|
|
|
November 19th, 2007
07:16 am - Sunday 25 November 2007
Christ the King
The Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Just how “enslaved by sin” do you feel? Most of us are so accustomed to the limitations sin places around us that we are not even aware of them. For instance I accept without question the fact that people are divided from each other. I completely miss the fact that what all those Old Testament rules are getting at is a return to community. Jesus summed it all up as, love God and your neighbor. But sin keeps us apart. What sin? How about the sin of resentment that keeps one from trusting that person who hurt you? How about the sin of despair that pulls grieving ones from the comfort of community? We can reach out toward others and they are unable to receive. Those are only two small examples of sin.
Think of sin not in terms of how we “transgress” but in terms of what separates us from God. Then go back to Genesis and read that humans, all humans, are created in the image of God. We are not God but we reflect God to others. Some of us need rather a lot of polishing to reflect a better image. That polishing is all about removing the film of sin. It is a film we accept because we have had it for so long in our social life. But we don’t have to keep it. Pick up the collect for today and use it to allow God to scrub off the dull patina you have acquired. It is a small step closer to the Kingdom.
Jeremiah 23:1-6
Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the LORD. Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the LORD. Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the LORD.
The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: "The LORD is our righteousness."
Jeremiah is pretty clear about social responsibility. It is the rulers, priests and temple workers are to blame for the current state of political disaster. It was their misleading that led to the exile. I can’t help but wonder about the order of exile at this point. Only the elite of the nation were herded off to Babylon. The “people”, those who labored on the farms, were left in the land. They were not driven away from the territory promised in the time of Moses. Without political leadership they did not organize into cities, neither did they attempt to rebuild the temple. But they did pass on what they knew about their God to the folks who were relocated into the area by the Babylonians. These common people are the flock that Jeremiah speaks of. Scattered across the countryside they lived by herding and farming as they awaited the coming of a shepherd to gather them once more into a single flock. When Ezra and Nehemiah arrived in the destroyed city of Jerusalem they attempted to gather these people and purify them according to temple rules. Once again the ones who ought to have been the shepherds gave out harsh demands instead of gathering the community.
The righteous Branch spoken of by Jeremiah was still about 300 years off. When Jesus said he was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel it is the common farmer he means. The rulers and temple elite are still looking in the wrong place for salvation.
Canticle 16 Page 92, BCP
Luke 1: 68-79 - The Song of Zechariah
Zechariah was the father of John the Baptist. Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were both members of the priestly order. It seemed a shame that they had no children. Both of them knew their place in the social order and kept to it. Every year when it was his turn Zechariah walked from his home in the country to the temple in Jerusalem. There he took his place before the altar to offer prayers. I am sure one of the prayers was for children and this year an angel appeared to tell him that Elizabeth would have a son. It was up to Zechariah to name the boy John. Zech was understandably amazed and doubtful. In time honored fashion of the angel provided a sign for Zech. He was struck dumb until the child was named. That must have been an interesting homecoming. Elizabeth saw her husband off to Jerusalem and got him back absolutely speechless. When the day came to name the baby Zech came through and wrote out the name John. At that he was able to speak. What he said is the reading of response for today. It follows the form of ancient Hebrew poetry. I wonder if he was thinking out the lines all those long months when he could not speak.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; *
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior, *
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old,
that he would save us from our enemies, *
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers *
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, *
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship him without fear, *
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, *
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
To give people knowledge of salvation *
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God *
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, *
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Colossians 1:11-20
May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers-- all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.
There was a fair amount of controversy over just exactly who Jesus was in the first 1000 years of the church. Some maintained that Jesus was human with a good pipeline to God. Others said Jesus was indeed God and only looked human. Still others tried to divide him up and say things about nature, substance, and co-equality. From the letter of Paul to the Colossians we have one of the earliest statements in the form of a hymn. Since Paul did not tend to write in that form as a rule I wonder if he was quoting something current among the believers. In any case it stands as a very early statement of just exactly who Jesus is. It is powerful stuff and probably takes a good deal of that inward digestion were advised last week. Go for it! Build your theology around it. These words are basic.
Luke 23:33-43
When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." And they cast lots to divide his clothing. The people stood by, watching Jesus on the cross; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!" The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!" There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews."
One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!" But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He replied, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
If it seems to you that this lesson more properly belongs to Good Friday or perhaps Passion Sunday you are not lost. What is the crucifixion doing here? We hear Christmas carols in every retail store. Frosty the snowman is thumping, and ads for toys dominate the TV. Why this lesson?
The obvious answer seems to be the proclamation of the reality of Jesus’ kingdom. Christ the King was recognized by those on the margins of society; the lame the blind, the lepers. It would be hard to be more marginalized than hanging on a cross. The lone voice of the criminal tells us that there is something greater than the Roman state, the Temple, or social order. But Jesus reply is veiled in mystery. He said, “today you will be with me in Paradise” Today? Present tense? Right now? OK, we reply, in the sweet by and by we will all be with Jesus. For now there is the awful agony of the cross, or just the drudgery of life to manage. Somehow I had expected Paradise to look more inviting.
This is where the “deep magic” C.S. Lewis used as allegory pulls me back. Narnia is inviting in all its wonder and community of animals. Paradise is inviting me. But the door between that world and this is a freestanding frame in Paradise. On this side it is a heavy door seem dimly by dying fire light across a sweaty battlefield. Only those entering the door see the other side with its green grass, blooming trees, and gentle breeze. It is only from the cross that the criminal could see Paradise. As we honor Christ the King this Sunday remember the figure in royal robes today is the same figure stripped naked and dying in order to open the door for us.
|
October 22nd, 2007
06:57 am - Sunday 28 October 2007
22nd Sunday after Pentecost
Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Faith, hope, and charity from 1 Corinthians 13 reminds me that many of the phrases we use in the liturgy of the church are from the bible. When Cranmer and others looked for a model of prayer they took what the church of Rome had used, phrases from the holy book. Notice that the collect refers to faith, hope, and love as gifts we have already received. What we are asking for is more of those gifts. These are not things we can produce in any way. The collect, like Oliver Twist asks for more. Unlike Oliver we are assured of getting more. Not only that but God will use those gifts to turn us toward the kingdom and other humans.
One of the things I find interesting about being turned toward others is that I am turned away from myself. Even in very small things this turning toward others brings me into a community that supports me. My life increases as I reach out to others. Sometimes I reach out to aide them. Other times I reach out for their steadying presence as I stumble. Sometimes I reach out with a weak and shaking hand of thanks as I am lifted and carried. In all of these interactions there is faith, hope and the charity of God binding us ever closer together.
Jeremiah 14:7-10,19-22
Although our iniquities testify against us,
act, O LORD, for your name's sake;
our apostasies indeed are many,
and we have sinned against you.
O hope of Israel,
its savior in time of trouble,
why should you be like a stranger in the land,
like a traveler turning aside for the night?
Why should you be like someone confused,
like a mighty warrior who cannot give help?
Yet you, O LORD, are in the midst of us,
and we are called by your name;
do not forsake us!
Thus says the LORD concerning this people:
Truly they have loved to wander,
they have not restrained their feet;
therefore the LORD does not accept them,
now he will remember their iniquity
and punish their sins.
Have you completely rejected Judah?
Does your heart loathe Zion?
Why have you struck us down
so that there is no healing for us?
We look for peace, but find no good;
for a time of healing, but there is terror instead.
We acknowledge our wickedness, O LORD,
the iniquity of our ancestors,
for we have sinned against you.
Do not spurn us, for your name's sake;
do not dishonor your glorious throne;
remember and do not break your covenant with us.
Can any idols of the nations bring rain?
Or can the heavens give showers?
Is it not you, O LORD our God?
We set our hope on you,
for it is you who do all this.
Abraham based his economic life on herding and the nomadic life. When Joseph's brothers came to live in Egypt they brought their flocks to settle in Goshen. When they left Egypt for the desert of Sinai the lives of the people were once again tied to the nomadic life and herding. Then they came to Canaan. Farming people already inhabited the fertile lowlands. One of the claims of these people was that their gods were responsible for the production of crops.
