Friday, August 31, 2007

The Ambiguity of Saints

Friday, August 31, 2007 -- Week of Proper 16
(Aidan, Bishop of Lindisfarne, 651)

"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 (p. 980)
Psalms 16, 17 (morning) 22 (evening)
1 Kings 5:3 - 6:1, 7
Acts 28:1-16
Mark 14:27-42

I am glad that we are learning more about the spiritual and emotional struggles of Mother Teresa. Her life and ministry were truly inspirational and exemplary. She also lived with the kind of doubt and darkness that is common to all humanity and consistent with what we know of other saintly lives. Living consciously and faithfully with our dark side is critical to our mental and spiritual health. It is good to know that our heroes struggle with some of the same weaknesses that we might experience within our own lives. Faithful life and work involves maintaining hope and idealism in the face of human failure and weakness.

During the past three days we've read from the epic of 1 Kings about the reign of Solomon. His legacy is a touchstone of wisdom and power. Yet within this story about the building of the Temple, there is reference to forced labor, a form of slavery. Although Solomon expanded his nation's boundary and strength to historic proportions, in many ways he was much like any other Oriental tyrant. He was deeply resented, and some of the conflicts that led to the division of the kingdom soon after his death were rooted in animosity toward his abusive policies. King Solomon's heritage is a mixed one -- wise, powerful, tyrannical.

The latter part of the book of Acts narrates the travels of Paul in the form of a classic hero's epic. He guides a foundering ship's crew to safety and today shakes off a viper's bite. Thankfully we have many of his personal letters, so we know more about his colorful and at time ambiguous life. He is a hero, but at times he has an anger problem. He may be depressive. And many have speculated about the "thorn in the flesh" that troubled him chronically.

Today we begin the story of Peter's promise of faithfulness and his triple betrayal. We learn that the disciples cannot stay awake during Jesus' prayerful struggle. Jesus is "distressed and agitated... deeply grieved, even to death." He asks to escape the forthcoming ordeal. He speaks for all of us saying, "the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

I recently read an essay about some of the factors that influenced the disillusion of several movements of the 1960's and '70's. The struggle for racial equality and gender equality, the peace movement and anti-materialism movements of those days were strongly inspired by values of love and equality and a hopeful vision of a better and more united world. Millions were motivated by great idealism in the pursuit of these hopes. According to the essay, one of the weakness within these movements was a failure to incorporate the recognition of human sin and weakness within the idealism of those groups. When people acted like people -- selfish or power dominated -- many threw up their hands in withdrawal, giving up their hopes in fits of recriminations.

It is one of the strengths of the Church that ours is a heritage and theology that recognizes the ambiguity, fallenness, and weakness of our institutions, heroes and people. We have a process for self-examination, prayer, confession, forgiveness and restitution. In fact, our Church is founded on the "rock" of Peter, the apostle who could not live up to his own expectations. At the critical time of trial, he denied Jesus three times. He was restored and became the founding witness to the resurrection. Thank God we know, saints are human. As the old hymn goes, "...for the saints of God are just folk like men, and I mean to be one too."

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.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

The Last Supper

Thursday, August 30, 2007 -- Week of Proper 16

"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 (p. 980)
Psalms 18:1-20 (morning) 18:21-50 (evening)
1 Kings 3:16-28
Acts 27:27-44
Mark 14:12-26

On the last night of his life, Jesus gave his friends his last teaching, which symbolically integrates his teaching and being. Mark (and the gospels of Matthew and Luke which follow Mark's outline) places the Last Supper within the context of a Passover remembrance. (John does not.) (The elaborate ritual of the Jewish Seder many of us have attended was not a feature of Jewish practice until after the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE.)

Meals have been central to Jesus' life and teaching. His practice of open fellowship with sinners was scandalous in a culture where dining together was a public event that sealed relationships of permanent friendship, acceptance and loyalty. The miracle of the feeding of the multitudes is the only miracle that occurs in all four gospels. "Give us this day our daily bread" is a petition at the center of the prayer that he taught. Meals are sacred.

Jesus identifies himself with the broken bread and the poured wine. The Passover relationship connects with the great Jewish story of liberation from bondage and oppression by the mighty act of God. The presence of the betrayer is a powerful reminder of the continual presence of disloyalty, ambiguity and sin within every human community. The gift of the bread and wine will become the catalyst for the disciples' recognition of the resurrection on Easter, when they will know him "in the breaking of the bread." From that moment on, the celebration of the Eucharist as a holy communion with Jesus has been the characteristic act of Christian practice and worship.

