Liturgy: “Hope, Patience, and Mission Ahead”

What is the King’s Liturgy? King’s Liturgy defines our experience together as a Christian community. It outlines the rhythms we celebrate with the Church at large: Scripture readings, Sabbath habits, and celebration of Holy Days and historical events.

This Week’s Lectionary Readings
Exodus 34:29-35
2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2
Luke 9:28-36
Psalm 99

This week’s liturgy is contributed by The Rev. Dr. Dru Johnson, Associate Professor of Biblical & Theological Studies:

Let’s face it, most of us would be the Pharisees or the stubbornly blind disciples if we met Jesus. We’d be the idiots. We’d like to think that we’d be the blind man who could actually see that Jesus was the “Son of David” (i.e., God’s liberating king). If I were in the crowds (I tell myself), I’d be like the foreign woman who seemed to have insider knowledge of Jesus’ power.

But I probably wouldn’t. I’d be the idiot, the dolt, the one with eyes yet not perceiving God’s yet-to-suffer king. I’d be the hardened heart on legs.

The transfiguration of Jesus (Luke 9) gives me hope, patience, and a mission. Hope that—just like the disciples—it’d take God’s voice breaking through the clouds on a mountain for me to actually start listening to what Jesus had been trying to tell me for years. Patience for all those people around me who aren’t coming along quickly enough in their Christian maturity. We’re all on-the-way people. But so were the closest disciples, the very same men who would take Jesus’ crazy-good news to the world—to folks like me.

Those idiotically stubborn men, so painfully portrayed in the gospels, sweep away all my hesitations about declaring Jesus’ crazy-good news.

It’s the last Sunday of Epiphany, the season when we emphasize Jesus’ revealing to the nations—to us! But if we hoard it, like the disciples did until Pentecost and beyond . . . well . . . there might be a special place in Sheol for us. Hope, patience, and mission ahead. Fare thee well, co-idiots!