As the Hebrews learned farming from the locals they picked up the small religious rituals attached to the actual work of farming and that led to worship of the "pagan" fertility gods. Think of the superstitions regarding planting under a full moon; that comes from an ancient belief in keeping the fertility god happy. YHWH was fine for herding and travel but this new land and farming was the provenance of other perhaps lesser but still important deities. Theses deities brought the rain and made the crops to grow. This then was the idolatry the prophets consistently railed against.
Jeremiah saw the apostasy and recognized that it was a turning away from YHWH the God who had power to bring rain and fertility as well as travel with nomads. So he begins this section by admitting the wrong the nation has committed. God has every right to be angry. Mixed together are the many arguments and counter arguments we all dredge up when faced with conflicting desires. Tucked away in the jumbled thinking is one golden nugget that the church holds fast.
Yet you, O LORD, are in the midst of us,
and we are called by your name;
do not forsake us!
Psalm 84:1-6 Page 707, BCP
1
How dear to me is your dwelling, O LORD of hosts! *
My soul has a desire and longing for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God.
2
The sparrow has found her a house
and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young; *
by the side of your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my King and my God.
3
Happy are they who dwell in your house! *
they will always be praising you.
4
Happy are the people whose strength is in you! *
whose hearts are set on the pilgrims' way.
5
Those who go through the desolate valley will find it a place of springs, *
for the early rains have covered it with pools of water.
6
They will climb from height to height, *
and the God of gods will reveal himself in Zion.
2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18
I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
At my first defense no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
What a revealing and horrifying ending this is. After all the encouragement and instructions Paul has given Timothy it comes to this. The first bit is the resignation of a man who expects to die at any moment. He can see that the only way out of prison is into the arena with the wild animals. The Romans made sure the beasts were hungry by starving them before the spectacle. Then the prisoners were taken into the arena and tied to posts so as not to give the animals too much trouble. Paul knew all this and was as ready to face it as he could be.
Sure enough at the "trial" in Rome there was no one who could speak up for him. But the Gentiles heard Paul give his own witness to the good news before he returned to prison. What happened then is up for grabs. Paul says he, “was saved from the lion's mouth”, it is not a metaphor. Quite literally he was saved from being one of the people put in the arena to feed the hungry beasts.
One tradition says that Paul was freed from prison and went on to preach along the coast of Spain. There are no more letters from Paul and another tradition says he died a martyr in Rome. Only this last paragraph is sure. Paul is no longer vacillating between better to live or to die. Now he is ready and sees death as his reward and a crown awaiting him.
Luke 18:9-14
Jesus told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, `God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, `God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted."
Luke is at it again, last week he gave us the moral of the parable before he began the story. This week he tells us exactly who the audience is. “Jesus told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt” Before I even get to the story I already know that it is bad to regard others with contempt. It appears that it is equally bad to trust in my own righteousness. Well, I already knew that. Of myself I have no rightness with God at all.
The Pharisee trusts to the law to spell out the things he must do to “get right with God”. Fasting makes me grouchy and light headed. And this dude did it twice a week. He counted out his income and gave a tenth to the temple. He did not steal (that is one of the Ten Commandments) or commit adultery (another of the big ten). I’m not sure what Jesus’ listeners thought of when they heard the word rogue, but to me it is a person who obeys the letter of the rules but slips by them with sly twists. So actually the Pharisee comes off better than I expected from my Sunday School training. The only thing left is his opening statement, “I thank you Lord” Wait hold it are we not supposed to thank God for everything? I mean to say, I thank God that I was born in America because it gives me so much more to work with – education, access to medical care, indoor plumbing. I am especially thankful for that last one. Maybe this all makes me a Pharisee. Maybe I was just born into the wrong place to be right with God. There are folks who willingly tell me this is so. Perhaps I should get out there and collect taxes for the emperor.
By the time I get to this point something within is screaming, “You idiot you have missed the point. Luke did what he could and you still missed it.” This is about the reality that our economic situation has absolutely nothing to do with out standing before God. The age old, and still with us, idea that if a person is right with God good things come is false. An auto accident is not a sign of God’s disfavor, neither is illness, or the loss of income. For that matter neither is prayer nor emotion nor logic. In fact no real litmus test exists to tell me or anyone else where I am with God or where that other person is.
In passing on to us this story Luke has indeed set out a sure guide for us. We are on a level with everyone else in this world. There is no space for contempt of anyone, including ourselves. Nor, if I have it right, is there a reason for breast beating and proclaiming our sins. All we can do is our best today and remember to say please and thank you to God and to other people.
|
October 8th, 2007
03:09 am - Sunday 14 October 2007
14 October
Pentecost 20
Collect
Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
With a certain amount of caution and privacy our son developed a relationship with a wonderful woman. She had been married before and had two daughters. We heard about all three of these females. But when we dropped in to meet them the older girl was with a friend overnight. The next time we came by she was off with her father. Then the family came to visit the significant other's sister who lived only a few locks from us. But the older girl took off with her cousins. Once again we missed her. Late that night our doorbell rang. It was son with the older daughter in tow.
"This is your mythical granddaughter," he said.
"We wanted you to meet her," her mother said. Both daughter and I looked a little shyly at each other.
Our collect says grace is like that. Grace will precede (go before) and follow (come after). Well now, that explains it. Like my granddaughter grace is not present. It leaves before I get there (precede). It will be back after I leave (follow). Those around me see the grace that goes before and follows me. I miss it entirely most of the time. That also explains why I see the grace that surrounds others when they don't recognize it themselves. There it is; just one more reason we need community. It is only in community, especially the community that is the body of Christ, that I can know another well enough to tell them what I see and listen to what they say to me.
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7
These are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
For the Jews, who had thought chosen meant only people of God, came this startling revelation. Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to tell them that it was the express desire of God that they settle down in an alien land and make plans to stay at least another generation. All those rules about caring for the alien in your midst were turned on end. That was just practice for the new situation. Now the Jew is the alien and must care for the community that surrounds them.
It is the last part of this lesson that accounts for the many ways in which Jews act to benefit the surrounding unbelieving community. In the well being of the whole community the Jew will find their own well being. Are you startled? Did you think that to care for your neighbor started with the story of the Good Samaritan? Jesus came to fulfill the law, not to destroy it. Jeremiah was one of the prophets who heard God speak. Jesus came to live out the law. That which God desires of humans has not really changed. Jeremiah sent his letter to the exiles. He sends it to me today as well. My task is to listen, to hear, and to change the one person in all of society I have any influence over, me.
Psalm 66:1-12 Page 673, BCP
1
Be joyful in God, all you lands; *
sing the glory of his Name;
sing the glory of his praise.
2
Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! *
because of your great strength your enemies cringe before you.
3
All the earth bows down before you, *
sings to you, sings out your Name."
4
Come now and see the works of God, *
how wonderful he is in his doing toward all people.
5
He turned the sea into dry land,
so that they went through the water on foot, *
and there we rejoiced in him.
6
In his might he rules for ever;
his eyes keep watch over the nations; *
let no rebel rise up against him.
7
Bless our God, you peoples; *
make the voice of his praise to be heard;
8
Who holds our souls in life, *
and will not allow our feet to slip.
9
For you, O God, have proved us; *
you have tried us just as silver is tried.
10
You brought us into the snare; *
you laid heavy burdens upon our backs.
11
You let enemies ride over our heads;
we went through fire and water; *
but you brought us out into a place of refreshment.
12
I will enter your house with burnt-offerings
and will pay you my vows, *
which I promised with my lips
and spoke with my mouth when I was in trouble.
2 Timothy 2:8-15
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David-- that is my gospel, for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, so that they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. The saying is sure:
If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he will also deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful--
for he cannot deny himself.
Remind them of this, and warn them before God that they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those who are listening. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth.
Strange as it may seem to us today Paul did not talk about the many stories of Jesus or the crucifixion. What was important to him was the resurrection. Jesus is only the first to rise. The expectation is that all will rise, and rather soon at that. Paul eagerly looked forward to this event. Chained up as if he had broken some law (a felon perhaps?) he was unable to move freely about the city to tell others the good news.