Here's a favorite quote about the Eucharist from John MacQuarrie (Paths in Spirituality):
The Eucharist sums up in itself Christian worship, experience and theology in an amazing richness. It seems to include everything. It combines Word and Sacrament; its appeal is to spirit and to sense; it brings together the sacrifice of Calvary and the presence of the risen Christ; it is communion with God and communion with man; it covers the whole gamut of religious moods and emotions. Again, it teaches the doctrine of creation, as the bread, the wine, and ourselves are brought to God; the doctrine of atonement, for these gifts have to be broken in order that they may be perfected; the doctrine of salvation, for the Eucharist has to do with incorporation into Christ and the sanctification of human life; above all, the doctrine of incarnation, for it is no distant God whom Christians worship but one who has made himself accessible in the world.

The Eucharist also gathers up in itself the meaning of the Church; its whole action implies and sets forth our mutual interdependence in the body of Christ; it unites us with the Church of the past and even, through its paschal overtones, with the first people of God, Israel; and it points to the eschatological consummation of the kingdom of God, as an anticipation of the heavenly banquet. Comprehensive though this description is, it is likely that I have missed something, for the Eucharist seems to be inexhaustible.

What a gift!

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.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

"The poor will always be with you..."

Wednesday, August 29, 2007 -- Week of Proper 16

"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 (p. 980)
Psalms 119:1-24 (morning) 12, 13, 14 (evening)
1 Kings 3:1-15
Acts 27:9-26
Mark 14:1-11

I remember being challenged by a friend during a political election years ago. It might have been the Richard Nixon vs. Hubert Humphrey race, I don't recall. My friend grew up in a church she characterized as "Bible-believing." She was critical of one of the presidential nominees and taking issue with the entire notion that the government should do anything whatsoever in response to poverty. "After all," she said. "Jesus told us that the poor would always be with us. Besides, it is the Church's responsibility to take care of the poor, not the government's." She was repeating what she had been taught in her church.

When Judas Iscariot criticizes the generous outpouring of love from the woman who anoints Jesus' head with expensive ointment, he cynically uses a pseudo-compassionate argument. We could have used the money for that ointment for the poor, he says. But he's not a person with a heart for the poor. Nor is he a person of a generous heart. It is said that he embezzled some of the funds that the disciples used for their ministry. Often it is those with the darkest shadow who project their own defects into the public arena, imaging a false personal piety for themselves and finding fault with others who live openly in relationship with whatever that person is secretly struggling with.

It is important to continue reading the entire quote of Jesus' words to Judas. "You always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish..." Showing kindness to the poor is one of the major themes of scripture. It is a core value of Jesus and of the whole of the Bible.

Many of the psalms and the prophets judge the righteousness of the ruler primarily by the ruler's response of generosity toward the poor. The Biblical case that the political and economic systems are expected to act justly and generously toward the poor is a strong one. I've never known where "Bible-believing" churches would get the notion that the Church should have a monopoly over kindness toward the poor and the government should turn a cold shoulder. It's certainly not a Biblical notion.

Here's where I would love some help from someone who reads my Morning Reflections. I remember reading about a study comparing the income of American churches with the value of poverty programs such as Food Stamps or Medicaid. The study concluded that if every dollar contributed to every Church in the U.S. were diverted entirely to relief of the poor, it would not equal the value of even one of the major governmental relief programs. I wish I could find that study or report. Is anyone familiar with that information?

The simple truth is that Jesus is a person of compassion and generosity toward the poor and those who suffer. Jesus also chooses peaceful nonviolence rather than domination by power. His grounding ethic is love. Whenever we live outside those values, we're probably going to be trying to rationalize our choices or project our shadow on others.

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.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Apocalypse

Tuesday, August 28, 2007 -- Week of Proper 16
(Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 430))

"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 (p. 980)
Psalms 5, 6 (morning) 10, 11 (evening)
1 Kings 1:38 - 2:4
Acts 26:24 - 27:8
Mark 13:28-37

Apocalyptic literature abounds among ancient religious traditions. There are many apocalyptic compositions among the early Christian writings. Only the book of Revelation and a few fragments in the Gospels were incorporated into the Christian scriptures. Apocalyptic literature intends to encourage the reader's steadfastness and hope in the midst of threat or challenge by asserting that God is actually in control of this frightening and chaotic world and will intervene with decisive justice.

This section of Mark's Gospel is sometimes called the "Little Apocalypse." It includes several characteristics typical of apocalyptic writing -- predictions of destruction, heavenly portents, the gathering of God's chosen. In Mark's Gospel we read of an expectation of an immanent end of the world. (Mark's is the earliest Gospel.) There is a similar expectation in the earliest of Paul's writing.

