The Dawn of Innocence
Monday, December 24, 2006 [NOTE: I'll be taking some time off beginning tomorrow. Next Morning Reflection will be December 31]"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
Audio Podcasts of today's "Morning Reflection" and those from the past week are available from http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id244.html (go to St. Paul's Home Page www.stpaulsfay.org and click "Morning Reflection podcast")Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p 939)Morning Prayer: Psalms 45, 46; Baruch* 4:36 - 5:9; Galatians 3:23 - 4:7; Matthew 1:18-25
*found in the Apocrypha
Evening Prayer: Psalm 89:1-29; Isaiah 59:15b-21; Philippians 2:5-11
"Look toward the east... and see the joy that is coming to you from God," cries Baruch. Not only does his invitation invite us to invoke the coming morning with all of its new possibility, but more than that, Baruch rejoices at the return of the lost children. "Take off the garment of your sorrow and affliction... and put on forever the beauty of the glory from God." We will dress up, says the prophet, in royal garb. "Put on the robe of the righteousness that comes from God; put on your head the diadem of the glory of the Everlasting; for God will show your splendor everywhere under heaven. For God will give you evermore the name, 'Righteous Peace, Godly Glory.'"
So many literary masterpieces have as their theme our common human experience of the loss of our innocence. Although there are a few remarkable people who seem to retain a natural and intuitive sense of connectedness to God, most of us feel like we have lost something along the way -- our innocence; a natural sense of freedom and spontaneity. Maybe that is why children are so attractive to us. We can see in them what we have lost. Next to children, we can feel somehow sullied, spoiled, compromised from the wondrous and bright possibilities we once embraced for ourselves.
Part of the Biblical Messianic hope is the return of innocence and hope. In a dream Joseph is told that the child in Mary's womb will be named "Jesus", the Greek word for Joshua, meaning "God saves / God helps." The angel states that "he will save his people from their sins." Forgiveness. A new lease on life. Renewed innocence. The sun comes up in the east and all is renewed.
God's gift is in some sense the return of childhood. We are renewed in innocence. We may put off the adult garment of our sorrow and affliction, the sense of separation that defines sin. We can play "dress up." God gives us royal "robes of righteousness" and a crown, "the diadem of the glory of the Everlasting." It is God's desire to be with us and to restore our dignity and innocence so we may be joyful. "For God will lead Israel with joy, in the light of his glory, with the mercy and righteousness that come from him."
God invites us to see ourselves anew in Jesus. Joy comes like the sun rising from the east. It is the childlike joy of knowing that we belong and we are beloved. We can relax as God's children. We are like royalty, like dress-up kings and queens in the home of the ultimate Ruler. We don't have to do anything to live with royal confidence. We have royal inheritance. We always have been God's royal family; we have always been heirs of divine life.
The birth of the child reminds and effects the reconciliation. In the most modest of circumstances, childlike union with God happens. We are invited to see ourselves through that image. "Righteous Peace; Godly Glory."
Maybe we went away from our true heritage, walking off "led away by ...enemies," our own anxious undoing. But God brings our childlike inheritance back. We are "carried in glory, as on a royal throne."
The sun will come up again soon. I can see the first blue of dawn. "Arise...; look toward the east." A new day invites me to embrace my true identity. I am God's child; God's beloved. Time to dress up and play. Anything is possible.
Lowell
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
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.
See our Web site at www.stpaulsfay.org
Our Rule of Life:
We aspire to...
worship weekly
pray daily
learn constantly
serve joyfully
The Focus of the Prophets
Friday, December 21, 2007 -- Week of 3 Advent (Year 2)(St. Thomas the Apostle)
"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
Audio Podcasts of today's "Morning Reflection" and those from the past week are available from http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id244.html (go to St. Paul's Home Page www.stpaulsfay.org and click "Morning Reflection podcast")Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p 939)Psalms 40, 54 (morning) 51 (evening)Zechariah 7:8 - 8:8Revelation 5:6-14Matthew 25:14-30I don't know if this passage has ever jumped out at me before. But in a few brief words, Zechariah seems to summarize the fundamental thrust and themes of the great tradition of the Hebrew prophets, especially those of the 8th century BCE.
"Thus says the Lord of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another; do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another." (Zechariah 7:9-10)
That is a description of Biblical justice. It is a passage that ranks with Amos 5:24 -- "Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." Or Micah 6:8 -- "He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
Over and over the prophets instruct the people that if we fulfill the expectations of God's justice, God will bless us. The prophets explained the tragedies and sufferings that befell Israel as God's judgment when the people fail to live into these values. True worship is grounded in just behavior, they tell us. Godly society, economics and politics are expected to share these qualities. This is the measuring line.
There is a lot of conversation these days about the religious factor in politics. Politicians give witness to their own faith. "Evangelical Christian" is a term describing a bloc of voters. To read the papers and hear reports of this year's campaigning, religious values are a key component.
