Tears over Jerusalem

Friday, June 12, 2009 -- Week of Proper 5, Year One
Enmegahbowh, Priest and Missionary, 1902

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 970)
Psalms 69:1-23(24-30)31-38 (morning) 73 (evening)
Ecclesiasticus* 45:6-16
2 Corinthians 12:11-21
Luke 19:41-48
*found in the Apocrypha (also called Sirach)

What caught my attention today was Jesus' opening words as he wept over Jerusalem. "If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace!"

One of the church's names for Jesus is the Prince of Peace. We see Jesus showing us the way of God through his own life. If we would follow in his way, we would walk in the "things that make for peace." Jesus weeps and speaks prophetically of the military destruction of the city. He follows in the tradition of several prophets who gave similar warnings in times past. He knows that the city will not recognize the things that make for peace, so there will be violence.

What do we see when we look at Jesus? How can we recognize in Jesus the things that make for peace?

Day by day we see Jesus' primary work as a healer. He healed people's infirmities. He mediated mental health and congruity to those who were emotionally oppressed. And he drew no boundaries around his healing. He gave the same gifts to foreigners and outsiders as he gave to his own people.

Each of the gospels tell of Jesus' feeding of a multitude. He voiced the prayer for our daily bread. And his teaching helped feed their souls and hearts as well as their bodies.

What did he teach? The commandment of love. He summarized the entire Law into the command to love God, neighbor and self. His new commandment is "love one another." If there is one word to describe his the character of his ministry, that word is compassion. He was a man of compassion.

He focused on the peasants. His stories and his teaching delighted them because he knew them and loved them. Yet he reached out to people of means and authority, making friends with them and inviting them to be born from above, inspiring generosity in people like Zaccheaus and Joseph of Arimathea.

He challenged many of the social constructs that sometimes limited abundant life -- the patriarchal system of family, the Temple monopoly on forgiveness.

When he was challenged by the threat, power and violence of the entrenched powers and principalities, he did not respond by threat, power and violence. In peaceful non-violence he faced them, refusing to capitulate to their demands, willingly accepting their violence with nothing but love, even unto death. And his faithful courage became the power to overcome death.

This is the way that Jesus would give to the city. If all of the great cities and the leaders within them would embrace this way of life, they would recognize the things that make for peace.

Washington, D.C. is our Jerusalem. I can imagine Jesus weeping over our city, "If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace!"

What if our great city were following the example of Jesus? What if our way of life was characterized by the work of healing? What if every person had full access to the works of physical and mental healing, with access to professional care and spiritual care? What if we freely extended that healing work to everyone, to foreigners and outsiders? How might our national budget be different if our primary work imitated Jesus' primary work?

What if Washington, D.C. focused primarily on the needs of the peasants, rather than the privileges of the powerful? What if we could inspire those of privilege to become people of great generosity? What if we surrendered any social constructs that limit abundant life -- things like the heterosexist system of family, religious imperialism? What if our nation's primary characteristic was compassion?

What if we eschewed violence? What if we had responded to the attacks of 2001 with an outpouring of healing generosity toward the suffering and alienated in the world? When the world was ready to follow our lead out of sympathy for our suffering, what if we had mobilized a campaign of healing and peace rather than war? What if we had used the moral credit we had earned on September 11 to facilitate a just peace between Israel and Palestine, instead of bringing war and suffering to so many? What if we had recognized that this was a police matter, and dismantled Al Qaeda with good police work like we use with other organized criminals -- the KKK and Mafia?

How different would our Jerusalem, Washington, D.C., be if our priorities and our lives followed the way of love that Jesus shows us? No doubt, Jesus still weeps over the city.

Now is the time to repent. Now is the time to turn from our violent, prideful, and oppressive ways and become a people known for healing and peace. The lesson of Jerusalem is our lesson as well.

Lowell

_____________________________________________

Audio podcast: Listen to an audio podcast of the most recent Morning Reflections from today and the past week. Click the following link: Morning Reflection Podcasts

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