Year C, Ordinary 25 & 26, 2019 – Riches
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Hey Everyone! Welcome to More Than Hearing. We’re glad to have you join us for our weekly tour through the Revised Common Lectionary readings seen through the lens of Multiple Intelligence Theory. We are taking a wee detour from the usual show this week in an effort to jump ahead a bit. Three years ago, we simply skipped three weeks of work (Ordinary 23, 24, and 25) and got ahead that way.
This time, we’ve stuck with the lessons but have shortened the work load. Today you are getting two episodes in one! We’re presenting the Old Testament (complimentary) and Gospel selections for Ordinary 25 and Ordinary 26. We have a show for Year C, Ordinary 26, 2016, but we used the Jeremiah passage instead of the Amos passage. We did have some thoughts for the Timothy passage, though! We’ll be back next week with all four passages for Ordinary 27.
Smarts for Ordinary 25 [01:59]
For Ordinary 25, we will focus on the Amos and Luke passages using MUSIC smart and NATURE smart. We use music all the time in worship, but how often do we use it in sermons? This could be a good week to try it! Nature is challenging to utilize; we truly have to put our imaginations outside or look at a much larger picture presented in a passage. It’s not impossible, but can be quite challenging. Here are our worksheets for these selections.
Texts for Ordinary 25
Amos 8:4-7 – [05:37]
I hear a lot of emotion in this passage from Amos; I hear frustration, some anger, and a whole lot of disappointment. The “elites” are engaged in deceitful practices that are harming the poor, and what else is new? David found MUSIC smart illustrations about cheating someone and has some suggestions about how a theme song could be used in this reading. For NATURE smart, I thought about exploitation – not just of the poor, but of the land. This got me to thinking about The Dust Bowl here in the United States 80+ years ago. Follow the links for some interesting history.
- MUSIC smart – [06:34]
- Dream Girls
- Carrie Underwood’s song “Before He Cheats”
- Here is a video with 10 villain themes you could try.
- Here’s an article with a list of 10 themes
- NATURE smart – [09:38]
- The Dust Bowl of the 1930’s
- A report on wheat pricing and production in the US, Argentina, and Australia for 2019 from the site InformaPLC.
- An article about the Dust Bowl from History.com
- Another article about the Dust Bowl from How Stuff Works.
Luke 16:1-13 – [12:39]
Deceitful practices continue in the Gospel passage where a steward cheats his master (some more) and insinuates himself with the master’s clients in a way that may be beneficial to him once he loses his position. The connection to NATURE smart is a bit of a stretch; I think it was likely that there was price fixing for commodities which the steward exploits for his gain. I also think that the “eternal home” and “true riches” are the planet God made and gave us. For MUSIC smart, David found an article with examples of music managers and how they cheated their talent out of lots of money. He also wrote the parable out in limerick form:
A manager cheated his master,
And got caught, so he had to think faster.
“Take your bill, mark it down!
When I’m fired, I’ll come round.”
Thus, he shrewdly averted disaster.
– David A. Douthett, 2019, free for use with attribution.
- NATURE smart – [14:43]
- Price fixing for crops
- MUSIC smart – [19:03]
- Here’s an article from LA Weekly (filled with profanity, so beware)
Smarts for Ordinary 26 [21:12]
For Ordinary 26, we emphasize PEOPLE smart and SELF smart. In a way, these intelligences are the most subtle, because I think we use them all the time in sermons, liturgy, and hymns or other music. We use a lot of plural pronouns in prayers and litanies, and the point of most sermons is to get people to think about their individual lives and make some decisions based on Scripture and the Holy Spirit’s call on them. Here are the worksheets for each.
Texts for Ordinary 26
Amos 6:1a, 4-7 – [24:06]
We’ve backed up a bit for this passage and until David reminded me that this is the complimentary Old Testament passage, I was a bit mystified as to why. The images of indulgence at the expense of the poor paints a vivid picture much like that of the rich man in the parable in Luke. Here, those at ease are living the high life without being at all grieved over the fate of others. They are the first to go into exile, then. The indulgence reminded me of the Roaring Twenties until the bottom dropped out of the market. Asking people to consider the strength of their foundations is a good SELF smart question. For PEOPLE smart, David found an old commercial about indulgence and an opinion piece about how economics leads people to think differently.
- SELF smart – [25:13]
- Sounds like the life of Riley until verse 6b.
- The Roaring Twenties
- PEOPLE smart – [29:01]
- “Opulence. I has it.”
- Here’s an interesting opinion piece from Medium dot com on how rich people and poor people think differently.
Luke 16:19-31 – [33:37]
For PEOPLE smart illustrations, consider the work of Martin Buber and Walt Disney – two names that don’t often appear together in sentences, I know. Yet, each presents insights to attitudes that affect one’s willingness to consider the dignity and worth of another human being. I have similar illustrations for SELF smart; how does changing places with someone change your perspective on your life? The rich man still didn’t get it even in the tormenting fires of hades. Also for SELF smart, ask people to consider that if they were the rich man in this story, who would be their Lazarus?
- PEOPLE smart – [34:43]
- Martin Buber I and Thou
- SELF smart – [38:02]
Photo by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash. Used by permission.
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