Friday, November 30, 2007

The Bitter Cup

Friday, November 30, 2007 -- Week of Proper 29
(St. Andrew 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

EITHER the readings for Friday of Pr 29 (Book of Common Prayer, p 994)
Psalms 140, 142 (morning) 141, 143:1-11(12) (evening)
Isaiah 24:14-23
1 Peter 3:13 - 4:6
Matthew 20:17-28

OR the readings for St. Andrew's Day (p. 996)
Morning Prayer: Psalm 34; Isaiah 49:1-6; 1 Corinthians 4:1-16
Evening Prayer: Psalms 96, 100, Isaiah 55:1-5; John 1:35-42

Since I read St. Andrew's Day yesterday by mistake and wrote yesterday's reflection on Andrew, I read Friday, Proper 29 today.

There is a congruence among today's readings.

In Matthew's gospel Jesus speaks first of his impending passion, when he will be handed over, crucified and raised. James' and John's mother hears only the last part, the part about Jesus being raised. "Can my sons have the seats of honor when you come into your kingdom?" She doesn't know what she is asking, he says. You think you are ready for the bitter cup that is ahead, but you don't know.

Then he uses the opportunity to teach them about the new way, the way of service and slavery. In Jesus' kingdom, everything is reversed. The greatest is the servant and the powerful are at the lowest place. To be the greatest in Jesus' kingdom is to be slave of all. It is a dramatic reversal of ordinary values.

1 Peter speaks to people who are going through some of the trials and threats of the bitter cup that Jesus talked about. It is likely that they are experiencing persecution during the time of the emperor Trajan (97-117). The writer reminds them of the example they have in Jesus. Don't be afraid. Speak your witness. Live honorably. Suffer if you must, knowing you enjoy final triumph in the resurrection of Jesus.

As 1 Peter imagines the individual going through mortal threat with integrity and hope, from death to life, Isaiah imagines the entire earth going through such a passage. He sees universal chaos and threat as a consequence of the violent and avaricious acts of humanity. "Terror, and the pit, and the snare are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth!"

In a day of nuclear proliferation and militant extremists, of violent response and global rapaciousness, as the earth groans toward an unknown climate change, these words of Isaiah ring with authority. "The foundations of the earth tremble. The earth is utterly broken, the earth is torn asunder, the earth is violently shaken. The earth staggers like a drunkard, it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again."

Isaiah imagines that there is no way human beings can restore order to the earth. It must be given to us by God. But the path to that new order goes through the cup of bitterness. Judgment precedes restoration. Yet in the middle of Isaiah's picture of terror and chaos he speaks a hymn of universal joy. "From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of glory to the Righteous One." The joy of God will prevail. But the next verse re-enters the present time. "But I say, I pine away. I pine away. Woe is me! For the treacherous deal treacherously, the treacherous deal very treacherously."

Individually and collectively we are invited into a state of being that rests confidently in God's power while acknowledging realistically the threat and disillusion which surrounds us. The path of the servant is the way of life. Don't be afraid. Speak your witness. Live honorably. You think you are ready for the bitter cup that is ahead, but you don't know. Suffer if you must, trusting in God's power which brings judgment and resurrection.

Lowell
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.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

St. Andrew the Connector

Thursday, November 29, 2007 -- Week of Proper 29
(St. Andrew the Apostle)

(Oooops. After I finished my Morning Reflection, focusing on St. Andrew, I realised I have messed up. Tomorrow -- Nov. 30. -- is St. Andrew's Day. Oh, well.)

"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

The correct readings for Thursday of Pr 29 (Book of Common Prayer, p 994)
Psalms 131, 132, [133 (morning) 134, 135 (evening)
Zephanaiah 3:1-13
1 Peter 2:11-25
Matthew 20:1-16

Here are the readings for St. Andrew's day that I read (p. 996)
Morning Prayer: Psalm 34; Isaiah 49:1-6; 1 Corinthians 4:1-16
Evening Prayer: Psalms 96, 100, Isaiah 55:1-5; John 1:35-42


"Think of us in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of God's mysteries." (1 Corinthians 4:1)

Andrew was a connector. It was Andrew who first heard Jesus and was intrigued enough to run drag his brother to see also. "Peter, come with me. I think we've found the One!" (John 1:40f) Among the great press of pilgrims in Jerusalem for the Passover, some Greeks came to Philip saying they wanted to see Jesus. Philip didn't seem to know what to do, so he passed them to Andrew. No problem. Andrew takes them to Jesus, who gives them a bit of teaching about seeds that die and produce much fruit -- perfect philosophical grist for their Greek minds to grind on. (John 12) And when everybody was running around not knowing what to do because the crowd was hungry and there wasn't enough money to buy so many people even a bite of food, Andrew naively brings up a small boy who has five barley loaves and two fish. When connected to Jesus, it is enough.

