Common Lectionary.

My goal is to provide timely, short, easy to use and faith-provoking background commentary for your sermon or bible study preparation.

Please click on the heading of any post or "Continue reading" to see the full post.

Year B - Season after Pentecost - 2015

Note that in Pentecost, the Sundays are numbered as "after" Pentecost Sunday. So the first Sunday after Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, is Pentecost 1.

Pentecost Sunday
May 24, 2015
Acts 2:1-21
"We might all hear the same words - each in our own language - but we will not all hear and understand exactly the same meaning. The problem with life, and faith, and following Jesus is always: What does this mean?"

John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15
"Whatever else we may want to say on this day of Pentecost about the Spirit, it is important to notice that Jesus always refers to the Spirit as the Spirit of truth. And in John truth is always the way, the life, the light, the joy, the friendship."

Trinity Sunday
May 31, 2015
John 3:1-17
"Being born anew / from above is a huge transformation, since it means quite literally starting over with a new "family of origin.'"... (It) relocates our identity and resets possibilities for our character and life choices / opportunities."

Pentecost 2
June 7, 2015
Mark 3:20-35
"Here is the Good News: Jesus is not out of his mind; Jesus is not filled with demonic spirits. Rather, Jesus is has the mind of God; Jesus is filled with the Holy Spirit - and invites all of us to be of the same mind and same Spirit in a new family as his sisters and brothers."
"

Pentecost 3
June 14, 2015
Mark 4:26-34
"The comfort in this parable is to consider the possibility that the most helpful thing I could do to advance the Kingdom of God is to take a nap."

Pentecost 4
June 21, 2015
Mark 4:35-41
"The moral of this story is NOT: run to Jesus when you are in a crisis and he will make the storm go away. Rather the moral is: run to Jesus when you are in crisis and learn from him the source of his calm."

Pentecost 5
June 28, 2015
Mark 5:21-43
"Once again, it is important to remember that in the Bible, "faith" is NOT about "beliefs," or "ideas," or "understandings." It is about trust. And so Jesus' observation: My daughter, your faith has made you well.
is better understood as: My daughter, your trust / loyalty / bonding with me has made you well."

Pentecost 6
July 5, 2015
Mark 6:1-13
"The reference to "son of Mary," with no mention of his father would not so subtly remind everyone of the shaming gossip about Mary being pregnant before getting married. And who would believe the story that Mary tells about who the real father is?"

Pentecost 7
July 12, 2015
Mark 6:14-29
"All of this background is very interesting and helpful, but my original question remains: Where is the Good News? Perhaps there is none, and this is precisely Mark's point. Just in case we are getting too excited and thinking this business of being a disciple of Jesus is going to be a piece of cake, is going to be a story of ever increasing fame, miracles, and wonders, Mark gives a story of a good man being executed because of weakness, capriciousness, and vengeance."

Pentecost 8
July 19, 2015
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
"Try posting this note on your office door / Facebook / Twitter / blog / voice mail / memo to your Board:
'Gone to the fields to be lovely.
Be back when I'm through with blooming.'
And say a grateful, gleeful prayer of thanks all the while for the poetry of Lynn Ungar."

Pentecost 9
July 26, 2015
John 6:1-21
"These stories try to open our eyes, hearts and minds to see the hidden truth that is plain sight. They are trying to train us so that we too can SEE where is the bread of life. ... So that we can SEE Jesus and welcome him into our frail boats on the stormy sea."

Pentecost 10
August 2, 2015
John 6:24-35
"The challenge here is to SEE which things perish and which things endure, and to embed ourselves - to abide in, to focus our living on - the things that endure. Because only the things that endure truly satisfy, and only the things that endure bring true life."

Pentecost 11
August 9, 2015
John 6:35, 41-51
"But the whole point of this passage is that while earthly bread nourishes earthly life (all of which will pass away), Jesus has been sent so that we might come / see / hear / learn / trust / eat the bread from heaven / the true bread that gives eternal life."

Pentecost 12
August 16, 2015
John 6:51-58
"The crowd has looked at Jesus through the distorted lens of their longing and seen 'king.' Jesus is asking us to reverse our gaze. To look through the lens of himself at our longing."

