Sunday Stretch: Vol. 92
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, for whom this is the first time reading our regular weekly Sunday newsletter: The Sunday Stretch. This newsletter is typically only available to paid subscribers, but I do make it available to everyone occasionally, on special Sundays or when I want to make sure certain weeks are accessible to everyone (and remember, you can always request a paid subscription gratis if it’s not in your budget; I never want cost to be a barrier for anyone here).
Today’s newsletter is free for everyone, as I’m back into the regular newsletter routine after my yearly August Substack sabbatical. I’m so glad you’re here!
Time is a funny thing. In some ways, summer blew by in a blur, including this past month of August. And in other ways, it seems like way longer than just five weeks since I’ve written to you in the Sunday Stretch! I’ve missed our devotional time together and weekly online worshipping community, even as I know a bit of a break time is necessary for all of us to be occasionally renewed and ready to return to the routine.
I’d love to hear from you about your August: where did you connect spiritually? Where and in whom did you hear from God?
August for me was quite a bit busier than I’d generally intend a sabbatical month to be. I officially started a new writing job as a columnist for the Minnesota Star Tribune, and I also had my official installation service into my new pastoral role at Lake Nokomis Lutheran Church in Minneapolis.
You can read more about both of those things here! We also traveled as a family: a few times to visited our close family member who was diagnosed with cancer in April, and up to the North Shore of Lake Superior for a few days, where we hiked to see waterfalls and canoed near the Boundary Waters.
I’m writing this newsletter to you this week from our back deck, where I always try and spend as much time as possible in the summers. This year, that time was limited: due to travel, work, and also the rainiest/most humid summer in Minnesota in recent memory. Our neighborhood is full of mature trees and above-ground power lines, and we were without power for one stretch for 48 hours, and we also recently had a boulevard tree fall and block our street for a week (thankfully, we didn’t lose power this time).
And while I have fond memories of reading book after book in our backyard hammock in summers past, I’m reminded today of the reality of the outdoors in the city. Our several-years-old air conditioner is whirring loudly, the neighbor has some kind of loud equipment running, other toddler neighbor kids are yelling to one another, and bees and flies are whirring closer and closer to my head, while I try to avoid sunburning my shins.
In the trees, while the wind and sun dance in branches and leaves, I often see a glimpse of God. I still do now, amid the cacophony, and the stress and anxiety of another school year and an upcoming presidential election.
I’m (still) listening. And I remain so grateful for this time and this place and you people to listen with me. LET’S GET TO THE TEXTS!
Artwork of the Syro-Phoenician woman from our Gospel text today, taken from the Rev. Wil Gafney’s website. Read more of Rev. Gafney’s reflection on the text here.
Isaiah 35:4-7
Is. 35:4 Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
“Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God.
He will come with vengeance,
with terrible recompense.
He will come and save you.”
Is. 35:5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
7 the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp,a
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
The beginning of this passage reminds me of one of those empty admonitions from people who don’t bother to listen, or to consider the real needs of those in pain and in need.
Just be strong!
Don’t worry!
Relax!
But the prophet Isaiah doesn’t stop there. Instead, the prophet explains what God’s justice means for those “of a fearful heart.” God doesn’t shame those who are afraid or in need. Instead God promises joy, comfort, spite, justice, growth.
Questions to Ponder
When have you experienced having a “fearful heart”?
What about encountering loved ones who have a “fearful heart” or even acquaintances and strangers? How did you respond?
What do you think of the prophet’s vision for God’s vengeance? What does it look like, sound like, smell like, feel like, taste like?
James 2:1-10, 14-17
James 2:1 My brothers and sisters,a do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ?b 2 For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, 3 and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here, please,” while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,”a 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters.a Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? 7 Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?
James 2:8 You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 9 But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.
James 2:14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters,a if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17 So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
Like every good Lutheran (ha) I know the saying that Martin Luther called the Epistle of James a “gospel of straw.” Luther did so because of this very passage, specifically verse 17, that faith by itself without works, is dead.
It’s important to read Luther, and the Bible, with a bit of context. Luther was writing and preaching in a time when the Roman Catholic Church, with its requisite reliance on acts of penance and indulgences in order for salvation, and disallowing of reading the Bible by ordinary Christians, ruled Western Europe. Christianity in Luther’s time was defined by superstition and carefully subscribed actions and rituals. Faith, and connection to the Gospel itself, was left exclusively, officially, to the clergy and those who had religious vocations.