Why then aren't the justice themes of the great prophets the political content of contemporary religious values? Shouldn't the candidates and the Christian religious voters be competing with one another about how we can show kindness and mercy to one another, especially toward the vulnerable, the widow (single mothers), the orphan, the alien (including illegal aliens), and the poor? If political debate wants to be grounded in Christian values, then why do we have candidates bragging about how mean they can be to immigrants and presidents who veto medical care for children in the lower income ranges? Isn't debating what is and what is not torture a form of devising evil in our hearts? What would the prophets say? What would Jesus say? Just say "no" to torture.
How different might our politics be if it were oriented toward the interests of the poor instead of the interests of the rich? It might be an interesting exercise to line up every issue that is being debated in this election year and look at it through a single lens: "Who benefits? The rich or the poor? Who wants this? The rich or the poor?" Then, decide in favor of the poor.
What would it mean to embrace kindness and mercy as our primary cultural values?
These are the themes and values of the Biblical prophets. If you want to take scripture seriously, bring these values into public life. That was the function of the prophets.
Lowell
______________________
To Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the "Morning Reflections" email list,
go to our Subscriptions page -- http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id137.html
The Rev. Lowell Grisham
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, AR
The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church is to explore and celebrate
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.
See our Web site at www.stpaulsfay.org
Our Rule of Life:
We aspire to...
worship weekly
pray daily
learn constantly
serve joyfully
live generously.
The 10 Bridesmaids
Thursday, December 20, 2007 -- Week of 3 Advent (Year 2)"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
Audio Podcasts of today's "Morning Reflection" and those from the past week are available from http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id244.html (go to St. Paul's Home Page www.stpaulsfay.org and click "Morning Reflection podcast")Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p 939)Psalms 50 (morning) [59, 60] or 33 (evening)Zechariah 4:1-14Revelation 4:9 - 5:5Matthew 25:1-13The story of the ten bridesmaids is unique to Matthew. It has the flavor of a wonderful piece of folk wisdom, and, typical to Matthew, lends itself to allegory. It might be read as a story of preparation and resource; it might also be read as an allegory about good deeds and righteous action.
The wise person is the one who is prepared, with sufficient resources to face challenges that may extend over time. There are moments of decision and turning points when decisive events occur. Some moments have an either/or quality to them. You are either ready and prepared, or you are not. And if not, loss cannot be postponed or avoided.
There are some things that others can help us with. Some things can't be shared. If one interprets this parable allegorically in a way that is consistent with Matthew's theology, the oil might represent the good deeds and righteous action of the bridesmaids. When the arrival of the groom is delayed, the oil that the foolish ones have brought is not sufficient. They ask the others to bail them out, to give them some of their oil. The answer is "no." The righteous action of one cannot be shared with another. You must provide your own.
Many people face similar dilemmas when dealing with a loved one who has acted irresponsibly and expects to be saved from the consequences of their action. It is not unusual for families to live for decades in a dependent/co-dependent relationship with someone who repeatedly "runs out of oil" because of destructive choices, habits or addictions. Eventually there comes the time when the "wise" realize that responsibility cannot be shared, when the "foolish" must be allowed to take responsibility for their own life, even when that means unpleasant or threatening consequences. Sometimes the answer must be "no."
Lowell
______________________
To Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the "Morning Reflections" email list,
go to our Subscriptions page -- http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id137.html
The Rev. Lowell Grisham
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, AR
The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church is to explore and celebrate
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.
See our Web site at www.stpaulsfay.org
Our Rule of Life:
We aspire to...
worship weekly
pray daily
learn constantly
serve joyfully
live generously.
Heavenly Relationships
Wednesday, December 19, 2007 -- Week of 3 Advent (Year 2)"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
Audio Podcasts of today's "Morning Reflection" and those from the past week are available from http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id244.html (go to St. Paul's Home Page www.stpaulsfay.org and click "Morning Reflection podcast")Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p 939)Psalms 119:49-72 (morning) 49, [53] (evening)Zechariah 3:1-10Revelation 4:1-8Matthew 24:45-51We have a series of images of right relationship in today's readings. The vision from Zechariah 3 is different from the others, not following the question and answer sequence with an interpreting angel. It may be a later addition to the book. The word "Satan" is used as a common noun, meaning "adversary" or "accuser." The adversary/accuser stands before the angel of the Lord and accuses the high priest Joshua. God rebukes the accuser and commands Joshua be reclothed. The dirty clothes are removed and clean ones provided. Joshua is reinstated as high priest and placed in charge of the Temple ("my house"). There is a messianic allusion, possibly referring to the contemporary governor Zerubbabel.
It is interesting that the appearance of Satan in the Hebrew Scriptures is in the function of a legal prosecutor in a heavenly court scene. Far different from the symbol of evil that we see in early Christian writing. How ironic that so much Christian preaching has as its aim the conviction of sin, a function of accusing.
In Revelation 4 we have a different scene of the divine court. In John's writing, what he sees in heaven also has an earthly correspondence. He accesses the vision inwardly -- "I was in the spirit." He uses imagery of a precious stone as divine imagery. There are 24 elders on 24 thrones. The number doubles the number representing God's people. This is the heavenly counterpart to the earthly community of God. They too have new clothes -- white robes and golden crowns. They have endured to victory. The same four orders of creation that appear in Ezekiel 1 are present -- the four living creatures who represent divine and human qualities: lion (royalty), ox (strength), human (intelligence), eagle (mobility). They sing the eternal song, "Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to come." It is a song known to John's readers, a song that is a traditional part of both Jewish and Christian worship in the first century. This vision represents the heavenly order of worship that the church enters when we celebrate the Eucharist. It is a scene of harmony and right relationship, humanity surrounding the presence of the divine, singing and worshipping together.
