Second Friday of Advent (2014 Year B)

Today's Readings

Today I feel like both the Jeremiah and the Acts readings are speaking to me. Jeremiah tells us that we don't have to be old and wise or experienced to know and speak the truth, nor that it is important that we wait until a particular place and time. It also should remind us that we should listen to people who are young but speaking truth, whether that is religious truth or political truth or justice truth.

The Acts reading speaks of two very topical things, also similar to that in the Jeremiah reading - going out to talk to new audiences in the face of persecution and speaking to whole new groups. In Acts, Cyprus and Cyrene began speaking to Greeks, not just Jews.

Right now, I feel like we should be listening to the people (many young) teaching and demonstrating on the streets of our cities and the internet about racism and policing and the American "justice" system. In many cases, it is their first time leading or their first time speaking, in others they have been studying for years. But as Christians, it is our time to listen and act for justice. Big table justice.

Second Sunday After Christmas - Year B

This week's Lectionary reading is:

• Jeremiah 31:7-14 (or Sirach 24:1-12)


• Psalm 147:12-20 (or Wisdom of Solomon 10:15-21)


• Ephesians 1:3-14


• John 1:(1-9), 10-18

I don't think I've mentioned that when the Lectionary puts verses in parenthesis, they are optional. Also, when the reading calls for verses from the Apocrypha, the Lectionary provides alternative verses from the Hebrew Bible or New Testament for those who don't include the Apocrypha in their canon.

Comparing current news and the reading from Jeremiah makes it hard to believe that the Messiah has come. However, I reject that argument. I certainly don't want to get into appologetics, but I'm sure that the situation depicted in Jeremiah 31:12:

They shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow to the goodness of Yahweh, to the grain, and to the new wine, and to the oil, and to the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all. [WEB]

has occurred multiple times over the last ~2000 years. (For that matter, it could be talking about after the Second Coming but I'm not even going to get into that here.)

Many Palestinians are unitarian Christians, so I feel an extra tie to them. However, any kind of violence and terrorism is wrong and I pray for a quick resolution, healing for those who are harmed and limited damages, injuries, and deaths.

I found the first half of the last verse (18) of the John reading interesting, it says No one has seen God at any time. Yet, the stories of the early prophets (Abraham, Isaac, ...) include a number of stories of talking with or seeing God.