Author: Administrador

Stubborn. Impudent. Rebellious. These are the adjectives God uses in this address to the prophet to describe the people of ancient Israel. The descriptors certainly do not cast Ezekiel’s audience in the best light. The labels neither tell the whole story of Israel’s behavior nor provide the ethical scope for a proper theological anthropology. It’s … Continue reading “Ezekiel 2:1-5 Commentary by Tyler Mayfield”

The small poetic book of Lamentations was composed during the fall of Jerusalem to the invading Babylonian armies in the early years of the sixth century BCE. Ongoing Jewish tradition enshrines this history by reading the book on the ninth of Ab (July/August), the day on which the final fall of the Jerusalem temple in … Continue reading “Lamentations 3:22-33 Commentary by John C. Holbert”

What if the center cannot hold, as William Butler Yeats feared in his famous poem, “The Second Coming”? Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full … Continue reading “Lamentations 3:22-33 Commentary by Fred Gaiser”

At first blush, it appears that the assigned text is a bold declaration of faith and hope in the midst of an unrelenting lamentation over the horrific events surrounding the siege and destruction of Jerusalem. Indeed, that these verses serve as the only beacon of hope in the entire book is the judgment of a … Continue reading “Lamentations 3:22-33 Commentary by Walter C. Bouzard”

National tragedies threaten to render communities speechless. The collective grief can be overwhelming. In response, people often gather to sing songs, pray, light candles, and mourn together. Poetry and songs, in the context of ritual, become vehicles for humans to express their sorrow. It is in this rehearsal of mourning a community finds its voice … Continue reading “Lamentations 1:1-6 Commentary by Frank M. Yamada”

The book of Lamentations articulates the anguish of the Hebrews in the wake of the conquest of Jerusalem and the razing of the city by Babylon. The first four chapters are composed as acrostic poems while the fifth chapter’s poem – twenty-two verses, but not an acrostic — seemingly points to a grief so unbearable … Continue reading “Lamentations 1:1-6 Commentary by Walter C. Bouzard”

We live in a world that is uncomfortable with feelings of deep sorrow, regardless of the loss.1 In moments of our deepest pain when we most need consolation, people are likely to tell us to just get on with it. Perhaps you’ve heard some of these meaningless phases or even said them to someone yourself. … Continue reading “Lamentations 1:1-6 Commentary by Alphonetta Wines”

On this first Sunday of Advent, one cannot read the prophecy of a “righteous Branch” springing up for David in anything but a messianic light. And that is a theologically sound way of reading this passage from Jeremiah. It is worth noting, however, the circumstances in which the prophecy was first spoken and heard. Though … Continue reading “Jeremiah 33:14-16 Commentary by Kathryn M. Schifferdecker”

As Advent begins this year, we immediately hear God’s assertion: “I will fulfill the promise I made… I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up… Jerusalem will live in safety.” The first reading for this Sunday is assurance. We need these words in order to absorb what will follow throughout Advent, for many words … Continue reading “Jeremiah 33:14-16 Commentary by Melinda Quivik”

Advent is a season for feeling out of kilter. It is a period of waiting in the darkness. It is a season in which we are caught between joyful expectation and the harsh realities of the present condition while we wait for the promise to be fulfilled. And the discipline of this season puts the … Continue reading “Jeremiah 33:14-16 Commentary by Anne Stewart”