Podcasts about wadi kishon

Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost The Collect: Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Old Testament: Judges 4:1-7 1The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died. 2So the Lord sold them into the hand of King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim. 3Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly twenty years. 4At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. 5She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgment. 6She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, ‘Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. 7I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin's army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.'” Psalm: Psalm 123 1 To you I lift up my eyes, *        to you enthroned in the heavens. 2 As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, *        and the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, 3 So our eyes look to the Lord our God, *        until he show us his mercy. 4 Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy, *        for we have had more than enough of contempt, 5 Too much of the scorn of the indolent rich, *        and of the derision of the proud. Old Testament: Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18 7Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is at hand; the Lord has prepared a sacrifice, he has consecrated his guests. 12At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the people who rest complacently on their dregs, those who say in their hearts, “The Lordwill not do good, nor will he do harm.” 13Their wealth shall be plundered, and their houses laid waste. Though they build houses, they shall not inhabit them; though they plant vineyards, they shall not drink wine from them. 14The great day of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter, the warrior cries aloud there. 15That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements. 17I will bring such distress upon people that they shall walk like the blind; because they have sinned against the Lord, their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung. 18Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord's wrath; in the fire of his passion the whole earth shall be consumed; for a full, a terrible end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth. Psalm: Psalm 90:1-8, (9-11), 12 1 Lord, you have been our refuge *        from one generation to another. 2 Before the mountains were brought forth,   or the land and the earth were born, *        from age to age you are God. 3 You turn us back to the dust and say, *       “Go back, O child of earth.” 4 For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past *        and like a watch in the night. 5 You sweep us away like a dream; *        we fade away suddenly like the grass. 6 In the morning it is green and flourishes; *        in the evening it is dried up and withered. 7 For we consume away in your displeasure; *        we are afraid because of your wrathful indignation. 8 Our iniquities you have set before you, *        and our secret sins in the light of your countenance. 9 [When you are angry, all our days are gone; *        we bring our years to an end like a sigh. 10 The span of our life is seventy years,    perhaps in strength even eighty; *        yet the sum of them is but labor and sorrow,        for they pass away quickly and we are gone. 11 Who regards the power of your wrath? *        who rightly fears your indignation?] 12 So teach us to number our days *        that we may apply our hearts to wisdom. Epistle: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 1Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. 2For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.3When they say, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! 4But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; 5for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. 6So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; 7for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. 8But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. 11Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing. Gospel: Matthew 25:14-30 14“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; 15to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.16The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. 17In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. 18But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. 19After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.' 21His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' 22And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.' 23His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'24Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; 25so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' 26But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? 27Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest.28So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents.29For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 30As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

Readings for Friday, September 10, 2021 “Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” -- Philippians 3:13-14 Morning Psalm 51 1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment. 5 Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me. 6 You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. 14 Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance. 15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 For you have no delight in sacrifice; if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased. 17 The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. 18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, 19 then you will delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar. Psalm 148 1 Praise the Lord ! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights! 2 Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host! 3 Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars! 4 Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! 5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created. 6 He established them forever and ever; he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed. 7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps, 8 fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command! 9 Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! 10 Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds! 11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! 12 Young men and women alike, old and young together! 13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven. 14 He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his faithful, for the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the Lord ! Midday 1 Kings 18:20-40 20 So Ahab sent to all the Israelites, and assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah then came near to all the people, and said, “How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” The people did not answer him a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord ; but Baal's prophets number four hundred fifty. 23 Let two bulls be given to us; let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it; I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the Lord ; the god who answers by fire is indeed God.” All the people answered, “Well spoken!” 25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many; then call on the name of your god, but put no fire to it.” 26 So they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, crying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no answer. They limped about the altar that they had made. 27 At noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud! Surely he is a god; either he is meditating, or he has wandered away, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” 28 Then they cried aloud and, as was their custom, they cut themselves with swords and lances until the blood gushed out over them. 29 As midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice, no answer, and no response. 30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come closer to me”; and all the people came closer to him. First he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down; 31 Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, “Israel shall be your name”; 32 with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord . Then he made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two measures of seed. 33 Next he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” 34 Then he said, “Do it a second time”; and they did it a second time. Again he said, “Do it a third time”; and they did it a third time, 35 so that the water ran all around the altar, and filled the trench also with water. 36 At the time of the offering of the oblation, the prophet Elijah came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your bidding. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and even licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord indeed is God; the Lord indeed is God.” 40 Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.” Then they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon, and killed them there. Philippians 3:1-16 3 Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is not troublesome to me, and for you it is a safeguard. 2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh! 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh— 4 even though I, too, have reason for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, 11 if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us then who are mature be of the same mind; and if you think differently about anything, this too God will reveal to you. 16 Only let us hold fast to what we have attained. Matthew 3:1-12 3 In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.'” 4 Now John wore clothing of camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit worthy of repentance. 9 Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 10 Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Evening Psalm 142 1 With my voice I cry to the Lord ; with my voice I make supplication to the Lord . 2 I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him. 3 When my spirit is faint, you know my way. In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me. 4 Look on my right hand and see— there is no one who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for me. 5 I cry to you, O Lord ; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” 6 Give heed to my cry, for I am brought very low. Save me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me. 7 Bring me out of prison, so that I may give thanks to your name. The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me. Psalm 65 1 Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion; and to you shall vows be performed, 2 O you who answer prayer! To you all flesh shall come. 3 When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us, you forgive our transgressions. 4 Happy are those whom you choose and bring near to live in your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, your holy temple. 5 By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation; you are the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas. 6 By your strength you established the mountains; you are girded with might. 7 You silence the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples. 8 Those who live at earth's farthest bounds are awed by your signs; you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy. 9 You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide the people with grain, for so you have prepared it. 10 You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth. 11 You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with richness. 12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, 13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy. You can also find all of today's readings at PCUSA.org. The Daily Lectionary podcast is a ministry of First Presbyterian Church of Plattsburgh, NY, read by Pastor Timothy J. Luoma.