Now, contrast that context with our own: a dominant American Christianity that has long relied on a sort of “mental assent” version of faith in order to receive salvation, colloquially known as “accept Jesus into your heart.” That is not what Luther meant by faith, instead he meant a more biblical vision of the word, one that encompassed several dimensions of being and acting. But nonetheless, popular (often conservative and predominately white) American Christianity has been dominated, at least according to popular opinion, by “believing the right things,” especially when it comes to social issues (namely abortion and LGBTQ rights).
Now, James does not seem such an “epistle of straw.” Instead, we see anew the importance of this epistle and its insistence on remembering the heart of Jesus’ social teachings: care for the poor, love for one another, heal the sick, clothe the naked, visit people in prison, etc. Our Gospel lesson below will have more to say on this topic …
Re-read verses 1-7. In what ways does popular culture and/or social media accede to these ideas? Where do you see people honoring the rich and dishonoring the poor?
Where have you seen this in your own life? In your own actions? Have you experienced others dishonoring you in favor of those who are wealthier? In what ways?
How do you feel thinking about these examples in our world and reading James’ admonitions? Take a moment, if you want, to offer a prayer and even a confession to God in this area, or, if you feel led, offering forgiveness for those who have treated you in this way - or praying about what it might mean to forgive those who have wronged you in this fashion.
Mark 7:24-37
Mark 7:24 From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre.a He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, 25 but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. 26 Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” 28 But she answered him, “Sir,a even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” 30 So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
Mark 7:31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32 They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. 34 Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35 And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 Then Jesusa ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”
It’s so remarkable to return to these words of the Bible, and to see how the prophets and the epistles proclaim the ideas of the Gospel: and then we come to the Gospel stories of Jesus, and we see how Jesus - in the flesh - lives out these ideas and prophecies!
In this story I see how Jesus’ life is a testimony to the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy of God’s justice, and to the clarion call of James to those who follow Jesus, to do acts of love and justice in the world while believing in Jesus.
Mark’s Gospel is a thorough work of action, of Jesus’ miracles and movement throughout the Holy Land up until his arrest, crucifixion, and resurrection. And here, we see Jesus’ response to an impertinent, persistent, foreign woman who did not share his faith. I encourage you to read Rev. Gafney’s take on this story, as it aligns with my own today, and it’s also likely an interpretation I would have hesitated at years ago.
In this story, we see the courage and persistence of the Syrophoenician Woman change Jesus’ mind and his intentions for his miracles. Jesus’ first response to the woman’s request to heal her daughter was, basically, “No,” this miracle is not for you. (Simply because of who she was and what she believed!) But the woman pushed back, in a kind of argument and also a prayer, offering another option for Jesus to consider. And he did! He changed his mind, and he healed her daughter. Jesus was not intimidated or cowed by a courageous woman. Instead, he listened to her, and he changed his mind.
From the beginning of this passage to the end, there’s a suggestion that Jesus wants to keep a lower profile. This is a theme of the Gospel of Mark, the suggestion that some of Jesus’ story was hidden or that Jesus desired it to be kept under wraps. Why do you think this was?
What does this story say to you about the interplay of miracles between people of different faiths?
Why do you think this woman came to Jesus? What do you think her community thought of her choice to consult with someone outside their faith and ethnicity?
PRAYER
Dear God,
Thank you for bringing us back together today to read the Sunday Stretch together and pray together. Please be with each person here, that they might have time and mental space in their lives for worship each week, that they might also find a fruitful local worshipping community if they don’t already have one, and please help us to listen to you and to one another. Help us see examples of your justice and love in action in our lives this week.
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 over a year! 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!
While we took an August break, we are still in the church year season of Ordinary Time. Therefore we will continue with some of our same prayer requests. Please do send your requests to add here to the list!
For teachers, families, students, and staff as they begin another school year. Grant compassion, kindness, patience, and fun for all - with an openness to learning new ideas and listening to one another. May teachers be renewed and respected in the school year ahead, and kids be kept safe so that they can focus on learning and growing!
For my writer friend, Sarah, who is recovering from surgery, and another friend whose husband recently had a kidney transplant (and my friend’s brother, who donated the kidney!) Thanks to God for miracles of medical science and those who work as healers and carers.
For the new baby in my congregation at Lake Nokomis Lutheran, and the parents of the new baby: that they all might experience ample rest and growth and recovery!
