Tagged: center

Philippians 1:21-30

This text is used for the Lectionary Year A on September 24, 2017.

When I deal with Paul’s letter to the Philippians, I try and keep several matters in mind.

First, though situated in Macedonian, Philippi was a Roman colony town. Its citizens enjoyed the rights of Romans and tended to view life from a Roman perspective. Second, Paul partnered with Lydia—who was a God-fearer and a business woman—to found the church at Philippi. Third, while small and under pressure from the surrounding society, the church consistently supported Paul’s missionary work.

Fourth, Paul wrote them while imprisoned, most likely in Rome, where he would have lived under a form of house arrest. Fifth, he sought to encourage them to remain faithful, thank them for their support, and deal with tensions and division in the congregation.

Keeping such factors in mind, let’s unpack Philippians 1:21-30.

Paul has already assured the Philippians that his imprisonment has helped spread the gospel and encouraged others to share Christ with boldness (Philippians 1:12-14). His primary concern is that his own conduct will continue to exalt Christ, whether he is set free or condemned to execution (Philippians 1:20).

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Amos 7:7-17

This text is used for the Lectionary Year C on July 10, 2016.

Amos - Gustave Dore
Amos – Gustave Dore

This third of five visions in Amos 7.7-17 offers the preacher great possibility.  It also contains some peril.  Amos, southern Judean, relays doom and gloom to the northern kingdom of Israel.  And yet in the mid-8th century BC, Israel is at peace under the reign of King Jeroboam.  Prosperity abounds.  While no one wants to hear dire tidings, when those pronouncements conflict with the empirical evidence of day to day life, the prophet’s task is all the more difficult.

This passage begins with Amos’ vision from the Lord.  The imagery of a plumb-line holds rich promise for speaking of God’s prerogative to set measurements and define what is straight or righteous.  This visual could easily illustrate the point that God determines what is right and wrong and that there are consequences when one does not measure up.  However, verses 7 and 8 may not refer to a plumb-line at all, at least not in the way most of us understand that term.  There is scholarly debate on the meaning of the term ‘plumb-line.’  This is the only occurrence for this word in the Old Testament.  Some translations offer ‘pick-ax’ while others offer ‘tin’ as a more accurate meaning.  Any homiletician who builds a Sunday message on the image of wall building must be aware that this text likely does not support that metaphor.  Furthermore, focusing on the ‘plumb-line’ dilutes the emphasis on the proper aligning of God, worship and the state inherent to the greater passage.

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