O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God! Even now your enemies are in tumult; those who hate you have raised their heads. They lay crafty plans against your people; they consult together against those you protect. They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more.” They conspire with one accord; against you they make a covenant— the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites, Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assyria also has joined them; they are the strong arm of the children of Lot. Selah Do to them as you did to Midian, as to Sisera and Jabin at the Wadi Kishon, who were destroyed at En-dor, who became dung for the ground. Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, who said, “Let us take the pastures of God for our own possession.” O my God, make them like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind. As fire consumes the forest, as the flame sets the mountains ablaze, so pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your hurricane. Fill their faces with shame, so that they may seek your name, O Lord. Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever; let them perish in disgrace. Let them know that you alone, whose name is the Lord, are the Most High over all the earth. ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭83:1-18‬ ‭NRSV‬‬

Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost Occasion: Proper 28 Sunday, November 15, 2020 Year (cycle): A   The Collect: Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Old Testament:  Judges 4:1-7 [Alternate: Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18] 1 The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died. 2So the Lord sold them into the hand of King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim. 3Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly for twenty years. 4 At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. 5She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgement. 6She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, ‘The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, “Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. 7I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin's army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.” ' Alternate: 7 Be silent before the Lord God!    For the day of the Lord is at hand; the Lord has prepared a sacrifice,    he has consecrated his guests. 12 At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps,    and I will punish the people who rest complacently on their dregs,    those who say in their hearts, ‘The Lord will not do good,    nor will he do harm.' 13 Their wealth shall be plundered,    and their houses laid waste. Though they build houses,    they shall not inhabit them; though they plant vineyards,    they shall not drink wine from them. 14 The great day of the Lord is near,    near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter,    the warrior cries aloud there. 15 That day will be a day of wrath,    a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation,    a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16   a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities    and against the lofty battlements. 17 I will bring such distress upon people    that they shall walk like the blind;    because they have sinned against the Lord, their blood shall be poured out like dust,    and their flesh like dung. 18 Neither their silver nor their gold    will be able to save them    on the day of the Lord's wrath; in the fire of his passion    the whole earth shall be consumed; for a full, a terrible end    he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth. Psalm:  Psalm 123 [Alternate: Psalm 90:1-8, (9-11), 12] 1 To you I lift up my eyes, *        to you enthroned in the heavens. 2 As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, *        and the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, 3 So our eyes look to the Lord our God, *        until he show us his mercy. 4 Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy, *        for we have had more than enough of contempt, 5 Too much of the scorn of the indolent rich, *        and of the derision of the proud. Alternate: 1 Lord, you have been our refuge *        from one generation to another. 2 Before the mountains were brought forth,   or the land and the earth were born, *        from age to age you are God. 3 You turn us back to the dust and say, *       "Go back, O child of earth." 4 For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past *        and like a watch in the night. 5 You sweep us away like a dream; *        we fade away suddenly like the grass. 6 In the morning it is green and flourishes; *        in the evening it is dried up and withered. 7 For we consume away in your displeasure; *        we are afraid because of your wrathful indignation. 8 Our iniquities you have set before you, *        and our secret sins in the light of your countenance. 9 [When you are angry, all our days are gone; *        we bring our years to an end like a sigh. 10 The span of our life is seventy years,    perhaps in strength even eighty; *        yet the sum of them is but labor and sorrow,        for they pass away quickly and we are gone. 11 Who regards the power of your wrath? *        who rightly fears your indignation?] 12 So teach us to number our days *        that we may apply our hearts to wisdom. Epistle:  1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 1 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. 2For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3When they say, ‘There is peace and security', then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labour pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! 4But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; 5for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. 6So then, let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; 7for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. 8But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. 11Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing. Gospel:  Matthew 25:14-30 14 ‘For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; 15to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. 