Priority commitments
Commentary
Object:
One theme of the Epiphany season is coming to the realization of what God is up to in any given community of faith. Nancy Ammerman provides helpful categories of explicit and implicit theologies. For example, the stated (explicit) vision of a particular church might be: “We are a growing community in service to Christ’s people.” However, if the power people within the congregation spend the majority of their time on building and parking-lot issues, this suggests a more inward, implied theology. The church’s bulletin or brochure might say, “We are a friendly church,” -- but if at any given coffee hour or social event certain cliques seem to flock together, it suggests that friendliness is qualified by “Are you like us?”
Today’s texts present us with perspectives on challenging any community of faith to look at where they are truly committed to their stated priorities, visions, or missions. That is, where do they actually spend most of their financial, time, and “boots on the ground” capital? So a pastoral search committee might say “We want a pastor to challenge us to grow in our faith.” Yet only a small handful of folks actually want to hear different ideas and spend much time beyond Sunday worship doing church ministry during the week. This also gets back to Nancy Ammerman’s views on explicit and implicit theologies. [Source: Nancy T. Ammerman, Jackson W. Carroll, Carl S. Dudley, and William McKinney (editors), Studying Congregations: A New Handbook, (Abingdon Press, 1998)]
Nehemiah 8:1-3; 5-6; 8-10
Though this text is broken up into sections, I have little problem simply addressing the entire chapter of Nehemiah 8. The lectionary does not provide many opportunities to preach on the book of Nehemiah, so this Sunday might provide an opportunity to explore this book and its times of the return from exile. Authorship of the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles has been contested. It is safe to say that the writer is bilingual, knowing both Aramaic and Hebrew. Ezra and Nehemiah have been one book in some scriptural documents. The main characters of the post-exilic period were Zerubbabel, who was assigned by God to rebuild the temple; Ezra, who reinstituted the law based on a very strict reading of the book of Deuteronomy principles; and finally Nehemiah, whose task was to rebuild the walls. One Sunday school memory device is to remember that Nehemiah came to the city when the walls were only “knee high.”
This text reports Ezra reading the book of the Law of Moses (usually assumed to be portions of Deuteronomy). This is a festival time of renewal of the covenant commitment marked by the building of booths, which continues within many Jewish communities in the “Feast of Booths.” The rationale for this event is contested, but usually it is an attempt to re-enact a “second exodus” event since Egypt, but this time from Babylonian exile.
What rules does a given community live under? What sorts of boundaries are necessary for the well-being of all of the community members? Are there considerations for the poor and marginalized? Who enforces such laws? What happens if there are those who “bend the rules” once in a while?
An adult Sunday school teacher writes up a covenant at the beginning of the church year in September that he or she will study the Bible, pray for each adult student, and will call them up or visit them as their Sunday school teacher. The class members in turn are to be prepared to discuss the Bible lesson for the week, and attend class weekly, as health conditions permit. This sheet of paper is a covenant that the teacher expects each adult to sign, as the teacher signs each covenant sheet of paper. At the end of the first class, the Sunday school teacher is stunned to see all of the sheets of paper left either on the chairs or on the table -- unsigned! Are modern Christians in any mood to become part of a covenant for any period of time? These very same adults sign parental participation sheets for sports and other school activities.
So even though a people are back into their homeland, Nehemiah would suggest that they are not truly out of exile until they are committed to the covenant. In the above illustration, one of the adults who left the Sunday school class is on the church council and later mumbles that the congregation’s Christian education ministry seems to be crumbling. Returning to Nancy Ammerman’s categories, might be the “explicit” theology of this church council be “We want a vibrant Sunday school ministry” while the implicit theology is “But don’t ask me to participate”?