One of the major themes that flows through the early Christian literature is how the church dealt with the delay of the expected return of Christ. Most scholars believe that apocalyptic expectation was part of Jesus' teaching. Mark offers the expectation that "this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place." There is a qualification in Mark's Gospel, however: "But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

Matthew takes much of this same material but removes the end-of-the-world context. For Matthew, the signs of conflict, persecution and familial disintegration are signs that one is living faithfully according to the teachings of Jesus. Luke employs a kind of delayed eschatology that implies that the end has already come in the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, and we now live in the new age. In John, the term "eternal life" refers to a quality of existence that is filled with the presence of Jesus here and now.

Some interpreters in the scientific or modern age attempted to analyze apocalyptic texts in a style similar to the scientific method. They tried to collect the many images and predictions into a logical pattern and correlate those to observable history in order to create a predictable outcome. These works -- usually filled with cross references, "scholarly" analysis and footnotes -- were especially popular toward the end of the modern age ("The Late Great Planet Earth" and the "Left Behind" series). I wrote my honors thesis on a 17th century devotee to apocalyptic thought. He was convinced that the events of the Puritan revolution in England as the year 1666 approached was an indication of the fulfillment of the end times.

I've never been drawn to apocalyptic writing except for its fantastic imagery and poetry. I also appreciate the energy of apocalyptic alertness, but more in the tradition of a day-to-day expectation of presence than an end of time cataclysm. End-time predictions seem to have a short shelf life and doubtful premise to me. I'm more comfortable accepting "about that day or hour no one knows" rather than believing that Hal Lindsay or Tim LaHaye knows.

Recent scholarship, noting the absence of persecution during the time of Revelation's composition, has suggested that the real threat that the final book of the New Testament writes of is not some form of Roman persecution, but rather the temptations and enticements of Roman wealth, power and materialism. When read in that light, the often perplexing book of Revelation comes to new life for me. Indeed, it becomes an apocalypse warning of the danger of consumerism, the idolatrous god of our own day. That's a theme we will visit in tomorrow's reading.

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.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Challenging the Temple

NOTE: I leave tomorrow for California to officiate at my nephew's wedding. I won't be able to post Morning Reflections until Tuesday, August 28.

Monday, August 20, 2007 -- Week of Proper 15
(Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, 1157)

"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 (p. 980)
Psalms 106:1-18 (morning) 106:19-48 (evening)
2 Samuel 17:24 - 18:8
Acts 22:30 - 23:11
Mark 11:12-26

The Jerusalem Temple was a center of religious and economic power. The Temple held a religious monopoly over forgiveness for sins. Sacrifice was necessary for the remission of sins, and the Temple was the sole authorized place of sacrifice. Inspectors insured that the animals offered were without blemish, and if a worshiper brought an animal deemed to be flawed, unblemished animals were available for sale. For a peasant whose animal raised at home did not pass the inspection, it was a grave hardship to have to produce currency to buy an animal at the premium prices of the Temple.

The Temple also made a profit on the exchange of currency. Roman coinage bearing the image of the Emperor was not allowed inside the Temple. So, in the Court of the Gentiles the Temple set up a currency exchange for the offerings of the devout. The money changers also converted coinage for paying the annual Temple Tax, required of all Jews in or outside Israel. They charged a fixed fee for their services. It added up to a lot of money.

Each of these exchanges were costly, especially to the peasants for whom such extra expenses were particularly burdensome in their subsistence poverty. Just like the sales tax is more burdensome for the poor than for the rich, these charges were disproportionately hard for the poor.

Jesus' attack on the economy of the Temple is a profound act. Practically it is insignificant. Within the hour following his overturning their tables they would be back in business. Barely a blip on the bottom line. But symbolically it is significant. Jesus accuses the Temple authorities of injustice. "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations. But you have made it a den of robbers."

But it is the last verse in this passage that is the truly significant challenge to the Temple. "Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses." This is a radical statement. With this statement, and other similar sayings, Jesus challenges the Temple monopoly on forgiveness.

Jesus caused scandal on several occasions by pronouncing to various people, "Your sins are forgiven you." Such a statement was blasphemy, according to the conventional interpretation. Only God can forgive sins. And the prescribed way to have one's sins forgiven was through the Temple. The Temple had a monopoly on forgiveness. And the Temple made money at each step of the forgiveness process.