17In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. 18But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. 19After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, “Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.” 21His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” 22And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, “Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.” 23His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” 24Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, “Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; 25so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.” 26But his master replied, “You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? 27Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. 28So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. 29For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 30As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Brendan McClenahan and Jesse Luyk read and reflect on Judges 4:1-7. Please make sure to subscribe to this podcast! For the full Bible Reading Plan, head to victorypoint.org. To find out more about the context of Judges 4:1-7 head to https://thebibleproject.com/explore/judges. We would love to include your input on this podcast. Send us an email at brendanmcclenahan@victorypoint.org or leave a voice message by clicking the link below. There is more going on at VictoryPoint! (head to victorypoint.org for more trainings, events, worship gatherings, discipleship opportunities, giving, and ways to get connected). Here's the full text from today's scripture: 4:1 The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, after Ehud died. 4:2 So the LORD sold them into the hand of King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim. 4:3 Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD for help; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly twenty years. 4:4 At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. 4:5 She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgment. 4:6 She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, ""The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you, 'Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. 4:7 I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin's army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.'"" --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/biblereadingplanvp/message

1 Kings 18:20-40So Ahab sent to all the Israelites, and assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel. Elijah then came near to all the people, and said, ‘How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.’ The people did not answer him a word. Then Elijah said to the people, ‘I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets number four hundred and fifty. Let two bulls be given to us; let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it; I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. Then you call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the Lord; the god who answers by fire is indeed God.’ All the people answered, ‘Well spoken!’ Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, ‘Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many; then call on the name of your god, but put no fire to it.’ So they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, crying, ‘O Baal, answer us!’ But there was no voice, and no answer. They limped about the altar that they had made. At noon Elijah mocked them, saying, ‘Cry aloud! Surely he is a god; either he is meditating, or he has wandered away, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.’ Then they cried aloud and, as was their custom, they cut themselves with swords and lances until the blood gushed out over them. As midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice, no answer, and no response.Then Elijah said to all the people, ‘Come closer to me’; and all the people came closer to him. First he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down; Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, ‘Israel shall be your name’; with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. Then he made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two measures of seed. Next he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said, ‘Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt-offering and on the wood.’ Then he said, ‘Do it a second time’; and they did it a second time. Again he said, ‘Do it a third time’; and they did it a third time, so that the water ran all round the altar, and filled the trench also with water.At the time of the offering of the oblation, the prophet Elijah came near and said, ‘O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your bidding. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.’ Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt-offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and even licked up the water that was in the trench. When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, ‘The Lord indeed is God; the Lord indeed is God.’ Elijah said to them, ‘Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.’ Then they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon, and killed them there.Mark 1:32-39That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all those who were sick or possessed by demons. The whole city was gathered outside the house. And he cured many who were sick and he cast out many demons. He would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went to a deserted place by himself, and there he prayed. Simon and his companions were hunting for him and when they found him, they said to him, “everyone is searching for you.” He answered, “Let us go to the neighboring towns, so that I might proclaim the message there also, for that is what I came out to do.” And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message and casting out demons.I picked this morning’s story about Elijah – and called today’s sermon “playing with fire” – because it’s another story from Hebrew Scripture we don’t hear very often and because it’s very much like something you’d see in the “Game of Thrones” series. But I really want to talk about what happens after Elijah dukes it out – after he plays with fire – against the false prophets of the false god of Baal.We heard a couple of weeks ago about how Moses duked it out with the false gods of Pharaoh, in Egypt, and today’s story seems similar. Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to start a fire, over a sacrificed bull, on an altar to their god and they fail. Despite all 450 of their prophets and their prayers and their limping and blood-letting around that altar, their god, Baal, fails to deliver the fire they long for to prove his power.But for Elijah, just like God did for Moses – the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob delivers. Even on an altar thrice-soaked with water and surrounded by a mote, the fire of God came and consumed the burnt-offering, the wood, the stones, the dust and all the rest. It even licked up the water-soaked seeds in the mote. And because of it, of course, and because Elijah has all 450 of those false prophets seized and killed, Elijah is soon to be on the run for his own life – hunted by Ahab’s Queen Jezebel.And, on the run for his life, he finds himself alone and desperate and afraid, in the wilderness, asking for God – the same God who had saved him before, the same God who had established him as a prophet of the One True God, the same God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – Elijah asks that he might just die. But after a dream and some conversations with angels, some solid meals, and 40 days and 40 nights of wilderness wandering, Elijah ends up at Mount Horeb, the mountain of God, wondering what in the world is next for him after all he’s done, all he’s run from and all he’s escaped in recent days.Elijah is aching for, longing for, dying for God’s voice, God’s guidance, God’s presence to teach him or lead him or comfort him or show him something, anything about what could or should be next for him.Haven’t we all felt something like Elijah at one time or another – in a wilderness of some kind; aching, longing, hungry; dying for guidance, for answers, for comfort, for direction? And haven’t we looked in all kinds of places for those answers, for that comfort, for some direction?We look for insight in books, don’t we? The self-help section has grown by leaps and bounds in recent decades, I believe. And there’s some good stuff out there, don’t get me wrong. We ask advice from friends and family. We seek guidance from mentors and counselors and pastors, perhaps. And that can be great. I think God is present in and through the people who love us. And sometimes we seek comfort by way of food or drink or drugs or something else, which may seem to work for a minute, but never lasts or serves us well in the end.Well, God promises Elijah up on that mountain, that he is about to get what he longed for in the midst of his wilderness wandering. Maybe Elijah was expecting a book – or at least some tablets to appear. That had been known to happen before. Maybe he was expecting a conversation or another meal or an angel, who knows? None of that happened. But there was a great wind, strong enough to split mountains and break rocks, but the answer wasn’t in the wind. The wind is followed by an earthquake, but God wasn’t in the earthquake. And then there was a fire, (remember how much Elijah could do with some fire), but God wasn’t in the fire this time, either.And after all of that, there is the sound of sheer silence. Utter noiselessness. Absolute stillness. Pure calm. Total tranquility. Complete quiet. The kind of nothing and silence you could touch… feel… hear, even, as bizarre as that seems. And when Elijah finally hears this sheer silence he finally finds what he was looking for: direction… guidance… answers… hope… and the presence of God.And I’m inclined to think Jesus learned as much from Elijah’s story as we are called to learn from them both – that silence and stillness and time with ourselves, alone with God – are opportunities, not just to tell God what we need and want and long for, but opportunities to shut up, to be quiet, and to let God show us what God would have for us because of – or in spite of – all we think we need.See, when we meet up with Jesus today, he’s been on a roll, much like Elijah, you might say. In the little bit of Mark’s Gospel leading up to this morning’s portion of the story Jesus has called his first disciples and they have accepted the invitation. He’s been preaching and teaching and healing – and people had apparently been listening and learning, and getting well. He has duked it out with a demon in the synagogue – and won. And just after leaving that synagogue, he cures Simon’s mother-in-law of a fever and then spends an entire evening curing all kinds of sickness and casting out all sorts of demons for the people in that little town of Capernaum.And then, very early the next morning, after this marathon day and night of some pretty miraculous work, Jesus goes off, much like Elijah did, by himself to pray. He seems to have snuck out of the house, “while it was still dark,” as the story goes. And because of that, I can’t help but think God’s Spirit was on the move and stirring up something new and mighty in the heart of Jesus. He seems to have been moved up and out and away from the people and the crowds and his followers, to get some time to himself; some time with his God; some time to pray about what had happened; some time to listen for what was happening; some time to pray about what in the world was next for him.Elijah and Jesus are examples of and inspiration for our need as believers for solitude, for prayer, for reflection, for conversation with God, for time away from the demands and distractions of life so that we can center ourselves faithfully on what God is calling us toward, as we make our way in the world. We are called to do more waiting than working every once in a while; to do more listening than talking on occasion; to be patient more and to push less.And it seems we need more of that, these days. We need more time for this silence and this stillness because there is so much noise out there in the world. There are earthquakes and fires and a whole lot of hot air, for sure. There are threats of war and rumors of war. There are mass shootings and global warming and cancer and the beginning of another school year.And we are consumed and distracted by so many ideas and opinions about all of it; so much heartache and heaviness; so many lies and so much division we need to separate ourselves – for enough time to be reminded of God’s presence, even in the midst of it; and to discern God’s will – not our own – precisely because of it.This kind of silence and stillness, this listening and learning, can save our sanity and our lives and our souls on this side of heaven. And I’m not great at it, to be honest, but I’m learning, the longer I’m around – living and working and being in the world – that we’re playing with fire when we refuse to get still, when we neglect to be quiet, and when we resist being found by the silence of God’s grace.Amen