Nehemiah kept his eye on his mission and succeeded at rebuilding the walls. He had to deal with complaints of high taxes from the Persian king (Nehemiah 5:1-5). There was local opposition by those who inhabited the land during the years of exile. There were questions regarding Jews charging other Jews interest on loans in lieu of certain warnings in Deuteronomy. In practical terms today, Deuteronomy 15:1 begins with “At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.” Then it proceeds to describe essentially what modern Americans might call “Chapter 7 bankruptcy laws.” These texts are important to raise up whenever sincere people claim to be biblical literalists in the areas of sexuality, household rules, and women’s childbirth issues. [Sources: J.J. Collins, Introduction to the Hebrew Bible (Augsburg Fortress, 2004); Mark A. Throntveit, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Preaching and Teaching -- Ezra-Nehemiah. (Westminster John Knox, 1992)]
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
One key verse of this text might be “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it” (12:26). Paul is using the metaphor of the functioning of a human body to illustrate how he envisions the Christian church carrying on its ministry to the broader world. The human body needs feet, hands, or eyes to keep going. This applies to the church, as it needs gifts of Christians in the areas of apostles, prophets, teachers, healers, assistants, leaders, and those who speak in tongues. Each gift is necessary for the church to carry on a faithful witness within the body of Christ. There is a suggestion that in Corinth speaking of tongues was a point of tension as to whether it was a greater gift. Paul lists it as one in his list in this text. These gifts are God-appointed and not to be taken lightly (12:28). Paul sees all gifts as equally important for the functioning of the body. The loss of any part makes the body poorer.
This text can be taken in a couple directions, as I have observed the congregations I have served. First, there is a basic direction that all ministries are valued by God, which is carried out in the church. Sunday school teachers are just as valued as the folks who volunteer in the kitchen. The ushers who hand out bulletins and collect the offering are to be just as valued as the person who does outdoor cleaning, mowing, and snow removal. At any given time a congregation could have a shortage of persons willing to carry on their ministries through their gifts. Some people simply get tired after doing it for many years. This might include the ladies who do altar care, the women’s group who puts on funeral dinners, or the person who teaches the junior high school class and is now burned out. Possibly a sermon direction might be to seek higher gifts in developing new gifts as Christians.
One interesting idea might be to consider if a congregation really wants a “prophet” or somebody who will remind them of “the other side of an argument.” Prophets in the Hebrew Bible are not mere “nay-sayers” who play the “devil’s advocate.” They must also bracket all of their ideas and messages of hope about how the community can work itself through the current problem. Can a paid person on the church staff ever be a prophet?
A second direction this text can take is that some congregations might have had a faithful treasurer, Sunday school superintendent, or office assistant who did the work on a voluntary basis. Upon their retirement or moving on, the congregation cannot find any volunteers for the job because it takes much time and skill. So the decision is made to make it into a paid part-time position. All of the sudden there are numerous applications for the job! What does this say about the state of the church and its ministries today and into the future? By providing financial payment for a certain job to the new person, what is being said about the person who did it on a volunteer basis? To push this illustration into areas that make me, a paid pastor, feel uncomfortable, maybe church clergy one day might become a part-time paid position or weekend activity where all others have to pitch in and do hospital calls, nursing home visits, and attend church meetings during the week. How do we value gifts in the church? It all amounts to the “priority commitments” of any given church or fellowship. [Sources: F.F. Bruce, The New Century Bible Commentary: I & II Corinthians (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1971); Roy Harrisville, Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament: I Corinthians (Augsburg Fortress, 1987)]
Luke 4:14-21
Would an American Christian really want the “year of the Lord’s favor” (4:19) if they knew it would mean reversals in life status as Luke’s gospel constantly proclaims? A great example of this might be a college or seminary student who has enjoyed the perks as well as the challenges of higher education. They even worked at the soup kitchen food pantry in their college town. Upon graduation, his or her resume is not what is being sought by employers or churches. The college or seminary alumnus now finds themselves as recipients of the soup kitchen and food pantry. Now he or she is glad they always treated those who came in line with friendliness, courtesy, and care. Luke’s gospel might envision this as one possible snapshot of reversal of roles in the kingdom.
