Summertime
Any true boy is Tom Sawyer at heart and soul, and no time of year, not even Christmas, is as precious as the first week of summer vacation, freedom stretching endlessly beyond the horizon. No more school, no more books, no more teachers‘ dirty looks ... . Summertime was never lazy freedom though, up every morning and to work with my father at his fish-house in St. Andrews. But it was short pants, no shirt and barefoot most of the time, season of happiness.
It goes on today. Summer and into the fall, called “the Season after Pentecost” or “Ordinary Time,” the lectionary has us doing happy things not focused on something like AdventChristmas and LentEaster. Rather, we are reading. In the Old Testament we are reading Bible stories, starting in 1 Kings. In the Gospel we are reading more or less straight through Luke, because this is Year C.
What’s in mind though is the Second Reading, which we used to call “the Epistle.” This summer we’ll be reading through several NT books, currently Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Read snippet by snippet as the lectionary has us do it, Galatians is good for a short doze, eyes glaze over and breathing goes deep until the gospel hymn jolts us back to life. It’s too bad that we treat the Bible this way, but we’ve always done it this way and in the Episcopal Church that’s the best reason for doing anything, and often the only reason.
It’s a shame, because Paul’s letter to the Galatians is rich reading, and it ought to be read aloud in congregation, not in boring snippets, but start to finish as it originally was, and as Paul intended. Paul is upset, almost angry with the folks in Galatia (not a city like Corinth, Thessalonica and Philippi, but a region), and his frustration shows. After Paul’s hard work throughout Galatia leading Gentile pagans to Christ, interlopers have come in later, contradicting Paul’s teachings. Called “Judaizers,” they were teaching that in order to become a Christian, one must first become a Jew keeping the Law of Moses. In angry language just short of fist-pounding profanity, Paul calls them back to his correct teaching: you don’t have to do anything. Just accept the faith of Christ crucified and raised. You are not -- saved -- by keeping the Law of Moses (the Law’s purpose is not to save, but to reduce sin and keep order). Rather, you are saved because God keeps his promise to Abraham, which God has renewed through his Son. Pay no attention to the Judaizers.
Anyone who is not too lazy can read Paul’s letter to the Galatians in twenty minutes. And reading The Voice translation makes it quite clear. See if this link works for you.
Tom+