Judges 4:4-9, 15-22At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgment. She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, ‘Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.’” Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” And she said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh. And the Lord threw Sisera and all his chariots and all his army into a panic before Barak; Sisera got down from his chariot and fled away on foot, while Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth-ha-goiim. All the army of Sisera fell by the sword; no one was left.Now Sisera had fled away on foot to the tent of Jael wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between King Jabin of Hazor and the clan of Heber the Kenite. Jael came out to meet Sisera, and said to him, “Turn aside, my lord, turn aside to me; have no fear.” So he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug. Then he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink; for I am thirsty.” So she opened a skin of milk and gave him a drink and covered him. He said to her, “Stand at the entrance of the tent, and if anybody comes and asks you, ‘Is anyone here?’ say, ‘No.’” But Jael wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, until it went down into the ground – he was lying fast asleep from weariness – and he died. Then, as Barak came in pursuit of Sisera, Jael went out to meet him, and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.” So he went into her tent; and there was Sisera lying dead, with the tent peg in his temple.Luke 24:1-12But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body.While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.Deborah and Jael: Women RuleThere are a lot of reasons to question – and even disdain – the many horrible, nasty, terrifying things that happen to women in the “Game of Thrones” series. And the same can be said about much of what we find in our Bibles, sadly enough. (Remember how Lot offered his daughters up to the angry mob in the Sodom and Gomorrah story a couple weeks ago? And he was the good guy in that story!)As I’ve said, I haven’t made my way through the whole “Game of Thrones” series, yet, but I have seen already that, not only do the women of the Realm hold their own, they really do overcome… and persist… and win… in more ways than not, in spite of all the ugliness and violence and misogyny they face in that medieval world. And, without sharing any spoilers – because I haven’t seen them to share them, remember – I’ve been told by others who’ve seen the show from start to finish that women really do rule, in the end. And I think the same is true – or at least the hope for the same is true – throughout the Biblical narrative, if we read it with the right kind of eyes. And it’s why I want to share something about the role of women – their place, their purpose, their importance, and their power – in Scripture, in the Church, and in the Kingdom, as we’re called to understand it.(I had the thought – about a week and a half ago – that this would have been a great Sunday to hand over the preaching to a woman for the occasion; that this would have been a great Sunday to have Pastor Libby back, or to invite Pastor Teri to join us again. BUT, that good idea didn’t surface in enough time to make that possible. So, you’re stuck with this middle-aged white guy’s best effort at saying what should be said more often. And there’s some value in that, just the same, I suppose.)So, I picked Deborah and Jael because their story is the most “Game of Thrones-y”, as far as I could tell, in terms of guts, gore, strength and power. And it’s not a story that gets a lot of air time, it seems to me, probably because there’s not much too it, in the book of Judges. It all takes place in just a couple of chapters; there’s the story itself and then a song about the story.But it matters that Deborah was a Judge in the days of Israel before there were kings. She was a prophet and powerful leader for God’s chosen ones. Judges like Deborah were military leaders, raised up by God, to lead the people back to faithfulness when their faithlessness caused them to stray. And judges like Deborah delivered them from their enemies, through their leadership and courage and wisdom and faith, like we heard this morning.And I love when Deborah says to Barak, the military commander under her authority, “…the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman.” It makes me think Deborah might have been the first feminist – deliberately plotting and planning for the help of Jael, the other heroine of the story, to hide and then smite Sisera, the commander of the Canaanite army, with that tent spike to the temple.But, there are plenty of other women of influence in Hebrew Scripture – Eve (whose bad rap is unnecessary and unfair, if you ask me); Ruth (an outsider who became an insider of devotion, loyalty and faith); Rahab (the prostitute who helped the Israelites conquer Jericho, which could have been a plot for any season of “Game of Thrones,” as well); and, of course, there’s Miriam and Sarah and Rebekah and Hannah and Hagar, and more.And it doesn’t stop with the Old Testament. It picks right up again with Elizabeth and Mary, in the Gospels – bearing the hope of the world in Jesus and his cousin, John the Baptist. And there are others, too: Martha and Mary; Phoebe and Lydia; and all those who go unnamed, but far from unnoticed or insignificant where Jesus is concerned. The widow who gave so generously. The woman of great faith who begged for help for her daughter. And the other woman who Jesus healed when she boldly, bravely