Be it the slogans on your church marquee, the wisdom offered to you by others, or the phrases that come from your own mouth in the midst of your sermons and pastoral care, clichés are ubiquitous. These brief commentaries, geared to the Revised Common Lectionary, open a dialogue between commonly used expressions and the scriptures we preach from. Decisions are not made, judgments are not passed. Each cliché has its own meaning and power in its own context. However, the spark of the dialogue is meant to inspire and contribute in a meaningful way to your weekly preparations.
Proper 15
August 19, 2018
There is no such thing as a free lunch
This phrase is often attributed to economist Milton Friedman.But it comes from a time and place where bars and taverns actually did give out free lunches to entice people into their establishments. Retail continues to use "loss leaders," offering great deals on some things, like pop and chips, to get you to buy more expensive items while you are there. Not long ago I was going to a baseball game in Minneapolis and parked in a “free parking lot.” There is only free parking on a Monopoly©board, I thought, as we went into the bar next door to “register” as instructed. You guessed it. A 15-dollar order was needed to get the “free” parking. “Not free but a bargain at twice the price,” I said as I ordered dinner.
Ephesians 5:15-16
Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise,
making the most of the time, because the days are evil.
I have said repeatedly in this book that grace is defined by its free and unqualified nature. Yet, when we experience grace we are bowled over by it and we naturally feel grateful. Gratefulness can take many valid forms but at its heart, gratitude is making productive use of what we receive. This is what Paul writes to the Ephesians encouraging them in“making the most of the time.” Paul sets up this response as the “cost” of the grace we receive. There is such a fine line between responding freely in appreciation and responding in a contractual way, so as to “keep the grace coming.” The image I prefer is to let the grace pass through you so you have room for more. As such, I am siding with the idea that the Bible is full of free lunches.
Proper 16
August 26, 2018
God is good.
In his book of quotations from the mystical traditions, Matthew Fox attributes the phrase "God is voluptuous and delicious" to Meister Eckhart. The phrase God is Good is used within many African American churches as a call and response with the other half being "All the Time." One can say these words and mean them. One can say these words and not mean them. One can also say these words and hope to mean them.
Psalm 34:8
O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him.
I was over 50 before I ever had the chance to go into a store and buy a bed. Beds are private places so to lie down on a bed with my wife in a store to imagine that is where we will spend a third of our time in remaining years together felt a little awkward. The sales people, while being confident that their customers will not do what people sometimes do in beds, offer a respectful space while this testing is going on. It is as if the salesperson said "taste and see that the bed is good" and then walked away, certain that it was good and all they had to do was wait for us to choose and buy. The Psalmist, Meister Eckhart, Matthew Fox and many others have figured out this approach with God. No amount of argument, coercion or logic will ever match our experience, our tasting, of God's goodness.
Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary (Click on the season you wish to see)
Advent
Christmas and Epiphany
Transfiguration and Lent
Easter
Pentecost to Proper Sixteen
Proper Seventeen to The Reign of Christ
Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary (Click on the season you wish to see)
Advent
Christmas and Epiphany
Transfiguration and Lent
Easter
Trinity Sunday to Proper Sixteen
Proper Seventeen to The Reign of Christ
Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary (Click on the season you wish to see)
Advent
Christmas and Epiphany
Transfiguration and Lent
Easter
Pentecost to Proper Sixteen
Proper Seventeen to Reign of Christ
For more on Glenn Morison and his book that led to this page, check out The Things We Say.
All this material is copyleft. Feel free to use it however you see fit, with or without attribution.
If you wish to value this page, please make a donation to the Winnipeg Quaker Meeting.
Proper 15
August 19, 2018
There is no such thing as a free lunch
This phrase is often attributed to economist Milton Friedman.But it comes from a time and place where bars and taverns actually did give out free lunches to entice people into their establishments. Retail continues to use "loss leaders," offering great deals on some things, like pop and chips, to get you to buy more expensive items while you are there. Not long ago I was going to a baseball game in Minneapolis and parked in a “free parking lot.” There is only free parking on a Monopoly©board, I thought, as we went into the bar next door to “register” as instructed. You guessed it. A 15-dollar order was needed to get the “free” parking. “Not free but a bargain at twice the price,” I said as I ordered dinner.
Ephesians 5:15-16
Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise,
making the most of the time, because the days are evil.
I have said repeatedly in this book that grace is defined by its free and unqualified nature. Yet, when we experience grace we are bowled over by it and we naturally feel grateful. Gratefulness can take many valid forms but at its heart, gratitude is making productive use of what we receive. This is what Paul writes to the Ephesians encouraging them in“making the most of the time.” Paul sets up this response as the “cost” of the grace we receive. There is such a fine line between responding freely in appreciation and responding in a contractual way, so as to “keep the grace coming.” The image I prefer is to let the grace pass through you so you have room for more. As such, I am siding with the idea that the Bible is full of free lunches.
Proper 16
August 26, 2018
God is good.
In his book of quotations from the mystical traditions, Matthew Fox attributes the phrase "God is voluptuous and delicious" to Meister Eckhart. The phrase God is Good is used within many African American churches as a call and response with the other half being "All the Time." One can say these words and mean them. One can say these words and not mean them. One can also say these words and hope to mean them.
Psalm 34:8
O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him.
I was over 50 before I ever had the chance to go into a store and buy a bed. Beds are private places so to lie down on a bed with my wife in a store to imagine that is where we will spend a third of our time in remaining years together felt a little awkward. The sales people, while being confident that their customers will not do what people sometimes do in beds, offer a respectful space while this testing is going on. It is as if the salesperson said "taste and see that the bed is good" and then walked away, certain that it was good and all they had to do was wait for us to choose and buy. The Psalmist, Meister Eckhart, Matthew Fox and many others have figured out this approach with God. No amount of argument, coercion or logic will ever match our experience, our tasting, of God's goodness.
Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary (Click on the season you wish to see)
Advent
Christmas and Epiphany
Transfiguration and Lent
Easter
Pentecost to Proper Sixteen
Proper Seventeen to The Reign of Christ
Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary (Click on the season you wish to see)
Advent
Christmas and Epiphany
Transfiguration and Lent
Easter
Trinity Sunday to Proper Sixteen
Proper Seventeen to The Reign of Christ
Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary (Click on the season you wish to see)
Advent
Christmas and Epiphany
Transfiguration and Lent
Easter
Pentecost to Proper Sixteen
Proper Seventeen to Reign of Christ
For more on Glenn Morison and his book that led to this page, check out The Things We Say.
All this material is copyleft. Feel free to use it however you see fit, with or without attribution.
If you wish to value this page, please make a donation to the Winnipeg Quaker Meeting.