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And the LORD said to Samuel, “Look not to his appearance and to his lofty stature, for I have cast him aside. For not as man sees does God see. For man sees with the eyes and the LORD sees with the heart” [1 Samuel 16:7, THE HEBREW BIBLE, translated by Robert Alter]. The year was 1,000 B.C.E., more or less. The Israelites—not much more than a loose confederation of tribal groups—were gripped by a crisis that largely was of their own making. They had allowed Yahweh’s religious institutions to become corrupted. No longer tied together religiously, what little unity they had ever enjoyed was spiraling away. Externally, the Israelites…

So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink” [John 4:5-7]. By the time you read this meditation, I’ll be well into the “serious” prep segment related to my colonoscopy, scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. I suspect that most of you have undergone that special rite of passage (pun intended). This will be my fourth, all spread out over 20+ years—all unremarkable,…

  Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” “How can someone be born when they are old? Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born?” Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and Spirit [John 3:3-5, New International Version]. I think I’ve shared this story before, but during the late 1950s and early 1960s, our “pre-confirmation” Sunday School teacher at Olney Presbyterian Church, in southern Gaston County, made us play a “game” that she said…

But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” [Genesis 3:4-5]. Foreword In late January 2020, as the pandemic was beginning to raise its ugly head, our weekly Carolina Arbors Bible Study faced an existential problem. Governmental edicts and common sense had combined to bar our in-person gatherings. During the previous four years, some 25 or more of us had joined our heads and our hearts on Wednesdays. We had laughed together and cried together, prayed together, and pored over sacred scripture together. In…

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” [Matthew 17:1-4]. Once or twice a year, from the mid-1960s through the end of the century, Dad would pull out the old black and…

So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift [Matthew 5:23-24]. For the past several weeks, the Gospel readings assigned by the Revised Common Lectionary have come from Matthew’s narration of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. The text moves from the Beatitudes [5:1-11] to last week’s discussion of salt and light. This week’s reading, Matthew 5:21-37 [Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year A] is often referred to by scholars as “the Antitheses.” Repeated…

You are the salt of the earth [Matthew 5:13]. As rich as the English language is, it is peppered with contextual difficulties. For example, in our language, the word for the second person pronoun— “you”—is the same for both the singular and the plural. That’s, of course, why long ago, Southerners came up with “y’all” and some folks from New Jersey invented “yous guys.” As y’all know, I don’t do New Testament Greek. But those who do advise that the Greek language easily distinguishes between the singular and the plural in its use of the second person pronoun. That’s certainly true for Latin, with which I’m reasonably familiar. In Latin,…

Hear, of mountains, the case of the LORD, and you mighty pillars of the earth. For the LORD has a case against His people, and with Israel He would dispute [Micah 6:2, THE HEBREW BIBLE, tr. by Robert Alter]. Dusting off some old notes related to this week’s Old Testament reading, Micah 6:1-8 [Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, Revised Common Lectionary, Year A], I’m reminded that in these verses the prophet is describing what my Divinity School professors called a “covenant lawsuit,” a rare type of biblical narrative found only in scattered portions of Holy Scripture (e.g., within the writings of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Amos). It’s a scripture passage gift-wrapped…

For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. What I mean is that each of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? … For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power. For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are…

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ [1 Corinthians 1:4-7]. If you read last week’s meditation, you may recall that I wrote about the church’s belief that, following His death and before His resurrection, Christ descended into hell. Light descended into darkness. One of the…