There is dispute as to what is meant by the “year of the Lord.” Is this a reference to the year of Jubilee in Leviticus 25 (Carroll, Johnson) or is it the time that Jesus carries out his ministry and proclaims (or teaches [Luke 4:15]) his good news (Marshall)? This text on Jesus’ actions is contested depending on if one reads the LXX or Mark’s versions of Isaiah 58:6; 61:1-2, where the quote from the reading of the scroll is read. It can be either be understood as Kayroos-oh (proclaim) or didasko (teach)(Carroll, p.111; Marshall, p. 177). Directions for how it is interpreted might be if Jesus taught or proclaimed in the synagogue, among the Judeans (only). Therefore, the former has a universal appeal, while the latter is an in-house imparting of knowledge sense. This also points to the question of insiders and outsiders within any given community of faith. Are the words of scripture meant for those who do have not access to the “in the loop” information, blood ties, etc.? One could argue this either way. Luke portrays Jesus first preaching into the Galilee regions and trying to bring the message to Israel with limited reception, but the seeming numerical success of the Luke-Acts accounts suggests a wider acceptance by the Gentiles (Gonzalez).
The anointing of the Spirit is usually interpreted out of the Isaiah servant traditions by all scholars consulted. “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (5:21) is subject to the same debate as the “year of the Lord” meaning. Jesus applies to himself the role of both prophet and messiah. He will embody a similar prophetic posture of both Elijah and Elisha. Readers will discover how Jesus carries out his messianic prophet through the parables to come later in the gospel. When will the anointing of the Spirit occur? Acts 1:8 is Luke’s response.
In this season of Epiphany, how is any one congregation working with Jesus to fulfill “the year of the Lord’s favor”? Salvation in Luke does have the dimension of eternal life because of Jesus’ death and resurrection. But it also carries a present dimension of continuance of the mission we carry on in the kingdom of this earth into the next life; deliverance from many forms of bondage; healing; restoration of all of the land and creation that belongs to God on this earth (Gonzales, p. 64). What difference does the congregation to whom we preach make to the communities where we are located? Again, it is often a matter of the priority of commitments of any given fellowship or church. [Sources: John T. Carroll, The New Testament Library: Mark (Westminster John Knox, 2012); JustoGonzalez, The Story Luke Tells: Luke’s Unique Witness to the Gospel (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2015); Luke Timothy Johnson, Sacra Pagina: The Gospel of Luke (Liturgical Press, 1991); I. HowardMarshall, New International Greek Testament Commentary: Commentary on Luke (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979)]
Application
Explicitly, most congregations want to grow spiritually and numerically. One of the challenges of any time is the temptation to hoard power and economic resources (in whatever form they take: time, materials, and monetary wealth). How is the local congregation part of the solution rather than part of the problem? Implicitly, what sort of ministry is being carried out to share the gifts God has given creation? The theology of the communion table provides a sneak peak at a congregation’s implicit theology. Who is invited to the meal and who is being told to “wait”? How often is the communion meal served and why? (Gonzales, pp. 93-109, works cited above).
Is the local congregation being called to rebuild as a priority in ministry? If so, where? Who is going to be the Nehemiah group that provides the energy? What sort of spiritual gifts are in the congregation? Beyond sending out a “spiritual gifts inventory sheet,” how are believers being invited to participate? For example, there was once a Christian man who did not want to read, teach, or be on the church council of a given church. When asked what he prefers to do as ministry, he growled, “I would rather mow the lawn and trim the bushes... at least they do not complain when they don’t get their way.”
What does salvation look like in any given community? Is it not having mischievous children running around the neighborhoods? Is it some form of economic development? For example, there was once a pastor who really hated to prepare sermons and preach. This pastor subscribed to as many preaching journals as he could find. But his ministry strength was serving on village committees for economic improvement, helping the local needy and obtaining funds and grants for causes in the community. Not all clergy like to preach! Many are gifted in other areas that the community needs (1 Corinthians 12, Luke 4 texts).
Alternative Application
A history of the post-exilic community in telling their story might be an alternative to the Nehemiah text, with the addition of what obstacles stand in the way of rebuilding or reforming a particular community of faith. The fact is that there were no yellow ribbons or ticker-tape parades as the exiles returned home. It was more like the Tom Cruise movie Born on the Fourth of July.
In 1 Corinthians, the debate over gifts was so heated that Paul had to take a “time-out” to write the famous love chapter of 1 Corinthians 13. How would one re-read the gifts passage in lieu of 1 Corinthians 13?
