Hope despite all

Monday, March 5, 2007 -- Week of 2 Lent

"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. 952)
Psalms 56, 57, [58] (morning) // 64, 65 (evening)
Jeremiah 1:11-19
Romans 1:1-15
John 4:27-42

Hope occurs in complicated situations.

We are beginning to read from the book of the prophet Jeremiah today and will stay with this book through Lent. The book of Jeremiah was written for people in the throes of suffering. It seeks to help the communities survive the tragedy of invasion, destruction, and exile.

We open today with two visions -- an almond tree and a pot boiling over from the north. The first vision is a play on words. "Almond" is shaqued; shoqued means "watching." The vision of the almond tree tells Jeremiah that God is watching, and what God says through Jeremiah will happen. The second vision images destruction overflowing and burning from the north. In chapter 20 the foe from the north will be identified as Babylon. The prophet himself is a symbol of hope, for God tells Jeremiah that God has "made you today a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall, against the whole land. ... They will fight against you; but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you."

Jeremiah is a messenger and symbol of hope, but it is a hope expressed in the midst of tragedy and divine judgment.

Paul speaks of hope arising out of of the Jewish rejection of Jesus. On the one hand, Israel's rejection of the One Paul follows as Messiah is tragic. He takes it personally as "an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin." But he knows the stories. Israel has done this before, and has remained God's chosen people. Paul sees great hope because the rejection by Israel has opened the mission of Christ's good news to the Gentiles. Paul is writing to Gentiles who are the beneficiaries of the Jewish failure. If God can do something this wonderful with failure, imagine what God will accomplish when Israel is fully included into God's salvation, he muses.

Finally we see Jesus telling the disciples that the decisive time is now. As a symbol of hope he shows them his conversation with a woman -- scandalous activity in his time -- and her testimony along with Jesus's visit to the Samaritans creates a new community of belief among those who were believed to be unclean heretics.

All of these readings express hope. But the hope happens in the midst of complex tragedy and division. There is hope in the midst of a nation's destruction, in the presence of tragic rejection, and in the tribal, racial and religious divisions that separate peoples. Hope despite all.

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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