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This week, we are invited to explore a deeply spiritual prayer by Paul, sit through an ancient tryst, affair, fling, flung, and flop starring King David as himself. The gospel lesson, too is a story in which we see Jesus teaching the disciples. He takes meager resources into his hands to bless, multiply, and to use them to satisfy hunger. Lectionary buffs could, of course, weave all three lessons together into a single homily, but we’re not sure the tapestry would reflect a natural pattern or uniform material. Each should stand on its own to enrich and nourish our listening communities.

2 Samuel 11:1-15-David and Bathsheba

In the David cycle we come to perhaps the most famous adultery story in history. The Israelite troops are out on a war campaign against the Ammonites and are in the mopping up phase having hunkered down for a long siege of the Ammonite stronghold, Rabbah. David meanwhile has remained in Jerusalem. With time on his hands he walks about his flat-topped penthouse palace and looking down sees a womyn in the nude. Though informed that she is a married womyn-"Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite", he nevertheless orchestrates an adulterous affair with her. Soon David learns that Bathsheba is pregnant and launches "Operation Cover-up" by attempting to get Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, to have sexual relations with her; that failing, he moves to "Operation Wipe-out" and secretly orders Uriah’s death.

Ephesians 3:14-21-Praying With Paul

Paul offers a model prayer for the Christians at Ephesus and one that has enriched Christian spirituality and worship ever since it was first uttered. In the prayer, Paul prays for his recipients to receive spiritual strength and power. He also prays for a constant presence of Christ’s presence to abode in the life and lives of the Ephesus congregation and believers. He further prays for the Ephesians to have a greater understanding of God’s love in Christ and thus, to be filled with God’s fullness. The prayer opens and closes with a formulaic style that is both inspiring and faith-filled.

John 6:1-21-Bread for the Journey

Unfortunately, the lectionary committee has pulled anchor this week from Mark’s harbor and set sail for John’s. Clearly, John’s feeding of the five thousand is rich-it is lofty, spiritual, and carries liturgical and sacramental insight. So we watch the Johannine Jesus teaching his disciples a new way of developing resources-prayerful multiplication. Behind the event are liturgical and worshipful allusions-"he took the loaves . . . given thanks . . . distributed them . . . they were satisfied." A second story closes out this lesson: Jesus walking on the water toward the disciple’s boat.