The Escape from Violence

Tuesday, April 35, 2006 -- Feast of St. Mark

"Morning Reflections" is a brief thought about the scripture readings from the Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer according to the practice found in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church.

Morning Prayer begins on p. 80 of the Book of Common Prayer.
Evening Prayer begins on p. 117

An online resource for praying the Daily Office is found at www.missionstclare.com
Another form of the office from Phyllis Tickle's "Divine Hours" is available on our partner web site www.ExploreFaith.org at this link -- http://explorefaith.org/prayer/fixed/index.html

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (p. 959)
Psalms 5, 6 (morning) // 10, 11 (afternoon)
Exodus 15:1-21
1 Peter 1:13-25
John 14:18-31

*(if these readings seem especially familiar; I mis-read the Prayer Book and used them last Tuesday)

Today we read the songs of Miriam and Moses. As they realize that the Hebrews have escaped from the Egyptian army through the Sea, they sing in praise of God. Scholars say that Miriam's song is the oldest written strata of the entire Bible. From the other shore the breathless escapees look back and see that the pursuers cannot make their way through the Sea of Reeds. It is the women who first realize that they are safe and who attribute their deliverance to God. They pick up their tambourines. "Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea."

A later poet(s) elaborated on the earlier account, creating the Song of Moses. "Pharaoh's chariots and his army he cast into the sea; his picked officers were sunk in the Red Sea. The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone."

Rabbinical Midrash teaches that when the heavenly hosts saw the Exodus event, they wanted to join in the triumphant singing, but God rebuked them, saying, ""My children the Egyptians are drowning in the sea. How can you sing and celebrate?"

In 1 Peter we read today, "You know you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors." The way of Jesus who breaks the cycle of violence with loving non-violence is our Exodus escape from those futile ways of dominance through violence. Violence always begets violence. On the cross, Jesus broke the vicious cycle and invited us to walk in this new way.

The stories of Exodus and Resurrection tell us that God moves to secure our liberation from all Egypt-like domination, including the liberation that must occur in our hearts so that we do not become dominators. God takes us out of Egypt, but God must also take the Egypt out of us.

In today's gospel reading Jesus promises to send "another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive." This Spirit comes to those "who have my commandments." During his ministry Jesus had summarized all of the law and commandments with the Great Commandment, love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself. Just a few verses before today's reading, Jesus gave the disciples the New Commandment, "Love one another."

He concludes this passage today with the final gift, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give as the world gives." (my emphasis) This new way of love begets peace. Loving non-violence is the new path of liberation from the futile ways inherited from our ancestors, from the way the world gives. We are not to live that way.

We are taken out of the ways of violence which beget violence and placed upon the other shore of love which begets peace.