touched his robe, after her own long-suffering faithfulness.So, in light of all that, when it comes to the place and power and purpose of women in the Kingdom, I’d like to assume I’m “preaching to the choir,” as they say, but one can never be so sure.Just this week – because Monday happened to be the Feast Day for Mary Magdalene, who I haven’t even mentioned yet – I happened upon a Twitter thread spun from a post by a Jesuit priest named James Martin. (He’s kind of a rock star among Jesuit priests, these days.) His post said simply:“In the time between her encounter with the Risen Christ and when she shared the news of the Resurrection with the other disciples, Mary Magdalene was the church on earth (Jn 20). Because only to her had been revealed the full Paschal Mystery.”And he added:“Any discussion of women's roles in the church must begin with these two facts: It was to a woman, not a man, to whom the Risen Christ first chose to appear. And it was a woman who, for a time, was the sole carrier, and proclaimer, of the Good News of the Resurrection.”And you wouldn’t believe – or, if you’ve ever spent two minutes on Twitter these days, you would actually believe – the anger and mean-spirited and hateful and ignorant responses that followed, suggesting that women don’t belong in the pulpit, that women don’t belong leading mass, that women have their place in the Church but that it isn’t anywhere near as important or as powerful or as ordained, in the same way, as that of men.And, before we get too self-righteously indignant about all of that – our progressive theology and polity as ELCA-flavored Christians, I mean – check this out:Frankly, I’m a little suspicious of all of that “shock” and “surprise” from those guys. I’ve heard as much – or worse – myself over the years. Just like you don’t have to wear a white sheet or use the N-word to be a racist, you don’t have to be a rapist or to be blatantly abusive or disrespectful toward women in order to fall victim to the sin of misogyny.And all of this matters – the way we regard and empower women, or not – because I heard just this week that 21 percent of middle and high school girls report being bullied online or by text, compared with less than 7 percent of boys. (mprnews.org)It matters because, on average, a woman working full time earns about 81 cents for every dollar a man earns, working full time. (businessinsider.com) And those numbers are worse for women of color.It matters because 4 out of 5 victims of human trafficking are girls. And something like 15 million girls under the age of 18 are married off, around the world, with no say in the matter. (makers.com)So it matters if we, in the Church, aren’t right and righteous when it comes to the place and power of women and girls in our midst. Because if we are not, it means we’re either mirroring or instigating or perpetuating what’s so frightening and sad and sinful out there for our sisters and daughters and mothers and friends.So let’s celebrate that it was Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told [the news of the resurrection] to the apostles. And let’s remember that their words seemed to [the men] an idle tale, and they did not believe them.Let’s remember and celebrate what Genesis promises us, that, in God’s image we were created – both male and female.Let’s remember and celebrate what we find in Acts, that, “…God says, I will pour out my spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy… Even on my servants, both men and women I will pour out my spirit...”Let’s remember and celebrate that “The gifts [God] gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.”Let’s make this our goal – and our challenge – and our joy, in the end. And may this not just be about our life together in the Church, but through the Church, and for the sake of the world, in as many ways as we can manage it.Amen

1 Kings 18:20-40  20 So Ahab sent to all the Israelites, and assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah then came near to all the people, and said, “How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” The people did not answer him a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets number four hundred fifty. 23 Let two bulls be given to us; let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it; I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the Lord; the god who answers by fire is indeed God.” All the people answered, “Well spoken!” 25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many; then call on the name of your god, but put no fire to it.” 26 So they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, crying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no answer. They limped about the altar that they had made. 27 At noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud! Surely he is a god; either he is meditating, or he has wandered away, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” 28 Then they cried aloud and, as was their custom, they cut themselves with swords and lances until the blood gushed out over them. 29 As midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice, no answer, and no response. 30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come closer to me”; and all the people came closer to him. First he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down; 31 Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, “Israel shall be your name”; 32 with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. Then he made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two measures of seed. 33 Next he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” 34 Then he said, “Do it a second time”; and they did it a second time. Again he said, “Do it a third time”; and they did it a third time, 35 so that the water ran all around the altar, and filled the trench also with water. 36 At the time of the offering of the oblation, the prophet Elijah came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your bidding. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and even licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord indeed is God; the Lord indeed is God.” 40 Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.” Then they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon, and killed them there.