And in Matthew we have a picture of a good slave and a wicked slave. The slave at the center of the story has authority over other slaves. He does well if he cares for the others, feeding them and serving as an effective steward. He does evil if he abuses the slaves under his charge and lives a dissolute life. It is another image of servant leadership. It also invites us to see all humanity within the circle of servants of God. (Note: This is one of many passages that defenders of the institution of slavery pointed to as Biblical proof of the acceptability of slavery in God's order of humanity. Jesus doesn't condemn slavery, but assumes it to be a normal aspect of human society, and gives instruction on the just treatment of slaves. Therefore, it was argued, it would be in violation of scripture to abolish slavery as some Christians advocated in the mid-nineteenth century. Christian abolitionists had some of the same "But-the-Bible-says..." debates with slaveowners that our generation has as we debate the full freedom and humanity of gay people.)
Lowell
______________________
To Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the "Morning Reflections" email list,
go to our Subscriptions page -- http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id137.html
The Rev. Lowell Grisham
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, AR
The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church is to explore and celebrate
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.
See our Web site at www.stpaulsfay.org
Our Rule of Life:
We aspire to...
worship weekly
pray daily
learn constantly
serve joyfully
live generously.
A City Without Walls
Tuesday, December 18, 2007 -- Week of 3 Advent (Year 2)
"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
Audio Podcasts of today's "Morning Reflection" and those from the past week are available from http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id244.html (go to St. Paul's Home Page www.stpaulsfay.org and click "Morning Reflection podcast")Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p 939)Psalms 45 (morning) 47, 48 (evening)Zechariah 2:1-13Revelation 3:14-22Matthew 24:32-44Note: I typed (and read) today's passage from Revelation yesterday; Monday's Epistle should have been Revelation 3:7-13)It has been said often that the role of the prophets is to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable.
Zechariah speaks to a demoralized and vulnerable people. The Babylonian exile is a recent memory. Just twenty years before, the Persian Cyrus had given them leave to return to their homeland to rebuild. But the restoration project had been tenuous. Their homes were re-established, but the symbols of civic vitality were still as they had been following the destruction of the city of Jerusalem. The walls were broken down and the Temple lay in ruin. They are living among foreign people who seem to be tolerating them, but they are not in charge of their own land and destiny.
Zechariah writes at about the time when Ezra and Nehemiah with the support of Haggai will stir up the people to restore the walls of Jerusalem to make it a city that has some security and military protection and to rebuild the Temple. From their perspective, it would be a project of immense proportion just to get back to where they were before the invasion.
Zechariah sees another possibility. In his vision, he stops the surveyor with the measuring line and halts his preparation for rebuilding the walls. An angel speaks to Zechariah, "Run, say to that young man: Jerusalem shall be inhabited like villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and animals in it. For I will be a wall of fire all around it, says the Lord, and I will be the glory within it."
This is a different way of living in the world. No walls either to keep out or to limit the freedom of the inhabitants. God is the protection for this city, and God's presence is at its center. This nation will be a blessing to all of the other nations of the world. These other peoples will be welcome, and "many nations shall join themselves to the Lord on that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in your midst."
How hard must it have been for others to imagine such a possibility. To build a civilization in a new way. An open, defenseless city of welcome and hospitality. A city that trusts in God rather than its own might. A city with God at its center instead of its own pride.
Zechariah is saying something about the nature of community and a vision of a new political order. He is also saying something that applies personally. What might we be like if we responded to ruin or catastrophe with a confident trust in God's presence at our center and a willingness to re-engage without defensiveness and suspicion, letting God be our protection. What does it mean to be a person without walls?
Zechariah says that God regards the people as "the apple of my eye." God loves and cherishes us. Within that love and benevolent regard is our rebuilding and our security. He closes this passage with an image that can touch anyone with a contemplative bone in his body. "Be silent, all people, before the Lord; for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling."
God is alive and active. God is at the center of our life. We may be silent. Peace. All is well. All will be well.
Lowell
______________________
To Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the "Morning Reflections" email list,
go to our Subscriptions page -- http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id137.html
The Rev. Lowell Grisham
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, AR
The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church is to explore and celebrate
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.
See our Web site at www.stpaulsfay.org
Our Rule of Life:
We aspire to...
worship weekly
pray daily
learn constantly
serve joyfully
live generously.
Get Passionate!
Monday, December 17, 2007 -- Week of 3 Advent (Year 2)"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
Audio Podcasts of today's "Morning Reflection" and those from the past week are available from http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id244.html (go to St. Paul's Home Page www.stpaulsfay.org and click "Morning Reflection podcast")Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p 939)Psalms 41, 52 (morning) 44 (evening)Zechariah 1:7-17Revelation 3:14-22Matthew 24:15-31Wake up! Be passionate! Look around at the situation and become energized to respond in the name and power of God!
