Faithful Conversations #62
Luther’s Bible 1534
Introduction to Readers:
We started this effort in February of 2023 as an outgrowth of an Introduction to Bible Study class. Our intention is to stay grounded in the Lutheran principle of Sola Scriptura by consistently reading and reflecting on weekly readings as prescribed in the Revised Common Lectionary. Hopefully, we are making progress in that effort! We are nearing the end of the Easter cycle of RCL readings (Year B), leading to the celebration of Pentecost (19 May). Today, I will offer a short introduction to the four readings and offer a brief reflection on Psalm 98, including a link to a favorite hymn. Beyond that, and for the next three weeks, I want to drill down a bit on the spiritual practice of prayer. As always, thanks for being here!
Readings for Easter 6
Acts 10: 44-48
Psalm 98
1 John 5: 1-6
John 15: 9-17
A Quick Take on This Week’s Readings:
A thematic thread of divine love and its transformative power weaves through the readings for the sixth Sunday in Easter. Acts 10:44-48 illustrates the inclusive nature of God’s love, as the Holy Spirit descends upon Gentiles, signifying that God’s grace is not limited by cultural or ethnic boundaries (the story of Cornelius, the Roman soldier, precedes this passage). This theme continues in Psalm 98, a celebration of God’s salvation and righteousness revealed to all nations, emphasizing the universality of divine love and justice. 1 John 5:1-6 underscores the inseparable connection between love for God and love for others, affirming that genuine faith in Christ is expressed through acts of love. Finally, John 15:9-17 captures Jesus’ commandment to love one another as he has loved us, emphasizing the sacrificial and unconditional nature of divine love, which forms the essence of discipleship. Look for these connections as you read today!
Psalm 98
1 O sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvelous things.
His right hand and his holy arm
have gotten him victory.
2 The Lord has made known his victory;
he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.
3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the victory of our God.
4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody.
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.
7 Let the sea roar and all that fills it,
the world and those who live in it.
8 Let the floods clap their hands;
let the hills sing together for joy
9 at the presence of the Lord, for he is coming
to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness
and the peoples with equity.
Herbert Brokering
(1926-2009)
Reflections on psalm 98
Psalm 98, I have learned this week, served as the inspiration for one of my favorite hymns: “Earth and All Stars” (731 in the ELW). It was a favorite of my father’s and one that he requested for his funeral in 2013. Composed by David Johnson with lyrics by Herb Brokering, it’s fairly new to our tradition. Written to commemorate the 90th anniversary of St. Olaf College in 1964, Brokering said this about his inspiration: I tried to gather into a hymn of praise the many facets of life which emerge in the life of community. So there are the references to building, nature, learning, family, war, festivity. Seasons, emotions, death and resurrection, bread, wine, water, wind, sun, spirit. . . have made great impressions on my imagination.
A couple other things. First, I met Herb Brokering at Concordia College in the late 1970s. He came and spoke at our morning chapel service and made quite an impression! And second, I’m taken with the phrase “sing to the Lord a new song” (Psalm 98:1) that reverberates throughout the piece and have been thinking about it for a couple of days. The phrase appears six times in the Psalms (33:3, 40:3, 96:1, 98:1, 144:9, and 149:1). It can be interpreted a variety of ways, but my sense of it is this: through Christ we continually experience spiritual renewal, we are opened up to new experiences, and experience the old and traditional foundations of our faith in new ways. Here are Brokering’s lyrics for the hymn:
1 Earth and all stars, loud rushing planets, sing to the Lord a new song!
O victory, loud shouting army, sing to the Lord a new song!
Refrain He has done marvelous things. I too will praise him with a new song!
2 Hail, wind, and rain, loud blowing snowstorms, sing to the Lord a new song!
Flowers and trees, loud rustling dry leaves, sing to the Lord a new song! Refrain
3 Trumpet and pipes, loud clashing cymbals, sing to the Lord a new song!
Harp, lute, and lyre, loud humming cellos, sing to the Lord a new song! Refrain
4 Engines and steel, loud pounding hammers, sing to the Lord a new song!
Limestone and beams, loud building workers, sing to the Lord a new song! Refrain
5 Classrooms and labs, loud boiling test-tubes, sing to the Lord a new song!
Athlete and band, loud cheering people, sing to the Lord a new song! Refrain
6 Knowledge and truth, loud sounding wisdom, sing to the Lord a new song!
Daughter and son, loud praying members, sing to the Lord a new song!
Finally, here is a great version of the hymn — a bit heavy on the organ, but you can sense the joy with this choir!
Reflecting on the spiritual discipline of prayer
John Hoagenson
Baptized in 1929
As mentioned in my introduction, for the next three weeks I want to devote part of this space to the discipline of prayer. I offer this with great humility, because I know that many of you have depths of wisdom when it comes to prayer. My interest in doing this stems from interviews I have been conducting with elder members of our parish (our “Resilient Voices” project). Each participant thus far has spoken with great specificity about their daily interaction with God through prayer. This is not surprising, of course, but exploring that with people is enlightening. Within the past week, I spoke with John Hoagenson — aka “Hoagy” — who has been a member of our parish for 95 years! In the course of the conversation, he talked about his nightly prayer discipline, and he lit up when talking about that.
Two things to get us started. First, take time to listen to this short podcast by Father Mike Schmitz. He identifies four attributes of good prayer, and I found it helpful (you might even want to take a few notes!).
**Note: Father Schmitz the Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries in the Diocese of Duluth, Minnesota. He has a notable social media presence and I am a fan of his podcasts.
And finally, I offer this prayer from the pen of Eleanor Roosevelt. According to her children, she included it with her prayers every night. I so appreciate the humility in the prayer and the final line reminded me of Psalm 98:1.
Eleanor Roosevelt
(1884-1962)
Our Father, who has set a restlessness in our hearts and made us all seekers after that which we can never fully find, forbid us to be satisfied with what we make of life. Draw us from base content and set our eyes on far off goals. Keep us at tasks too hard for us that we may be driven to Thee for strength. Deliver us from fretfulness and self-pitying; make us sure of the good we cannot see and of the hidden good in the world. Open our eyes to simple beauty all around us and our hearts to the loveliness men hide from us because we do not try to understand them. Save us from ourselves and show us a vision of the world made new. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria
Join us after church on Sundays in the library for some in-person discussion of the Lectionary! no prior knowedge or special expertise is necessary — we grapple with scripture every week! All are welcome!
The Past is a Foreign Country 