Andrew seemed to fade in prominence among the disciples in comparison to his brother Peter who was taken into the inner circle and became the de facto leader following the Resurrection. And we don't hear anything of Andrew once the movement begins to bear fruit throughout the Greek world. And the miracle of the feeding of the multitudes is so spectacular that only one of the six accounts makes mention of Andrew's mediating service. He's not a big player, but in a natural, friendly way, he connects people with Jesus. It's his gift. He's a connector.

Sam Portaro writes of him this way: "That is the beauty of the manner and mission of Andrew; bringing others to God, he paid each of them the highest honor and accorded them the greatest dignity. Can there be any higher compliment, any greater token of esteem and worth, than to be reckoned a fit gift to God? What more endearing and loving gesture can one make on behalf of another than to say, 'You are worthy of presentation to God?'" (Brightest and Best)

Andrew was one of those who was intrigued enough by Jesus' enigmatic invitation, "Come and see," that he went, and saw. Then, he was unselfconscious enough graciously to invite others to "come and see." And from that little seed, great things happen.

The little connection. It's like plugging lights into the wall. The light just sits there, not quite living up to its potential, needing something, and maybe not even knowing what that something is -- not knowing how to bring to itself the source of what will give it the energy it needs to be and to do what it already is. Then Andrew comes along with the small gesture. "I'll just make a little connection..." He stands back in the shadow, and the light comes on.

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, November 28, 2007

The Betrayal of Kin

Wednesday, November 28, 2007 -- Week of Proper 29
(Kemehameha and Emma, King and Queen of Hawaii, 1864, 1885)

"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 994)
Psalms 119:145-176 (morning) 128, 129, 130 (evening)
Obadiah 15-20
1 Peter 2:1-10
Matthew 19:23-30

Conflict is ugly and painful, but conflict between close kin is particularly bitter. There is a qualitative difference between the conflict of distant enemies and the strife that happens when someone intimate betrays.

In Genesis we have the story of two brothers and betrayal -- the story of Jacob and Esau. In that account, they find reconciliation. But in the history of their descendants, things are more problematic. Jacob becomes Israel and the father of a nation. Esau becomes the father of the neighboring nation of Edom.

The book of Obadiah is a bitter word of anger over brotherly betrayal and conflict. After Israel's fall in 586, Edomites took advantage of the weakness, entered Jerusalem, looted and mistreated the people. Obadiah speaks a word of judgment toward Edom and reversal of fortunes. What goes down comes around. "The house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau stubble; they shall burn them and consume them, and there shall be no survivor of the house of Esau." The prophet envisions the complete absorption of the neighboring lands under the domination of Israel.

This is a prophet who speaks of genocide and total dispossession. The words are like the bitter polemic that we hear today from the militant edges of Israeli and Palestinian relatives.

The texts of Matthew and Peter also are written in the shadow of brotherly conflict. Matthew's Jewish-Christian community has been expelled from the synagogue, and they are hurt and angry. 1 Peter's community has suffered some form of persecution, probably the Roman violence against the churches in the provinces of Asia Minor under the emperor Trajan (97-117). Reading these texts carefully reveals a bitter taste in the mouth.

Matthew inherits Jesus' Kingdom-of-God values which transcend name, position, wealth, and legacy. To a dispossessed and threatened community his promises greater treasure. Again there is a reversal. The community that has been thrown out of Israel will "sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Everyone who has lost anything -- kindred or property -- "will receive a hundredfold and will receive eternal life." There is a reversal, but it doesn't sound as militant as Obadiah's: "Many who are first will be last, and the last will be first." Being the last to get in is considerably better than complete annihilation.

As 1 Peter imagines the rejected stone Jesus has become the cornerstone so that "whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." These followers of his, these rejected stones, are "like living stones" being built into "a spiritual house." Yes, the bad guys will get theirs. This stone they rejected is, after all, the cornerstone, "A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall." But 1 Peter focuses on the promises. "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people."

When we have been betrayed by close intimates, the hurt is exquisite. The desire for revenge and retribution is powerful.