Pentecost 13
August 23, 2015
John 6:56-69
"John wants us to hear the word, 'abide,' as being as viscerally real as 'flesh' and 'blood.' And to hear the words, 'flesh' and 'blood,' as dynamically real as 'abide.'"

Pentecost 14
August 30, 2015
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
"The struggle that every community in every age - including our own - faces is how can the 'tradition of the elders,' which has given us our identity, now be changed so that what was good in it - the desire live according to the will of God - can actually be expressed in our current circumstances."

Pentecost 15
September 6, 2015
Mark 7:24-37
"The racial and religious differences between Jesus and the Gentile woman are unchanged. But what has changed is that courage and caring for a daughter have been shown to be acceptable to God - even when they come from a Gentile heart; even when they come from a woman's heart; even when they come from the heart of a woman who has publically shamed herself by being out alone, by speaking to a man, and by daring to speak back to a man."

Pentecost 16
September 13, 2015
Mark 8:27-38
"Poor old Peter. In verse 30, he calls Jesus, the Messiah. Three short verses later, Jesus is calling Peter, 'Satan.'"

Pentecost 17
September 20, 2015
Mark 9:30-37
"The disciples response of not understanding, being afraid to ask, and then being silent echoes the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden. Their initial reaction of being afraid to ask breaks communication with Jesus; breaks their relationship with him. It leaves them with only themselves to talk to, and it leads them to do things for which they feel ashamed to name."

Pentecost 18
September 27, 2015
Mark 9:38-50
"The Good News in this parable is ... that Jesus knows we will stumble and expects us to show up in Heaven lame and scarred by the inner struggle to be true to our loyalty to God as frail and faulty human beings."

Pentecost 19
October 4, 2015
Mark 10:2-16
"Jesus is being tested for his detailed knowledge of the Torah and his ability to demonstrate wisdom in his application of it to real life issues."

Thanksgiving Sunday (Canada)
October 11, 2015
Matthew 6:25-33
"The opposite of worry / fear / anxiety is faith - or better still - trust."

Pentecost 20
October 11, 2015
Mark 10:17-31
"The only way to 'inherit' eternal life is to be the eldest son of the one who owns eternal life. Everyone else can only receive eternal life as a freely given gift from the owner."

Pentecost 21
October 18, 2015
Mark 10:35-45
"Jesus says that his followers are to treat one another as they would treat their own family: meeting each other's needs without concern for pay back."

Pentecost 22
October 25, 2015
Mark 10:46-52
"Notice that Mark says Bartimaeus is told that it is 'Jesus of Nazareth' - which identifies Jesus only by his low cast, peasant, hillbilly status by birth - but Bartimaeus SHOUTS out, 'Jesus, Son of David' - identifying Jesus by his God-given status."

All Saints
November 1, 2015
John 11:32-44
"Using this text for All Saints is problematic because it confuses RESTORED life with RESURRECTED life."

Pentecost 23
November 1, 2015
Mark 12:28-34
"No one in that crowd of both opponents and admirers would dispute, "Love of God," as the greatest commandment. But when Jesus goes on and links it to, "Love of neighbour as oneself," he has lifted attachment to the welfare of one's neighbours above all other duties and obligations."

Pentecost 24
November 8, 2015
Mark 12:38-44
"The widow who has given "all she had to live on" foreshadows the coming contribution of Jesus to his mission of proclaiming God's Good News of non-violent justice in the face of Rome's violent injustice. Like the widow, Jesus holds nothing back."

Pentecost 25
November 15, 2015
Mark 13:1-8
"Whatever system of government may currently be in power, God's Royal Proclamation comes as a Word that evokes an accounting from - and possibly a confrontation with - earthly rulers. And as Jesus simply observes: don't be led astray, earthly rulers never accept accounting kindly. There will be resistance."

Pentecost 26
Reign of Christ or Christ the King
November 22, 2015
John 18:33-37
"Thus the tension in the Gospels is not between Jesus and 'the Jews.' The tension is between Jesus the Galilean hillbilly proclaimer of the coming of God's Kingdom of non-violent justice and the Judean snobbish elites who are also collaborators of the Roman Empire of violent non-justice."

