Redemption

Monday, May 22, 2006 -- Week of 6 Easter

"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. 963)
Psalms 80 (morning) // 77, [79] (afternoon)
Leviticus 25:35-55
Colossians 1:9-14
Matthew 13:1-16

The brief reading from Colossians makes a beautiful prayer. Imagine this message being written to you from the apostle:

We have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God.
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.

Such a prayer blessing is a good way to begin the week.
_______________________________________________

The word "redemption" is an important one in Christian theology. We speak of Christ's work on our behalf as our redemption. Today we get an earlier picture of the meaning of redemption. To redeem something is to purchase its release or freedom.

At the base of the idea of redemption is the concept of original possession. The people of Israel are God's people, they belong to God. The land also is owned ultimately by God. Anything that humans may own, we have as stewards, as temporary possessions. Therefore, we should avoid excessive economic exploitation of the land or of people.

God apportioned the land to the tribes of Israel, every family receiving a family allotment in perpetuity. So as some Israelites become wealthy, gaining possession of more land and power, and as some Israelites become poor, losing possession of their land and power, God intends this inequality to be only a temporary matter. God provides a process of redemption for the relatives of the poorer families to buy back their land or their freedom. And if the families are unable to redeem, God provides a jubilee year. Every 50 years the land reverts to the original allocation and debts are canceled. Equality is then restored.

Leviticus 25 addresses increasingly serious situations that are the results of market activity. Justice and compassion are at the root of these laws. The statutes moderate the amount of control that a successful business person can exercise when another person may become dependent or is hired as a laborer. All economic advantages last only to the year of jubilee when all debts are canceled, bonded persons are freed, and land reverts to the tribes.

This vision is very different from our own market system where land is sold fee simple, the original owner losing all rights. I would be interested to know if the idea of jubilee was behind some of the bankruptcy laws that we have which deal with situations when debt has become overwhelming.

The Leviticus laws have a double standard, however. Although many compassionate Biblical laws apply equally to the resident alien as well as to the fellow Israelite, Leviticus 25 allows for the perpetual enslavement of aliens. I do know that this passage was used by American slaveowners to justify the economic institution of slavery prior to the Civil War. The basic bent of the scripture is toward liberation for all. But there are specific passages like this one which may justify some forms of oppression. In our history, slaves, foreigners, and women have all needed to overcome specific Biblical traditions by referencing the larger principles of freedom and equality. In our generation, gay and lesbian people are doing the same thing. Redemption is an on-going work.

Lowell
_________________________


Anyone may subscribe to receive "Morning Reflections" by email.
Send a regular email to the following address: lowell-request@arkansasusa.com
Then, type the following command in the main body of the email:
JOIN lowell your-email-address (example: JOIN lowell JaneDoe@aol.com)

I also send the upcoming Sunday scripture readings to this same list.

The Rev. Lowell Grisham
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, Arkansas