When Jesus declared free forgiveness without recourse to the Temple, he not only opened up God's mercy to God's people, he also challenge a powerful economic interest. No wonder they wanted him dead. If people were able to receive God's forgiveness freely, the Temple and the powerful people who administer it would lose vast revenue. It was about money. He needed killing.

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.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Servant Leadership

Thursday, August 16, 2007 -- Week of Proper 14

"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 (p. 978)
Psalms 105:1-22 (morning) 105:23-55 (evening)
2 Samuel 15:1-18
Acts 21:27-36
Mark 10:32-45

"You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all."

The leader as servant. It is an idea that has blossomed not only among the followers of Jesus, but also in corporate life. A Servant Leadership model has transformed many businesses who have discovered that they are more effective and more profitable when they change their paradigm from a "power-over" to a "power-with" culture.

Robert K. Greenleaf wrote in 1970 in his now classic book The Servant as Leader: "The servant leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. The best test is: do those served grow as persons; do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more likely themselves to become servants?"

I remember John Lewis talking about his philosophy as a bank president. He made it a priority to insure that the employees of the bank were growing as persons, becoming healthier, wiser, freer, more likely themselves to become servants. Part of his job was to serve their best interests. He encouraged the bank to have the same attitude of service toward the community. How can our bank help our community become healthier, wiser, freer, more likely themselves to become servants? It's not about money, though making money is important, he said. It's about serving and helping people become more than they were.

In our Servant Leadership School we outline some of the differences between the power-with paradigm and the power-over paradigm. The power-with paradigm is undergirded by faith and love rather than fear and control. A sense of sufficiency, fullness and trust replaces an attitude of scarcity, emptiness and anxiety. A culture of grace, self-acceptance and belonging replaces a culture of shame, self-rejection and earning. A spirit of participation, non-violence and relational power replaces control, coercion and unilateral power.

How different might our world be if the kind of servant leadership that Jesus models became the norm for all of our organizations -- our businesses, our non-profits, our governments.

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.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Humanity and God

Wednesday. August 15, 2007 -- Week of Proper 14
(St. Mary the Virgin, Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ)

"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

EITHER the readings for Wednesday of Proper 14 (p. 978)
Psalms 101, 109:1-4(5-19)20-30 (morning) 119:121-144 (evening)
2 Samuel 14:21-33
Acts 21:15-26
Mark 10:17-31

OR the readings for St. Mary's Day (p. 999)
Morning Prayer: Psalms 113, 115 / 1 Samuel 2:1-10 / John 2:1-12
Evening Prayer: Psalms 45 or 138, 149 / Jeremiah 31:1-14 or Zechariah 2:10-13 / John 19:23-27 or Acts 1:6-14

I read the readings for St. Mary

This is basic stuff. A mother and child. That's how we all came into the world. It's universal. The love between mother and child is fundamental. If our memories could go back far enough, we would all know the same thing. We were nourished and carried within the womb of our mothers. From there we have varied stories of beginnings. But there is something basic and universal in our origins with every other human being on earth.

In Mary we have an icon of God with us. We recognize God entering into human life completely through Mary's willing cooperation. The image of mother and child becomes a picture of the intimacy between God and creation. The motherly nurture of the budding spiritual presence which is God with us. The vulnerability of God's pouring out divine life into our experience. The powerful and universal love that connects humanity to God and God to humanity.

Hannah's song rejoices how God reverses everything. We can sing with her. God has come to us from the exalted distantness of the Holy -- eternity, transcendence, otherness. God has become baby. And the lowly woman is exalted into Glory -- Mary, the mother of God. Humanity births divinity.

John shows us in the first sign of Jesus what this union brings to life. Water becomes wine. Abundant wine. Hundreds of gallons of wine, to oil the celebration of another basic union in the wedding of Cana. Joy. Joy abundant. Community and union. The many made one. The other united. Complete reconciliation. All life is interwoven and filled with divinity. Our waterly humanity sparkles with new taste and color, fragrance and complexity. Our heads may spin with the joy of it. And, we know, it is not completely safe. There is danger present in the wine and in the sword that will pierce the heart of this woman, the nails that will pierce the child.

Today we celebrate the spirit of the woman who said "yes." She is our model for how the divine enters into the human. We recognize in the most basic of human conditions the union between God and humanity. All of us are one -- with each other and with God. This is the wine that is the elixir of life.

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.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

How do you know?

Tuesday, August 14, 2007 -- Week of Proper 14
(Jonathan Myrick Daniels, Seminarian and Witness for Civil Rights, 1965)

"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 (p. 978)
Psalms 97, 99, [100] (morning) 94, [95] (evening)
2 Samuel 14:1-20
Acts 21:1-14
Mark 10:1-16

Last Sunday we had a session of "Grill the Priest" with the youth of our EYC (Episcopal Youth Community). One of the best questions that I got was from one of the young people who began with a quote from 1 Corinthians (10:13): "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God." He asked, "How do you know what is to the glory of God? How do you know what God wants you to do for the glory of God?"

