Sunday Stretch: Vol. 47

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

Hi Readers,

And a special welcome to new subscribers, especially all of you who joined the list from last week’s forum on Red State Christians and Christian Nationalism at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Roseville, Minn. I’m so glad you’re here. I love to see this Substack community as not a replacement for your local church, but a bridge between the broader world and local church communities. My hope is to be a support to all of the local church pastors out there, to provide space to go deeper in some places where you simply don’t have the spoons to completely cover, in the midst of weekly worship and ongoing programming - and at the same time to give everyone ideas and energy to bring back to local congregations. I hope you find especially this Sunday newsletter rich and renewing when it comes to Scripture, prayer, and application to your daily lives and our interconnected social world.

And it also deserves to be said - if you’re in a place where you’re feeling disconnected from your local church communities, I hope that you can find respite and renewal in this space; that you are reminded that God is ultimately accepting and loving of you - exactly who you are in this moment - and that you always have permission to step away from communities that are harmful, abusive, or simply just don’t connect with you anymore. This community - I pray - is big enough to hold all of us together, and to give space and permission as we wander, and as we stay put, knowing that God dwells among us wherever we go, and it’s God alone who brings holiness to our local churches, and to our world.

It’s in that spirit that we’ll dive into the Bible texts this week, all of which summon the ineffable and powerful gift of Grace …

I’ll always remember the first sermon I preached on internship, at Community Lutheran Church in Las Vegas. I was joining a pastoral staff that included two gifted and dynamic preachers, both charismatic men, and several wildly talented musicians and worship leaders, who’d had success in secular music and entertainment venues from Vegas to Chicago to NYC. Needless to say, I was a bit in over-my-head and badly wanted to do well but wasn’t sure how to do that. The topic of my first sermon was “Grace.” I remember I used a notecard with way too much on it, and I preached a bit awkwardly, luckily only in front of our much-smaller Sunday night worship service, a Country-Western gospel service featuring the Honky Tonk Angels that soon became my husband’s favorite. While I had a long way to go as a preacher, nevertheless two of those wildly talented musicians and guitarists came that night to watch me preach, Mike and Julian. They both later told me they really liked the sermon. Despite my inexperience, they “got” me. Mike later made me a label (shown above) that read: Preacher. In that moment, Mike and Julian’s faith in me and grace in my preaching ability taught me so much about grace itself. I’ve always held onto that binder since, and I took this photo to remember as the 3-ring binder started to crack and break after the 12 years of pastoral ministry since!

Bible Stories

Genesis 50:15-21

Gen. 50:15   Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, “What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?”  ¹⁶ So they approached Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this instruction before he died,  ¹⁷ ‘Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.’ Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him.  ¹⁸ Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him, and said, “We are here as your slaves.”  ¹⁹ But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God?  ²⁰ Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today.  ²¹ So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones.” In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them.

This passage reminds me of my Confirmation students two years ago at Grace Lutheran Church in Brownton, Minn. It was a group of all boys plus me, and we’d been plodding our way through the book of Genesis, week in and week out. Finally though - we got to this payoff - the place where the story of Joseph clearly articulates for us the power of God’s grace, and the sometimes quiet and unexpected way that God works within the world. This story meant so much more to all of us after we’d gone through the rest of Genesis together, seeing alike the suffering, pain, and evil that ends up damaging God’s beautiful and loving creation, and wondering where is God in the midst of it all? As Joseph meets and forgives his brothers, we are reminded: God is here. Here in the imperfection, the pain, the anger, the sorrow, the repentance, the forgiveness, the reconciliation. There is the Grace. (Hmm, what a fitting name for the congregation where I studied this passage in detail with the students!)

Questions to Ponder

What do you think it means that this reconciliation occurred only after Joseph’s father (Israel/Jacob’s) death?

What is the role of repentance in this story?

I like to speak of God’s power as transformational rather than authoritarian. What do you think this distinction means? Do you agree?

Romans 14:1-12

Rom. 14:1   Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions.  ² Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables.  ³ Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them.  ⁴ Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

Rom. 14:5   Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds.  ⁶ Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God.