Judges 4:1-7   The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died. So the Lord sold them into the hand of King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim. Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly twenty years. At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgment. She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, ‘Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.’”   This Sunday before Thanksgiving we have this most unusual text, one I’ve never preached on, but I’m glad I’m able to, especially now, with its unexpected challenge, its unexpected gift. There is an obviousness to this text at this time in our collective history as a country – a strong, powerful woman being put before us here in this text, and yet also have the issue of sexual harassment and dangers that men have often poised to woman, now and perhaps forever. The “Me Too” movement, where woman and some men have been speaking up about the ways men have often assaulted them through their words, their hands, their threats of ruination, it has all been incredibly satisfying to some to see women’s voices finally being taken seriously, at least in some cases, but notably not in Alabama, of course. And yet, it’s been difficult to see some of our personal heroes fail to live up to our expectations of what is right and what is wrong, something I spoke with our confirmation class about this past week, in relation to Martin Luther, who was a deeply flawed hero. But perhaps some of us shouldn’t be surprised by the extent of this problem – I have no doubt that women are not surprised by the recent public revelations of this kind of behavior, having experienced it many times in their own lives. Even a few men that I know, including myself, have experienced being touched inappropriately by people who had some sort of power of them, wondering if saying “no” too forcefully would hurt their career, hurt their chances of a good recommendation. The good news is that more and more women and men are being believed, are being heard, are being supported, despite an array of forces that want to destroy them and their credibility, all in attempt to protect people from the consequences of their actions. We should expect certain kinds of just and good behavior from people, even if we know we and they can’t always live up to those standards.   But expectations are a funny thing, of course, because so often the unexpected is what we get in this world, from others, and even from a text like this one from the book of Judges. The expectation is that the people of Israel have always been ruled by men, being the patriarchal culture that it was, but here comes the unexpected – Deborah, the one who sits underneath the palm tree, and who hands out judgment for those in need of someone who can decide between two conflicting claims. But first, some background. The book of Judges comes after the book of Joshua, which tells the story of how Joshua and Israelites conquered the Promised Land, after spending 40 years wandering in the desert. After Judges, you find the book of Ruth, and then there are the stories of the kings of Israel, starting with Saul, continuing with David, and then come the stories of good and bad kings that ruled Israel over hundreds of years. The book of Judges tells the story of a time before there were these kings, when the 12 tribes of Israel essentially formed a loose confederation, but were almost independent of each other. But disputes arose, differences between the tribes that needed to be settled in other ways than through war – and it would eventually be war between the tribes that gave rise to a clamor for a king, a final authority. But before the king there were the judges, men and women who functioned as the ones who settled disputes between the tribes and often led the people into war – you’ve probably heard of Gideon and Samson, but there were others you’ve probably not heard of, people like Othniel, Ehud, Tola, Elon and others. Some scholars have said that these stories in Judges, whether history or not, have functioned as an ancient argument for the need for a strong king, both to bring peace between the tribes, and to lead the people in times of war against its often hostile neighbors. Though the book of Judges is replete with victories and times of peace, it also laid bare how the lack of cohesion caused trouble. God’s hope was that there would be no need for a king, since God would be their king, directly ruling them through people like Ehud, Gideon and Deborah. But the people clamored for a king, a strongman, a ruler who could somehow unite the country, and eventually, in the book of First Samuel, God reluctantly gives them what they want – and what they wanted, a kingdom ruled by a king, would eventually fall apart hundreds of years later.   But today we are still in the age of the Judges, the ones before the time of the kings, and Deborah is the one who sits under a palm tree, is the one who makes decisions, and who leads the people into war, though perhaps not into the battle itself. She is so unexpected in so many ways in such a male dominated world, a leader of men when women were not seen as leaders, of either men or women. She delivers justice to the tribes of Israel, and when the time comes for war, for the people to be released from the bondage they had brought upon themselves because of their disobedience, it is her that sends word to Barak to gather up armies from two tribes of Israel, and to wage war against the Canaanites. If you read the book of Judges as a whole, the narrative is replete with moments when women are horrifically violated, harmed, harassed, and victims of violence. But here is Deborah, in contrast, somehow breaking through the deep misogyny you find in these texts, even this one found in our beloved Bible. Deborah is unexpected, in her war planning, and in her later prediction that it will be woman who will slay the King of Canaan, and not Barak. The assumption by Barak is that it will be Deborah who does the deed, but no, it will not be her, but instead, it will be a woman who is not even an Israelite who will drive a stake through the head of the Canaanite king – again, all so unexpected both within the context of this particular story, and the even larger, patriarchal narrative of Judges.   