Part of the legacy of Jesus is his willingness to break the cycle of retaliation. On the cross, Jesus absorbs the betrayal and violence of brother against brother, and he returns only love. "Forgive them Father, for they do not know what they do." Forgiveness, not vengeance, restores the peace of the Kingdom of Jesus. It is the higher and harder road.

Lowell

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

All You Have to do is to Die

Tuesday, November 27, 2007 -- Week of Proper 29

"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 994)
Psalms [120], 121, 122, 123 (morning) 124, 125, 126, [127] (evening)
Nahum 1:1-13
1 Peter 1:12-25
Matthew 19:13-22

Years ago theologian Bob Capon conducted a clergy conference for us. Bob creatively articulates a theology of grace. He is completely convinced that everything that is significant is given to us by God as sheer grace. The only thing we can do to earn or merit or to receive God's abundant and triumphant grace is to die.

He looks at the story of the rich young man that we read in Matthew as a type of story. Here comes someone who has done very well by all common measures. He has lived a good and virtuous life. He has kept the commandments. So Jesus goes to the place of his attachment and demands something from him that is impossible, at least it is impossible for him. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor. Jesus knows this is more than this man can do. The young man is attached to his possessions and unable to let them go. Jesus also knows that one day the man will be detached from his possessions. That day is the day of his death.

I know some people who have surrendered all of their possessions out of loving obedience to Christ. Several orders of monks and nuns make such an act of self-surrender a prerequisite to entering their orders. Bob Capon says Jesus would ask them to give up something else, something equally impossible, depending upon each person's particular attachments.

Bob says Jesus demands everything. It's more than any of us is capable of giving. We must die to receive.

Grace and salvation are not a commodity of exchange. You can't follow the right rules and give up your possessions and receive grace and salvation. There is no form of transaction with God; no give and take; no tit for tat. God claims it all. The only way to receive is to have empty hands. That's why Jesus came most especially to the little, the leprous and the lost. They were the ones who were poor enough, free enough to respond, because they had nothing to hold on to. They were the deadest of all.

In both the gospel and the epistle reading today we are exhorted to childlikeness. "Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs." (Matthew) "Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance." (1 Peter) Children, the little ones, are an image of those without power, without money, dependent and without progeny who owe it to them to take care of them. For Bob Capon the whole arc of the gospel is bent toward the weak and empty handed. Only they can receive grace. Anybody who approaches God with a transaction, with something in your hands, is like a camel trying to go through the eye of a needle. Impossible.

The good news, all you have to do is to die to qualify.

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, November 26, 2007

Swords or Plowshares?

Monday, November 26, 2007 -- Week of Proper 29

"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 994)
Psalms 106:1-18 (morning) 106:19-48 (evening)
Joel 3:1-2, 9-17
1 Peter 1:1-12
Matthew 19:1-12

The prophet Joel takes a treasured image from both Isaiah and Micah and reverses it. From the eighth century BCE Isaiah 2:4 speaks of God's restoration of Jerusalem as a city that will lead and inspire international peace: "they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." Also from the eighth century, Micah looks forward to the day when God will judge among nations: "they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more; but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid." (4:3b-4a) These two visions have been deeply loved for centuries. They speak of the hope that the instruments of war might be turned to peaceful purposes for the welfare and benefit of people.

Joel turns that vision on its ear: "Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare war, stir up the warriors. Let all the soldiers draw near, let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weakling say, 'I am a warrior.'" Writing probably after the fall of Jerusalem and the exile of 586 BCE, Joel imagines holy war, God leading a people bent upon vengeance and restoration. Some other biblical writers have elaborated on Joel's image of a "valley of decision" where God's judgment will be executed.

There is a fascinating history of conversation among Biblical writers. What is written in one place by one Biblical author will find interpretation, comment and criticism in another place from another Biblical author. Some tensions run throughout the tradition. One of those tensions is the question of whether God's people should take up arms and use violence to enforce justice and judgment or whether God's people should be non-violent and trust God alone for final justice and judgment. You can find writers on both sides of the argument.

For Christians, Jesus is the standard for our reading and interpreting these traditions. His life and his response was pretty clear. At his arrest, one disciple seeks to defend Jesus and strikes a threatening officer with his sword. Jesus tells him to put away his sword with firm language, "No more of this." And Jesus heals the injured enemy. At one point he says that he could call on legions of angels to defend him with force, but he chooses not to.