In Luke, the synagogue person hands to Jesus a scroll with Isaiah’s texts on it. Luke is unique in providing this detail among all of the synoptic gospels. What scriptural passage would any person “not want” to have handed to him or her to expound upon? Since I am a Lutheran, I would not appreciate the book of James or Deuteronomy being handed to me -- I would much rather prefer a Pauline epistle or the book of Psalms, Proverbs, and maybe Ecclesiastes.
Today’s texts present us with perspectives on challenging any community of faith to look at where they are truly committed to their stated priorities, visions, or missions. That is, where do they actually spend most of their financial, time, and “boots on the ground” capital? So a pastoral search committee might say “We want a pastor to challenge us to grow in our faith.” Yet only a small handful of folks actually want to hear different ideas and spend much time beyond Sunday worship doing church ministry during the week. This also gets back to Nancy Ammerman’s views on explicit and implicit theologies. [Source: Nancy T. Ammerman, Jackson W. Carroll, Carl S. Dudley, and William McKinney (editors), Studying Congregations: A New Handbook, (Abingdon Press, 1998)]
Nehemiah 8:1-3; 5-6; 8-10
Though this text is broken up into sections, I have little problem simply addressing the entire chapter of Nehemiah 8. The lectionary does not provide many opportunities to preach on the book of Nehemiah, so this Sunday might provide an opportunity to explore this book and its times of the return from exile. Authorship of the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles has been contested. It is safe to say that the writer is bilingual, knowing both Aramaic and Hebrew. Ezra and Nehemiah have been one book in some scriptural documents. The main characters of the post-exilic period were Zerubbabel, who was assigned by God to rebuild the temple; Ezra, who reinstituted the law based on a very strict reading of the book of Deuteronomy principles; and finally Nehemiah, whose task was to rebuild the walls. One Sunday school memory device is to remember that Nehemiah came to the city when the walls were only “knee high.”
This text reports Ezra reading the book of the Law of Moses (usually assumed to be portions of Deuteronomy). This is a festival time of renewal of the covenant commitment marked by the building of booths, which continues within many Jewish communities in the “Feast of Booths.” The rationale for this event is contested, but usually it is an attempt to re-enact a “second exodus” event since Egypt, but this time from Babylonian exile.
What rules does a given community live under? What sorts of boundaries are necessary for the well-being of all of the community members? Are there considerations for the poor and marginalized? Who enforces such laws? What happens if there are those who “bend the rules” once in a while?
An adult Sunday school teacher writes up a covenant at the beginning of the church year in September that he or she will study the Bible, pray for each adult student, and will call them up or visit them as their Sunday school teacher. The class members in turn are to be prepared to discuss the Bible lesson for the week, and attend class weekly, as health conditions permit. This sheet of paper is a covenant that the teacher expects each adult to sign, as the teacher signs each covenant sheet of paper. At the end of the first class, the Sunday school teacher is stunned to see all of the sheets of paper left either on the chairs or on the table -- unsigned! Are modern Christians in any mood to become part of a covenant for any period of time? These very same adults sign parental participation sheets for sports and other school activities.
So even though a people are back into their homeland, Nehemiah would suggest that they are not truly out of exile until they are committed to the covenant. In the above illustration, one of the adults who left the Sunday school class is on the church council and later mumbles that the congregation’s Christian education ministry seems to be crumbling. Returning to Nancy Ammerman’s categories, might be the “explicit” theology of this church council be “We want a vibrant Sunday school ministry” while the implicit theology is “But don’t ask me to participate”?
