Dear Members, Friends, Siblings, All,

Every now and then, I am paralyzed by choices and by the consequences of the choices I have made. So, when the Revised Common Lectionary gives me choices, I am not helped but slowed. For the Twenty-third Sunday After Pentecost, Proper 28, we have choices in the Hebrew Bible readings. Too many choices for focus. And, then, there it was. In the texts I neglected to read closely enough. Sigh.

“It’s JOY, silly. Of course it’s joy.” Before the Third Sunday of Advent is OK. Well, always AND the Third Sunday of Advent. It’s in all of these texts. It’s the core of the promises we rehearse in Advent, the prophetic voices we will focus soon. And all this week’s lections anticipate those prophetic promises and the fulfillment of the promises at Christmas. (No matter that we have been celebrating that season since Back to School in August.) Joy. How could I forget?

I’d love to find a way to get these texts in front of our collective eyes at least once a week. Got any suggestions? I always find them here and you can, too. https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu Here is this week: Isaiah 65:17-25; Isaiah 12/Malachi 4:1-2a; Psalm 98; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-19. By now you know that the Bible is the library of narratives through which I find my way in this life of faith. They are deeply embedded in my family story, my story. Way-finding. Orienteering. That’s why I am a lectionary preacher.

With my feet tangled in the options this week, I found two pieces that helped me move from paralysis to movement. The first is an excerpt from Scripture & Discernment: Decision Making in the Church by Luke Timothy Johnson, my New Testament professor at Candler. This speaks to the choices I am committed to in ministry that often seem disruptive to congregations and just as often make me anxious. Anxiety is a kill-joy.

We must let go of any fantasy concerning the church as a stable, predictable, well-regulated organization. If the church is truly the place in the world where the existence of God is brought to the level of narrative discernment, the church will always be disorderly….We must let go of the desire for theology to be a finished product of complete conceptual symmetry. If theology is in fact the attempt to understand living faith, then it must always be an unfinished process, for the data continues to come in, as the Living God persists in working through the lives of people and being revealed in their stories.

He goes on a bit more and you can read that by following the link.

The second piece, a poem by Lindy Thompson, reminded me where I find much joy in this life of faith, “I Go to Sing.” To make a joyful noise. That’s no surprise to you but it wandered away from my view for a minute. It’s kinda long so get comfy, or skip to the bottom where I hope you will join us for worship, Streamers and Gatherers.

I come to sing. Also, I come for the “we-ness.” You come, too. Come to worship on Sunday, 11:00 am, in our beautiful sanctuary. We will make joyful noises, with Ben Pierre as guest musician. Expect us to pray and “break forth into joyful song and sing praises” for the steadfast love and faithfulness of God, everything else notwithstanding. In case we forget.

Love and hugs,

Rev. Liz