Some Christians have accepted this tradition from Jesus as a commandment for complete pacificism and a total commitment to non-violence, preferring to be victims of violence like Jesus rather than perpetrators of violence. Other Christians have argued for the possibility of armed struggle under very limited and circumscribed conditions. And, in truth, there are many Christians who seem to overlook the standard of Jesus and who look to other places, like Joel, to justify a more militant strategy for solving problems, meeting threats, and even administering vengeance. Christian history is littered with holy wars and even genocide in the name of God.

The Bible is such a vast record of human response that you can find nearly anything you want if you are looking for a verse to justify your opinion. But the person of Jesus is different. When we look at scripture through the lens of Jesus we are required to read it from the perspective of his character and teaching. What we see in Jesus is love and compassion, healing and reaching out to the outcast, sinner and broken -- the little, the leprous, and the lost. We see in Jesus deep trust in the divine presence.

When we give Jesus' voice predominance in the ancient Biblical conversations, we must give precedence to Isaiah and Micah over Joel. The God that Jesus points us to is not a God who is bound to spill blood and desolation toward the oppressors, but the God who seeks to turn their hearts, most powerfully through suffering. That is a hard and challenging standard. But that's Jesus' way.

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, November 19, 2007

Transfiguration Moments

Monday, November 19, 2007 -- Week of Proper 28
(Elizabeth, Princess of Hungary, 1231)

"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 992)
Psalms 89:1-18 (morning) 89:19-52 (evening)
1 Maccabees 3:1-24 (found in the Apocrypha)
Revelation 20:7-15
Matthew 17:1-13

Every once in a while, we are grasped by beauty and wonder. Our attention becomes fixed and it seems as though we are seeing with new vividness and reality.

I have a friend who tells of being seized by a small mountain violet while on a hike. For a brief while all other realities disappeared as he gazed at the incredible complexity of the little bloom. There were hundreds of hues of various colors; the fuzzy texture supported by veins bringing life from the earth seemed to speak of a living complexity that felt utterly miraculous. The beauty and life of this small plant struck him with awe. He knew of nothing else for a moment, as time stood still and all the wonder of creation seemed captured in this humble flower. Then his consciousness shifted, and it was again just a little violet on the side of a path on the edge of a rocky hillside.

In one of her visions, the 14th century mystic Julian of Norwich saw God wrapping all of creation in divine, tender love which is unfailing. Her vision compressed into a small hazelnut held in her hand. She asked God what this was. The answer she was given: "It is all that is made." Small and round like the globe, it was so tiny it could easily be dismissed or thrown away. But God loves it, and it will continue because God loves it. She realized that God loves all creation. Everything that we can see or hear or touch has three qualities: God created it; God loves it; God keeps it. All creation is holy and beloved by God, especially humanity.

Over and over we have these brief moments of clarity and deeper vision. For a second, a veil seems lifted and we see more deeply into the beauty and wonder that always surrounds us. These are moments of Transfiguration. They are available to everyone.

Peter, James and John had lived with Jesus for quite a while. He was their friend and teacher. Maybe their hearts harbored other hopes about him. For a moment, they saw him in another light. He seemed dazzling. They could see him in intimate connection with the great symbols of the law and the prophets, Moses and Elijah. They sensed some of the wonder and complexity that is his being. And then it was over. There was "no one but Jesus himself alone."

But for a moment, they saw the deeper reality of their friend Jesus. And that transfigured vision was actually the deeper truth of reality.

It is good for us to pay attention to our own transfiguration moments. Maybe if we nurture those glimpses into wonder and beauty, we will see more deeply and more regularly into the reality that is just below our ordinary consciousness.

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, November 16, 2007

The Last Battle

Friday, November 16, 2007 -- Week of Proper 27
(Margaret, Queen of Scotland, 1093)

"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 992)
Psalms 88 (morning) 91, 92 (evening)
1 Maccabees 1:41-63 (found in the Apocrypha)
Revelation 19:11-16
Matthew 16:13-20

In John's vision we have the return of a white horse and rider. The earlier white horse (6:2) was one of the four creatures symbolizing human destruction, especially through war. This is a heavenly horse with a heavenly rider, Jesus -- Faithful and True -- the Lamb who was faithful and true unto death. John's description of the rider picks up elements from the introduction of the scene of the heavenly liturgy in chapter one.

The blood references in Revelation usually refer to the blood of Jesus and his sacrificial death. The judgment scene in chapter 14 speaks of the "great wine press of the wrath of God. And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the wine press, as high as a horse's bridle, for a distance of about two hundred miles." That language is symbolic of covering the whole world (200 miles is literally 1,600 stadia -- 1,600 symbolizing earth (4 x 4) and wholeness (10 x 10). Connected with the earlier angelic reaping of wheat in chapter 14, that earlier judgment scene is an image of a universal Eucharist.

