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Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Tuesday Lectionary Leanings: T-Fig Edition

In case you haven't figured it out, T-Fig is my new ( in the style of J-Lo, K-Fed) nickname for this Sunday on the liturgical calendar: transfiguration.

I can honestly say that I haven't put much thought into this week's sermon yet, having been distracted by other things. If you have not read this post by Songbird yet, you should. It is what jump-started me in my thinking this morning.

Sometimes, when I am beginning to think about a text, I go back and see what sermon title I jotted on my planning calendar. Sometimes it is utterly unhelpful, but today I went back and read this:"With Unveiled Faces".

When I read the Hebrew Scripture text for this Sunday I am struck by Moses' taking the veil off and putting it back on. It seems to me that in human relationships we might think that we are being honest and transparent, and that we hide ourselves from God. Moses helps to show us that it can often be the other way around: we hide from each other, and are truly, deeply, initmately seen by God every time.

I hope that'll preach.

What are you contemplating his week?

22 comments:

  1. I am contemplating not preaching the T-fig. In fact, I'm not gonna and you can't make me.

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  2. i am. i'm thinking so far something about SEEING and something about BEING SEEN and something about mountaintops.

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  3. The liturgy here is about mountaintops and asking God to meet us here, make this a mountaintop (maybe even make every place a mountaintop?). The sermon is about how when we meet God then our lives and our selves reflect the light of God's grace and glory and we are to go out and share the light, not hide it. (so take that, Moses!) At least, that's the plan...We're going to sing "this little light of mine" so the sermon better go there!

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  4. I;m thinking along the lines of CHeesehead actually--who are you hiding from?

    Of course, I'm preaching to Landlord Congregation this week as well as ours, and they will have very different takes on that, which means 2 sermons...more or less.

    Sigh.

    That's what happens when you listen to the HS...

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  5. To Katie-- ok...I'm not preaching on T Fig either...I'll be in Hawaii for a week to see my brother on his 70th birthday (I won't go neener neener either I promise) Gail

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  6. Somehow, I don't think I've ever preached the T-fig before. Please don't hurt me. I was an Associate for a long time. Anyway, I've got a lot swirling in my head, but I'm particularly struck by the voice from heaven. It seems like the key to the passage...but what does that mean for us?

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  7. I'm on this weekend, and was just looking at the lessons for the first time... I mean, I know its Transfiguration, but I was checking the other lessons. Does anyone else find the Corinthians reading really troubling, and is anyone else going to try and tackle it?

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  8. I am with Pastor Kathryn, I am not preaching on it either. And you can't make me either. i have decided to preach on Luke 6:27-38 or Epiphany 7.

    So there.

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  9. I'm all over the T-fig! And I am combining it with STEWARDSHIP! (What do you do after you experience some amazing blessing of God?)

    Hang on, I think I see some men in white coats at the door...

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  10. I am also struck by the veil imagery, and I think my sermon title might be "Without the Veil." I'll probably discuss that it is ok to go before God with what is inside not what SHOULD be inside.

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  11. Wow Susie, thanks for pointing out that awful anti Semitic line in the Corinthians passage. I am not preaching this week, so it's easy to say...but I think it is important not to read things like that, (just like sexist or racist stuff) publicly in liturgy as "the Word of the Lord" without taking it on somehow. And it could be a really great angle to look at the good parts of that reading--how actually Paul's prejudice/pain about most of his community not following his acceptance of Jesus veils his ability to see God in them. But that truly experiencing God's loving gaze for ourselves and letting that challenge us to offer the same to others can be mutually reinforcing ways to experience and share in the work of the Beloved in whom God is pleased....I think I'll preach that some day. Good luck and prayers if you work with this text this time, and let us know how you did it.

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  12. I'm preaching this week and since it is Last Epiphany I will be using the T-Fig text or maybe the O-T text or maybe the 2-C text...I think I need to get through my 5-0 B-D this week first, then maybe a sermon....

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  13. Yeah, the 2 Corinthians thing got under my skin too.

    The line in the Luke t-Fig passage that stands out to me is "Listen to him." So I have started going back to the beginning of Luke and making a compendium of everything Jesus said.

    That's where I'm starting, anyway.

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  14. T-Fig, baby, all the way, because it is one of my favorite days on the church calendar ... but differently at each church.

    One church gets to remember their baptism along with Jesus ["This is my beloved ..."] and experience the opportunity to recommit to being a part of the beloved community. This is at the end of a sermon series of sorts.

    The other church gets to be reminded that Christians can't ever count on building a monument to their comfort and remaining safe within it ... or something like that. This church has to ask itself some difficult questions about what it means to be church, as well as deal with a leadership crisis of sorts. Rainbow Pastor knows what I am talking about.

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  15. Hi RDQ--

    Yes, I do know indeed. And it would preach in my church as well...

    I'm settling in for a snow-bound evening of reading--which may or may not be lectionary-related, as I'm thinking I could use a Jane Austen/grilled cheese/hot chocolate kind of night...

    PS Is anyone else haveing trouble with blogger accepting you word verification first time around? I know I've typed it in reight, and it still rejects it...

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  16. I am not preaching T-fig this year. But last week I posted and old midrashic-type story I preached in semminary. Feel fre to borrow liberally (or totally ignore) from Jesus' Story

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  17. Oh, and for those of you tackling Epiphany 7 [I did last Sunday] check out the Phyllis Kersten article at Textweek about keeping score, a "fresh" approach to loving one's enemies and so forth.

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  18. I'm not preaching this week- going away to celebrate my Silver (25th) wedding anniversary.... but love the unvieled faces scripture- it is such a challenge- blessings on all your preaching.

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  19. No excuse for sermons undone on Saturday here...8 inches of snow down and another foot or so on the way with 30mph wind = blizzard. Which means: nobody going nowhere!
    I'm using Gord's offering this SUnday (thanks Gord!) and getting ahead for next week. If I can convince "stay at home from school" son that I have work to do! Happy V Day everbody

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  20. I agree wholeheartedly with pastor kathryn and quaker pastor - no excuses, indeed.

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  21. I will be on mountain tops with my youth this weekend at Montreat.
    Yay!
    No preaching, no dressing up, no nothing but hanging with the young folks and being young myself...and good ole fashioned fellowship

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  22. i posted the first draft of my sermon for t-fig...you can find it here.

    comments coveted!

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