This blog is one person’s discipline of bible reading. It makes use of the Episcopal Church’s list of readings for every day in the year (Lectionary) and gives a personal meditation on it, while remembering what’s going on the world with a headline reference to the news. Readers can access past blogs from the date list on-screen or by googling emmock.com plus scripture reference or theme.
ADVENT HAS BEGUN:
welcome to Christmas
ADVENT 2012: Isaiah 1:10-20
Listen to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!
11 What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord;
I have had enough of burnt-offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.
12 When you come to appear before me,* who asked this from your hand? Trample my courts no more;
13 bringing offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation— I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity.
14 Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.
16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
17 learn to do good;
seek justice, rescue the oppressed,
defend the orphan, plead for the widow.
18 Come now, let us argue it out, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow;
though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;
0 but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Vineyard Church Newcastle distributes food parcels in the city
Ah, who can deny the eloquence and justice of this voice as once more the realm of capitalism and Christianity prepares for the Christmas Feast of Conspicuous Consumption?
The voice itself is one of the great artistic achievements of humanity, whether or not you believe in its inspiration. For the prophet has not only to listen to what he believes God is saying, he has to invent a voice which is up to the task of expressing the will and character of God. And he does it! The voice moves from steely sarcasm-“rulers of Sodom”- to icy scorn-“I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity”- through devastating judgement -“your hands are full of blood” to specific commandment-“seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” It is a clear and irrefutable arraignment of an affluent society and its hypocritical religion-and it’s directed at us. We cannot deny its precise relevance to much that passes for Christian faith in the UK, Europe, the USA. and other developed countries. Christmas will be an orgy of wastefulness without significant concern for oppressed, the orphan and the widow. Christians have shouted about bringing Christ back into Christmas as if beefing up the devotional fervour of the festival would lessen its blasphemous extravagance.
No, Christians have to listen to the voice of God: “even though you make prayers, I will not listen…. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean. Cease to do evil; learn to do good” That’s it. Here’s a simple proposal: justice means equality; so let every Christian family spend as much this Christmas on the “oppressed, the orphan and the widow”, as they do on themselves. That’s it. Well not quite, for this voice has something more to offer: “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow”. Those who turn towards God in shame and readiness to obey are welcomed and transformed. In rediscovering justice they rediscover true celebration: “you shall eat the good of the land.”
Isaiah composed these words in the 8th century before Christ yet they are more contemporary than the latest tweet.
Luke 20:1-8
The Authority of Jesus Questioned
20One day, as he was teaching the people in the temple and telling the good news, the chief priests and the scribes came with the elders2and said to him, ‘Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things? Who is it who gave you this authority?’3He answered them, ‘I will also ask you a question, and you tell me:4Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?’5They discussed it with one another, saying, ‘If we say, “From heaven”, he will say, “Why did you not believe him?”6But if we say, “Of human origin”, all the people will stone us; for they are convinced that John was a prophet.’7So they answered that they did not know where it came from.8Then Jesus said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 
Jesus was arguing about his authority and that of John the Baptist. Christmas is the Festival in which Christian believers proclaim that Jesus and his authority is “from heaven.” To which Jesus may easily respond, “Why did you not believe me?” For this one who “came from heaven” commanded humility, love of enemies, sharing of the means of life with the poor, purity of heart, gentleness and readiness to bear sorrow; and so many Christians respond, “Never mind all that, what matters is you came from heaven. listen, while we sing you a carol.”
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