So Jesus returns for the final battle, his "robe dipped in blood" -- his own sacrificial death and the wine of the Eucharist -- and "his name is called The Word of God... From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations." Again John says that victory over evil is won through words, or the Word. John's own writing is his militant action on behalf of the battle. We will see later that the wicked will be slain by the word of Jesus. (vs. 21)

Like so many other people I know, I find much of the book of the Revelation baffling and troubling. It makes more sense as a description of an interior spiritual warfare. If it is literalized, it has moments of questionable morality, moments that seem to condone genocide. As militant as its images may be, there is never the portrayal of a battle. The next paragraph after today's reading opens and closes with vultures, the armies are gathered, but there is no description of the battle. The beast and the false prophet are captured and dealt with. The Word of Jesus slays the rest of the wicked.

Lamb Power is greater than beast power. The sword of the Word triumphs over evil. The blood of the cross is God's wrath poured out in the Son's sacrificial death which brings life through the Eucharist. Heaven will make victory on earth. These are the comforting messages of John's Revelation, encouraging our perseverance and faithfulness in the midst of a culture of excess and luxury and impiety.

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, November 15, 2007

Fighting Evil

Thursday, November 15, 2007 -- Week of Proper 27

"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 992)
Psalms [83] or 23, 27 (morning) 85, 86 (evening)
1 Maccabees 1:1-28 (found in the Apocrypha)
Revelation 19:1-10
Matthew 16:1-12

When I saw video of crowds of people cheering in the streets in some cities in the Middle East as the news of the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon reached their countries, I was reminded of scenes in Revelation like what we read yesterday and today. Heaven and earth rejoice at the destruction and violence of the fall of Rome (Babylon), "who corrupted the earth with her fornication." John's Revelation sees the annihilation of the city and speaks, "Rejoice over her, O heaven, you saints and apostles and prophets! For God has given judgment for you against her." Heaven sings out, "Hallelujah! The smoke goes up from her forever and ever."

The anger and sense of victimization that John voices toward Rome is not unlike what we have seen and heard from some Arab cultures (and others) toward the U.S. and other Western powers. Many from Islamic regions are outraged as John was by the corrupted morals and overt sexuality, the arrogant and damaging economic domination and excess, the military and political oppression, and the religious insult that they experience as the fruits of powerful foreign aggression. They see the religion, land, and culture that they love threatened by insolent and apostate powers.

How do you respond to such threats? There is a tension in our scriptures as well as the Qur'an (Koran).

Much of the Apocalyptic literature gives image and voice to the hope that God will act decisively on behalf of the pious and oppressed. And though some of the images include great violence and destruction, the apocalypses of Daniel and John's Revelation do not imagine or promote human militancy. They await God's action of judgment and restoration.

On the other hand, the book of 1 Maccabees which we begin today chronicles the armed battle of zealous warriors who wage a war of revolution and a terrorist campaign against their oppressors. Their revolt against the Syrian ruler Antiochus Epiphanes IV at the suppression of traditional Jewish worship in 167 BCE led to a century of Jewish independence. The book of 1 Maccabees represents the point of view of the Jewish ruling family of the Hasmoneans, the Maccabean dynasty.

1 Maccabees was included in the Greek scriptures (the Septuagint) translation for Jews living in the diaspora. That is how it found its way into the Christian Bible and Apocrypha. But the book was not accepted into the final canon of Hebrew Scriptures. Many Jews experienced the zealousness of Maccabean rule to be as oppressive as some foreign rule, and some welcomed Roman liberation from their own Jewish oppressors. Zealots inspired by the story of the Maccabees launched a rebellion against Rome in 66 CE with catastrophic results. Later rabbis expressed great ambivalence toward the legacy of the Maccabees. One commentary remarks, "It is ironic that a book that describes the militant defense of Judaism should owe its preservation primarily to Christians."

The book of Revelation had similar resistance toward its inclusion into the Christian canon. It was the last book to be accepted, and faced challenge to its status for centuries (4th century, St. John Chrysostom; 9th century Patriarch of Constantinople; 16th century Martin Luther).

I find comfort in the traditional discomfort with the traditions that we inherit that tend to condone a militant and violent response to evil. The example of Christ's defeat of evil through non-violent love remains the inspirational standard for Christians. But the presence of such glorification of violent destruction as we see in Revelation and 1 Maccabees is a reminder of how desperate we can become in the face of grave threat. It helps to remember that the predominate message of the scriptures is "fear not" and "trust God."