John scolds the prosperous community in Laodicea for their lukewarmness. "I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. For you say, 'I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.' You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked." The picture is of a proud, content people who misjudge their own condition and do not have enough passion and energy to respond to their true situation.
Could he be talking to us? How many of us are relatively comfortable and secure? But maybe we have lost the intensity of passion and zeal, and misjudge our deep spiritual need or the calling that we may be ignoring to respond to the needs of our world.
Could he be talking to our nation? We are the wealthiest and most powerful nation on earth. How have we used our idealism and passion to serve the betterment of humanity and the planet? Where is our passion?
Zechariah sees a vision of four horsemen. These patrol the earth for God. They report, "Lo, the whole earth remains at peace." Sounds like good news. But it is not. Jerusalem and Judah remain largely unreconstructed. The Temple is still in ruins, though the exiles have been back in their country for twenty years. The basic institutions for social good are not functioning. Wake up! Get to work! Respond to the needs that you see all around you. Do not be lax about the appearance of peace. There is no peace until all share in the prosperity and blessing, says Zechariah.
Matthew sees terrible signs of collapse and chaos. False leaders give conflicting and confusing messages. Even the earth and creation is threatened. Get ready to act. Be alert for Christ's coming. What needs to be done to prepare a world that is ready for Christ, a world that is a suitable home for God?
Wake up! Throw off your lukewarm contentment with things as they are. Peace and security are meaningless unless they extend to all. What is God calling us to do in this moment? Awaken passion! Prepare! Respond!
Lowell
______________________
To Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the "Morning Reflections" email list,
go to our Subscriptions page -- http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id137.html
The Rev. Lowell Grisham
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, AR
The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church is to explore and celebrate
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.
See our Web site at www.stpaulsfay.org
Our Rule of Life:
We aspire to...
worship weekly
pray daily
learn constantly
serve joyfully
live generously.
Renewing the Center
Friday, December 14, 2007 -- Week of 2 Advent (Year 2)
"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
Audio Podcasts of today's "Morning Reflection" and those from the past week are available from http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id244.html (go to St. Paul's Home Page www.stpaulsfay.org and click "Morning Reflection podcast")Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p 937)Psalms 31 (morning) 35 (evening)Haggai 1:1-15Revelation 2:18-29Matthew 23:27-39Haggai intends to encourage the people to rise up to a common purpose on behalf of the whole, to rebuild the ruined Temple. The tragic exile is over. The Persian king Cyrus has restored the people to their land and given them renewed autonomy over their affairs, though they do experience some threat from enemies. The people have rebuilt their homes, but things are not healthy.
"Consider how you have fared," says Haggai. "You have sown much, and harvested little; you eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and you that earn wages earn wages to put them into a bag of holes." It is a fragile people. What should be done? Rebuild the Temple, says Haggai. "Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? ...Because my house lies in ruins, while all of you hurry off to your own houses. Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. And I have called for a drought on the land..."
While each individual and family looks to its own interests, their prosperity is shallow. The Temple is the symbol of their communal life and the place where God meets God's people. Attend to the center, and the circumference will be blessed.
Reading this passage from the perspective of our situation, it offers another interpretation. Ours is a nation in which people have pursued their own interests, built paneled houses and sown much. We eat and drink and clothe ourselves; we earn wages. But so many of us are deeply dissatisfied. There is a hunger deep in our souls, and our wages seem never enough.
So many do not participate in the general prosperity. Healthcare becomes more expensive and less accessible, savings rates have plummeted, credit card debt is crippling, we buy more and want yet more. Our nation is stuck in warfare, deficit spending, trade imbalance, growing gaps between rich and poor, and arguing what is and what is not torture, what kind of family will be and will not be recognized, how many freedoms must be sacrificed in the name of security. Indications of climate change have us listening to the messages from the land as "the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce."
Maybe it is a time for our people to be recalled to our center. The Temple is a symbol of communal life and the place where God meets God's people. Attend to the center, and the circumference will be blessed. What are the needs and interests that we all share? How can we commit to those priorities?
Haggai demanded that his people move their focus from their individual needs to the corporate needs of the whole society. He asked them to move beyond their material pursuits and become spiritually grounded. He promised that if they would shift their priorities and invest in the whole, the center, the Temple -- blessings would return.
His voice may be a voice for our times as well.
Lowell
_____________________
To Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the "Morning Reflections" email list,
go to our Subscriptions page -- http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id137.html
The Rev. Lowell Grisham
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, AR
The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church is to explore and celebrate
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.
See our Web site at www.stpaulsfay.org
Our Rule of Life:
We aspire to...
worship weekly
pray daily
learn constantly
serve joyfully
live generously.
Conflicts
Thursday, December 13, 2007 -- Week of 2 Advent (Year 2)"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
Audio Podcasts of today's "Morning Reflection" and those from the past week are available from http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id244.html (go to St. Paul's Home Page www.stpaulsfay.org and click "Morning Reflection podcast")Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p 937)Psalms 37:1-18 (morning) 37:19-42 (evening)Amos 9:1-10Revelation 2:8-17Matthew 23:13-26Our readings today are full of conflict.
