This week, we encounter stark dualities in all of our readings: between life and death in the continuing saga of Moses and the Israelites, between living a loving life modeled after Christ in Romans, and in mediating disagreements and their consequences in Matthew. God dramatically reveals plans to murder the firstborns of the Egyptians after previous plagues had not succeeded in persuading Pharaoh (“Dorothy”), and the text takes a grim tone as the Israelites make preparations to spare themselves from this plague (“All Along the Watchtower”). I can’t help but wonder what the final thoughts of the firstborns may have been (“The Trapeze Swinger”). And while God is continuing in a decidedly genocidal direction which should give us all pause, it’s also worth noting that these sacred stories are opportunities for us to make meaning out of the chaos that happens. Our Jewish siblings take this responsibility very seriously, especially as they celebrate Passover with a liturgical intricacy and precision for thousands of years (“Dayenu”).

Moving on to Paul’s letter to the Romans, we are instructed to regard ourselves as fundamentally equal to one another, to owe one another nothing, and to love one another as perfectly as Christ loves us. Personally, I sometimes find this easier said than done (“The Debt I Owe”). Paul doesn’t leave us with some impossible task, though—we are shown that we do have the capacity to overcome any individual condition that seeks to divide us from the unitive love in Christ (“Meet Me By the River’s Edge”). Finally, in our Gospel, Matthew shows Jesus’ instructions on how to resolve disagreements, including the importance of communication and listening (“Space Oddity”) and remembering that community can be a tool to help (“Forever On Your Side”). I wonder, though, what’s on the other side of that—what sadness and pain rear up from the depths when reconciliation simply cannot happen (“Say Something”).

Follow along with the lectionary here, and listen to the playlist below. Happy Labor Day!