In some way all three readings wrestle with this question today. In the Acts of the Apostles, Paul travels toward Jerusalem, visiting with the Christian communities at every stop. In Tyre some with prophetic gifts spoke to him. "Through the Spirit they told Paul not to go on to Jerusalem." In Caesarea the prophet Agabus offered a prophetic act to warn Paul that he would be handed over for punishment if he goes to Jerusalem.

Paul is steadfast in his conviction that he is called by God to travel to Jerusalem. He lives into one of the central themes of Luke's entire message reflecting upon how God's will is accomplished in the midst of rejection. "For I am ready not only to be bound but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." He is confident of the will of God and what he should do "for the glory of God."

What an appropriate reading for the feast of Jonathan Daniels, an Episcopal seminarian who came to Alabama during the voting rights struggle of 1965. He stepped in front of an angry white crowd to protect a black girl, and he took a fatal 12-gauge shotgun blast meant for her.

God's will is not so clear in 1 Samuel. We have the story of the complicated family relations of David. His general Joab manipulates a decision about the return of David's son Absalom. Traditional justice would demand Absalom's blood or banishment because he killed his half-brother Amnon for the rape of Tamar. But the actress from Tekoa plays to David's compassion, and he rules an exception to the tradition for her. It is really a ploy on behalf of the return of Absalom. David's compassion might have been rewarded, had Absalom acted with integrity, but this bending of the rules will not play out well. David is caught in a dilemma. What is God's will for David concerning Absalom?

Finally we have the questions in Mark about divorce and remarriage. Jesus makes a straightforward statement declaring all divorce as being against God's will. The exceptions that Jewish law allows were created "because of your hardness of heart," he says. The text goes further. Acknowledging that some may legally divorce, Jesus speaks an absolute ban on remarriage as long as the former spouse is still alive.

Until 1978 (I believe) the Episcopal Church followed this scripture and forbade any service of remarriage when a former spouse was still living. But people who had rediscovered the possibility of love, companionship and commitment with another person came asking the church's blessing upon a new life that felt like resurrection, new life and love coming out of the experience of the death of a former relationship. Our priests could not bless those new relationships. Typically a priest would refer the couple to a friendly Methodist pastor who would be free to conduct the marriage service.

After decades of seeing the fruit of the relationships of second marriages, many of which were loving, faithful, and life giving, the church changed its Canon to allow remarriage under some careful conditions. It was a controversial decision, but the witness of so many whose lives had been blessed after divorce turned the church's heart in compassion away from the tradition laid out in Mark 10. I think of our former Bishop Larry Maze who spoke of his divorce as his greatest failure and of his marriage to Beth as one of his greatest blessings. What is God's will "for the glory of God" for marriage and families, especially after the death of a relationship?

Lowell
______________________

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.

Monday, August 13, 2007

The Seriousness of Sin

Monday, August 13, 2007 -- Week of Proper 14
(Jeremy Taylor, Bishop of Down, Conner, and Dromore, 1667)

"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 (p. 978)
Psalms 89:1-18 (morning) 89:19-52 (evening)
2 Samuel 13:23-39
Acts 20:17-38
Mark 9:42-50

I remember from my childhood being haunted by these verses from Mark's gospel: "If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; ...And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; ...And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched."

I knew ways I had been mean or even cruel to friends. I was pretty sure these were some of the "little ones" who believe in Jesus. Did that count as putting a "stumbling block" before them? I learned what a millstone was, and imagined the horror of being tied to one and thrown into the sea. It frightened me terribly, yet Jesus says that is the better option.

I wondered, what does it mean to say that your hand or foot or eye causes one to stumble? What kind of stumble would merit the loss of a limb or organ? Would that really make me better? If I cut off one hand, wouldn't the other one eventually cause me to stumble too? I don't think I have enough parts.

I thought about hell. A burning fire that is never quenched. How could you burn forever and never be consumed? It was horrible to contemplate, yet contemplate it I did. It made me very afraid. It made me want to curl up somewhere where I couldn't do something with my hand or foot or eye that would bring such terrible consequences.

I've read the commentaries. The word "hell" is literally "Gehenna" -- the Jerusalem garbage dump where the fires literally did burn continually and the worm never dies. I've read about the tradition of Semitic exaggeration. Heck, I've heard Southern exaggeration: "I love you so much I could squeeze you to death."

