Two World Views

Thursday, March 26, 2009 -- Week of 4 Lent, Year One

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 954)
Psalms 69:1-23(24-30)31-38 (morning) 73 (evening)
Jeremiah 22:13-23
Romans 8:12-27
John 6:41-51

We have such contrasting world views in today's readings.

Jeremiah addresses those who abuse power for personal gain. "Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice..." You can hear him speaking to today's greedy financiers who manipulated the system of derivatives and promoted unsecured loans that have betrayed our credit system.

"Woe to him ...who makes his neighbors work for nothing, and does not give them their wages..." You can hear him speak of those who abuse undocumented workers; who make great profits from the labor of others who work hard yet can't make a living and find themselves living under the threat of imminent family catastrophe because they have no insurance should someone get seriously ill.

Jeremiah chides those who "compete in cedar," living in conspicuous consumption. He raises up the good example of Josiah, who upheld "justice and righteousness" and "judged the cause of the poor and needy."

Jeremiah leaves us a picture of the unjust, who practice "dishonest gain" and end up "shedding innocent blood" and "practicing oppression and violence." Jeremiah places a curse on those who live so. He speaks particularly to King Jehoiakim. These are words that some interpreted as treason: "With the burial of a donkey he shall be buried -- dragged off and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem."

The fruits of those who abuse power for personal gain are ugly. Those they abuse suffer; and the proud shall be shamed and despoiled, says Jeremiah. Watching the unraveling of our own economy, the ravages of unceasing violence of war, the bitter consequences of greed and arrogance, we can hear Jeremiah's words with contemporary impact.

What a contrasting world we visit through Paul's eyes today. Instead of the life of the flesh that Jeremiah has described so vividly, Paul encourages us to live according to the Spirit, "for all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God."

There is a fascinating passage that has a couple of acceptable translations. "[Y]ou have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry 'Abba! Father!' it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God," can also be translated "[Y]ou have received a spirit of adoption, by which we cry, 'Abba, Father!' The Spirit itself bears witness that we are children of God." Two ways to understand what is happening in our prayer. We cry "Abba! Father!' and the spirit's co-testimony bears witness for us, confirming our prayer. Or we can say that the gift of our spirit of adoption speaks the Spirit within us, crying "Abba! Father!" We share in the intimate Aramaic address by which Jesus addressed God as "Abba -- Papa / Mama.

How different this life is, as adopted children of the spirit. Instead of talking about conspicuous consumption and greed, Paul goes immediately into a conversation about suffering. He expects that God's children will suffer. It is the sharing in Christ's suffering.

Part of that suffering is the inward groaning of growth toward wholeness and union. The whole creation is "groaning in labor pain," participating in the work of evolving into spiritual creatures who are one with God, in intimate, familial relationship with the divine. This is our hope. "We hope for what we do not see." We wait. We live in the Spirit, as God's adoptive children.

Unity, suffering and hope; living with the first fruits of adoption as we grow into an ultimate fullness that incorporates the whole of creation into God's evolving work of raising our consciousness into union with the divine. Now that's a lot better than "competing in cedar."

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