Amos writes his fiercest judgment. No one shall escape. And in a striking passage, he speaks in God's name that every nation has been guided by God in their migrations into their homelands just like Israel. But for Amos God's focus of judgment is upon Israel.
We get a peek at some of the conflicts and issues that faced the early Church through John's words to the churches of Smyrna and Pergamum. John speaks as a Jew when he sympathizes with those in Smyrna who have been probably been expelled from the synagogue for their allegiance to Jesus as Messiah. Such an ouster would make them vulnerable to Roman attention as a new religion without the privileges enjoyed by Judaism which the Romans acknowledged as a religion older than their own. John anticipates trouble for the congregation in Smyrna.
Pergamum is a dramatic city on the top of a mountain that dominates its region. A dramatic 2nd century BCE shrine to Zeus once occupied a stunning place on the hill, and Augustus converted it to his imperial cult worship. That may be the meaning of the reference to "Satan's throne." John recalls a martyr of Pergamum, Antipas. He also raises the issue of food sacrificed to idols. Nearly all meat sold at the public market would have been dedicated to a god when it was butchered. John scolds those "who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the people... so that they would eat food sacrificed to idols." John expects the church to abstain from such meats and condemns those who teach otherwise.
Paul is one of those who fell on the other side of this issue. Paul said to the Corinthians that it doesn't matter if you eat the meat, because the gods of the idols do not exist. Paul's only caution was a warning not to violate the conscience or scruples of those who might be offended because they are superstitious enough to believe that the gods exist. Do not eat if their conscience might be troubled. Paul is one of those that John says holds "to the teaching of Balaam." Eating meat from the public market was a significant and divisive issue for the early church, and we have two New Testament authors taking opposite positions on the subject.
And the woes from Matthew's gospel speak to the religious definitions and regulations that serious observers of the law debated in order to practice complete obedience.
Jesus ridicules the rules over binding and non-binding oaths. Elsewhere Jesus teaches his followers not to swear at all, but simply tell the truth and let your "Yes" be yes and your "No" be no. Jesus also criticizes the scrupulous attention to some laws of tithing while one neglects "the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith." Some have called Jesus' practice a "natural spirituality," one grounded in the highest ideals, ultimately grounded in loving compassion, rather than a detailed objective spirituality.
Many of these same conflicts live in the church today and in the disagreements between faiths. Twenty centuries and we haven't solved them.
I prefer the encouraging New Testament example that we have over a passionate and divisive issue -- the sacrifice of meat to idols. John and Paul come down on different sides of the issue. Passionately. Both traditions are retained in our Biblical witness. John's Revelation is not expelled because he disagrees with Paul; Paul does not withdraw because he disagrees with John. They live together in some degree of tension within the bindings of the Book. Paul's advice for these circumstances seems compelling. "Let all be fully convinced in their own minds." Follow your conscience, and what you do, do in honor of the Lord. (Romans 14 5f) No need to break or divide the community. We can come to different conclusions in good conscience, and live together nonetheless.
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
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.
See our Web site at www.stpaulsfay.org
Our Rule of Life:
We aspire to...
worship weekly
pray daily
learn constantly
serve joyfully
live generously.
Prophets and Servants
Wednesday, December 12, 2007 -- Week of 2 Advent (Year 2)"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
Audio Podcasts of today's "Morning Reflection" and those from the past week are available from http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id244.html (go to St. Paul's Home Page www.stpaulsfay.org and click "Morning Reflection podcast")
Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p 937)Psalms 38 (morning) 119:25-48 (evening)Amos 8:1-14Revelation 1:17 - 2:7Matthew 23:1-12One of my seminary professors had a theory about the spiritual process of some prophecy. Amos was a good example. Dream research shows that there is an early point in the process from awakeness into deeper sleep when we experience hypnogogic images. Hypnogogic images are like photographic slides. Series of single, still pictures flash in our consciousness for a few moments. In the journey into sleep, we go through a period when we see various images that flash before our inner vision prior to our descent into active dreaming with moving images and sound.
My teacher postulated that the prophets could enter intentionally into the state of consciousness of early dreaming and receive a hypnogogic image -- a basket of summer fruit, a locust plague, a fire storm, a plumb line. Then the prophet would return to normal rational consciousness and reflect on how that image connects with the reality of the present time.
Amos sees a basket of summer fruit (qayits in Hebrew). He reflects on that image, and then announces, "The end (qets) has come upon my people Israel..." The fruit inspires a pun. (Puns are often significant to dream interpretation.) Amos connects the vision of fruit with the divine announcement of the end.
In the text as we have it, he then continues his indictment of judgment, this time upon the business community and then the religious practice of his day. He condemns those who are annoyed by limits on their commerce, such as religious holidays like the new moon or sabbath. He charges them with fraud over their technical economic practices -- making "the ephah small and the shekel great." (I think about subprime loans. And, can someone explain why nearly all of the loan payoff goes only toward interest at the beginning?) He especially condemns practices that lead to suffering for the poor, particularly through debt manipulation. (What is the level of credit card debt in America? How high can can the credit card interest rate go?)