Nehemiah kept his eye on his mission and succeeded at rebuilding the walls. He had to deal with complaints of high taxes from the Persian king (Nehemiah 5:1-5). There was local opposition by those who inhabited the land during the years of exile. There were questions regarding Jews charging other Jews interest on loans in lieu of certain warnings in Deuteronomy. In practical terms today, Deuteronomy 15:1 begins with “At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.” Then it proceeds to describe essentially what modern Americans might call “Chapter 7 bankruptcy laws.” These texts are important to raise up whenever sincere people claim to be biblical literalists in the areas of sexuality, household rules, and women’s childbirth issues. [Sources: J.J. Collins, Introduction to the Hebrew Bible (Augsburg Fortress, 2004); Mark A. Throntveit, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Preaching and Teaching -- Ezra-Nehemiah. (Westminster John Knox, 1992)]
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
One key verse of this text might be “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it” (12:26). Paul is using the metaphor of the functioning of a human body to illustrate how he envisions the Christian church carrying on its ministry to the broader world. The human body needs feet, hands, or eyes to keep going. This applies to the church, as it needs gifts of Christians in the areas of apostles, prophets, teachers, healers, assistants, leaders, and those who speak in tongues. Each gift is necessary for the church to carry on a faithful witness within the body of Christ. There is a suggestion that in Corinth speaking of tongues was a point of tension as to whether it was a greater gift. Paul lists it as one in his list in this text. These gifts are God-appointed and not to be taken lightly (12:28). Paul sees all gifts as equally important for the functioning of the body. The loss of any part makes the body poorer.
This text can be taken in a couple directions, as I have observed the congregations I have served. First, there is a basic direction that all ministries are valued by God, which is carried out in the church. Sunday school teachers are just as valued as the folks who volunteer in the kitchen. The ushers who hand out bulletins and collect the offering are to be just as valued as the person who does outdoor cleaning, mowing, and snow removal. At any given time a congregation could have a shortage of persons willing to carry on their ministries through their gifts. Some people simply get tired after doing it for many years. This might include the ladies who do altar care, the women’s group who puts on funeral dinners, or the person who teaches the junior high school class and is now burned out. Possibly a sermon direction might be to seek higher gifts in developing new gifts as Christians.
One interesting idea might be to consider if a congregation really wants a “prophet” or somebody who will remind them of “the other side of an argument.” Prophets in the Hebrew Bible are not mere “nay-sayers” who play the “devil’s advocate.” They must also bracket all of their ideas and messages of hope about how the community can work itself through the current problem. Can a paid person on the church staff ever be a prophet?
A second direction this text can take is that some congregations might have had a faithful treasurer, Sunday school superintendent, or office assistant who did the work on a voluntary basis. Upon their retirement or moving on, the congregation cannot find any volunteers for the job because it takes much time and skill. So the decision is made to make it into a paid part-time position. All of the sudden there are numerous applications for the job! What does this say about the state of the church and its ministries today and into the future? By providing financial payment for a certain job to the new person, what is being said about the person who did it on a volunteer basis? To push this illustration into areas that make me, a paid pastor, feel uncomfortable, maybe church clergy one day might become a part-time paid position or weekend activity where all others have to pitch in and do hospital calls, nursing home visits, and attend church meetings during the week. How do we value gifts in the church? It all amounts to the “priority commitments” of any given church or fellowship. [Sources: F.F. Bruce, The New Century Bible Commentary: I & II Corinthians (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1971); Roy Harrisville, Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament: I Corinthians (Augsburg Fortress, 1987)]
Luke 4:14-21
Would an American Christian really want the “year of the Lord’s favor” (4:19) if they knew it would mean reversals in life status as Luke’s gospel constantly proclaims? A great example of this might be a college or seminary student who has enjoyed the perks as well as the challenges of higher education. They even worked at the soup kitchen food pantry in their college town. Upon graduation, his or her resume is not what is being sought by employers or churches. The college or seminary alumnus now finds themselves as recipients of the soup kitchen and food pantry. Now he or she is glad they always treated those who came in line with friendliness, courtesy, and care. Luke’s gospel might envision this as one possible snapshot of reversal of roles in the kingdom.
There is dispute as to what is meant by the “year of the Lord.” Is this a reference to the year of Jubilee in Leviticus 25 (Carroll, Johnson) or is it the time that Jesus carries out his ministry and proclaims (or teaches [Luke 4:15]) his good news (Marshall)? This text on Jesus’ actions is contested depending on if one reads the LXX or Mark’s versions of Isaiah 58:6; 61:1-2, where the quote from the reading of the scroll is read. It can be either be understood as Kayroos-oh (proclaim) or didasko (teach)(Carroll, p.111; Marshall, p. 177). Directions for how it is interpreted might be if Jesus taught or proclaimed in the synagogue, among the Judeans (only). Therefore, the former has a universal appeal, while the latter is an in-house imparting of knowledge sense. This also points to the question of insiders and outsiders within any given community of faith. Are the words of scripture meant for those who do have not access to the “in the loop” information, blood ties, etc.? One could argue this either way. Luke portrays Jesus first preaching into the Galilee regions and trying to bring the message to Israel with limited reception, but the seeming numerical success of the Luke-Acts accounts suggests a wider acceptance by the Gentiles (Gonzalez).