Thanksgiving Sunday (USA)
November 26, 2015
Matthew 6:25-33
"The opposite of worry / fear / anxiety is faith - or better still - trust."

Welcome to Holy Textures

Holy Textures is a spot for my musings on the various Biblical texts that come our way through the Revised Common Lectionary.

My goal is to provide timely, short, easy to use and thought-provoking background commentary for your sermon or bible study preparation.

Please click on the heading of any post or "Continue reading" to see the full post.

Year B - Season of Easter - 2015

As usual with the Season of Easter, we get to spend time with the Gospel of John.

I like to think of John as like a good day at the spa: Soaking in the swirling eddies and quiet back pools of his repetitive, non-sequitur, images and stories.

John wants us to really GET the life that is Jesus.

What could be more refreshing than that?

Easter Vigil
April 4, 2015
Mark 16:1-8 
"It is women who witness the abject humiliation, degradation and torture of Jesus on the cross. It is women who hear him cry, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" It is women who witness his death. It is women who follow and witness where his body is placed. And so, fittingly, it is women who are the first witnesses of the empty tomb, and the first to receive the good news: He is risen!"

Easter Day
April 5, 2015
John 20:1-18, Alternate Reading A 
"As the Word descended from the Father and became flesh at the start of John's Gospel, Mary is experiencing the reverse process - of the flesh becoming Word."

Mark 16:1-8, Alternate Reading B 
"It is women who witness the abject humiliation, degradation and torture of Jesus on the cross. It is women who hear him cry, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" It is women who witness his death. It is women who follow and witness where his body is placed. And so, fittingly, it is women who are the first witnesses of the empty tomb, and the first to receive the good news: He is risen!"

Easter Evening
April 5, 2015
Luke 24:13-49  
"The details reported in Luke make it very clear that it was the same Jesus who was crucified who is now resurrected. And they are not seeing a ghost. However, Jesus-who-died-on-the-cross-and-is-now-resurrected has not come back simply to take up his old job. He now says: Over to you."

Easter 2
April 12, 2015
John 20:19-31 
"John doesn't care what we see with our eyeballs. He wants us to SEE with our inner eye who Jesus really is. That is why he has written these signs for us. That in SEEing, we might believe; and in believing, we might have the life that is in Jesus."  

Easter 3
April 19, 2015
Luke 24:36b-48 
"However, the Jesus-who-died-on-the-cross-and-has-been-raised has not come back simply to take up his old job. In effect the now-resurrected-Jesus says, 'Over to you.'"

Easter 4
April 26, 2015
John 10:11-18 
"Are you mourning today? Are you spiritually spent today? Are you afraid today? Is death nearby today? David and Jesus are here today inviting us to enlarge our frame and hold our grief, exhaustion and fear in a larger, deeper reality: God provides and guides and protects and restores."

Easter 5
May 3, 2015
John 15:1-8 
"When we love one another as Jesus loves us, we first learn from Jesus what love is. And having experienced being loved by Jesus – had that love heal, restore and renew the loving that was already in us – we then love others the same way."

Easter 6
May 10, 2015
John 15:9-17 
"So as we look around church on any given Sunday, we may see people that we know and like, know and don't like, or don't know at all. Whatever. Jesus is commanding us to regard each other as a friend, so that we might bear fruit, fruit that endures."

Ascension Day
May 14, 2015
Luke 24:44-53 
"And as if to emphasize that this blessing of his disciples has not been finished - is still on-going - Luke tells us that: While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. (Luke 24:51) Might it not be that even in heaven Jesus-now-resurrected is still blessing his disciples?"

Easter 7
May 17, 2015
John 17:6-19 
"Whenever we are offered a blessing in the Bible, we might be tempted to run and hide - because a blessing never comes without a God-sized mission. And God-sized missions never come without a cost."

Pentecost Sunday
May 24, 2015
Acts 2:1-21  
"We might all hear the same words - each in our own language - but we will not all hear and understand exactly the same meaning. The problem with life, and faith, and following Jesus is always: What does this mean?"