Amos says that the land itself suffers on account of these injustices. He predicts a different kind of famine. It is a spiritual famine. People will have plenty of food and water, but they will be spiritually adrift and ungrounded. He describes people who go from one "spiritual experience" to another, yet still "faint for thirst." Spiritual famine and then, the end. Amos sees these as the consequences of the economic injustice and shallow religious practice of his day. Many people see parallels in our day.
We have another kind of vision in John's Revelation. It is more complex and dream-like. John imagines a dualistic scene, the heavenly corresponding to the earthly. Stars and angels above which correspond to lamps and churches below. Usually it is most profitable to read Revelation as an inner, spiritual landscape -- the description of our inner spiritual world as it corresponds to the reality of our everyday world.
Like Amos, John sees something and gives it a contemporary interpretation. He tells the church in Ephesus to persevere as they have and to rekindle the passion of their early faith.
Maybe the earthy, practical word from Matthew's gospel can help us most directly. He raises the standard of the servant. "The greatest among you will be your servant." He chides those who don't walk the talk and those who enjoy privilege of rank. Titles are insignificant. Leadership is best exercised through service.
Maybe that is the longed for philosopher's stone, the elixir that turns base metals into gold. If all business and religion were practiced from the perspective of service to others, especially to the least of these, wouldn't all of Amos' complaints and John's hopes be answered? Can the whole of visionary prophecy be summarized in Jesus' words from Matthew?: "You have one teacher, ...one Father -- the one in heaven, ...one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted."
Lowell
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To Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the "Morning Reflections" email list,
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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
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.
See our Web site at www.stpaulsfay.org
Our Rule of Life:
We aspire to...
worship weekly
pray daily
learn constantly
serve joyfully
live generously.
The Sword of the Mouth
Tuesday, December 11, 2007 -- Week of 2 Advent (Year 2)"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
Audio Podcasts of today's "Morning Reflection" and those from the past week are available from http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id244.html (go to St. Paul's Home Page www.stpaulsfay.org and click "Morning Reflection podcast")
Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p 937)Psalms 26, 28 (morning) 36, 39 (evening)Amos 7:10-17Revelation 1:9-16Matthew 22:34-46In John's opening vision of the book of the Revelation, he sees "one like the Son of Man" whom he describes with dramatic power. One of the characteristics John gives us about this Son of Man relates to something that was also in our Sunday reading. John says of this Son of man: "from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword." In Sunday's first reading from Isaiah, the prophet speaks of "the shoot that shall come out of the stump of Jesse" (a Messianic identity) and in a wonderful passage describes the righteousness and justice and peace that will issue from his presence. The most "militant" verse says of this coming Messiah "he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked."
In other biblical imagery the focus of power is in the hand. The hand is the instrument of the power of coercion. But the messianic power that Isaiah and John speak of is the power of the mouth -- the power of witness and word and testimony. The exercise of power that Jesus manifests is not violent or coercive, but persuasive and yielding.
We see that verbal power exercised in contrasting ways in the other two readings today. Amos is an "in your face" kind of guy. When the priest of the important shrine of Bethel hears Amos' prophecy of Israel's overthrow and God's intentions against the house of the King Jereboam, the priest Amaziah sends word to the king and banishes Amos from the shrine. Go back to where you came from, he says to Amos.
Amos lets the priest have it. "Your wife shall become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be parceled out by line; you yourself shall die in an unclean land, and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land." No minced words, from Amos. But note, his power is in his words. He does not use violence or coercion; he only prophecies its immanence.
We hear a far different flavor of "word-power" from Jesus in Matthew's Gospel. Today we get the exquisite summary of the law. "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
Ultimately love is the greatest power in the universe. The word of love endures and prevails. This is the Messiah who strikes the earth with the rod of his mouth -- the message of love -- and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked -- with love. It is love that breaks and overcomes the false self within each of us and the corporate evil and injustice that infects the world. The cross and resurrection is the sign and effective victory of love over all.
It is the mouth of God and the word of love which triumphs.
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
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.
See our Web site at www.stpaulsfay.org
Perseverence
Monday, December 10 2007 -- Week of 2 Advent (Year 2)"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
Audio Podcasts of today's "Morning Reflection" and those from the past week are available from http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id244.html (go to St. Paul's Home Page www.stpaulsfay.org and click "Morning Reflection podcast")Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p 937)Psalms 25 (morning) 9, 15 (evening)Amos 7:1-9Revelation 1:1-8Matthew 22:23-33As I read the gospel this morning I almost chuckled. How angry and haughty these interlocutors of Jesus are. So serious. So worried about their human affairs. What about this woman who died childless even after being passed along through seven levirate marriages? You get the feeling they aren't really concerned about her. They've got an argument to win.
Jesus dismisses all of the conversation about marriage. It's not important, at least not from the perspective of eternity, he says. He doesn't even engage them in their argument.
My mind flashed back to questions I've heard Gene Robinson field. (Gene is the openly gay clergyman from New Hampshire whose election and consecration as bishop has so incensed some parts of the church that they are willing to create schism over him.) When Gene is asked about the people who have attacked him and the things they have said against him, he dismisses the questions with a smile. "It's okay. We will all be living together in the resurrection. We'll see each other in heaven. I just wish we could learn to live together here on earth."
The things we get upset about. Sometimes they don't appear so significant if we can place them into an eternal perspective.
