Unfaithful Ways

Wednesday, February 14, 2007 -- Week of 6 Epiphany; Year One (Cyril & Methodius))

"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 location -- http://explorefaith.org/prayer/fixed/index.html


Today's Readings for the Daily Office (p. 948)
Psalms 101, 109:1-4 (5-19) 20-30 (morning) // 119:121-144 (evening)
Isaiah 63:15 - 64:9
1 Timothy 3:1-16
Mark 11:27 - 12:12

In today's Gospel Jesus tells the parable of the vineyard. If read as an allegory, it is the story of God's planting of Israel as God's beloved vineyard, but the unfaithful tenants refused to give God the produce. The message is Jesus' indictment of the religious leadership. They did not follow the original vision for God's vineyard, but look first to their own needs. In a way, the same message is present in Third Isaiah as well and as in the Pastoral Epistles such as 1 Timothy.

Today 3-Isaiah grieves the absence of God in the Temple. The prophet remembers God's awesome deeds of the past and wishes such wonders could be accomplished in the present. But the people have hard hearts and have strayed from God's ways.

Israel's relationship to God as focused in the Jerusalem Temple is a uniting theme for the three sections of Isaiah. The eighth century prophet of First Isaiah focuses on the protection of Jerusalem and its Temple during the military threats from Assyria. Second Isaiah inspires the sixth century exiles in Babylon for their return to Jerusalem to rebuild a new Temple as a house of prayer for all people. Third Isaiah is a mixture of threats and warnings which reflect the conflict and frustration surrounding the rebuilding efforts of the following generation.

In all of Isaiah we see the Temple as a uniting theme. The Temple can be a place of understanding and faithfulness for Israel's encounter with God. The Temple can also be a self-centered focus of foolish illusion where religious people evade the true demands of God. Only when Israel approaches the Temple with humility, obedience, and a contrite spirit motivating justice will the people show their faithfulness and experience God's blessing.

In a way, I Timothy and the other pastoral epistles exhibit a similar falling away from an original vision. In Paul's authentic letters, "righteousness" is God's free gift of justification which we receive freely through faith -- simply accept the fact that you are accepted, and you are justified. In I & II Timothy and Titus (the Pastoral Epistles) "righteousness" is moral uprightness and "faith" is a collection of traditions that are to be guarded -- behave yourself and believe the doctrines, and you are justified. The Pastoral Epistles restored to centrality exactly what Paul sought to liberate us from -- salvation by works or by obedience to the law.

The Temple can be a place of encounter with God or a place of avoidance of God through illusion. The teachings of Scripture can also be a means of encounter with God or an experience of domesticating God through illusion. Will we be faithful or unfaithful tenants? Which kind of Temple will we create? Which message of scripture will we follow? When Jesus criticized the religious leaders of his day they were convinced that he was wrong, and that they acted decisively to protect God from Jesus.

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

The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church is to explore and celebrate
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worship weekly
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