And that sense of unexpectedness is what I want to explore today, especially as it connects to gratitude, to this season and to the challenges of today. Deborah is such an unexpected gift to the people of Israel from God, the person needed in that moment, in that time, despite all the expectations of what leaders should look like, the greatest of which is that they should always be male. The spiritual challenge for many of us is to expect the unexpected from God, to have faith, have trust, that God is going to show up in this world in some surprising way that we did not anticipate, that we did not imagine. We have ideas about what miracles look like, about what heroes and leaders look like, and then God shows us up, and shows us another way that heroes manifest themselves in this world, another way holiness is embodied in another person, in another moment that simply surprises us in its oddness, in its peculiarity. So much of the spiritual life is looking for traces of God, in unexpected moments, in the ordinariness of life and not just in those moments we hope and pray for God to appear, those moments when we want God to do a thing, and do that thing in a certain way. I’ve been in prayer for the last few weeks about a particular challenge, and no answer seemed to be forthcoming, not obvious one, anyway, and then a few days ago when I was at the Roscoe Village Speedway, a woman smiled at me, out of the blue, for no other reason than we caught each other’s eye, and I smiled back and it simply made my day, this trace of God in her, this woman who seemed to bring God into the room by her simple gesture of shared humanity. I wasn’t the answer I was looking for, nor am I sure it was even an answer from the divine about what I was praying for in particular – but it was so kind, so needed, so unexpected that I think it was God smiling back at me, reminding me that despite the lack of a clear answer, God was here, and God is here, and that God had heard my plea, even if God had not answered it in the way I had hoped for or expected.   For me, a moment like that is a reminder that God does show up so unexpectedly in this life, in ways we had not anticipated, as it was the case with Deborah, in the patriarchal context of her time, a woman rising to power so unexpectedly. But today I also want us to think about not just the unexpected, but its twin as well, that is the expected, about those moments when what was expected from each of us, from God, was actually done by us, and done by God. At least a couple of times a year on the news program 60 Minutes there is some child prodigy in violin or piano, some incredibly gifted person who took to piano at 3 years old and who is now writing concertos at 8, and for whom it all seemed to come so easily, because of this good gift from God they’re manifesting in their lives, in their fingers. I love those stories, but I wonder about the rest of us, who have spent countless hours trying to master an instrument, and whose best is pulling off a simple song with a bit of competence after years and years of diligent practice. Now, I know the argument you and I hear about our participation trophy culture, about how we in America tend to hand trophies off to kids who simply show up to play the sport, do the work, etc. People complain that we are rewarding young people and even ourselves for simple ordinariness, for what is just simply expected of people, expected of good decent people. You join a baseball team, you go to practices, you participate in the games, in whatever forms, and some are held up for their great batting averages, or great pitching, and they receive a special trophy, but everyone else gets at trophy as well, because they too contributed to the team as well, they did what was expected of them, they showed up and did their jobs, however imperfectly. Again, the backlash is by those who say that we are celebrating the expected, the lowest common denominator, and that we instead should celebrate those who achieve the remarkable, the extraordinary, so that we can push kids to do and be better than just ordinary, to do and be more than what we simply just expect of them. Now, look I do get that idea, that simply celebrating the ordinary and the expected might somehow diminish the extraordinary and the special – but there are times lately when I’ve come to appreciate the expected, and the ordinary, and all those who just simply meet our expectations, who show up in this world, and simply do their jobs, who practice the piano and don’t get anywhere of significance with it, those who chose to be on the team despite being on the 2nd or 3rd string, knowing they won’t get much playing time. On my alma mater football teams, there a group of running backs who will probably have long careers in the NFL, but then there is a Ronnie Clark, from some small town in Alabama who is now a senior and has had numerous injuries, and is so far down the depth chart people haven’t even heard of him – I certainly hadn’t. But he stayed, he remained, he showed up and didn’t quit, and a few weeks ago, in what was already a blow-out win over Ole Miss, late in the fourth quarter he came into the game, and scored a touchdown, the first one of his career. Half of the Alabama football team ran out to the end zone to greet him, as if he had just scored the game winning touchdown in the last minute of the game. The world is composed of those who do the unexpected, who are just extraordinary, and thank God for them, and then there are those who just show up, who do the work, who just do the right thing, to no accolades to no extraordinary applause or even effect. The recent and needed exposure of the ways men have sexually harassed women, something we men have known happens, but whose recent revelation through stories of women telling their truth, has made us aware that even some of our heroes will fail our expectations of them, of what we had hoped and believed about who they were as human beings. I guess I’ve grown more thankful for the people who do meet our expectations, who don’t sexually harass women or men, who do the right thing, day in and day out, who just simply show up and do the right thing. I get that you could argue that my expectations of others are too low, but my cynicism about human nature has sadly been confirmed of late. And no, I don’t buy into the idea of the soft bigotry of low expectations – what contributes to low expectations is not low expectations, but our actual low behavior, behavior that has recently been exposed in this country over the last few years. And so I want to invite you to celebrate the Deborah’s of this world, the unexpected gifts we are given by God, and I want to invite you to celebrate the anonymous soldier from the tribe of Zebulan who answered the call to help set free his people, as everyone expected him to. And this Thanksgiving I invite you to say thank you to all those people that tend to just get participation trophies in our lives, the ones who clean up our messes, the ones who cook our dinners, and the ones who clean us up afterwards, literally and emotionally, and who fold your laundry, and the person at work who does his work quietly, and the ones who can just be counted on to be there. And I invite you to show gratitude in some unexpected way to those whom you expect to do the right thing, and who actually do it, day in and day out – your friends, your spouse, your children, your co-worker, the guy at Speedway, the woman who lets you into traffic, the ones who don’t cut into the line, the ones who holds the door for us, the ones who do the right thing, day in and day out, so often unnoticed by us, we who admire extraordinary miracles and long for them so much, when, in fact, it is the ordinary miracles that happen to us all the time. Thank you, dear God, for being the God who meets us in the unexpected, who sends us unexpected people, unexpected gifts, but also thank you for meeting us in the expected, in the people, places and spaces where we expect to find you, and you are actually there, in the ones who show up and do the right thing, the kind thing, the good thing, day after day, year after year.