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.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

The Solemn Assembly

Wednesday, November 14, 2007 -- -- Week of Proper 27
(Consecration of Samuel Seabury, First American Bishop, 1784)

"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 992)
Psalms 119:97-120 (morning) 81, 82 (evening)
Nehemiah 7:73b - 8:3, 5-18
Revelation 18:21-24
Matthew 15:29-39

[Note: I forgot to mention earlier that I would be away at Camp Mitchell Monday and Tuesday of this week for clergy conference. That's why there were no Morning Reflections those days.]

In the first reading from Nehemiah, we experience the re-creation of the community of Israel. The long lists of the the groups who have returned from exile introduces the event. They have resettled in their towns. Now they come together as a solemn assembly to remember who they are. They hear the ancient texts that give them identity, meaning and direction. There is reading and there is interpretation.

It is a holy day, says Nehemiah. The people are moved to tears. They eat the food of the communal festival. The priests invite them into stillness and quiet. Then they return to their villages, refreshed and renewed. "And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them."

This is not unlike our experience and rhythm of recreation and renewal week by week on our holy day. We come together in a solemn assembly to remember who we are. We hear the ancient texts that give us identity, meaning and direction. There is reading and there is interpretation, through the sermon and also through the formation hour between worship services.

Our hearts are stirred; our consciences touched. Idealism awakens and there we return to God with repentance and thanksgiving. We eat the food of our communal festival, the bread and wine of the presence of Christ. There is stillness and quiet. Then we return to our homes, renewed and refreshed. We re-enter life rejoicing in the power of the Spirit, and we also "send portions" -- we take the gifts of ministry and service out into the world to those who aren't a part of our assembly. We have understood who and whose we are. We are empowered to live lives newly consecrated to God.

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.

Friday, November 09, 2007

There Is Enough

Friday, November 9, 2007 -- Week of Proper 26

"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 990)
Psalms 69:1-23(24-30)31-38 (morning) 73 (evening)
Ezra 7:27-28, 8:21-36
Revelation 15:1-8
Matthew 14:13-21

There is enough.

Jesus and the disciples go to a deserted place, but the eager crowd finds them nonetheless. And Jesus does what he is called to do -- he has compassion on them and heals their brokenness.

When evening comes, the disciples see only what is lacking. There isn't enough food, they tell Jesus. "You give them something to eat." All they have is five loaves and two fish. In a eucharistic act, Jesus takes, blesses, breaks and gives. "And all ate and were filled."

Stories of Jesus feeding multitudes are present in all four of our gospels. There are not many elements of the Jesus story that are repeated in each gospel. That Jesus fed multitudes was an important memory to the early Church.

Beside the obvious connection with the distinctive characteristic of Christian worship, the Eucharist, there is also the witness of a sacred tradition to feed the hungry. Every church I've ever served had some ministry of feeding.

What happened when multitudes were fed? I don't know, but whatever it was it had something to do with people caring for one another and offering food to others.

We live in a unique generation. We now have the wealth and resources, the food and the technical ability to distribute food so that it is possible to eliminate hunger and feed every person on the planet. All we lack is the commitment, the generosity and the will to make that happen.

We can wipe out extreme poverty around the globe. We have the wealth and the know-how. We need the willingness and cooperation to make it happen.

There is plenty. We no longer have to look around and say "We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish." We've got enough food for everyone. God give us the willingness to obey Jesus' commandment, "You give them something to eat."

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, November 08, 2007

The Empire

Thursday, November 8, 2007 -- Week of Proper 26

"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 990)
Psalms [70], 71 (morning) 74 (evening)
Ezra 7:(1-10)11-26
Revelation 14:1-13
Matthew 14:1-12

In our gospel reading we get a poignant story of the violence and cruelty that is part of the experience of living under the Empire. In Matthew's version, Herod has John the Baptist decapitated on a whim, because of his wife's young daughter.

The book of Revelation is a response to the threat of life under the Empire. In the previous chapter John offers images of two beasts that represent the political power of the Empire and the civic power of the Empire, its economic and religious domination. Today's reading moves the perspective to the Empire's opposite, the Lamb. The number of the faithful gathered around the Lamb is 144,000 -- a number combining 12 (God's people) and multiples of 10 (all). The forehead represents human spirit and worship. These have been faithful and pure in their worship and allegiance to God -- their spirit is virginal, pure. They have not drunk "of the wine of the ...fornication" of Empire. There is probably a connection with the purification that is required before embarking on holy war, which is usually a spiritual or inward struggle, in Islam and other faiths.