To be a prisoner at that time meant that everything a prisoner needed (food, medicine, clothing) had to be brought in by others and often they had to pay a bribe to the warders in order to deliver it. Paul's lifeline was the community of believers and their witness of care for him strengthened the reality of the gospel. Something remarkable happened. In another section of the bible we are told that the jailers became aware of the gospel and some of them embraced it. Paul is in chains; the gospel is not. The saving awareness of the resurrection and our inclusion in it are not held prisoner by anyone.
This is important very important. We are not saving others. God has taken care of that. Our part is to realize that neither our actions nor our responses are in chains. Actions become a form of preaching as we go about our lives. When asked we have the opportunity to say that it is thru grace from God that we are doing what we are doing but the actions themselves are a sermon.
Just thinking about the power present in actions leads Paul to do as the foreign leper did. He reached into his memory and pulled out a hymn of praise.
Luke 17:11-19
On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well."
All of the lepers were healed; they were made clean. It is possible that only the foreigner noticed the healing. But given Jesus’ words I think not. I can only hope the others continued on their way to the priests. After all only a priest could certify that a leper was clean enough to re-enter society. The priest inspected the leper to be sure the skin was indeed clear of infection. Then an offering was made. After that the one-time leper could rejoin the community. Considering the rules that kept lepers out of the community it should have been a time of great rejoicing, with thanks and praise to God from everyone in the vicinity. But the temple priests so emphasized the inspection and sacrifice that the rejoicing was turned into a sigh of relief that a bureaucratic procedure had been passed. This sort of thing catches us as well. We do not rejoice that our income tax is paid. The fact is that the system has lowered our expectation. I should rejoice that I have enough money to owe taxes. Then I could rejoice that I have still more money to pay those taxes. I am too focused on getting the job done to notice the causes for joy.
The nine could well have been in the same position. The system had channeled their expectations to meet only the letter of the law. They knew they could rejoin society no matter what they saw or felt until the priest declared it so. It took someone outside the system to know that healing happened first. Praise and thanks come before ritual.
When Luke arranged the material he possessed he did so to call our attention to themes. The parables preceding this one laid out what we as followers ought to do and what attitude toward the doing we ought to have. As servants our job is to praise God not to win praise. It is no accident that the punch line here is “Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?“ It sounds like a rebuke because it is. We need to sit up and pay attention. And rejoice!
As a tag line I wonder if after returning to Jesus to declare his healing the foreign leper went on to see a priest.
|
September 24th, 2007
07:00 am - Sunday 30 September 2007
18th Sunday after Pentecost
Collect
O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The opening words of this collect express our human experience of God quite well. We know for a certainty that God is wonderful, terrible, grand, omniscient, and a host of other things we stretch to describe the One who is. And yet, we are able to relate to that otherness in a very individual way. When we stop for a moment to really consider this we are faced with the reality that it is the mercy and pity of God that we touch so often. We are not quite up to relationship with all that power in its undampened form. Not that we never experience it, we just can’t seem to maintain that level. So we have a name for the daily experience; we call it grace.
Sometimes it is grace that I have one foot on the floor and am struggling to keep the other along side it. That sort of grace often isn't recognized until later when I recover enough strength for reflection. It isn't a splendid eye-caching sort of thing but it is the sort of grace that keeps me going. This ever-present dull ordinary grace sustains life, mine and others. But the truly grand, wonderful, great, marvelous thing is that it isn't restricted to God’s offering it to me. I can pass it on to others. I tie it up in a package and hand it to my mother when I visit her. She really does not know I am her daughter but she is pleased with the visit and that too is grace, direct from God thru me to her. Grace tiptoes silently into every life visiting the grief-stricken with tears, the tired with just enough strength to rest, and parents with the ability to appreciate and cheer for the goalie who just made a marvelous save on the team opposite their own child. Today, look for just one instance of that sort of grace. It might be a good idea to write it down. For those who have the discipline to endure look for an instance every day and keep it posted on the refrigerator this week. And write the mustard seed song from our bulletin on there as well. God provides the grace, we pray for the eyes to see it.
Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15
The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of King Zedekiah of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar. At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and the prophet Jeremiah was confined in the court of the guard that was in the palace of the king of Judah, where King Zedekiah of Judah had confined him.
This first paragraph sets the scene and is a bit of a history lesson. It tells us that Jeremiah lived during what is known as an interesting time under very interesting circumstances. Zedekiah was king of Judah from 598 to 587 BCE. The respite Judah had experienced after the Northern Kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrian army was over. The then current Mesopotamian empire marched out of Iraq through Syria and Lebanon into modern Israel to besiege Jerusalem. For the residents of Jerusalem things were very bad indeed. The siege lasted about two years. The city finally fell to starvation. Jeremiah had made himself very unpopular with his prophecies of doom and advice to the king, which was, surrender to the invaders. The authorities responded to these treasonable words by stripping off Jeremiah's clothing and putting him in the bottom of a dry well. The king ordered him taken out but confined to a small courtyard where his words would cause minimal upset. Everyone knew that if/when the city fell to Nebuchadrezzar those still alive would be either put to death or driven into a foreign land. Things were rather grim in Jerusalem. Thus the action proposed by Jeremiah's cousin strikes a somewhat peculiar note.
Jeremiah said, The word of the LORD came to me: Hanamel son of your uncle Shallum is going to come to you and say, "Buy my field that is at Anathoth, for the right of redemption by purchase is yours." Then my cousin Hanamel came to me in the court of the guard, in accordance with the word of the LORD, and said to me, "Buy my field that is at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself." Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD.
And I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel, and weighed out the money to him, seventeen shekels of silver. I signed the deed, sealed it, got witnesses, and weighed the money on scales. Then I took the sealed deed of purchase, containing the terms and conditions, and the open copy; and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel, in the presence of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, and in the presence of all the Judeans who were sitting in the court of the guard. In their presence I charged Baruch, saying, Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, in order that they may last for a long time. For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.
When Jerusalem finally fell to the invading army all but the poorest of the people were removed from the land and the city destroyed. Although foreign peoples were shifted into the area the land remained mostly under-used. For all of his crying of present doom Jeremiah saw far into the future to a time when city and countryside would again be inhabited and productive. He was so certain of this that he bought the field from his cousin in anticipation of going out of the city to plant crops. For Jeremiah the word of God was solid fact to be trusted and acted upon. For generations his act was that of a prophet. The fulfillment was to be trusted and awaited.
Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16 Page 719, 720, BCP
1
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, *
abides under the shadow of the Almighty.
2
He shall say to the LORD,
"You are my refuge and my stronghold, *
my God in whom I put my trust."
3
He shall deliver you from the snare of the hunter *
and from the deadly pestilence.
4
He shall cover you with his pinions,
and you shall find refuge under his wings; *
his faithfulness shall be a shield and buckler.
5
You shall not be afraid of any terror by night, *
nor of the arrow that flies by day;
6
Of the plague that stalks in the darkness, *
nor of the sickness that lays waste at mid-day.
14
Because he is bound to me in love,
therefore will I deliver him; *
I will protect him, because he knows my Name.
15
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; *
I am with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and bring him to honor.
16
With long life will I satisfy him, *
and show him my salvation.
Although it isn't apparent in our English translation, there are four different names for God in the first two verses of this psalm; Most High, Almighty, LORD, and God. Scholars who read the bible assiduously have noticed that each of these names is used somewhat exclusively in any given story. Different storytellers had favorite attributes they highlighted for their tribes. Thus it is assumed that each name comes from a different tradition of the many people who made up the tribes of Israel. In Psalm 91 the writer is calling the attention of the various traditions into a unified God. He is also calling the many tribes out of their family identities into unity. We all worship the same God although we use many names. Let us all recognize that we are one people. His call is just as relevant today. Instead of being distracted by our little differences we need to remember that we are all humans sharing a single planet.
