Unconnected Thoughts
Thursday, May 3, 2007 -- Week of 4 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 location -- http://explorefaith.org/prayer/fixed/index.html
Today's Readings for the Daily Office (p. 960)
Psalms 50 (morning) [59, 60] or 114, 115 (evening)
Wisdom 5:9-23
Colossians 2:8-23
Luke 6:39-49
A few unconnected thoughts.
What happens after we die? Nobody knows, of course. The disciples' experience of the resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of the church's hope of the resurrection of the body. In other parts of scripture we find other beliefs -- after death there is nothing; or a shadowy semi-existence in Hades; or the immortality of the soul; or reward for some in heaven and punishment for some in Hell; or the healing of all life raised into God's eternal victory.
The Wisdom of Solomon proposes that the righteous will live as immortal souls, comforted by God in a life of peace that rewards their earthy virtue and reverses history's injustice. For the unrighteous, Wisdom proposes dishonor and permanent extinction rather than permanent punishment. Some images from today's reading: for destiny of the unrighteous, they will be like the trail of a ship after it has passed through water, or the invisibility of the path of a bird that has flown past or of an arrow that has been shot. Nothing is left behind. "But the (souls of the) righteous live forever," says the Wisdom of Solomon.
Colossians picks up on some baptismal imagery, connecting it with Jewish circumcision. Baptism is the ritual of incorporation and identity for Christians just as circumcision is the ritual of incorporation and identity for Jewish males. Baptism is like a "spiritual circumcision" (NRSV) or a "circumcision made without hands" (literal Greek). Colossians picks up the death, burial and resurrection imagery of baptism. "When you were buried with (Christ) in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead."
Baptism is a rich symbol. Among other things, it is a ritual drowning of our old self, a death of our old identity grounded upon our own family and our human power. Under the waters of this drowning we are united with Christ in his death, and raised to the new life of his resurrection. Our identity is changed. We belong to Christ. His resurrection life is our inheritance.
One little note about the reading from Luke. Jesus' statements in this section of the Sermon on the Plain emphasize our obedience of faith through our actions. Take care of your own faults and shortcomings before criticizing another. Be a good tree that bears good fruit. If you hear his words and act on them, you are like the man who built a house on the strong foundation. Actions speak louder than words.
Lowell
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posted by Lowell @ 8:08 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
It is not suprising for Lowell to have unconnected thoughts. When you chose to believe only parts of the Bible, that is the only possible outcome.
As for the comment that noone knows what happens after we die. How sad and wrong at the same time. God knows, the guy who you named your church knows (he also wrote about it), everyone who has ever died knows. The scriptures only talk about one option, life or death.
Now on to the baptism being a ritual drowning of our old self. What if our old self was a homosexual, or a prostitute, or a follower of the Dalai Lama?
You say our identity has changed, just what parts change? The Bible says the old is gone and all things are made new.
Unconnected or not, I loved the poetry in the reading from Wisdom. Hopefully all the wrong ideas of today will pass as the arrow through the wind leaving not even a ripple to disturb the underlying truth. "it passes like the remembrance of a guest who stays but a day."
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