Rom. 14:7   We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves.  ⁸ If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.  ⁹ For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Rom. 14:10    Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.  ¹¹ For it is written,

“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,

and every tongue shall give praise to God.”

¹² So then, each of us will be accountable to God.

I couldn’t help but giggle a bit at verse 2 of this passage: “Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables.”

If you spend any time in the mom/late 30s/early 40s woman corner of social media, you’ll likely run into folks who are convinced that changing your diet will improve everything in your life and cure any ailments. These people often advise cutting out almost all other food groups except water and vegetables, and while I do love my veggies, don’t you dare suggest taking away my dairy! Ha.

Anyway - I love the way this passage from Romans brings practical bearing to the portraits of Grace we see evidenced in the Hebrew Bible and Gospel readings. I see Paul’s words in line with Jesus’ reminder to “first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye!” Paul is reminding us of the impracticality and wastefulness of spending our time evaluating another’s righteousness. He is also reminding us that there are many valid pathways to righteousness and faithful living. Even in your own life, you might find that you need to follow different spiritual practices at different times. Grace means that’s OK!

How would you interpret verse 1 in the context of your own local church or faith community? What might it mean to live out Paul’s advice?

How does Paul’s advice in verse 1 add depth to the well-known slogan: All are welcome?

How might you understand Paul’s words in verse 5: “Let all be fully convinced in their own minds.” Do you think he is saying that much of how we judge each other is adiaphora? Why or why not?

Matthew 18:21-35

Matt. 18:21   Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?”  ²² Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.

Matt. 18:23   “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.  ²⁴ When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him;  ²⁵ and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made.  ²⁶ So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’  ²⁷ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt.  ²⁸ But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’  ²⁹ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’  ³⁰ But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt.  ³¹ When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place.  ³² Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.  ³³ Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’  ³⁴ And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt.  ³⁵ So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

It doesn’t seem adequate in the small space here to fully explicate Jesus’ powerful parable of the Unforgiving Servant. Jesus is doing something so revolutionary in this passage, by drawing a connection from God’s grace to the way we are called to treat one another. I think this parable is vitally important, not only because of its warning against hypocrisy and self-righteousness, but also because of the claim it makes about our relationship and connectedness to God, through the incarnation of Jesus. Jesus is reminding us that we were created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27) and thus we are called to mirror, to the best we can, God’s treatment and love of us when we deal with one another. This message and calling is sorely missing from many of our modern Christian institutions and leaders. In pursuit of power, Christians have instead agreed that how we treat one another, especially the poor and the marginalized, does not matter as long as we are amassing more power and influence for Christians and Christianity. After all, the Unforgiving Servant was holding onto more wealth for himself by withholding forgiveness. Maybe he’d use that wealth to give to the temple, or to make an altar to God. But power for Christians does not excuse poor treatment and usury of vulnerable people, especially in light of the forgiveness God has first given each and every one of us.

Imagine with me, for a moment, that this Unforgiving Servant subscribed to Christian Nationalism, and he believed that by making more money and withholding debt forgiveness (which many churches benefited from during COVID and the era of PPP loans) he was simply gaining more power for himself and for the church/nation. How does this parable show where the tenets of Christian Nationalism come into conflict with the tenets of Jesus’ Gospel?

What is the role of the fellow slaves in this story, and their reporting of the incident?

Are you, like me, troubled by verse 34, which suggests that God would be a torturer? Torture has long been forbidden under international law, and yet people are still subjected to torture. It’s horrifying to think of God as a torturer. Why do you think Paul used this extreme language here?

PRAYER

Dear God,

You remind me that your grace is enough. You remind me that especially in my weakness, fear, and pain - your power is real and sufficient to conquer and defeat the presence of evil. Help me to rest in your reassurance, and to be emboldened to seek repentance and forgiveness for those whom I have wronged.

In Jesus’ name we pray,

AMEN

An Invitation

A Community that prays for one another is transformed by the power of the Spirit. We’ve been praying for and with each other now for about nine months! For the new year, and about once a quarter, I will re-start this space for prayer requests and praises. Please email with your own requests and I will share here with your permission!