 
John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15
"Whatever else we may want to say on this day of Pentecost about the Spirit, it is important to notice that Jesus always refers to the Spirit as the Spirit of truth. And in John truth is always the way, the life, the light, the joy, the friendship." 

Welcome to Holy Textures

Holy Textures is a spot for my musings on the various Biblical texts that come our way through the Revised Common Lectionary.

My goal is to provide timely, short, easy to use and thought-provoking background commentary for your sermon or bible study preparation.

Please click on the heading of any post or "Continue reading" to see the full post.

Year B - Season of Lent and Holy Week - 2015

The 40 days of Lent actually do NOT include the Sundays. So the Sundays are referred to as being "in" Lent. For example, "Lent 2," means, "The second Sunday in Lent."

This means the Sundays are always a mini-celebration of the resurrection - even in Lent. So, while we are preparing ourselves for the walk to Jerusalem and all that will happen during Holy Week, there is no need to pretend that we don't know about, and are not already celebrating, Jesus' resurrection.

I've had the time to give a close reading of the Holy Week texts and background information. I come away even more amazed at the courage of Jesus to voluntarily face the torture and humiliation of Roman execution on a cross, in order to remain faithful to God's calling - God's purpose - for him: To proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

As usual with the Season of Lent, we get to spend time with the Gospel of John.

I like to think of John as like a good day at the spa: Soaking in the swirling eddies and quiet back pools of his repetitive, non-sequitor, images and stories.

John wants us to really SEE the life that is Jesus.

What could be more refreshing than that?

Lent and Easter Resources:

Lent: The Restraint That Frees
is a brief introduction to the three classic spiritual practices of Lent: Almsgiving, Fasting, and Prayer interpreted for our day and age. A link is provided for a PDF three-column pamphlet. Click here for a link to Lent: The Restraint That Frees.

Alternative Lent Lectionary
The Last Week
I re-construct the lections for Lent to use each of the 6 Sundays to take us through the last week of Jesus' final days in Jerusalem. This change is largely the result of long dissatisfaction with the lectionary's "salvation history" approach that gives the long view (which is a good thing to know), at the expense of the immediate context (which is a bad thing not to know).

What You Need to Know Before Preaching Your Next Easter Sermon
The Reality of the Resurrection
Jesus’ resurrection was not unexpected. The surprise was that he was resurrected so quickly. On the third day! What could this mean?

Israelite Burial Customs
This doesn't sound very sexy, but unless you know this historical information, you will not understand why Jesus was placed in a tomb not a grave; and why resurrection is "in the flesh" and not just spiritual.

You Don't Really Need to Know This Before Preaching Your Next Easter Sermon
My Annual Rant about the Resurrection and Science
I majored in mathematics and physics at university, and so I'm extra sensitive to why my arts educated colleagues get all wimpy about the reality of the resurrection.

Lectionary Gospel Texts:

Ash Wednesday
February 18, 2015
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21  
"Lent: The restraint that frees. Three practices to refresh our relationship with God: Almsgiving, Prayer, and Fasting."

Lent 1
February 22, 2015
Mark 1:9-15  
""Believe in the good news" is better translated as "Trust into the good news," since the whole point is not, "Have an opinion about the good news." Rather, Jesus is calling for a radical, total, unqualified basing of one's life on his good news."

Lent 2
March 1, 2015
Mark 8:31-38, Alternate Reading A
"Just exactly how do we lose our life so that we get it back? The key is to not skip over the crucial qualification: "for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel.""

Mark 9:2-9, Alternate Reading B
"The Transfiguration is an apt Preface to Lent and Jesus' journey to Jerusalem because what lies ahead is both a confrontation between the non-violent justice of the Kingdom of God and the violent injustice of the Roman Empire; as well as the non-violent way of the Beloved versus the hoped-for victory by the Messiah."

Lent 3
March 8, 2015
John 2:13-22 
"Just as Jews continue to read the Passover in the first person plural, present tense; I wonder how this passage would sound to us if we read this as Jesus' cleansing our places of worship today? Are there any habits we might have fallen into which are insulting God?"  