In the midst of a Presidential election season, we give you thanks for the leadership of Joe Biden, who chose to step away from a powerful position in order to do what he thought was best for people other than himself. Help our leaders to be guided by humility and wisdom, and be with all candidates for office in the election season ahead: may they speak with patience, wisdom, love, and truth.
I received the following prayer requests from Bishop Simon Okoth, who leads the Mennonite Church in Uganda. Thanks for reading, Bishop Simon!
I lead the Mennonite Church in Uganda and it is an uphill task. Please pray that God may enable us initiate a static bible school to help train the many church leaders in the field yet with no theological background. Lack of training causes distortion in the interpretation of God's Word written.
2. Pray that God may bring volunteers to come reinforce the work in Uganda. As the scripture says: The field is plentius but the workers are few - Uganda is indeed ripe for evangelism but not many have discovered this secret. We welcome short term / long term volunteers to come work with us in teaching children, youth, women's ministry etc.
3. Pray that God may help us get infrastructure for the church. Some of Our people still worship while sitting on dusty floor due to lack of chairs. A chair costs US$9 and we need at least 1500 chairs across the 30 churches under my watch in the country.
4. Pray for me to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit as I lead the church. I am pioneering this work in Uganda and sometimes feel overwhelmed. Pray that God may steer His work to success despite the challenges faced.
In this summer season of extreme weather and storms, be with all those in their path. Protect farmworkers and construction workers and all those who work outside from extreme heat, and give them ample rest and water. Provide resources and support to all those who have faced destruction from storms. Help us to live with compassion for one another, and sober honesty about ways to slow the pace of climate change and global warming.
For so many loved ones of mine who have recently been diagnosed with cancer and are undergoing treatment. May they have caring and high-quality care, rest as needed, and loving support of family and friends.
We also pray for all those who are caring for loved ones who are going through myriad health challenges. Grant them rest and relief in the midst of difficult and tiring times. And for all who are grieving the death of a loved one.
For ongoing war and bloodshed in Israel and Gaza, that humanitarian pathways will be opened up to make way for food and supplies into Gaza, that a way forward out of war will be heard by Israel and Hamas, that all those in danger, including hostages, will be protected and set free. For all leaders to prioritize human life over power.
In Gaza, we pray especially for Sully’s loved ones (and all of our loved ones throughout the Holy Land in Israel and Palestine) that they might find protection and safety, and be able to gain safe shelter and access to their homes, or to be able to escape to safety in other countries.
For those who continue to live and fight in Ukraine, that the world will not turn away its attention from the plight of Ukrainians and their stand against authoritarian Russia.
For the United States and her politicians. That governmental leaders might see themselves as servants and examples, and for wisdom and courage for all who serve in government.
For all those who don’t have a safe place to live or enough food to eat, that they might be first and receive what they need.
For all those living with addiction and mental illness, that they might find a way into recovery
For farmers and all those tending fields, gardens, and livestock. For farmworkers and those who travel north in the summer to work under difficult conditions: may be they be treated humanely and granted safety and fair working and living conditions, especially as they prepare for the season of harvest in the midst of flooding and extreme weather.
For all around the world who face persecution for their religious beliefs, especially for religious minorities in places where governments sanction religion-based violence
For Christians to be emboldened to speak out courageously against anti-semitism and to acknowledge how we have been complicit in anti-semitic actions and speech against our Jewish siblings
For governments and leaders to prioritize climate change solutions and not be only ruled by profit or big business
For all the concerns deep on our hearts, that you hear and know and acknowledge, we pray …
In the boundless joy of a Spirit-filled existence, to worship God with exuberance, excitement, love, and inclusion,
In Jesus’ name we pray,
AMEN
P.S. …
A Few Notes:
First, a huge THANK YOU to all subscribers. I get a little email notification every time someone signs up, and every time I get one, I feel joyful and honored that you want to spend part of your day with this community. I mean it when I say: “I’m listening,” to you as well, and please don’t hesitate to share with me your thoughts + ideas for what you’d like to read in this space.
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On free vs. paid-subscriber posts only: My plan right now is that the Friday + Sunday posts, focusing on news + spirituality, in that order, are available for subscribers only (I am going to continue sharing a sample, with a line where the paywall cuts off for our paid subscriber community). My plan is that the Tuesday blog-style posts will always be free, to enable as much access as possible, while creating a smaller and more intimate experience for paid subscribers, who are also able to comment and share in community in fuller ways.
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