An angel announces the hour of judgment. A second angel announces the fall of Babylon (Rome). A third announces the reversal of fate -- those who have worshipped the beast -- given allegiance to the Empire's cult; surrendered their spirit and worship (forehead) and given their work and activity (right hands) to the Empire's purpose and materialism -- will live with torment and have no rest, which is the present condition of the church in its posture of resistance to Empire.

Then John gets to the punch line -- the purpose of the creative composition. "Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and hold fast to the faith of Jesus."

The warfare is the holy struggle of the faithful to persevere steadfast in their allegiance to God in the face of the temptations of economic and political wealth, power and luxury and the concomitant acknowledgment of the Empire's civic cult.

We live in a time of similar temptations. The lure of wealth and possessions; the pretensions to power; the cult of American Empire is not unlike the influences that John's Revelation challenges with his visions. Do we follow God or Empire? Where is our allegiance?

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, November 07, 2007

Ethnici Cleansing

Wednesday, November 7, 2007 -- Week of Proper 26
(Willibrord, Archbishop of Utrecht, Missionary to Frisia, 739)

"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 990)
Psalms 72 (morning) 119:73-96 (evening)
Nehemiah 13:4-22
Revelation 12:1-12
Matthew 13:53-58


When we read stories about the Taliban, their behavior seems so alien and strange to us -- the forceful covering of women; punishment, even death, to those who convert to Christianity or take a Christian spouse; intolerance toward all other religions and their banishment; forceful observance of religious practice; shutting down movies, television; and heavy censorship. Yet chapter 13 of Nehemiah reflects a similar project of ethnic cleansing under the leadership of Nehemiah in 5th century BCE Israel.

Nehemiah's project intended that Israel separate from Israel all of foreign descent (13:3). In this chapter he expels Tobiah who had been given a room in the Temple by his cousin the priest Eliashib. Tobiah was an Ammonite. Nehemiah restored the tithes (taxes) that supported the state religion. He enforced the sabbath laws upon both Jews and non-Jews, shutting and guarding the city gates during the sabbath to prevent any commerce. But the central work was the prevention of intermarriage and the breakup of any marriage between a Jew and a non-Jew. Families were split; children separated from their parents; and speaking foreign languages was outlawed. Today we see enforcements to similar effect in this nation's pursuit of anti-immigration laws.

Nehemiah's project had the blessing of the Empire because it served the purposes of the Persians. When the conquered nations and tribes strongly enforced their tribal boundaries it was easier for the Empire to control the ownership and production of the land. With Nehemiah insuring that all lands in Israel were under complete Jewish control, it allowed consistent management of the agricultural tribute that Persia demanded from Israel without the complications of competing claims or multicultural land transfers. Ethnic cleansing was good for the Empire's economic domination system.

From Nehemiah's perspective, Israel gained a secure and rebuilt Temple and walled Jerusalem for Jews only.

The book of Ruth was written as a form of protest against the purification projects of Ezra and Nehemiah. It is the story, set in Israel's past, of a faithful Moabite woman who is married to Jewish man. It tells of her virtue and character. She is blessed by God and becomes an ancestor of the great King David. Jonah is also a book that takes seriously the potential for repentance and righteousness that is present among the nations. Jesus, among other prophets, raised up a tradition counter to the practice of Nehemiah and Ezra that the Temple in Jerusalem was to be a house of prayer for all nations.

Purity and separation or pluralism and the potential for holiness of all peoples. The tensions present in the scripture traditions are fresh and alive today.

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, November 06, 2007

The Temple of Protection

Tuesday, November 6, 2007 -- Week of Proper 26
(William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1944)

"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 990)
Psalms 61, 62 (morning) 68:1-20(21-23)24-26 (evening)
Nehemiah 12:27-31a, 42b-47
Revelation 11:1-19
Matthew 13:44-52

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys the field." That saying opens our gospel reading today. It is followed by the parallel saying of the discovery of the pearl of great value. Finally, Matthew includes another image of the judgment at the end of the age. He concludes with a phrase that may be autobiographical. Matthew is a scribe who "brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old," the teaching of Jesus and the interpretation of the Torah.

