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 7:1-9
Revelation 1:1-8
Matthew 22:23-33

As 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
______________________

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.