Sunday Stretch: Vol. 109

Start off your week with a grounded take on Bible, prayer, the world, and your life ...

Hi Readers,

In last week’s Bible stories we focused on baptism - and this week - we have a wedding! And also kind of a fun and illuminating interaction between Jesus and his mother.

This week’s readings, which also includes the Apostle Paul’s list of spiritual gifts, are situated in the midst of a trying time in American and world history. We are approaching the national holiday that remembers the great pastor and Civil Rights leader, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. On that same Monday, Donald Trump - whose candidacy for president has been trumpeted by white supremacists - will be inaugurated into the office of President for the second time.

On this - a short note - for local readers, I will be preaching this morning at 10:45 a.m. at Lake Nokomis Lutheran Church in South Minneapolis. Would love to see you there if you’re local and would like to worship with us. Our theme for the Sunday is Justice for All, and I will be drawing from a portion of a sermon from Dr. King. In a similar vein - every MLK Day Sunday, I like to re-read or watch a sermon from Dr. King. Today, I’m focusing on this one, about loving your enemies in the midst of justice. As always, I find King’s words to be remarkably current and prescient. I can only lament that he was assassinated at such a young age, and imagine what his leadership could have meant for our country at this time. He would be 95 today. May his memory be a blessing, and a call to justice.

I will also note that today’s readings, offering the miracle and celebration at a wedding, remind us too of the joy and miracles God offers each of us each day, in the midst of pain and struggle. We need them dearly. So - let’s get to the texts!

The Wedding at Cana by Paolo Veronese

Bible Stories

Isaiah 62:1-5

Is. 62:1 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,

and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,

until her vindication shines out like the dawn,

and her salvation like a burning torch.

² The nations shall see your vindication,

and all the kings your glory;

and you shall be called by a new name

that the mouth of the LORD will give.

³ You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD,

and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

⁴ You shall no more be termed Forsaken,^a

and your land shall no more be termed Desolate;^b

but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,^c

and your land Married;^d

for the LORD delights in you,

and your land shall be married.

⁵ For as a young man marries a young woman,

so shall your builder^a marry you,

and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,

so shall your God rejoice over you.

I get such a sense of encouragement and resilience from that first verse: I will not keep silent. I will not rest.

Now, we know that “not resting” is a recipe for disaster in this modern age, so I’m not necessarily talking literally. But I will also say that I see these words not as an injunction but as a promise, from God to God’s people. Our greatest fear indeed is often that God will be silent, absent, inactive. Hearing that God’s Word will be active and alive is a needed promise in a world desperate for redemption.

Questions to Ponder

Like so much of Isaiah’s prophecy, this passage is rich in imagery. What do you think of the idea of salvation as a burning torch? Why does Isaiah use the imagery of fire here, do you think?

Then, in verse 3, the prophet uses royal imagery. How do you feel about royal imagery being used for God?

What might the prophet mean by the land being married? Do you see a connection to our Gospel text today (The Wedding at Cana)?

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

1Cor. 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts,^a brothers and sisters,^b I do not want you to be uninformed. ² You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. ³ Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Let Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.

1Cor. 12:4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; ⁵ and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; ⁶ and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. ⁷ To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. ⁸ To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

Every time I read this passage, I think back to the old Spiritual Gifts inventory. It also reminds me of a former coworker of mine in California, who helped administer this survey at our church, and to me. I learned a lot from her enthusiasm and desire to serve, and also the ways that the church can sometimes twist all of our good intentions to serve God. And I think too of how much my own understanding of my gifts has shifted since then, and how I’ve learned more bout myself and the limits of my own capabilities.

When I read this passage now, I see so much Grace: an ability to understand diversity as gift,