In ancient times it was assumed that the king got to be king because he had the particular favor of the dominant deity; he was the chosen one. Besides bringing the tribal loyalties together, the Psalmist is about another end. By verse 14, he has woven the many names into a single acclamation - God and the chosen one will be so entwined that they will know each other by Name. The people of the nation state of Israel assumed that their king and God would know each other. The followers of Jesus made another connection. Jesus is The Chosen One. He is the one so intimate with God as to be one with him.
1 Timothy 6:6-19
There is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.
There it is folks the origin of the "old saying" only it is a little different from the commonly assumed meaning. It is the love of money that leads to evil. Not the money itself. Filthy lucre is still filthy, as a friend who worked in a bank said, “money passes thru so many hands that it picks up all kinds of dirt.” But it generally isn’t the physical dirt that harms us. It is the eagerness to obtain money that overcomes our best intentions and leads us astray.
But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will bring about at the right time-- he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.
This last part might be rewritten for today to say something like this. As for those folks who live in Redondo Beach with houses to protect them from the weather remind them that their security is not the house or the yard or the neighbors. Their lives now and later are bound much more tightly to the Lord. It is worth the remembering.
Luke 16:19-31
Jesus said, "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, `Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.' But Abraham said, `Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.' He said, `Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father's house-- for I have five brothers-- that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.' Abraham replied, `They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.' He said, `No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' He said to him, `If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"
We could make a whole host of erroneous assumptions from this story. To begin with there is the thought that "Hades" is somehow available to wherever it is that Abraham is. The rich man can see Abraham and call to him. Abraham can answer. It all sounds very much like things as they are on earth here and now. This flies in the face of Jesus' put down of the Sadducees with his statement concerning marriage and heaven. This story makes life sound as though it extends into another very similar realm. The big difference is that in the continuum there is a reversal of places. This time the poor man gets the goodies and the rich man is left outside. For the follower of the way in the first three centuries this probably sounded pretty good. Many of the believers were part of the margins of society. They were excluded from the mainstream and wanted to know that it was all going to change and one day they could be on top and gloat over those who had excluded them. Boy does that ever sound like a very human desire; and a rather youngish goal at that. The older I get the less I want to gloat over anyone else. That gloating and getting even just do not promote any sort of genuine community. Right up until the final proclamation this tale seems to be all about human stuff.
Even the end is really about the human view. The request is that someone who has been there should tell the folks on this side of a partition what is on the other side. Jesus says even that is not going to change the basic human nature. The law and the prophets are as good a set of guides as is needed and it is all you are going to get. This view of things sets Jesus squarely in the line of the prophets. He is the fulfillment of the promises. Jesus lives out the demands that the prophets told folks were the demands of God. And we can see from the experience of history that even when one rose from the dead and came back not everyone believed. We have more than the people Jesus spoke directly to. Do we believe? Do we act on that belief?
|
September 17th, 2007
08:30 am - Sunday 23 September 2007
17th Sunday after Pentecost
Collect
Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
One of the earthly things that causes some anxiety these days is the incarnation of God; Jesus. In my lifetime I have heard several "explanations" meant to sooth the anxiety God causes. In high school there was the argument that Jesus was just a man, a very good man, but still just a man. He was in the line of the prophets and we all know what happens to a prophet. This seemed to fit the times, it was the collision between authority and idealism that caused the crucifixion. It was the collision between authority and idealism that caused many of my contemporaries to spend time in jail or sent them fleeing the country. We listened to "Blowing in the Wind" and heard the call of the Holy Spirit. Then the explanation of Jesus was that he only seemed to be human. He was the Spirit taking on the appearance of a man. Just as Jesus was Spirit so too we could by deep meditation become Spirit and leave behind this puny shell. The thing of it is neither of these views is new. Both were expressed as soon as Jesus died and rose. Oh, I forgot there is also the anxiety calming argument that Jesus didn't really come back it only felt that way to the disciples. Why do we get so very anxious that we tell ourselves these things? Well for starters there is the reality of a very powerful something that made the universe and has an interest in humans. So our collect says don't fight the anxiety and don't try to deny it. Instead reach for the reality behind the anxiety. Get friendly with God. Learn to know the presence that is not only located within the stars but contained in humanity as well. In fact get friendly with the humanity that is you. God the eternal lives very close indeed.
Jeremiah 8:18-9:1
My joy is gone, grief is upon me,
my heart is sick.
Hark, the cry of my poor people
from far and wide in the land:
"Is the LORD not in Zion?
Is her King not in her?"
("Why have they provoked me to anger with their images,
with their foreign idols?")
"The harvest is past, the summer is ended,
and we are not saved."
For the hurt of my poor people I am hurt,
I mourn, and dismay has taken hold of me.
Is there no balm in Gilead?
Is there no physician there?
Why then has the health of my poor people
not been restored?
O that my head were a spring of water,
and my eyes a fountain of tears,
so that I might weep day and night
for the slain of my poor people!"
This is definitely a lament. The sadness, regret, futility, and pain are all readily expressed. But whose words are they? It seems a mixture of Jeremiah and the Lord. Both see the people of the land of Israel injured, suffering, lost, without comfort. All of the laws meant to guide people in being the presence of God to one another are turned to the letter rather than the spirit. Instead of helping and caring for each other the stronger prey on the weaker. There is no physical solace for the people. There is no community. Not only that but the famous healing that came from the eastern portion of the nation of Israel, across the Jordan, is gone. That incarnation of the spirit into the physical realm is missing. It is the loss of the Spirit of God made present that Jeremiah laments. God laments the loss of a people among whom he can dwell. There are no greater losses than these.
Psalm 79:1-9 Page 701, BCP
1
O God, the heathen have come into your inheritance;
they have profaned your holy temple; *
they have made Jerusalem a heap of rubble.
2
They have given the bodies of your servants as food for the birds of the air, *
and the flesh of your faithful ones to the beasts of the field.
3
They have shed their blood like water on every side of Jerusalem, *
and there was no one to bury them.
4
We have become a reproach to our neighbors, *
an object of scorn and derision to those around us.
5
How long will you be angry, O LORD?*
will your fury blaze like fire for ever?
6
Pour out your wrath upon the heathen who have not known you *
and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon your Name.
7
For they have devoured Jacob *
and made his dwelling a ruin.
8
Remember not our past sins;
let your compassion be swift to meet us; *
for we have been brought very low.
9
Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your Name; *
deliver us and forgive us our sins, for your Name's sake.
1 Timothy 2:1-7
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For
there is one God;
there is also one mediator between God and humankind,
Christ Jesus, himself human,
who gave himself a ransom for all
-- this was attested at the right time. For this I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
As Episcopalians we assume it is proper to pray for guidance of the president, the right action of the city council, the care of God for our political life in all its forms. It is part of our culture as a church.
It wasn't always this way. The earliest Christians expected a quick change in government when Jesus returned. No point in praying for the old political format. In fact this view of religion and politics in the Roman world led to the charge of atheist being leveled at Christians. Because the Christians did not appear in the public temples to pray for the emperor it was assumed that these atheistic people upset the gods. Whatever problem beset a community, from crop failure to a boat sinking was ascribed to an offended deity. And the Christians were the offenders. What proof of this? They do not pray in the temples.
Paul is trying to counter all of this when he says pray for the political leaders. Ask God to guide them and keep them in good health. Let your neighbors know that you pray for the stability of the empire. There is a very practical side to this, if the authorities know that you do your prayers in Christian meetings you won't be persecuted as atheists. The authorities will allow you to live in peace.
Eventually the Christian church became the political authority. Loyalty to state and God were still assumed to be the same thing. At this time prayers in the church took the place of prayers in the "pagan" temples.
However at the time of the reformation some advocated a true separation of church and state. Their stance was that Christians had no business mingling in the politics of a state; it too often led to involvement in wars for one thing. For another as citizens of the kingdom of God Christians could not be expected to give allegiance to earthly powers. These people withdrew into closed farming communities. We see a remnant today in the communities of Huterites in Canada and Amish in the US.
For most Christians however the words of the letter to Timothy are a guide. In our meetings we pray together for the secular authorities that we may live our lives in peace.
