Life from Death

Tuesday, March 17, 2009 -- Week of 3 Lent, Year One
Patrick, Bishop and Missionary of Ireland, 461

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 954)
Psalms 78:1-39 (morning) 78:40-72 (evening)
Jeremiah 7:21-34
Romans 4:13-25
John 7:37-52

On the last day of the Festival of Booths, participants retell the dramatic story of God bringing water from the rock to the thirsty Israelites in the desert wilderness during their Exodus from Egypt. Jesus invites the thirsty to come to him, from whom rivers of living water, the Spirit, shall flow.

Once again there is a controversy. The simple people look and hear; what they observe is good -- the healings, the teachings. But others are watching critically. They attack Jesus with Biblical proof texts. Jesus is from Galilee. The scripture says that the Messiah will come from David's village of Bethlehem. For them, that shuts their eyes and ears to any notion that Jesus is Messiah. If he continues to act like one, they will seek to stop or destroy him. The Bible said so.

(Side note. Neither John's gospel or Mark's has a birth narrative. Luke and Matthew both have stories that place Jesus' birth in Bethlehem. Scholars are divided about the historicity of that event. John does not "correct" the skeptics with a story about Jesus' Bethlehem origins. Instead, he wants us to believe the signs. Some scholars say that the Bethlehem narratives were created by the post-resurrection church to answer criticisms such as this. They see many of the stories of Jesus as "prophecy historicized" -- a legend that is inspired by some reference from the Hebrew scriptures. Other scholars believe there is a remembered historic tradition of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem.)

We get to the heart of Paul's teaching today. The promise of God's blessing is a sheer gift from God -- grace. It is received through faith -- trust in God's promises. It is a gift to all, both Jews (the adherents of the law) and Gentiles (those who share the faith of Abraham). Abraham is the universal father of faith, the father of many nations. Anyone who trusts God is a child of Abraham, regardless of nationality. Paul says that those of us who trust that God raised the crucified Jesus experience God as trustworthy, thus we have peace with God through Jesus because God has again manifested divine grace by raising him from the dead. Paul experienced his enlightenment as liberation from trying to earn his peace with God. His peace came when he accepted God's grace through faith. That was Paul's resurrection; Paul's experience of being raised from death into life. That's what God does best -- bring life from death.

(Side note. Jeremiah mentions "the high place of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom" where child sacrifice took place. This valley is mentioned several times in scripture. It was the garbage dump for the city, and fires burned almost continually there. It is believed that children were sacrificed there to the Ammonite god Molech. The word "toph" meant beating a percussion instrument, possibly to drown out the cries of the dying infants. "Ge Hinnom" -- literally "valley of Hinnom" -- became Gehenna in Christian tradition, a place of unending fire and destruction -- a metaphor for hell.)

Lowell

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About Morning Reflections
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


The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church
is to explore and celebrate
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.

Visit our web site at www.stpaulsfay.org

Our Rule of Life

We aspire to...
worship weekly
pray daily
learn constantly
serve joyfully
live generously.

Lowell Grisham, Rector

St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, Arkansas