SPEAK! | Ezekiel 44:15-31 with John Arnold

Amidst some of the highest praise and evident joy in all of his writings, Paul in Romans chapter 8 guides us through Gospel resources in the face of suffering. He posits that our suffering is felt alongside Creation, and that the Holy Spirit Himself knows this suffering well and communicates it on our behalf to the Father. Readings: John 16:4-15; Romans 8:18-27

The Year of Jubilee is like a great reset for the children of Israel. Every 50 years, at the culmination of 7 cycles of the "Shabbat year," all land reverts back to its earliest family ownership. Debts are cleared, indentured servants are freed, and countless families' connection to their land is reestablished. Jeremiah relied on this teaching in Torah when he chose to purchase land from his cousin ("redeeming" it, i.e. keeping it in the family) even though everyone expected that land to be conquered soon anyway. Why would Jeremiah waste money on a purchase soon to be rendered fruitless? "For thus says the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land." (Jeremiah 32:15)

The Levites are a unique group within the children of Israel. They are a 13th tribe not allotted any territory and yet chosen to render eternal priestly service on behalf of their brethren. Ezekiel, Isaiah, and other prophets all envision the Levites persisting even into the New Creation and maintaining their unique identity in it. Who are they to us today?

Holiness is not built by good behaviors, but itself characterizes those who obey God's commands. Holiness, then, is not bought with righteous behavior; but without righteous behavior, there is no evidence of holiness, even where there should be. This is what Ezekiel sees and condemns.

The Ascension of our Lord is not an act of abandonment, but of commission. In John's Gospel, we are told that only after Christ's Ascension can we receive His promised Holy Spirit, Who empowers us to live out the calling he gave us. "Just as the Father sent me," Jesus says, "so I am sending you." May we ever seek to find Him present among us in Spirit, until the day we will see Him face to face. Readings: Acts 1:15-17,21-26; Psalm 68:1-20; 1 John 5:9-13; John 17:6-19

Many people, even some Christians, think that the Old Testament is only about Law and the New Testament is Love. But the ancient revelation was not changed by Jesus or Paul, although our ignorance of the Hebrew Bible, and perhaps even some anti-Semitism prevents us from seeing the connection. God’s election of the people of Israel was an unmerited act of grace and love, and only then is Israel commanded to love God by keeping his commandments (one of which is to love the marginalized. Deut.10:19). In today’s readings we see that Christians are also chosen by God and we abide with Him by keeping His commandments and loving one another. One well respected biblical scholar of the Old Testament has summarized this overarching theme of the Bible by saying: For God so loved the world … that he chose the people of Israel. Readings: Acts 10:44-48; Deuteronomy 10:12-24; John 15:9-17

Ezekiel is doubtless one of the harshest books of scripture, and this week's Haftara pairs with one of the harshest rituals in Torah: the double-sacrifice of a live goat and a scapegoat. This sacrifice on the Day of Atonement cleanses the people of both ritual and moral impurities. In it, we see the ancient connection between obedience and life; we also see the connection between disobedience and death, which Ezekiel so harshly comments on.

From the Fifth Sunday of Easter, this sermon draws parallels between Deuteronomy 4:32-40, John 15:1-8, and 1 John 4:7-21, emphasizing the profound significance of history and love in the context of faith in action–or faithfulness. Through Moses's words, listeners are urged to reflect on the unparalleled actions of God throughout history, contrasting His active involvement with the inactivity of false gods. The passage in John calls believers to abide in God's love, producing fruit that glorifies Him. Furthermore, 1 John stresses that love is the defining characteristic of a true disciple, intertwining with obedience to God's commandments. We should examine ourselves whether we truly abide in Him. Without love, we prove we aren’t truly among God’s disciples. But through God’s love acting in the world through us, we can show God to those around us. Readings: Deuteronomy 4:32-40; 1 John 4:7-21; John 15:1-8

At the very heart of the gospel is the story of Passover: that final night in Egypt when God completed His judgments against the rebellious Pharaoh and called His own people out into freedom. We often think of Christ's death through the lens of atonement for sins, but its coinciding with Passover tells us something else about the gospel–namely, that we are shielded from wrath and invited into peace with God if we participate in obedience to His command. Redemption, repentance, and the gospel itself are participatory and inclusive. So when we share the gospel with our neighbors, we invite them to participate in our same redemption, living out the story of Passover every day. Readings: Exodus 12:1-13; Acts 3:12-19; Luke 24:36-48

The image of shepherds and shepherding in the biblical text stands in sharp contrast to the romantic pictures of fat sheep on luxuriant, green hillsides that we see in popular Christian culture. The biblical image, best reflected in Psalm 23, is set in the dangerous Judean wilderness with wild animals, “the valley of the shadow of death”; sporadic grass and rain which (even today) can suddenly turn to perilous flash floods, "green pastures … still waters." When the Bible describes God as Shepherd, His sheep can say, “I shall not want” in this precarious world, and in the world to come, “I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” In the Gospel of John, Jesus also describes Himself as the Good Shepherd who provides in this world (John 7-9) and for eternity. “I give them eternal life and they shall never perish.” (10) Readings: Ezekiel 34:1-16; Psalm 23; John 10:11