Through the summer, the Revised Common Lectionary gives us a sense of the continuity of Scripture.
The series of readings from the Hebrew Scriptures we read first takes up the saga of Abraham, and then his grandson Jacob. We then hear about how the people came to be in Egypt in the saga of Joseph, Jacob’s son. Towards the end of August, we hear about the enslavement of God’s people, and how Moses sought their liberation in the Exodus.
The Psalms variously reflect themes found in the Hebrew Scriptures, and remind us to sing God’s praise always and in all the places our life journey takes us.
The second reading through the summer gives us a large portion of Paul’s letter to the Romans. This treatise is the pinnacle of Pauline theology, and has nurtured and guided the church ever since. We hear some of the apostle’s most familiar imagery, poetic prose and teaching of the faith. It addresses topics of sin, the law and the Spirit, justification and righteousness. Throughout, we are reminded that it is God’s grace and loving-kindness that makes us who we are, that we are people of God in the fullness of Christ’s inheritance.
The section of the Gospel according to Matthew that the summer lections are taken from starts with Jesus’ teaching his disciples. Jesus – the master storyteller – uses the best teaching method ever developed: the parable. In the familiar story of the feeding of the five thousand (we hear it at the end of July), Jesus takes his parables into the active realm. The Kingdom, which up until now was communicated in words, becomes words in action. Jesus is founding a new community. After this, Jesus’ teachings take on a new tone, empowering this new community to be his people, preparing them to take on his mission even after his death in Jerusalem.