Lent 4
March 15, 2015
John 3:14-21    
"No one is saved by intellectual agreement with a belief. Salvation is all about the restoration of broken relationships. Being saved means being restored to the proper bond and trust of true kinship with God." 

Lent 5
March 22, 2015
John 12:20-33    
"There is a deliberate pun in John about the "raising" of Jesus - on the cross, and from the grave. In the first, the rulers of this world are shown to powerless; in the second, death is shown to be powerless." 

Holy Week

Lent 6
March 29, 2015
Liturgy of the Palms:
Mark 11:1-11 , Alternate Reading A.
"The Bible doesn't tell us about Pilate parading in the main gate of Jerusalem, or what the crowd shouted, but you can bet it wasn't, "Blessed is the coming of the Kingdom of our ancestor David." That would be treason. And treason was punishable by? You guessed it, by execution on a cross."
John 12:12-16, Alternate Reading B.
"Sitting on the young donkey would signal to the crowds that Jesus would lead no riot; force was not in his repertory for the social change he had in mind."
  
Liturgy of the Passion:
Mark 14:1--15:47, Alternate Reading A.
Mark 15:1-39, (40-47), Alternate Reading B.
"Jesus' cry, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" is surely the most heart-rending - and dreaded - words in scripture. Heart-rending because of the pain of despair that has been added to the physical pain. Dreaded because one of our worst fears is that in our time of greatest need we will be abandoned and left alone." 

Holy Monday
John 12:1-11
"Lazarus' presence with Jesus fills the room with the unfinished sentence: Just as Lazarus, the one whom Jesus loves, has been raised from the dead by Jesus, so will Jesus, the one whom God loves, be ... . Just how this sentence will be finished is exactly the fear - and the hope - that is in everyone's hearts."

Holy Tuesday
John 12:20-36
"The hour has come. Our souls are troubled. Can they also remain loyal?"

Holy Wednesday
John 13:21-32
"But that they don't understand when Jesus gives the dipped crust of bread to Judas and then says, 'Do quickly what you are going to do,' simply reveals that unlike Jesus they are not able to 'read the signs.'"

Holy Maundy Thursday
April 2, 2015
John 13:1-17, 31b-35    
"Fortunately, this passage actually has TWO new commandments: 1) Love one another as I have loved you. And, 2) Forgive one another as I have forgiven you. Christ-like-love is the goal. Forgiveness is the salve that heals brokenness and makes love possible once again." 

Good Friday
April 3, 2015
John 18:1 -- 19:42    
"To outsiders, a battered and broken Jesus could no longer hold his head up and died in humiliation and defeat. But to those who believe into him, a true Son of God has completed his great work, and with a royal nod (and maybe a mischievous wink?) has passed on his Spirit so that we too might have life - the life that was in Jesus." 

Holy Saturday
April 4, 2015
Matthew 27:57-66, Alternate Reading 1.   
"And just in case we might think that later events were a hoax, Matthew relates that the Jerusalem authorities take steps to guard the tomb." 
  
John 19:38-42, Alternate Reading 2.
"The crucial piece of background information is the belief that the flesh contained a person's evil deeds. And the year-long rotting of the flesh was a purging of these deeds, leaving the bones (which contained the personality of the person) ready to receive the new body fashioned by God at the resurrection. But the resurrection of Jesus on the third day will interrupt this process before it starts." 

Welcome to Holy Textures

Holy Textures is a spot for my musings on the various Gospel texts that come our way through the Revised Common Lectionary.

My goal is to provide timely, short, easy to use and thought-provoking background commentary for your sermon or bible study preparation.

Please click on the heading of any post or "Continue reading" to see the full post.

By entering your email and clicking "Subscribe," you can receive all new posts by email. You will only receive new posts, nothing else - no spam, nada, zip.

Year B - Season of Epiphany - 2015

This year, there are 6 Sundays following Epiphany, January 6 and before Ash Wednesday, February 18. This will give us time to read through Chapter 1 of Mark - with one detour into John (for reasons that escape my imagination).

