Psalm 19:7-11
All of Psalm 19 rejoices in the goodness and work of God. In verses 7-11, the psalmist speaks of the law of God, the statues, precepts, commands, and ordinances of the Lord as precious, life-giving, glorious, etc. In using all these names for directives and teachings from God, he covers the waterfront so no word is left out. Question: Why does the psalmist have such exalting words and feelings for the Word of God? Christians are often identified as “people of the Word.” Do we have the same strong, positive and exalting words regarding the Bible and all its teachings?
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
When Israel was over run by the Babylonians and taken in exile, the philosophy of the Babylonians about conquered peoples was to isolate them from their former lives, which included denying their culture and their religion. Later the Persians overran the Babylonians. The Persians had a different philosophy. They believed that if the conquered were allow to have their own identity, culture and religion they would thrive and be of more value to the Persians. Nehemiah served as the cup bearer for Artaxerxes, the Persian king. When he spoke to the king about the state of Jerusalem, the king decided to send him back for a while to spearhead a rebuilding project. When he returned to Jerusalem, Nehemiah found the walls of the city broken down in many places and the city gates destroyed by fire. When he tried to rally the citizens of the city to help with the rebuilding, the found mix responses. Some were excited and others were suspicious of Nehemiah and associated him with the Persian king. They were going through a time of famine and economic hardship and this seemed like too much to bear. Nehemiah had been able to bring a group of Israelites from Persia with him as well.
In the process of tearing down the walls to prepare for rebuilding, they discovered scrolls hidden in the walls that had been kept safe in the time of destruction. Now remember the only copies of the Hebrew scripture was written on scrolls. There was no printing press or small books for people to carry with them or have in their homes. The scrolls were usually kept in the worship places and brought out by the scribes who were both able to read the scrolls and anointed or directed to do so.
In Nehemiah 8, Nehemiah, who is a governmental official, calls for the working to cease and directs Ezra, who is the scribe to assemble the people at one of the gates of the city. They build a platform that is elevated so that Ezra can be seen and better heard by the people. Apparently, Ezra would read a portion and then the
Levites in smaller groups would instruct the people in the previous reading. Remember they have been cut off for some time from hearing the law read to them. The response of the people was worshipful praise accompanied by tears. At the end of the day, the people were sent away to rest, get food and absorb the word they had heard. This went on for a number of days.
In this story we get a glimpse of God’s people, who have been in a kind of wilderness or famine from the word of God. Many people describe the present state of the world in the same manner. What would you say about that? Are God’s people, disconnected from the Word of God? While we have great access to the bible in all kinds of ways, printed, on technology, recorded, etc., do we avail ourselves of it.
In Nehemiah 8:13 we are told that the heads of the households would gather with the priests and with Ezra to discuss the scripture. It is presumed that those household heads would then take what they learned back to their families and tribes to pass along the teachings. Do we model that today? How can we facilitate or encourage that to happen?
What is it like to find something that you have lost of some period of time? For the Hebrews finding and hearing and learning from the scrolls was life-giving.
Luke 4:14-21
In Luke’s gospel, after Jesus is baptized, the Spirit leads him into the wilderness where he is tempted by Satan over a 40 day period. When that season was over, Jesus returned to Galilee. Now remember that prior to his baptism and for his baptism he had gone south to the Jordan River area, where John the Baptist is at work. Galilee is further north and the region where Jesus had spent most of his earthy life previously. In this reading, Jesus returns not only to the region, but specifically to Nazareth, where he had been raised. On the sabbath he goes to the synagogue, which was one of his normal sabbath practices. He is given the scroll of the prophet Isaiah to read. In synagogue there is a specific desk or larger pedestal where the scroll is placed. It is large enough to accommodate the scroll and to allow it to be opened and turned for the reading. The reader is handed a wooden or metal marker that allows them to follow the text without putting their finger on the scroll so that the scroll will last longer as it may take a lifetime for one scroll to be copied.
Jesus read from Isaiah 61:1-2 This passage describes the role and the work of God’s Messiah. The Messiah is to be anointed with God’s Spirit that equips him to
fulfill that role. (Recall the anointing of God’s Spirit upon Jesus at his baptism and before going to the wilderness.)
When Jesus finished the reading, he gave the scroll back to the attendant, who would have put it in the cabinet or storage space where the scrolls are kept. Then Jesus sat down. In synagogue there are three pieces of furniture that are prominent that the congregation face. One is the cabinet or storage place of the scrolls. Another is the desk for spreading out the scroll for reading and the third is a chair, often an oversize chair for the rabbi to sit in while teaching. You may recall on numerous occasions that Jesus, even outside, would sit when he was instructing people. This is different from most of our places where someone is teaching or lecturing. We have the person to stand with a lectern or pulpit where they can rest the notes or speech that they are about to make. They stand to command attention and to be better seen, such as we saw in the Nehemiah text.
When Jesus sat and began to teach, his first words were that this text that he had just read had been fulfilled today. Imagine that you are in that congregation and you hear Jesus say those words: How would you have heard or understand what he had said? Next week we will read about that congregation’s response!
I Corinthians 12:12-31a
In the opening words of chapter 12 of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he has affirmed that God’s Spirit leads us to Christ and then leads us to share in the ministry of the Body of Christ or the Church. In this section, Paul seeks to help the Corinthians church to understand how vital every person in the church is and how vital every gift that God gives is to the wholeness of the church.
Paul speaks of the church like it were a human body, where every part of the body has a specific function and intended by God to help each other. In our world we have learned that a human body can function with only one kidney, with no gallbladder or appendix. We know that people who lose eyesight or limbs can still function and be a productive citizen or live independently, so maybe Paul’s illustration does not seem to be so on target for us as it did for the Corinthians.
In the present state of our world and especially in the present state of the UMC and all churches, there seems to be a willingness to imagine the church functioning well with people who are like minded, but not hesitating to imagine that we can do just great without folks who have other ideas than our own. How does Paul’s teaching address or fail to address that notion? How is the ministry of the church
strengthened by having diverse opinions (and gifts) and how is it weakened by having those diverse opinions and gifts?
Verse 31a places this challenge before the Corinthians: But eagerly desire the greater gifts. Where does that leave us? What is it that we are called to seek after that we have overlooked?
Prayer: Holy God, we often affirm that your Word is a precious gift for us. Help us to see its worth and value for our lives. Give us the same joy in receiving that word that every generation before us has been privileged to see.
Amen.