It remains that this passage is a vivid statement of how seriously Jesus takes our sin. How seriously we should regard our sin. Maybe this outburst from Jesus will expose our selfishness, self-justification and tepidness enough to provoke change -- repentance. Jesus' cross is a reminder of how serious our sins are. What we choose to do with our hands; where we choose to go with our feet; what we choose to gaze at with our eyes are of ultimate seriousness and significance. The option of choosing between quitting our damaging behavior on the one hand, and self-mutilation on the other hand, is a motivation toward the seriousness of change. It is also a reminder that we all stand weak and disordered in serious need of grace.

Lowell

______________________

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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.

Friday, August 10, 2007

Two Ways

Friday, August 10, 2007 -- Week of Proper 13
(Laurence -- Deacon, and Martyr at Rome, 258)

"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 (p. 978)
Psalms 88 (morning) 91, 92 (evening)
2 Samuel 12:1-14
Acts 19:21-41
Mark 9:14-29

Abusive power and money, followed by the effects of spiritual power -- our readings today are a study of contrasts.

David has used his power to seduce Bathsheba and to effect the death of the honorable soldier Uriah. But the prophet Nathan confronts David's wrongdoing. Because David has the power of life and death, Nathan must charge David indirectly. He uses a story as a metaphor of David's abuse of power. David recognizes his responsibility and his sin. Now he must live with the consequences. Whenever the powerful abuse their power, it causes suffering for the weak and vulnerable.

We move to Ephesus where Paul's ministry provokes a threatening response. Ephesus housed a shrine to Artemis, the goddess of the hunt and fertility. It is called one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and was a destination for pilgrimage and devotion. Beautiful statues of the goddess with many breasts survive in museums today. The cult of her devotion brought many travelers and much money to Ephesus.

In today's reading in Acts a sliversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, provoked the artisans to attack Paul and his companions as threatening his business and the honor that the city derived from cult of Artemis. The crowd almost turns into a riot before the town clerk can quiet them. When religion begins to pry into money matters it will always elicit a strong response.

But Jesus meets a crowd and shows another way. There is a parent with a son. From childhood the son has suffered from something frightening and threatening. The description sounds like grand mal seizures. Help him, cries the father. Jesus invites him into the way of hope. "All things can be done for the one who believes," Jesus tells him. In a wonderfully candid response, the man responds, "I believe; help my unbelief!" Jesus heals the boy. Later the disciples asked why they could not heal him. Jesus makes it clear that such things come through God's agency, through prayer.

We live in a world that is corrupted and dominated by the abuse of power and by the power of money. These powers exercise their dominion through a culture of fear -- dominate or be dominated; everybody's out to get you so get them first; use power to get what you want; money is power; it's all about money. Typically those with the money have the power, and they use their power to expand their power.

That is not the way of Jesus. His way is the way of compassion and love. He sees all people as children of one Father, and his work is to bring healing, especially to the suffering. His power is God's power, which decries force. This is the cross Jesus invites his followers to pick up daily and carry.

I believe that this is the ultimate power that will overcome all division and oppression. I believe, but I see so few results. Ours is a culture that worships money and power; our leaders promote fear to exercise power and domination. That way will never prevail. The way of hope is the way of God. I believe that compassion, love and healing will overcome the abuses of power and materialism. I believe; help my unbelief.

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.

Thursday, August 09, 2007

Power and Transfiguration

Thursday, August 9, 2007 -- Week of Proper 13

"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 (p. 978)
Psalms [83] or 145 (morning) 85, 86 (evening)
2 Samuel 11:1-27
Acts 19:11-20
Mark 9:2-13

The readings we've had in 2 Samuel lately show David as a crafty ruler of questionable ethics. He had a Machiavellian streak in him -- his dealings with Saul's family and his use of the sons of Zeruiah to do his dirty work. Today he seduces Bathsheba and tries unsuccessfully to dupe the loyal Uriah. So he has Uriah killed under the cover of battle. This is the ugly, worldly manipulation of power that we see in various guises daily.

What a contrast we have with the reading of Mark's version of the transfiguration. For a moment Peter, James and John are able to see more deeply into reality. They have a vision of Jesus as he really is. Within this cloud there is knowing and unknowing, but they are in touch with a more significant meaning.

And in Acts it seems that we have the mixture of the lives of transfiguration and of manipulation. Magicians and itinerant exorcists seek to manipulate power and are blocked. But the spiritual power of Jesus that emanates from Paul brings healing and congruity.