The anointing of the Spirit is usually interpreted out of the Isaiah servant traditions by all scholars consulted. “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (5:21) is subject to the same debate as the “year of the Lord” meaning. Jesus applies to himself the role of both prophet and messiah. He will embody a similar prophetic posture of both Elijah and Elisha. Readers will discover how Jesus carries out his messianic prophet through the parables to come later in the gospel. When will the anointing of the Spirit occur? Acts 1:8 is Luke’s response.
In this season of Epiphany, how is any one congregation working with Jesus to fulfill “the year of the Lord’s favor”? Salvation in Luke does have the dimension of eternal life because of Jesus’ death and resurrection. But it also carries a present dimension of continuance of the mission we carry on in the kingdom of this earth into the next life; deliverance from many forms of bondage; healing; restoration of all of the land and creation that belongs to God on this earth (Gonzales, p. 64). What difference does the congregation to whom we preach make to the communities where we are located? Again, it is often a matter of the priority of commitments of any given fellowship or church. [Sources: John T. Carroll, The New Testament Library: Mark (Westminster John Knox, 2012); JustoGonzalez, The Story Luke Tells: Luke’s Unique Witness to the Gospel (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2015); Luke Timothy Johnson, Sacra Pagina: The Gospel of Luke (Liturgical Press, 1991); I. HowardMarshall, New International Greek Testament Commentary: Commentary on Luke (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979)]
Application
Explicitly, most congregations want to grow spiritually and numerically. One of the challenges of any time is the temptation to hoard power and economic resources (in whatever form they take: time, materials, and monetary wealth). How is the local congregation part of the solution rather than part of the problem? Implicitly, what sort of ministry is being carried out to share the gifts God has given creation? The theology of the communion table provides a sneak peak at a congregation’s implicit theology. Who is invited to the meal and who is being told to “wait”? How often is the communion meal served and why? (Gonzales, pp. 93-109, works cited above).
Is the local congregation being called to rebuild as a priority in ministry? If so, where? Who is going to be the Nehemiah group that provides the energy? What sort of spiritual gifts are in the congregation? Beyond sending out a “spiritual gifts inventory sheet,” how are believers being invited to participate? For example, there was once a Christian man who did not want to read, teach, or be on the church council of a given church. When asked what he prefers to do as ministry, he growled, “I would rather mow the lawn and trim the bushes... at least they do not complain when they don’t get their way.”
What does salvation look like in any given community? Is it not having mischievous children running around the neighborhoods? Is it some form of economic development? For example, there was once a pastor who really hated to prepare sermons and preach. This pastor subscribed to as many preaching journals as he could find. But his ministry strength was serving on village committees for economic improvement, helping the local needy and obtaining funds and grants for causes in the community. Not all clergy like to preach! Many are gifted in other areas that the community needs (1 Corinthians 12, Luke 4 texts).
Alternative Application
A history of the post-exilic community in telling their story might be an alternative to the Nehemiah text, with the addition of what obstacles stand in the way of rebuilding or reforming a particular community of faith. The fact is that there were no yellow ribbons or ticker-tape parades as the exiles returned home. It was more like the Tom Cruise movie Born on the Fourth of July.
In 1 Corinthians, the debate over gifts was so heated that Paul had to take a “time-out” to write the famous love chapter of 1 Corinthians 13. How would one re-read the gifts passage in lieu of 1 Corinthians 13?
In Luke, the synagogue person hands to Jesus a scroll with Isaiah’s texts on it. Luke is unique in providing this detail among all of the synoptic gospels. What scriptural passage would any person “not want” to have handed to him or her to expound upon? Since I am a Lutheran, I would not appreciate the book of James or Deuteronomy being handed to me -- I would much rather prefer a Pauline epistle or the book of Psalms, Proverbs, and maybe Ecclesiastes.