Luke 16:1-13
Jesus said to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. So he summoned him and said to him, `What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.' Then the manager said to himself, `What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.' So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he asked the first, `How much do you owe my master?' He answered, `A hundred jugs of olive oil.' He said to him, `Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.' Then he asked another, `And how much do you owe?' He replied, `A hundred containers of wheat.' He said to him, `Take your bill and make it eighty.' And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.
"Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."
This is another of the “hard” sayings. Can Jesus really be advocating that we use dishonest means to gain friends? It surely sounds like it. He praises the dishonest manager and then goes on to say that his listeners ought to follow his example. This is not the sentimental version of Jesus developed by silly adults for unsuspecting children. This is the real man talking to real people in a real world. A world where scheming and fine print are the norm. A world that will see the teaching of Jesus as so dangerous that he must be killed.
So what do I make of this? Well as a start I see that Jesus is telling me one more time that I will never be able to understand the Kingdom if I can’t understand this world. It is another way to say, “be wise as serpents and innocent as doves”. Keeping in mind that this world and everything in it does not belong to me but to God leads to the next step. I have to know how “the system” works in order to be able to live with it. I need the wiliness of the manager to hold up a mirror to my culture so that we see ourselves clearly. As I accept what is useful but wrong and show it to others my community becomes aware. I am learning to be faithful in what does not belong to me. One day I will be given a piece of the Kingdom that is mine.
|
September 10th, 2007
09:57 am - Sunday 16 September 2007
16 September 2007
Collect
O God, because without you we are not able to please you mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
That is an interesting thing we ask in today’s collect. “your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts“ God will indeed send direction via the Holy Spirit but we have to act on what our hearts then tell us. We are taught by example and personal trial and error how to live within our current culture from the day we are born. For most of us knowledge of our culture just seeps in without effort. Learning the culture of the kingdom takes rather more mindfulness. God wants to stretch us out of our human culture into his kingdom. It is a strange place, this kingdom, half in and half out of existence in our physical realm. As new facets are glimpsed, new doors on the kingdom open, we are challenged in ways we do not expect. Many times what is the onset of a new and better understanding of the Way seems to be all confusion and dread. Even when we have accepted the challenge and stepped through the opening door it takes time to grasp the meaning behind a new revelation. And even more time is required to live out that meaning. Thus it is that we know what God was saying to us in hindsight better than in the moment.
Jeremiah 4: 11-12, 22-28
Jeremiah lived at a time when a new glimpse of the reality of God, the kingdom, was seeping out the crack of an opening door. The prospect terrified some folks and others utterly rejected it. Jeremiah stood firm in proclaiming God’s words in the face of both.
At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem: A hot wind comes from me out of the bare heights in the desert toward my poor people, not to winnow or cleanse-- a wind too strong for that. Now it is I who speak in judgment against them.
"For my people are foolish,
they do not know me;
they are stupid children,
they have no understanding.
They are skilled in doing evil,
but do not know how to do good."
I looked on the earth, and lo, it was waste and void;
and to the heavens, and they had no light.
I looked on the mountains, and lo, they were quaking,
and all the hills moved to and fro.
I looked, and lo, there was no one at all,
and all the birds of the air had fled.
I looked, and lo, the fruitful land was a desert,
and all its cities were laid in ruins
before the LORD, before his fierce anger.
For thus says the LORD: The whole land shall be a desolation; yet I will not make a full end.
Because of this the earth shall mourn,
and the heavens above grow black;
for I have spoken, I have purposed;
I have not relented nor will I turn back.
Jeremiah had the thankless task of telling people they were about to leave their precious land, the land given to them by YHWH. More importantly perhaps it was perceived as the land where YHWH lived. As Jeremiah told people what he saw coming he was filled with both hope for a restoration of the people to the land and despair that some were going to be removed from the reach of God into the land of a foreign (and so unknown) God.
He could not imagine the deep change in theology that would grow out of the terrible events he saw coming. For Jeremiah God was tied to the land, to leave Jerusalem was to desert God.
Out of this experience the Jews developed a new awareness, God is not limited by geography, prison walls, or spiritual powers. The Jews arrived in Babylon to discover that their God was present in this foreign land. At first they assumed God had left the temple in Jerusalem to go with them. Gradually they began to understand God is present everywhere. Put another way there is no place God cannot be. They took this astounding knowledge into their future and ours. This awareness has been given freely to us. But all that came after Jeremiah. From his point of view he and the people were being punished. It was a terrible dry wind blowing toward them that would take them away and turn their homeland into a desert. The only explanation Jeremiah could see was God’s anger directed toward the nation.
Psalm 14 Page 598, BCP
1 The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." *
All are corrupt and commit abominable acts;
there is none who does any good.
2 The LORD looks down from heaven upon us all, *
to see if there is any who is wise,
if there is one who seeks after God.
3 Every one has proved faithless;
all alike have turned bad; *
there is none who does good; no, not one.
4 Have they no knowledge, all those evildoers *
who eat up my people like bread
and do not call upon the LORD?
5 See how they tremble with fear, *
because God is in the company of the righteous.
6 Their aim is to confound the plans of the afflicted, *
but the LORD is their refuge.
7 Oh, that Israel's deliverance would come out of Zion! *
when the LORD restores the fortunes of his people,
Jacob will rejoice and Israel be glad.
1 Timothy 1:12-17
I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-- of whom I am the foremost. But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
In the 1928 Book of Common Prayer page 76 there is something known as the comfortable words. Taken from Matthew, John and Paul They are sayings to meant to assure the worshiper they have been forgiven. I always wondered why the "words" came after the confession instead of before. I would like to know that I am be loved before I admit how badly I've lived. In any case today's lesson contains Paul's contribution, "The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" The words hark back to Jesus reply that he came to help the sick not the healthy. Somehow the realization that I am a sinner, a sick member of the kingdom, is freeing. If I am still in the sinner classification I don’t have to be perfect. I can take risks while learning how to behave. I have the opportunity to reach beyond my current capability toward the future. This is backed up by something else Paul has to say.
In our civil law "ignorance is no excuse" and yet Paul seems to be saying that God takes intention into account. Paul was a persecutor of the new sect forming within the Jewish faith. He rounded up anyone he could lay hands on and turned them in to the authorities. He stood by at the stoning of Stephen holding the cloaks and admiring the work. But he did so because he was trying with every ounce of his being to serve the God of the Jews. His argument to Timothy and to the rest of us as well is that deeds truly done in an effort to please God may not turnout well but the intent counts. It is a bit like the very young child who wants to help Mom by stirring dinner. Generally Mom has to do a lot more cleaning up afterward. But just as Mom knows that her child has to make a mess in the learning God cleans up after us as we learn. With practice we generally get better at actually helping Mom and at acting out the culture of the kingdom. We become an example of the re-creating re-making work of God.
Luke 15:1-10
All the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Jesus. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them."
So he told them this parable: "Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, `Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
"Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, `Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.' Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
From a purely human point of view what Jesus has to say reflects the fact that the child who acts up gets more attention from parents and the truant is closer to the principal. What we are missing is that we are all stumbling about as lost sheep. We are all errant coins. Everyone needs to repent daily, hourly. Jesus is pointing out the obvious that Paul hinted at - God is after the person who has somehow lost their way.
The creation stories of Genesis tell us that God created a good world. The problem is not with creation but humans. It is humans who cannot get along with each other. The first rift was between God and humans and it caused Adam and Eve to hide not only from God but from each other as well. The second big rift was between brothers as one became jealous of the relationship the other developed with God in spite of that brokenness. Both rifts continue to the present. In fact the swirl of brokenness and hate has become a permanent whirlpool. Humans certainly have no way to repair it or even find the quiet back eddy. God is about the business of pulling us out of the ever growing maelstrom.