I once saw a math textbook that was in a box at my grandmother's house. The math book belonged to my mother. It looked like it was for a sixth or seventh grader. (That would have been the early 1940's.) Written into the margins were the words, "This too shall pass." What anguish and confusion she must have been suffering. I hope the glance into a wider perspective relieved her anxiety.
I remember a particularly anxious day in seminary, when the students had debated some of the sexuality issues that have been challenging the church for fifty years now. An elder nun (in her 70's or 80's) shook her head in poignant grief. "Don't they understand? We're talking about love. We're talking about love!" Two people wish to commit their lives together in love, and we're arguing.
Lowell
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To Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the "Morning Reflections" email list,
go to our Subscriptions page -- http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id137.html
The Rev. Lowell Grisham
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, AR
The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church is to explore and celebrate
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.
See our Web site at www.stpaulsfay.org
Our Rule of Life:
We aspire to...
worship weekly
pray daily
learn constantly
serve joyfully
live generously.
Amos and the Arkansas Advocates
Friday, December 7, 2007 -- Week of 1 Advent (Year 2)(Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, 397)"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
Audio Podcasts of today's "Morning Reflection" and those from the past week are available from http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id244.html (go to St. Paul's Home Page www.stpaulsfay.org and click "Morning Reflection podcast")Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p 937)Psalms 16, 17 (morning) 22 (evening)Amos 5:1-17Jude 1-16Matthew 22:1-14I was with the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families yesterday. The president of their board spoke with deep appreciation about the good work that this group and others allied with them had accomplished during the previous Arkansas legislative session. It is a good session when one or two things are passed (or prevented), he said. During the most recent session, seven of their issues were fully or substantially successful. As I was reading Amos and hearing his accusations against Israel, I thought of a couple of those issues that the AACF worked for.
Amos condemns the wealthy and powerful in Israel "because you trample on the poor and take from them levies of grain." The footnote in my Access Bible says, "Levies of grain are the taxes imposed by creditors or landlords on poor farmers."
Two of the bills that passed with the AACF's support last session were aimed at lowering the tax burden especially for poorer people. The first was the reduction of tax on groceries. As the speaker said, "That doesn't make a big impact on me, but for those who are poor or barely getting by, it is significant in helping them get the bare necessities they need to put food on the table." The second bill he mentioned was one that raised the threshold for income tax in Arkansas. He said that the threshold level for taxing was right above poverty income. People whose income was so low that it was problematic for them to provide their basic needs were nevertheless paying significant income tax.
So much of Amos is addressed to the comfortable and wealthy who enjoy lives of security and even luxury while living in a society with poor neighbors struggling to get by. Amos condemns the failure of compassion and identity. "Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood, and bring righteousness to the ground!" Amos attacks the economic system, the politics, and the unjust taxation of eighth century Israel.
What might Amos consider a just system? He clearly sees that the wealthy and comfortable have a responsibility toward the poor and vulnerable. I think that he would promote a graduated income tax, where those of us who are able to meet and exceed our basic needs would return a greater percentage of our income to the common good. I think he would approve lowering or removing taxes on the basic necessities. I think he would disapprove of the sales tax, which is a regressive tax, placing a disproportionate burden on the poor. I think Amos would be shocked, as Warren Buffet was, when the billionaire financier pointed out that he paid a smaller percentage of his income in taxes than his secretary did. I believe he would condemn the predatory lending policies of certain "Payday" lenders, and I'll bet he would join the AACF in opposing lotteries, which encourage irresponsible behavior and function as regressive taxes that disproportionately affect the economic well-being of low-income families.
Not everyone agreed with Amos. He was a flash point of conflict, sparking resistance from religious, political and economic interests. But he pushed the conversation in the direction of questions of justice framed from the perspective of the poor. That was the agenda of the prophets. It is an agenda that Jesus adopted as well. Some theologians have seen the theme of advocacy for the poor as being so predominant in the scriptures that they describe the God of the Bible as a God who has "a preferential option for the poor." How might that translate in the upcoming presidential election year? What might the 2009 Arkansas legislative session do in pursuit of a preferential option for the poor? Those are Amos questions.
Lowell
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To Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the "Morning Reflections" email list,
go to our Subscriptions page -- http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id137.html
The Rev. Lowell Grisham
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, AR
The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church is to explore and celebrate
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.
See our Web site at www.stpaulsfay.org
Our Rule of Life:
We aspire to...
worship weekly
pray daily
learn constantly
serve joyfully
live generously.
The Allegory of the Vineyard
Thursday, December 6, 2007 -- Week of 1 Advent (Year 2)(Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, c. 342))"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
Audio Podcasts of today's "Morning Reflection" and those from the past week are available from http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id244.html (go to St. Paul's Home Page www.stpaulsfay.org and click "Morning Reflection podcast")
Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p 937)Psalms 18:1-20 (morning) 18:21-50 (evening)Amos 4:6-132 Peter 3:11-18Matthew 21:33-46Matthew loves to create allegories. Unlike parables, which are enigmatic and often ambiguous, allegories have a straight-line meaning, with each character or image in the story representing one other thing. The landowner (God) planted a vineyard (Israel), put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower (God's providential protection and instruction). Then he leased it to tenants (Israel's leaders) and went to another country (heaven). At the harvest, the landowner sent his slaves (the prophets) to collect his produce. The tenants seized, beat, killed, and stoned the slaves. Finally he sent his son (Jesus). They seized him (the passion), threw him out of the vineyard (to Golgotha), and killed him (crucifixion). Now God will punish those wretches (the leaders of Israel) and lease the vineyard to other tenants (the Church) who will give him the produce at the harvest time.
