[RCL] Jeremiah 1:4-10; Psalm 71:1-6; Hebrews 12:18-29; Luke 13:10-17 Jeremiah 1:4-10 HELP WANTED: Seeking prophet in Jerusalem. No previous experience necessary. Children may also apply. There is no pay. You will be required to proclaim things that your audience does not want to hear – mostly things admonishing them to change their bad behavior. It…

[RCL] Isaiah 5:1-7; Psalm 80: 1-2, 8-18; Hebrews 11:29-12:2; Luke 12:49-56 Isaiah 5:1-7 Chapter five concludes the introductory section of the Book of Isaiah. While previous chapters have been hopeful, chapter five is one of indictment and judgment. The primary verdict is that God’s people have acted unjustly; they have not acted in accordance with…

[RCL] Isaiah 1:1, 10-20; Psalm 50:1-8, 23-24; Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16; Luke 12:32-40 Isaiah 1:1, 10-20 The part of Isaiah that this reading comes from was written before the Babylonian Exile and is part of a series of oracles against Judah and Jerusalem. Judah was the southern part of what was once the united kingdom of…

[RCL] Hosea 11:1-11; Psalm 107:1-9, 43; Colossians 3:1-11; Luke 12:13-21 Hosea 11:1-11 Meditating on this passage of prophetic imagining surfaces the tension that characterizes the relationship between God and Israel. Both parties bend their backs, but God’s bending nourishes while the peoples’ bending isolates them from infinite sustenance. The poet paints a picture of YHWH—the…

[RCL] Hosea 1:2-10; Psalm 85; Colossians 2:6-15, (16-19); Luke 11:1-13 Hosea 1:2-10 Hosea, like the major prophets, performs prophetic sign acts to convey the Lord’s prophetic message, in addition to spoken or written words. These acts are grotesque in the literary sense: they are over the top and cannot be ignored; they are obtrusive, demanding…