Jesus came to tell us that we are each one very lost and very important. Each one of us is a piece of the puzzle needed to make creation complete and restored. It is going to take work and awareness. We have to know we are broken. We have to know that the ways we have learned to cope with life are not the ones God has for us. It goes deeper than good manners and right behavior to the way we view the world and others. We cannot, like Cain, take offense at the ones who seem to have a closer relation with God. Nor can we like Jacob seek to use the blessing for our own ends. We are indeed each one of us meant to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.
|
September 4th, 2007
06:10 pm - Sunday 9 September 2007
15th Sunday after Pentecost
Collect
Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
I wonder if God really resists the proud? Could it possibly be the other way about? And then we project our failing onto God? The resistance may not even be intentional or for that matter consistent. Personal experience has led me into some rather one-sided "relationships". I listen to the other person and nod or offer sympathy. Their ability to hear me is very limited. Perhaps it is the same thing with God. The resistance is offered not by God but by the person doing all the talking. Take for instance our list of prayers for others. Aren’t we supposed to tell God about the people we know need help? Umm I think so. But do we take time to listen to what God has to say in reply? Fortunately the second half of the statement in this collect is also true, God never forsakes us. This realization took a long time to form. For centuries people assumed that if evil times befell them God had forsaken them. One of the earliest people to feel the terror and sadness of being forsaken was Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 18:1-11
The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: "Come, go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words." So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him.
Then the word of the LORD came to me: Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the LORD. Just like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. At one moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, but if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will change my mind about the disaster that I intended to bring on it. And at another moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, but if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will change my mind about the good that I had intended to do to it. Now, therefore, say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Thus says the LORD: Look, I am a potter shaping evil against you and devising a plan against you. Turn now, all of you from your evil way, and amend your ways and your doings.
This reading sounds as if Jeremiah and God are neighbors. So one day God stopped by Jerry’s house and said, “Lets go hang with the potter today” Jerry said, “sure, why not” and off they went chatting about the policies of the local tavern owner and what the high priest’s wife was likely to serve the ladies luncheon. It was only after they had arrived and watched as the potter turned his wheel to lift a vessel from the lump of clay that things began to happen. The clay was perhaps off center or not of the proper mix and the vessel collapsed. So the potter decided to work the clay back into a lump and pull out a different pot.
This was when it all came crashing down around Jeremiah. The realization that Jerusalem, rather all of Judea, is only a lump of clay in the hands of God is sudden and complete. God is just like the potter. He decides what is useful. He decides how to make and fire each vessel. Jeremiah grasped the further meaning as well. Jerusalem was in for a time of being remade. The people would be broken up, smashed into fine particles, and only then returned to the wheel. There may be a way to avoid this fate but it involves a rapid change in direction by the nation. They must quickly become something they are not.
Jeremiah speaks to us today as well. It is time to become a different vessel; one more suited to the purposes of God. It means a change in our values and actions. Can we do it?
Psalm 139:1-5, 13-18 Page 794, BCP
1 LORD, you have searched me out and known me; *
you know my sitting down and my rising up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
2 You trace my journeys and my resting-places *
and are acquainted with all my ways.
3 Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, *
but you, O LORD, know it altogether.
4 You press upon me behind and before *
and lay your hand upon me.
5 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; *
it is so high that I cannot attain to it.
13 I will thank you because I am marvelously made; *
your works are wonderful, and I know it well.
14 My body was not hidden from you, *
while I was being made in secret
and woven in the depths of the earth.
15 Your eyes beheld my limbs, yet unfinished in the womb;
all of them were written in your book; *
they were fashioned day by day,
when as yet there was none of them.
16
How deep I find your thoughts, O God! *
how great is the sum of them!
17 If I were to count them, they would be more in number than the sand; * to count them all, my life span would need to be like yours.
18Oh, that you would slay the wicked, O God! *
You that thirst for blood, depart from me.
Philemon 1-21
Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our dear friend and co-worker, to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
When I remember you in my prayers, I always thank my God because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith toward the Lord Jesus. I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ. I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, my brother.
In this day of text messages made up of quickly typed vowel-less words it may be a little much to realize that up to this point in today's reading the whole thing is letterhead and greeting. Rather than our shortened Dear Sir, Paul uses his opening address to express concern for the recipients. From his greeting we know that the letter is from Paul to Philemon. But Apphia and Archippus get special attention as well. They were names Paul knew, folks who met with Philemon in his house to worship and tell the story. Paul wants this letter read aloud to all who are in this meeting so he includes “to the church” much as we might cc. Then comes a blessing, a prayer for good directed to the recipients. Paul must have been well trained by an early Emily Post. He dictated words that still ring with hope for us today.
For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love – and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus. I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me. I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel; but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced. Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother-- especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self. Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.
What my English teacher called the body of the letter is not so revealing as we might like. It seems full of secrets. On the surface it looks as though Paul has come across the escaped slave of Philemon. Somehow he has managed to get the slave to trust to the gospel and good will of Philemon enough to return to his master. But there is word play in the Greek that hints at something more. Onesimus apparently means worthless or useless one. Is Paul really writing about a specific individual? Or is this letter about how what humans consider worthless, useless, unnecessary, may be redeemed by God and made of great value. In either case there is a truth hidden for us to find. We have to receive the gift with thanks in order to get the good of it. As long as I grumble about the way my expected schedule has been interrupted I will miss the shining jewel of a smile from the little one peeking out from behind a parent's leg in front of me in the slow line. Like Philemon I have the decision to make; do I welcome what has been sent my way or do I demand that I get "satisfaction" from an escaped slave? Paul's advice and plea is that I let the past, what is beyond my control, be past and in the now receive the gift.
Luke 14:25-33
Now large crowds were traveling with Jesus; and he turned and said to them, "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, `This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions."
Some of the things Jesus said were addressed only to his disciples; this was not. Jesus faced the crowd and gave everyone the same information. There are no hidden clauses here. The contract is definitely full disclosure and everyone is invited. But while the invitation to be a disciple is open the cost is high. We have to give up all that ties us to specific other people. Isaiah used the love of mother for child as a symbol of the enduring love of God. Now Jesus turns to the crowd (that's us) and says You must lay aside all other commitments. Only the commitment to the way of life Jesus lived is of value. Possessions are worthless, human relationships may become snares that bind. Are you ready? In the freedom of the USA we become lax and take our decision to be Christian as part of our accepted culture. Jesus’ words today are a sharp reminder that there is a cost to being a disciple. We are invited to look closely before we decide what path to follow.
|
September 18th, 2006
08:52 am - Sunday 24 September 2006
16 Pentecost
collect
Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
How much of the stress we live with comes from anxiety? How often do you fall into the worry trap? I fritter away a lot of time there. And there seems no way out. The more I tell myself to let it go the more what ever it is bothers me. This collect offers another way; turn to the eternal values. Place my allegiance to the kingdom Jesus is building here, now. This is a strong reminder to me to let go and let God handle it.
Jeremiah 11:18-20
It was the LORD who made it known to me, and I knew;
then you showed me their evil deeds.
But I was like a gentle lamb
led to the slaughter.
And I did not know it was against me
that they devised schemes, saying,
"Let us destroy the tree with its fruit,
let us cut him off from the land of the living,
so that his name will no longer be remembered!"
But you, O LORD of hosts, who judge righteously,
who try the heart and the mind,
let me see your retribution upon them,
for to you I have committed my cause.
Talk about someone who was not anxious. Jeremiah heard all the plots; he just never thought he was the object. Then God, in the course of conversation with the prophet, let the cat out of the bag. “By the way, Jerry, all those schemes you have been telling me about are aimed at you. But not to worry, I have it under control.” It must have looked as though God had lost control when the temple authorities grabbed Jeremiah and threw him, naked, into a damp well pit.
But when word of the deed reached the proper ear he was hauled out, given back his cloak and held prisoner in a small side room of the temple compound. The message is: don’t be anxious even in terrible situations, God has it under control. Concern yourself, “love things heavenly”, with what God has to say and let the Almighty handle today.
Psalm 54
1 Save me, O God, by your Name; *
in your might, defend my cause.
2 Hear my prayer, O God; *
give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 For the arrogant have risen up against me,
and the ruthless have sought my life, *
those who have no regard for God.
4 Behold, God is my helper; *
it is the Lord who sustains my life.
5 Render evil to those who spy on me; *
in your faithfulness, destroy them.
6 I will offer you a freewill sacrifice *
and praise your Name, O LORD, for it is good.
7 For you have rescued me from every trouble, *
and my eye has seen the ruin of my foes.