I like a long Season of Epiphany because it gives a chance to catch one's breath after Advent-Christmas before plunging into getting ready for Lent.

Epiphany of the Lord
January 6 or May be used on the First Sunday of January
Matthew 2:1-12.   
"That this comet is understood to be a sign of the birth of a "child who has been born King of the Jews" is particularly frightening to Herod since HE is King of the Jews and this unknown child is a threat to him and his heirs." 

Baptism of the Lord
First Sunday After The Epiphany
January 11, 2015
Mark 1:4-11.  
"We might understand the baptism of Jesus as a selfless aligning / embodying of self with the desires of God. Rather than a functional baptism - that is, being baptized so that some function could happen - the forgiveness of sins - this is a revelatory baptism - that is, enacting, confirming and making visibly real what is already the case: You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." 

Epiphany 2
January 18, 2015
John 1:43-51.  
"I believe the keys in understanding this passage are, on the one hand, to NOT treat it as simply a story of how Nathaniel met Jesus; nor, on the other hand, to get all mystical and obscure. John wants us to SEE Jesus, to COME to him, and thereby to receive LIFE in its abundance." 

Epiphany 3
January 25, 2015
Mark 1:14-20.
"The fact that Jesus is out alone at night and that the four all leave their families to follow / travel with Jesus is abnormal and deviant behaviour. By and large, most followers of Jesus today will never become itinerant night owls. However if we also never do anything that threatens the status quo, never do anything that is abnormal or deviant, then one wonders how exactly are we following Jesus?"  

Epiphany 4
February 1, 2015
Mark 1:21-28.  
"Jesus may have the authority to silence unclean spirits, but as we all learn to our own peril, no one can silence gossip, not even Jesus. And so his fame begins to spread through those who were there telling others what Jesus has done." 

Epiphany 5
February 8, 2015
Mark 1:29-39.  
"Jesus' followers have an immediate and worthy need that should be attended to. It is something they have already done - with great success - and could do again - also likely with great success. Very tempting. But it is not, 'What I came out to do.'" 

Epiphany 6
May be replaced by readings for Transfiguration Sunday below. 
February 15, 2015
Mark 1:40-45.  
"The leper does not simply beg, "Please heal me." Rather, there is an affirmation of Jesus' authority that also requires his willingness: If you choose, you can make me clean." 

Epiphany 7
Not used in 2015.
Mark 2:1-12.  
"When Jesus calls the man, "Son," he breaks the social barriers that normally isolate disabled persons. This is actually the real miracle in this story." 

Epiphany 8
Not used in 2015.
Mark 2:13-22.  
"Jesus' response successfully rebuts the Scribe's challenge by quoting an ancient proverb. This is a double victory because it demonstrates Jesus' knowledge of wisdom lore, and his ability to think on his feet - to use popular knowledge to come up with a witty, punchy reply. Score 2 for Jesus; 0 for the Scribes." 
 

Epiphany 9
Not used in 2015.
Mark 2:23--3:6.
"So what are we religious people to do with this lesson? On the one hand, like the Pharisees, we want to live our lives in accord with the Bible. But on the other hand, we find Jesus using the Bible to challenge understandings of what the Bible tells us to do!" 

Transfiguration Sunday
February 15, 2015.
Mark 9:2-9.  
"The Transfiguration is an apt Preface to Lent and Jesus' journey to Jerusalem because what lies ahead is both a confrontation between the non-violent justice of the Kingdom of God and the violent injustice of the Roman Empire; as well as the non-violent way of the Beloved versus the hoped-for victory by the Messiah." 

Welcome to Holy Textures

Holy Textures is a spot for my musings on the various Biblical texts that come our way through the Revised Common Lectionary.

My goal is to provide timely, short, easy to use and thought-provoking background commentary for your sermon or bible study preparation.

Please click on the heading of any post or "Continue reading" to see the full post.

By entering your email and clicking "Subscribe," you can receive a reminder at the start of each new Season. You will only receive new posts, nothing else - no spam, nada, zip.