We don't have too hard a time interpreting these sayings inwardly. The field and the treasure describe an inward landscape. It is also important to read John's book of Revelation as a spiritual or symbolic geography. Centuries of attempts to literalize or externalize the visions, such as the "Late Great Planet Earth" or the "Left Behind" series, have left behind the litter of bizarre speculation.

So John helps us imagine the temple and the altar which are at the center of the inner reality of the believer and the faithful community. The eternal core is safe and protected even while chaos reigns in the outer environment of the political, social, and economic worlds (for John, the corrupt, material excess of the Greco-Roman culture). Though God's people may be assaulted politically, socially and economically, they are actually safe within God's Templed protection.

John speaks of two angelic witnesses who live out the symbol of the Temple scene. They are both conquered and victorious. They represent the people of God, the two olive trees, both king and priest. They represent the final two prophets Elijah and Moses -- Elijah "shut the sky" and Moses authorized the plagues. Their witness is their words, the fire that pours from their mouth.

During the period of evil, a temporary and passing time, they appear to be defeated, but they are nevertheless triumphant. The City will see their exultation. This is the exultation that is prepared for all God's faithful, John is saying. The "breath of life from God" will enter and restore those who have suffered.

After this second, and temporary woe, the heavenly voices return to remind us that "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever." Then begins a eucharistic prayer: "We give you thanks, Lord God Almighty, who are and who were, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign..." And the temple in heaven is opened, and the ark of the covenant made visible. (Remember the splitting of the curtain in the Jerusalem Temple at Jesus' crucifixion.)

John is using symbolic and creative language to say offer some of the same kinds of prayers that we have been reading in the Psalms numbered in the 50's and 60's. He speaks of the spiritual and physical attack that the powerful wage upon the poor and upright. He encourages hope and perseverance. God alone is our refuge, rock and tower. God will protect and redeem the beloved. This is the great treasure that when found and embraced is of immeasurable value. Of more value than all of the worldly powers.

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, November 05, 2007

When Conflict Lurks

Monday, November 5, 2007 -- Week of Proper 26

"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 990)
Psalms 56, 57, [58] (morning) 64, 65 (evening)
Nehemiah 6:1-19
Revelation 10:1-11
Matthew 13:36-43

Today's readings are full of accounts of struggle and conflict. God's people find themselves perpetually challenged and frustrated by people and powers that oppose their purposes. There are many ways to respond.

Psalms 56-57 give expression to the anger and hurt that we have when we see and experience injustice and oppression. The enemies speak deception, intending to harm those who are committed to God's ways of compassion and community. The Psalmist pours out heartfelt complaint to God, asking God to defend the good and oppose the wrong.

Unlike our movie traditions, the hero of the psalms doesn't not react violently to restore justice, but maintains a heart fixed upon God. He sees that the seeds of the wrongdoers' destruction are present already within the pit they have dug to secure their own means -- they will fall into the pit themselves. The psalmist places faith in God's loving-kindness more than the means of aggression and force, verbal or physical. "You will send from heaven and save me; you will confound those who trample upon me; you will send forth your love and your faithfulness."

It is God's love and faithfulness is stronger than anything that can threaten us. "Whenever I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. In God I trust and will not be afraid, for what can flesh do to me?" Although the psalmist feels deeply threatened, he sets his heart in a courageously hopeful stance. "My heart is firmly fixed, O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and make melody." The psalmist finds the words and songs of praise lift him beyond his fear. (quotes are from the Saint Helena Psalter)

The reading from Nehemiah offers another, yet similar strategy for continuing in God's work in the face of challenge and conflict. Nehemiah remains steadfast and focused in his work on the Jerusalem wall. He takes proactive measures to protect the work and the people. He comes up with creative solutions to economic pressures, acting generously and sacrificially. He speaks truth to power. He ignores threats and intimidation. He faces down sabotage. Nehemiah uses his leadership abilities to maintain focus to accomplish a challenging goal, working and praying ceaselessly.

John's Revelation takes flight in creative imagination to reinforce his conviction that God's will and God's power is supreme and will overcome the lure of luxury and wealth represented by the Greco-Roman culture of materialism and self-indulgence. His visions see the destructive end of such selfish ways and the inevitable triumph for those who follow God's path.

Finally, Matthew allegorizes Jesus' parable of the wheat and the weeds. His allegory reminds us that we live in a world in which people must choose what they will follow, and those choices make a difference. God will ultimately reward the good and punish the evil.

Life is difficult. There is constant conflict. Sometimes the evil prosper and the good suffer. Trust God. Fix your heart upon God, trust and persevere. God will triumph.

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.