The Psalmist by contrast with Jeremiah seems to have just a little anxiety about his situation. And look at what that anxiety has led to. He is asking God to bring evil on others. He is even offering to make a deal with God on the subject. Look God, you do this for me and I’ll offer a big sacrifice to you in your temple. Before you let a feeling of modern superiority sneak into your thoughts consider this - when was the last time you heard yourself say, just heal (insert name) and I promise I’ll stick to my diet this time, or give up smoking or serve a meal to the homeless. Anxiety drives us all to extremes.
James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a
Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.
Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
"But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth." Well you can’t say James didn’t understand human nature. I’ve met a few of these folk. On the outside, in their actions and public stance, they seem to boast of the Christian life. But in attitude they are bitter about what they see as the uneven had of God. They are anxious for themselves and for the maintenance of the assumed purity of the church. This anxiety leads to criticism of much that others do or say. They often use cultural norms to exclude from their version of grace.
It is a bit unsettling to realize such people existed in the day of James and are still running around. It is also a comfort. James has set out something of a cure for me to use when I find that I am the culprit. All I have to do, painful as it seems, is turn around and set my hope on the things of God; “love things heavenly”.
James has some other words for me as well. I’m not getting what I pray for because I am not praying properly. I’m concentrating on what I want when what I ought to be after is spreading the kingdom in a war torn world. Jesus won the decisive victory 2000 years ago. But the mop up operation goes on. My prayer and effort is needed. Go after those heavenly things and the earthly presence will increase.
Mark 9:30-37
Jesus and his disciples went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again." But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.
Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the way?" But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all." Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.
The disciples heard the words but their brains did not get the meaning. They were afraid to ask for clarification and fell into anxious debate about who of them was the greatest. Debate off the subject is a great way to avoid anxiety. Nothing is solved but it creates a lot of activity. And isn’t doing something a good thing?
Jesus is the consummate teacher. Words failed so he returns to the performance teaching of the prophets.
First he gathered them. Then he sat down, the traditional position of the teacher. First a few words, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he used example to reinforce the meaning of first and last as he appealed to their notion of hospitality. What do you plan for a favored guest? “Well,” says Jesus, “that is what you need to think about and plan for this child, for every child.” Children were fairly worthless and had no social standing in Jesus’ day they were considered last in handing out any goodies. Especially goodies like the power the disciples associated with the coming kingdom. The object lesson will be repeated again and recorded in John’s gospel. From there it has been passed down to us as the liturgy for Maundy Thursday. To be great in the kingdom requires that I use whatever I have in service to others, not my own advancement. My focus is to be on others. What do they need? How can I supply that need? Put aside everything else and go with that other person into their need; share it with them. Just be there without aid, without answers, suffering the same pain and sorrow. I feel like that demands more than any amount of material giving. For in this I give me.
|
July 17th, 2006
09:16 am - Sunday 23 July
7th Sunday after Pentecost
Collect
Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
This is one of my favorite collects. I am such a mess that I don’t even know what to ask for to get out of the mess. Some one in the liturgy business came up with this prayer to express the problem in theological terms. I hug the terminology close to my soul and march tentatively forward. Frequently God has to get behind me and shove. Considering that every shove has resulted in something I am very happy about you would think I could learn to ask and receive more graciously. Considering my personality I have not. As one of the slow learners I pray; give me those things which for my unworthiness I dare not, and for my blindness I cannot ask and I will try to live into them.
Jeremiah 23:1-6
Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the LORD. Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the LORD. Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the LORD.
The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: "The LORD is our righteousness."
This is definitely a good news - bad news lesson. The bad news is contained in the word woe. That short word holds enormous meaning. The modern. “woe is me” hardly covers what Jeremiah saw coming. His woe entailed a two-year siege of Jerusalem, the destruction of the city, enslavement of the people, the long walk while tied together to Babylon, and the time known as the captivity. Now that is woe! This woe is directed toward the priests and leaders of Judah; the sheep the common person, had already felt the burden of woe as their shepherds harassed and scattered them. Jeremiah’s message is that the woe the priests visited on those in their care will now turned upon the elite. As an added woe to Jeremiah himself many of the temple authorities were his kinfolk.
The good news is only marginally better. God is going to appoint a new group of shepherds. Implicit is the fact that the current crop need not apply. The sheep are the only ones to whom this could possibly be welcome news. They are getting new shepherds who will gather them together; shepherds who will truly care for the good of the people. David had by this time reached legend status. All the ills of his day were forgotten; only the fact that he kept other nations at bay remained. The shepherd Jeremiah promises will be from the tribe of Jesse just like David. And like David this shepherd will gather the tribes together into a single unity.
God is the true shepherd. Only God is able to fulfill the demands of the job. To be a shepherd is a huge responsibility. Anyone in the position of caring for others needs to provide for the good of those in their care. For whom do you care? Are you looking for their good?
Psalm 23
1 The LORD is my shepherd; *
I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures *
and leads me beside still waters.
3 He revives my soul *
and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake.
4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I shall fear no evil; *
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You spread a table before me in the presence of those
who trouble me; *
you have anointed my head with oil,
and my cup is running over.
6 Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, *
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Just in case we missed the job description for shepherd here it is. We have all heard Psalm 23 many times. This time look for the things a shepherd provides for the sheep. Then consider how you might provide these some of these to those around you. A shepherd leads the sheep beside still water; not the rushing, roiling dangerous stuff. Still water is shallow and a wool-covered sheep can get a drink without danger of a fall that leads to drowning. Wool holds a lot of water and makes a sheep too heavy to swim. Green pastures with lots of space to rest and eat the green foliage. The shepherd gives soul-reviving care and takes the sheep along the right path to reach the calm safe water and green pasture. Even when the going is dark and with the hungry sheep eaters looming nearby, the shepherd will see to it that the sheep are kept safe. The rod and staff with which the shepherd threatens and beats the predators is a comfort to a sheep. Food is right there even in the threat of bullies, and all my wounds are covered in oil. Wow what a nice thing for the sheep. And what a lot for the shepherd to do!
Ephesians 2:11-22
Remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called "the uncircumcision" by those who are called "the circumcision" -- a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands-- remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.
JHere is Paul telling us that the church is a place of inclusion. Jews and Gentiles are now one, we all have been accepted by the same God. There is now no hostility between us. I think Paul was an optimist. Humans tend to react with hostility to anything new; anything different from what they knew as children. Paul calls us to go beyond the human to the divine; to see with God’s eyes. I doubt that this is any easier than being a shepherd. We are definitely in need of the collect for this week.
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.
When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.
The disciples came back from their teaching missions as excited as any first time missionary. Jesus’ response says something about their need to tell him what happened and his need to hear it. Go apart from society for a time and let all those new experiences settle into daily life. The disciples were faced with daily life as soon as they came ashore. Crowds followed even into the wilderness (no houses or plowed fields). The disciples saw the crowds they had just left, Jesus saw people in need; sheep without a shepherd. Look back at the lesson from Jeremiah. The LORD promised he to gather the sheep that have been scattered. A new sort of shepherd will be raised up; shepherds chosen directly by God to tend the flock. Jesus, the chief shepherd, chose the disciples and sent them out to practice preaching. As the boat came ashore he modeled for them how to minister here as well (and in the section we skipped, fed a multitude). It is a partial answer to the question: How does the shepherd chosen by God care for the sheep? The answer is constantly. The shepherd is always on duty. So are we; our ministry is what we do each day. It is the large things when we join with others to help with dinner for the homeless, or build a house for a family without one. It is also in the small things; an ear to listen to a co-worker in distress or helping a child play. Even brushing my teeth and getting proper rest are part of the program. I must be healthy in order to serve others. So at Jesus’ command I get back in the boat, go to the other side and minister there as well.
|
March 27th, 2006
12:35 pm - Sunday 2 April 2006
Lent 5
Collect
Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
I am truly caught by the statements of this prayer. “Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise;” It appears that I need grace from God to even want what is good for me. I need grace to love what God is telling me to love. Well that is no mystery. God says a mother loves her children. I can rather too clearly remember days when I would have given them away. So relying completely on the grace of God I learned to love what God wants me to love. Why, Daddy, why? Why not love lots of other things too. Well because, “among the swift and varied changes of the world”, things and people that I love will be swiftly changed, be taken away, replaced. I need an anchor, a reference point, that will not change so that I can handle the stress of a changing world; a changing life.
