Nehemiah 8:1-3,5-6,
PS.19 8-10
I Cor 12-31a
Luke 4:14-21

Epiphany 3C RCL
HE 2B 10:00

Credit: Fuller(rev.ed)Preaching the Lectionary;
Pulp.Res.& Exeg.supplement 1/22/89
Previous: 89, 98,01,04 (revised),07

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FINDING THE WAY

(If using BCP Lectionary, have readers paraphrase 1st lesson so as not to have to be hung up on 26 Hebrew names!) (vs. 4 + 8 skipped) (6 + 7 + 13 names)

The first reading today brings several thoughts to mind, at least to my mind. And one of them is Watergate, because the word appears in our first reading.

I. Many of you will remember the Watergate political scandal in politics in 1972, during the presidential election campaign. There was a breakin at Democratic headquarters in the Watergate apartment and office complex in Washington DC; and after Congressional hearings, the whole sorry affair resulted in the resignation of President Nixon. You will find the term Watergate in Dictionaries now, and it is defined as any scandal involving abuses of power, or corruption, or the like, and attempts to cover them up.

The meaning of Watergate in our first reading is just opposite to what the word means today. Back in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, around 450 B.C., the water-gate was the place where the Word of the Lord was revealed, not covered up. The public water supply, where people's thirst was quenched:- it was a gathering place for the people, where news was shared, where legal cases were heard and decided, and where the Law of the Lord was solemnly read, as in today's first readinq. (It was a place where things were made clear, not covered up.) And a mighty solemn proclamation it was, as we hear: Ezra upon a pulpit, and what amounts to six acolytes on one side and seven on the other. And then thirteen other men, Levites, or Deacons, whose job was to make clear the sense of what was being read.

It is a model of synagogue worship, where people stand for the reading of the Torah, or Law, and then there is the exposition, or sermon, and then the response of worship. The pattern of synagogue worship is the same today. It is also a model of Christian worship, where people stand for the Gospel, which is solemnly proclaimed (with acolytes and candles). Then follows the sermon or explanation, and then the response of worship through offertory and Eucharist. If the service is Morning Prayer, the candles would be on either side of the lectern from which the lessons are read.

II. The SECOND point about the first reading today, is the profound reverence which Jews and Christians alike share - the profound reverence for the Sacred Scriptures. All devout Christians and Jews alike, affirm the Scriptures as holy and as the Word of God. Views vary, interpretations vary in emphasis, from close reliance on the text of the Bible, to more liberal views, but all alike in their own way look to the sacred writings as a primary source of divinely-revealed truth. The Scriptures are more than just a sacred relic; their enduring appeal comes from the extraordinary quality of the characterizations, the dramatic means of story telling, and the powerful and often mysterious communication of the complexities in human interaction.

From the Watergate of old to the Watergate of today, the Law of the Lord has demonstrated how human choice, whether for violence or for compassion, leads to specific consequences. To make the right choices and to achieve the best consequences, it is necessary to listen to the Law of the Lord and to pay attention to it - in other words, to go by the book, to follow the map that the Lord has given us.

III. Let us think about maps for a few minutes.

When you are lost, and unexcited about where you are going, studying a map is only a necessary chore. But when you are excited about your destination, the map becomes much more interesting. When the Bible nourishes, the result is new life and refreshment, revival and inner strength. When the Bible convicts us so that we change the direction of our lives, that change is conversion. Either way, the statutes of the Lord bind us to the divine life and cause the heart to rejoice, and so those statutes are desired more than much fine gold, as the Psalm suggests. The map becomes very interesting indeed. The Scriptures become your life blood!

When you use an ordinary map, you decide where you are going, and mark the route which will lead to your goal. But there is always the danger of taking a wrong turn, no matter how careful you are. We are warned when we see a highway marker that does not belong on our route, when our behavior does not square with the requirements of God's law. Then we retrace our steps till we find the right road: we pray for forgiveness and guidance. Those who think they are wise and sophisticated are tempted to set aside the map and drive by instinct. And then they find that they are slaves to their instincts. But those who are simple and open to the Lord's approach, stick to the map which the Lord has provided.

To have a map is better than to rely on the directions of a stranger; and to have directions for a specific house is better than to depend on a map. But best of all is to make a desperate phone call from unfamiliar surroundings, and to be told to stay right where we are: "I'll be right there, and you can follow me home. Distractions then fly by - a confusing intersection, an interesting tourist attraction, a fantastic Going Out Of Business sale at a department store - but as long as we keep our friend's car in sight, we will make it through the complications of a strange city.

To have the Bible is important, and we resonate with the Psalm writers about its value. But best of all is to have the Saviour lead us home in person after a desperate prayer for help. Jesus opens His public ministry in today's Gospel reading by announcing that He fulfills the expectations aroused by the Bible.

He is still doing that, and you are following the map He gave, or you wouldn't be here today. So Keep following the map.