Rabbi Michael Lerner's research through the Institute of Labor and Mental Health has spent the last twenty-nine years studying working people. They have found that nearly everyone they interview wants to feel that their work is about something with meaning and a higher purpose. They also found that nearly everyone works within an environment that is governed by the drive to make money and to maximize the power of the institution that they work for. There are very few jobs that invite people to work for a higher purpose of significant meaning. It's about money and power.

For many people, religion was the only place where they found a sense of meaning and purpose and an alternative source of power. The researchers also found that though the churches often articulated messages which rejected the materialistic values of the world of money and power, they didn't ask their people to try to change the world they live and work in. In the name of religious values they often supported political and economic policies that actually reinforced the money and power driven agenda that seemed so draining to their people's lives. The ugly, worldly manipulation of power continues without a vigorous challenge from people with religious values.

Peter, James and John got to see into the depths of meaning and purpose that Jesus brings to the world. But it is a vision that will be challenged. Immediately after the experience of Transfiguration, Jesus speaks of the suffering that he will have to confront. The entrenched economic and political powers of Temple and State do not surrender to the higher powers of love and compassion without a fight.

But true power is stronger than mere force. Love overcomes death. Materialism eventually disappoints and spiritual people awaken. Whenever that happens, compassion begins to supplant manipulation; generosity transcends greed; and service replaces control. That's the agenda of God in the face of a world of Machiavellian values.

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.

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Process

Tuesday, August 7, 2007 -- Week of Proper 13
(John Mason Neale)

"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 (p. 978)
Psalms 78:1-39 (morning) 78:40-72 (evening)
2 Samuel 7:18-29
Acts 19:1-10
Mark 8:22-33

There are interesting developments in each of the three lessons today. Something is established, and then follows a further development which deepens or clarifies the earlier process.

In 2 Samuel we have a picture of David securely established as King in Jerusalem. He has built a house to live in and intends to build a "house" for God to live in, a Temple for the ark of the covenant. We read yesterday how Nathan dissuaded David from building God a house, but spoke in the name of the Lord that God would establish David's house forever. Today we hear David praise God in lavish thanksgiving for having brought the people to their land and having established David and his house. The building of the Temple in Jerusalem will be left for David's son to complete. The Temple will become the place of meeting between God and the people of Israel.

In Acts we read of two traditions of baptism. Earlier we met Apollos who came from Alexandria to Ephesus as an evangelist for the gospel. Apparently he was a strong defender of the conviction that Jesus was the promised Jewish Messiah. In Ephesus Apollos was instructed by Paul's companions Priscilla and Aquila, probably in the teaching of Paul which emphasized freedom from the law and justification by grace. Apollos then went to Corinth. We pick the story up as Paul comes to Ephesus, where he finds some of the disciples who have received a baptism of repentance, the baptism of John, but they have not received or heard of the gift of the Holy Spirit. So Paul baptizes them in the name of Jesus and lays hands on them, and they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, confirmed by the manifestation of their speaking in tongues.

In Mark we read of a two-stage healing in Bethsaida. Jesus puts saliva on a blind man's eyes and lays hands on him. The man is partially healed, "I can see people, but they look like trees, walking." Then Jesus lays his hands on him again, and the man's sight is fully restored. Immediately following, Jesus asks the disciples who people say he is. John the Baptist, Elijah or one of the prophets, they answer. Who do you say I am? Peter says, "You are the Messiah." Peter sees. But then Jesus tells that the Son of Man must suffer. This cannot be, says Peter. Jesus rebukes him. Peter does not see.

Faith is a process. We learn and grow. God's work develops. God builds on the past and corrects.

Sometimes there are things denied one generation that are given and realized to a subsequent age. Often our spiritual development moves from a turning away in repentance into an embrace of a fuller, freer life in the Spirit. Most people experience a deeper and clearer vision as they continue in their walk with Jesus. Even when we think we know who we are and who Jesus is, our faith can be challenged when faced with trouble or threat.

No one gets everything all at once. Life and faith is always a process. We continue to have room for growth and correction. God isn't finished with us yet.

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.

Monday, August 06, 2007

Transfiguration

Monday, August 6, 2007 -- Week of Proper 13
The Transfiguration of our Lord

"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

EITHER the readings for Monday in Proper 13 (p. 976)
Psalms 80 (morning) 77, [79] (evening)
2 Samuel 7:1-17
Acts 18:1-11
Mark 8:11-21

OR the readings for The Transfiguration (p. 998)
Morning Prayer: Psalms 2, 24 / Exodus 24:12-18 / 2 Corinthians 4:1-6
Evening Prayer: Psalms 72 / Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 / John 12:27-26a

(I read the propers for The Feast of the Transfiguration)

Moses enters the fire and cloud, which is the presence of God. When he returns from the mountain, he is radiant. His skin glows in such a way that the people become troubled.