Grant to me grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, my heart may be surely fixed on your values. Amen
Jeremiah 31:31-34
The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt-- a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, "Know the LORD," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
What a big gulp of theology there is in this lesson. We can start with the acknowledgement that God had an agreement with humans and humans didn’t hold up their end. A new agreement is needed because it is obvious people cannot do it on their own, even with a tome of rules to follow. (especially with a tome of rules to follow?) We can’t manage to obey the person who is in charge and the person in charge can’t manage power over others. People are a fairly incompetent lot. (now there is philosophy and theology all in one)
So, God says, I have a new agreement for you. Here’s the deal, this time you won’t have to worry about who will teach, who will police, who will judge the law. This time I will put the law into each and every individual. (You mean I have to make decisions? I must pay attention to know what to do? Yup. So how about that bit of theology on the relationship to God.) Jeremiah did not go into how God planned to do this. But we may be seeing the results all around us. I went to the session on Buddha-ism at Ministry Fair. The speaker quietly and patiently talked about all the things we as Christians proclaim as our ethics. Only thing is he was telling us about the followers of Buddha. I encounter much of the same teaching in native American lore. Some of the crystal gazing new agers also point to the values leading to ethics Jesus taught. Are all of these folk looking into their own hearts and finding that God has indeed written there? “Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise”
Psalm 51:1-13
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving-kindness; *
in your great compassion blot out my offenses.
2 Wash me through and through from my wickedness *
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions, *
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you only have I sinned *
and done what is evil in your sight.
5 And so you are justified when you speak *
and upright in your judgment.
6 Indeed, I have been wicked from my birth, *
a sinner from my mother's womb.
7 For behold, you look for truth deep within me, *
and will make me understand wisdom secretly.
8 Purge me from my sin, and I shall be pure; *
wash me, and I shall be clean indeed.
9 Make me hear of joy and gladness, *
that the body you have broken may rejoice.
10 Hide your face from my sins *
and blot out all my iniquities.
11 Create in me a clean heart, O God, *
and renew a right spirit within me.
12 Cast me not away from your presence *
and take not your holy Spirit from me.
13 Give me the joy of your saving help again *
and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.
Here we are again at Psalm 51. What you don’t remember the again part? This penitential psalm is a part of the service of Ash Wednesday. On this last Sunday in Lent the psalm frames our discipline again. We start this time of self examination with words attributed to David King of Judah and Israel. I know my transgressions, who can know them better. I know what I was plotting when I did that activity of dubious merit. This is the starting place; Psalm 51 leads me on to the next phase. Get beyond the breast beating. Let God in; let the purifying , washing, teaching take place. Let yourself be remade and sustained with the abundant life giving bountiful spirit of God.
I checked with Bob on this one. We have a choice of either Psalm 51 or 119. He said use 51 but here is 119 any way because I had already done some thinking about it.
Psalm 119:9-16
9 How shall a young man cleanse his way? *
By keeping to your words.
10 With my whole heart I seek you; *
let me not stray from your commandments.
11 I treasure your promise in my heart, *
that I may not sin against you.
12 Blessed are you, O LORD; *
instruct me in your statutes.
13 With my lips will I recite *
all the judgments of your mouth.
14 I have taken greater delight in the way of your decrees *
than in all manner of riches.
15 I will meditate on your commandments *
and give attention to your ways.
16 My delight is in your statutes; *
I will not forget your word.
It isn’t that we don’t know what God wants of us; the problem lies in the doing of it. The psalmist identified himself as a young man but his words apply to all ages and sexual orientation. How to cleanse oneself? The Christian response has been that a person cannot. Paul in his “what I want to do is what is beyond me” monologue perfectly put forth the tangle we create in the attempt. Rereading the rules won’t do it. All that happens is I get bound up in ever tightening bands that restrict my ability to reach out to others. How then do we get any better? How then do I ever hope to be part of the enriching community of Christ. Aahh the community of Christ. That’s how. Put the rule books aside, rules provide a structure to guide me. Jesus, the Christ comes to lead me in the path of love and relationship with God and with humans. The part I find so amazing is that it works. When I am at my wits end with the competing demands my mother can make, a deep breath and short prayer, “Jesus I need your help here”, can result in the sudden urge to give her a hug and say, “we can do this one thing and then tackle the next.” She settles down and so do I. The structure of the law says Honor your parents, the heart leads me to do it.
Hebrews 5:5-10
Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him,
"You are my Son,
today I have begotten you";
as he says also in another place,
"You are a priest forever,
according to the order of Melchizedek."
In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
Melchizedek, identified as the king of salem (peace), is an odd occurrence in the bible. He meets Abraham who is on the way back home after a successful battle. Abraham stops and gives to Melchizedek a tenth of the booty. Melchizedek blesses Abraham and the two part ways. Some Christian writers maintain that this is a theophany, an appearance of God in the flesh before the time of Jesus. Others take the view that the God Melchizedek served can be identified as YHWH, the God Abraham served. Melchizedek shows up again in Psalm110.
Considered by many to be a messianic Psalm it contains words Jesus used in confounding those who argued with him, (verse 1, The LORD says to my lord, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.”) The writer of the book of Hebrews used Verse 4,( “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”) in his argument for a line of priests in existence before the Levitical priesthood. Melchizedek in existence before them also supersedes them. Jesus is of this line. Jesus supersedes the Jewish priests of the temple in Jerusalem. He is bigger and better. What is more his one sacrificial death is effective for all time to come. While today we don’t generally think in terms of sacrificing at our church meetings, this had great meaning for the people who went to many different temples to sacrifice to Zeus, Jupiter, Diana, Apollo, YHWH. Yes, it is a change in culture; “the swift and varied changes of the world” sometimes not so swift just gradual, pray that “our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found”
John 12:20-33
Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
"Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say-- `Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.
More of the non sequiturs of John. Phillip gets Andrew to go with him to ask Jesus to meet some folk. Jesus gives an answer about death, rebirth in another form, and a noise from heaven. Why, I wonder, was this story so important to the early church, important enough to be repeated and written down. Those “Greeks” could have been gentile “god-fearers” but maybe they were Jews from the Diaspora. Jews from the outland who wanted to meet Jesus and take his teaching back with them. That would present a threat to the power of to the authorities and perhaps signal to Jesus that he was now on the temple death list. It is a hard reality that Jesus is passing on to Philip and Andrew. “where I am, there will my servant be also”, Jesus said. Is it a play on the name of God - I AM? Or is it an instruction to his followers to be in the same position of risk and compassion as himself? Either way life will not be made of easy choices or actions. God is present in the most awkward situations, the smelly tattered unstable homeless one, the defiant teen, the truculent elder parent, the starving thousands on the news. We, his servants, are to be there as well.
Then comes a second paragraph. Jesus acknowledges that he would rather not go thru with this. I can identify with that, often I’d rather not have the pain necessary to rescue a relationship gone sour; the sheer drudgery of completing an unwanted but needed task. Can’t we just forget the whole thing! No we can’t. I may look at the cost more carefully next time, but for now this is what I am doing and it isn’t about my death. Only by dying can Jesus accomplish the task set for him. Only by following him can Philip and Andrew be true servants; servants honored by Jesus’ Father. The message was necessary for the community of believers as they experienced intermittent persecution. As servants of Jesus the members of the church are also promised union with the Father. It is necessary for us as well. When you pray for Jesus presence be ready to offer your hands as his to the world today.
ACE question
Who is this Melchizedek referred to in today’s lesson form Hebrews
A The priest of Salem in the time of Abraham
B The priest who blessed Noah’s fishing boat
C The leader of the choir at the time of David
D One of the magi
Where does Jeremiah say God is going to write his law?
A On a second set of stone tablets
B On clean parchment
C In individual hearts
D On the wall of the temple
|
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
lectionarylizz's journal