JANUARY 11-17, 2021
Below are our lectionary passages for this week in the Church calendar. For those unfamiliar, the lectionary is a resource that churches all over the world use to consistently and uniformly read through the scriptures every week as we gather for worship. The lectionary passages typically consist of a combination of Old Testament readings, a Psalm, a New Testament letter, and a Gospel reading.
We dwell on these passages throughout the week so that when we gather together on Sunday we may proclaim these truths together in worship. We encourage you to find some rhythm of reading and meditating on these passages throughout the course of the week, whether that’s reading through all of the passages daily or reading a single passage a day until you’ve read them all. We have included below some commentary and thought for guided prayer and reflection.
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. - Psalm 119:105
1 SAMUEL 3:1-10, (11-20) (click here for passage)
What I find delightful about reading the Bible is that no two texts are the same. The Psalms are to be read differently from the Gospels, which are to be read differently from the Torah, which is to be read differently from Paul’s Epistles. In much the same way that we are aware that a newspaper functions differently from a novel, we also approach the books of the Bible as different genres. What I find to be so intriguing about this passage in I Samuel is that not only is it in some sense an historical writing, it is also rich with thematic tones more akin to what we would find in a novel than what we might find in an historical textbook. For instance, the passage begins by the author telling us that “the word of the Lord was rare in those days and visions were not widespread.” And then we are told that Eli’s eyesight had begun to grow dim to the point that he could not see yet the lamp of God was not yet extinguished. Tonally, we begin to see a theme that revolves around vision. Eli’s physical vision is paralleled with his capacity to see and hear from the Lord. The word of the Lord being rare in this days is reinforced through Eli’s dimming eyesight. The capacity to see is not merely a physical ability in this text, it is indicative of being able to see and hear from God that is reinforced through physical vision. As Eli loses his capacity to see both physically and as a prophet of God, Samuel is being awakened and his eyes are being opened in both senses.
Take a moment to read through this text again and see what other references to this theme of sight that might be at work and what they might be able to speak into our own context and devotional lives.
PSALM 139:1-6, 13-18 (click here for passage)
Our Psalm this week speaks to a central theme in Jewish theology; that we could be completely known by a God that is hidden. The Psalmist says, “You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it.” Being communicated is the very real sense that God is completely other - unknowable, unattainable, incomprehensible, utterly mystery - and yet, is near enough to us that He might know us intimately and completely. In concert with Psalm 22:3, our response is then to find a home for God in our praises and prayers. Of God’s self-concealment and our relationship to Him in prayer, Abraham Joshua Heschel writes, “He is so far away, an outcast, a refugee in His own world. It is as if all doors were closed to Him. To pray is to open a door, where both God and soul may enter.”
What does it mean to be fully known by God and how might this affect the manner in which we pray and praise?
1 CORINTHIANS 6:12-20 (click here for passage)
One of the primary challenges in the first-century church was navigating the ethical and liturgical practices that were to be normative for followers of Christ. In the early years, the identity of Christianity was not so much the conception of a fundamentally new religion as much as it was a reformation within Judaism that sought to bring non-Jews (gentiles) into the fold. The (predominantly pagan) gentiles lived a very different ethic from the Jews, they had a completely different set of dietary, liturgical, and sexual ethic from that of the Jews. The challenge that Paul was preoccupied with was bringing these pagan gentiles into communion with the Jewish community through Jesus which meant addressing ethics. In this passage, Paul is speaking to the gentile Christians of Corinth and is disciplining the church for sexual behavior that is not befitting of followers of Christ. Paul pleads, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?” The notion that our bodies are the dwelling place of the Lord has far-reaching implications, not only sexually, but in every facet of our lives. The dwelling place of God is a holy place to be treated with reverence and great care. That which is consumed and that which is participated in is not to be divorced from our spiritual selves. Our bodies and spirits are one in the same.
What does it mean to be embodied; to be a fleshy, physical being with soul and spirit that God himself dwells within? And how does this embodiment cause us to rethink our relationship with God?
JOHN 1:43-51 (click here for passage)
In the liturgical Church calendar, this week marks the beginning of the Epiphany season. Epiphany is the Church’s celebration of God’s revelation of himself in the person of Jesus Christ to the gentiles. In this way, it is fitting that Christmas is always followed by the celebration of Epiphany. A facet of Epiphany that we are focusing on at Lima Community Church in this season is the idea that God, through Jesus by the Holy Spirit, has called us to partner with Him in His ministry of redemption and reconciliation, and that we are moved to respond to that call of God. In our Gospel reading this week, we witness just this type of call and response as Jesus begins gathering His disciples at the beginning of His ministry.
How does meeting with Jesus in our own lives cause us to respond?
REFLECTION
As you dwell and meditate on these scriptures, would they also inform your prayer life. Might these scriptures of the revelation of the Triune God shape how you experience and interact with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
As a church we also support many local, domestic and international ministries that are serving as the hands and feet of Christ. Not only do we support these Faith Promise Partners financially, we have also committed to supporting them in prayer. This week, would you be in prayer for The Wheelhouse, a local bicycle cooperative that is providing transportation to those who need it most.
For more information on our Faith Promise partners, click here.