Matthew's community is a Jewish congregation that is in conflict with the local Jewish authorities. It is likely they have been expelled from the synagogue, as increasingly happened to followers of Jesus-the-Messiah, epecially after the fall of the Temple in 70 CE. Matthew's orientation is the most Jewish of the four gospels; it is also pretty polemical.
There are several stories about vineyards and landowners and tenants in the gospels. It's hard to know what the original version of these stories when spoken by Jesus might have been. Jesus used the common images and circumstances of peasant life when teaching and telling stories. One of the more interesting features of in-depth study of the gospels is the conversation among scholars debating about the meaning of the texts as we have them and creatively trying to reconstruct what Jesus might have originally said that, over time, evolved into the stories we get from the evangelists.
Matthew has taken the elements of a familiar agrarian injustice and turned them into an allegory about Jesus, "the stone that the builders rejected" which nevertheless has "become the cornerstone." He uses the story to announce that "the kingdom of God [has been] taken away from [the Jewish authorities] and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom [the disciples of Jesus]."
One of the more interesting commentators trying to uncover the original context and behind this story argues that this may have been a story addressed largely to Zealots and others who sought to overcome the injustices of a predatory economic system that powerful absentee landowners manipulated to force peasants into foreclosure and debt so that they lost title to their ancestral lands and often ended up in virtual slavery or jobless, and hopeless. The anger and desperation that this system produced left people ripe for militancy, and Jewish Zealots (the Romans would call them terrorists and bandits) urged them toward armed resistance and rebellion. It may be that the original version of this allegory was a story from Jesus saying that such violent response would only bring more violence.
The most familiar images of vineyard and land are those having to do with living in a way that is grounded in the divine life and so connected to the life of Jesus that one is energized by God and produces abundant fruit. In that image, whatever threatens the health of the branches and fruit needs to be addressed. When properly pruned, weeded, trained to grow in the right way, the plant will naturally produce good fruit, abundant life blessed by God.
And the bottom line, it all belongs to God. The land, the vine and the fruit. Trust God, and do not resort to militant means of control or abuse, and life will be fruitful.
Lowell
Judgment
Wednesday, December 5, 2007 -- Week of 1 Advent (Year 2)(Clement of Alexandria, Priest, c. 210)"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
Audio Podcasts of today's "Morning Reflection" and those from the past week are available from http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id244.html (go to St. Paul's Home Page www.stpaulsfay.org and click "Morning Reflection podcast")Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p 937)Psalms 119:1-24 (morning) 12, 13, 14 (evening)Amos 3:12 - 4:52 Peter 3:1-10Matthew 21:23-32The Biblical writers frequently take issue with those of us who are religious but fail to live by the values of God. In a parable that is unique to Matthew, Jesus asks about two sons -- which faithful? The one who speaks nicely and properly yet doesn't live up to his promise, or the one who sounds rebellious and arrogant but does the right thing? Deed speaks louder than words is a major theme of Matthew's gospel.
Amos drives the same point home with even more edge. He ridicules the public religious practices of Israel, calling them a multiplication of transgressions. With biting sarcasm he tells them, "bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days; bring a thank offering of leavened bread, and proclaim freewill offerings, publish them; for so you love to do, O people of Israel! says the Lord God." Amos says that God "will punish the altars of Bethel, and the horns of the altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground."
Amos' most bitter criticism is directed at the wealthy and powerful -- those who have winter houses in the Jordan valley where they can flee the cold, houses with furniture inlaid with ivory. "I will tear down the winter house as well as the summer house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall come to an end, says the Lord."
With punishing sarcasm Amos speaks judgment on the elite women of the city "who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to their husbands, 'Bring something to drink!'" Amos declares that they will suffer violent deportation by Israel's enemies. Amos describes the judgment that God has rendered to this wealthy nation that neglects its poor: "As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who live in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part of a bed."
This is fierce language. Imagine someone speaking in the name to God to our people, ridiculing our religious observances, declaring that militant Islamic hordes will come and destroy the McMansions and carry our women off in bondage. Yes, Amos attracted the attention of the eighth century version of Homeland Security too.
One of Scripture's major themes is that God does not give a free ride to the wealthy and powerful. They are expected to use their power to promote justice, with a special eye to the needs of the weak and the poor. These are the values of God. Only power exercised with compassion is power used in the Spirit of God. And all of the religious observance and piety in the world will not atone for the suffering of the poor in the presence of the rich. Amos and all of the prophets and Jesus agree -- God will bring catastrophe on nations that fail in their duty for compassion.
I'm wondering what they would be saying to the candidates for President as they debate the values and direction of this nation. Who would Amos vote for?
Lowell