Paul proclaims a vision of "the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. ...For it is the God who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." Jesus, the human face of God. To see Jesus is to see God in a human life. Such a vision transfigures humanity and opens our eyes to see the divine.

From time to time the veil parts, and we glimpse deeper into the wonder of reality. Whenever we are grasped by the beauty and mystery of life, we are open to a moment of transfiguration.

Thomas Merton's entry in his private journal for March 19, 1958 -- "Yesterday, in Louisville, at the corner of 4th and Walnut, suddenly realized that I loved all the people and that none of them were, or, could be totally alien to me. As if waking from a dream -- the dream of separateness, of the 'special' vocation to be different. My vocation does not really make me different from the rest of men or put me is a special category except artificially, juridically. I am still a member of the human race—and what more glorious destiny is there for man, since the Word was made flesh and became, too, a member of the Human Race!

"Thank God! Thank God! I am only another member of the human race, like all the rest of them. I have the immense joy of being a man! As if the sorrows of our condition could really matter, once we begin to realize who and what we are—as if we could ever begin to realize it on earth."

I think every person on the planet has an experience that lets them glimpse below the superficial reality into some of the depths of beauty and wonder that is creation. It maybe something that can happen daily.

I remember driving early one morning, entering an interstate highway. I was bothered and troubled by something, and felt inadequate to face something I needed to face. As I began to speed up on the acceleration ramp, I was grasped by the green color of the interstate sign. It seemed so intense, so vivid, shimmering with life and light. The sign was absolutely beautiful, and something within its beauty seemed friendly, almost personal. I was amazed at the stunning particular greenness of that interstate sign, and I chuckled to myself, realizing how many interstate signs I had passed, and never seen their glorious beauty before. With that momentary insight, I knew I could handle the problem that had troubled me. I was at peace, completely grateful, to be alive in such a wondrous universe.

Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God:
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes,
The rest sit round it, and pluck blackberries
(Elizabeth Barrett Browning)

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.

Friday, August 03, 2007

The Dog Woman

Friday, August 3, 2007 -- Week of Proper 12

"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 (p. 976)
Psalms 69:1-23 (24-30) 31-38 (morning) 73 (evening)
2 Samuel 5:1-12
Acts 17:1-15
Mark 7:24-37

The story of the healing of the daughter of the Syrophoenician woman is a significant one. Up to this point in Mark's gospel, Jesus has been a Jew talking to Jews. He has acted like a Rabbi who has a gift to heal. He teaches and feeds the people. He argues over points of scripture. He appears to be one who is calling the Jewish people to repentance and reform. He appears as one who might be the hoped for Jewish Messiah.

But then he leaves Israel and goes into the foreign region of Tyre on the Mediterranian coast of Phoenecia. His reputation as wonder worker and healer has preceded him. A Gentile woman comes to ask Jesus to cast the demon out of her daughter. Jesus sets a natural boundary. "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs."

To our ears it sounds like an unkind statement. Dogs were unclean animals, scavengers. In the scriptures Gentiles are occasionally called dogs. It would have been part of the cultural world view of Jesus' upbringing to refer to them as dogs. He was a Jew. His mission was to God's chosen, the Jews. Let them be fed first. It is a reasonable statement of a boundary. We hear similar things today. Let our children be fed first. It's not fair to take our children's food and give it to illegals. It's not fair to take our children's food and waste in on foreign aid.

The dog-woman answers, "Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs."

That changed everything. Why? She didn't convert and become Jewish. She didn't acknowledge Jesus as the Lord and promise to follow him. She's still a Gentile.

But Jesus hears her words. They are words of cleverness. They are words of love. Jesus hears a kind of wisdom and love that is self-authenticating. These are not the words of a dog. These are words of one of God's children. Despite everything he has been taught since childhood and the testimony of scripture about the unclean foreigners, Jesus recognizes her as a fellow child of God. He gives to her as he has given to his own, God's chosen people.

From this point on in Mark's gospel, there will be no distinction. What Jesus does in Israel for Jews he does in other regions for Gentiles. He heals and teaches. He will feed a multitude of Gentiles just like he fed the multitude of Jews. He makes no distinction in his ministry. And he does not expect them to convert from their religion to his.

How much safer a planet might we have if all Christians had adopted Jesus' stance toward foreigners and those of other religions.

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.