1. For the people of Morocco, and the lands and towns surrounding the historic city of Marrakech, as they rebuild and mourn the destruction of a devastating earthquake last week.

2. For the East Coast, Bermuda, and all those impacted by Hurricane Lee.

3. For victims of gun violence in Jacksonville and elsewhere across America last month, and especially God for your justice to ring out against all those who continue to lend support and credence to white supremacy, especially in the Church. Help us to speak clearly for the call to justice and an intolerance of racist actions and policies in America.

4. We continue to pray for a cessation of violence and war in Ukraine, and for refugees and migrants around the world who are without a safe place to call home.

5. We pray for all people experiencing extreme weather, and those without safe shelter or a warm/cool place to sleep at night. For all those in need of food. For all those looking for work. For those injured in travel on the roads and on the sea and on the rails, especially migrants who travel dangerous routes with their families seeking safety and freedom, both on the Mediterranean Sea and at the U.S./Mexico border. For people in the South, in Mexico and Central America, and California - and all those living in the midst of extreme heat, that they would have access to cool places to sleep and live, and that rain would come. We also pray for those experiencing flooding, and those living in the midst of wildfires and wildfire smoke, especially in Canada and the Northwest Territories - also for those experiencing extreme heat and without enough shade and water in the midst of grueling outdoor work, especially farmworkers and construction workers across the United States, India, China, and the Middle East.

6. We pray for the people of Holy Land, for Israelis and Palestinians, Christians, Jews, and Muslims - that all will be treated with justice and be given equal rights before the government, to live, work, and practice their faith. We pray for an end to violence and protection of the vulnerable, especially children and the elderly.

7. We pray for all churches, church leaders, and volunteers as they lead congregations in this season after Pentecost. May religious leaders step aside to make way for the creativity of the Holy Spirit, and not resist the blowing winds of change and disruption.

8. We pray for the people of Iran, where protesters’ lives are being threatened and women are being arrested simply for advocating for their lives and criticizing an abusive government. We also pray for women and girls in Afghanistan, whose right to education and employment has been taken away by the ruling Taliban.

9. We pray for the victims of gun violence across America, and for brave legislators who are seeking to change overly permissive gun laws. Bring justice, resolution, truth, and mercy, dear God, and culpability to those who profit from the sale and manufacture of guns.

10. We pray for all those living and existing at the U.S./Mexico borderlands, and for migrants around the world who are seeking safety and a better life for their families. Protect and keep safe all those who travel far from home, risking their lives, especially parents, children, and seniors - and people from countries at war and under political strife, especially people from El Salvador, Haiti, Venezuela, Honduras, Colombia, Peru, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine, Sudan, and many other countries around the world. Grant mercy and open hearts to those who work in border enforcement, and prevent violence and death at the border.

11. We pray especially today for all students, teachers, staff, administrators, families, coaches, bus drivers - and all those involved with kids heading back to school. God bring peace, safety, joy and laughter to classrooms across our world this school year, and help kids to have a safe and productive environment to learn and to love the world.

12. On this post-Labor Day month, we pray for all those who work hard to advocate for better conditions for workers across the world, especially those who work in dangerous conditions each and every day for low pay, especially farmworkers and caregivers and factory workers and nurses and first responders. Be with all those who are striking for fair pay and conditions, from writers and actors to hotel workers and restaurant workers.

13. As we remember September 11, 2001, dear God please be with all those who lost loved ones on that day, and with the families of first responders who also continue to suffer effects of that day. Give us the strength and perseverance to rebuild in love and hope, and to find ways to understand one another and combat religious fundamentalism and religion-based violence, wherever it is rooted: whether overseas in radical Islamist groups, and closer to home in Christian Nationalist groups that call for violence.

Dear God, we pray for renewal and hope and change in the power of the Holy Spirit, and in the Creating, Redeeming, and Sustaining God!

AMEN

This was a special free edition of the Sunday Stretch. Future weeks will usually be only available to paid subscribers, with a free preview for all. Thank you all for subscribing and supporting this newsletter and our Bible Study time together!

P.S. …

A Few Notes:

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