Year B - Seasons of Advent & Christmas - 2014

Advent 1
November 30, 2014
Mark 13:24-37.   
"The lesson for Advent is still: Stay awake. Be alert. Live in expectation. Live now as you will when the Son of Man does return."

Advent 2
December 7, 2014
Mark 1:1-8.  
"Unlike us, John the Baptizer is a wild and woolly character. But like us, he lives to point people to one who is greater than himself. John is the first Christian in the sense that he is the first who gives witness to Jesus."

Advent 3
December 14, 2014
John 1:6-8, 19-28.  
"This Advent season is a time for us to wake up and see the light. It is time for us to do what is our work: to prepare the soil of our souls, so that the seed of God’s word can take root in us and put down deep and strong roots."

Advent 4
December 21, 2014
Luke 1:26-38.  
"As the story of Jesus' life is bookended with a special embedding of the spiritual and the material (spiritual conception at birth; spiritual body at resurrection), so too, just within each bookend, as the first and last books on the shelf, are stories of total shame, violation and degradation (pregnancy outside of wedlock; naked execution on a cross)."

Note: Any of the following lessons may be used on Christmas Eve / Day.

Christmas Eve, December 24,  or Christmas Day, December 25
Proper   I: Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)   
Proper  II: Luke 2:(1-7), 8-20    
Proper III: John 1:1-14   

First Sunday After Christmas Day
December 28, 2014
Luke 2:22-40. 
"By the time we have finished reading Chapters 1 and 2 of Luke, we should realize that the stage has been set for a powerful confrontation between two kingdoms. The Pax Romana of Caesar - the way of peace through force of arms; and the peace of Christ - the way of peace through justice."

New Year's Day - January 1
Matthew 25:31-46
"What I love about this parable is that BOTH those judged to be honourable AND those judged to be dishonourable have exactly the same response: Lord, when was it we saw you hungry ...?."

Second Sunday After Christmas Day
Sunday Between January 2 and January 5 Inclusive
May be replaced by readings for Epiphany. See note below.
January 4, 2015
John 1:(1-9), 10-18.  

Note: The Season of Epiphany begins on January 6, the Day of Epiphany of the Lord.

If January 6 is a weekday, Epiphany may be celebrated on the first Sunday in January and replace the readings for Sundays following Christmas Day.

Acts 2:1-21 - Updated

We might all hear the same words - each in our own language - but we will not all hear and understand exactly the same meaning. The problem with life, and faith, and following Jesus is always: What does this mean?

Click here for the updated Holy Textures explanation of Acts 2:1-21.

David Ewart,
www.holytextures.com,
Short, easy to use, faith inspiring explanations of the meaning of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John for your sermon, homily, bible study, or reflection.

Permission is granted for non-profit use of these materials.
Acknowledgement in oral presentations is not required.
Otherwise, please acknowledge source as, "David Ewart, www.holytextures.com."

 

John 20:19-31 - Updated

John doesn't care what we see with our eyeballs. He wants us to SEE with our inner eye who Jesus really is. That is why he has written these signs for us. That in SEEing, we might believe; and in believing, we might have the life that is in Jesus.

Click here to read the updated Holy Textures explanation of John 20:19-31.

David Ewart,
www.holytextures.com,
Short, easy to use, faith inspiring explanations of the meaning of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John for your sermon, homily, bible study, or reflection.

Permission is granted for non-profit use of these materials.
Acknowledgement in oral presentations is not required.
Otherwise, please acknowledge source as, "David Ewart, www.holytextures.com."

 

Matthew 2:1-12 - Updated

That this comet is understood to be a sign of the birth of a "child who has been born King of the Jews" is particularly frightening to Herod since HE is King of the Jews and this unknown child is a threat to him and his heirs.

Click here to read the updated Holy Textures explanation of Matthew 2:1-12.

David Ewart,
www.holytextures.com,
Short, easy to use, faith inspiring explanations of the meaning of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John for your sermon, homily, bible study, or reflection.

Permission is granted for non-profit use of these materials.
Acknowledgement in oral presentations is not required.
Otherwise, please acknowledge source as, "David Ewart, www.holytextures.com."