Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Enhanced Interrogation

Tuesday, June 30, 2009 -- Week of Proper 8, Year One

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 972)
Psalms [120], 121, 122, 123 (morning) 124, 125, 126, [127] (evening)
1 Samuel 11:1-15
Acts 8:1-13
Luke 22:63-71

When reading verses 63-65 of Luke today, some troubling images came back to me. Here are Luke's words: "Now the men who were holding Jesus began to mock him and beat him; they also blindfolded him and kept asking him, 'Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?' They kept heaping many other insults on him."

Images from the brutality of Abu Ghraib prison came to my mind. Stories that are still surfacing about what our officials euphemistically called "enhanced interrogation" and "special methods of questioning." Torture and brutal hazing.

The court of the High Priest has Jesus completely within their physical power. They want to accuse him of blasphemy so they will have grounds to condemn him to death.

Jesus gives them the confession they want. "From now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God." That's the kind of thing they wanted to hear. The accusation of blasphemy will stick. They can kill him. The irony is, according to Christians, he has told them the truth.

One of the reasons torture is such an unreliable method of interrogation is that a person being tortured will typically tell their torturers whatever they think will stop the misery. Truth is secondary. We recognized that during the Vietnam War when Americans who were prisoners of war made statements of propaganda on behalf of their captors. Everyone knew those statements were coerced and false.

We now know that much of the "evidence" used to justify the Iraq war was false information coerced through "enhanced interrogation." One of the reasons we can't proceed now with legal trials of the prisoners in Guantanamo is that we have little evidence against them that can be presented in a court of law. There may be dangerous people in Guantanamo who are actually guilty of terrorism, but we've tainted any evidence we might use against them because it comes from inadmissible "special means of questioning." Some of the victims of "enhanced interrogation" were actually innocent, including people who were wrongly picked up when officials mis-identified them.

Like so many other prisoners, Jesus was tortured. He was brutalized. We speak of that as part of his role as "victim."

Christians recognize Jesus' suffering as the manifestation of God with us. That means that God is present whenever one human being tortures another human being. God is with us in our darkest moments, those situations we might describe as "God forsaken" are actually God infused -- Immanuel, God with us.

I hope those American soldiers knew that in Vietnam and were comforted. They were not alone.

Nothing can be hidden from the light. Jesus promises that those things that are done in the darkness will be revealed. It seems like it is time now for some truth and reconciliation in this country. Much has been done in the darkness in our names.

The chief priests and scribes were religious men and public authorities. They believed they were justified in their actions, in the enhanced interrogation of prisoner Jesus. In their minds they were defending the right. They were protecting their nation and their God. So they tortured Jesus, and they got the answer they wanted from him so they could execute him.

Yet God used all of this evil for good. God takes our brutality and violence. Literally. God takes it. Then God brings new life out of it -- resurrection. Resurrection is what God does best.

As we approach our annual national celebration of independence, it is appropriate for us to pray for resurrection. We have been agents of violence, evil and death. We have perpetrated injustice even when we believed we were justified in our actions. We need confession and forgiveness. We need light and resurrection.

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

Monday, June 29, 2009

Peter and Paul

Monday, June 29, 2009 -- Week of Proper 8, Year One
Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Apostles

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer)

EITHER, readings for Monday of Proper 8 (p. 972)
Psalms 106:1-18 (morning) 106:19-48 (evening)
1 Samuel 10:17-27
Acts 7:44 - 8:1a
Luke 22:52-62

OR readings for the feast of St. Peter and St. Paul (p. 998)
Morning Prayer: Psalms 66; Ezekiel 2:1-7; Acts 11:1-18
Evening Prayer: Psalms 97, 138; Isaiah 49:1-6; Galatians 2:1-9

I chose the readings for Sts. Peter and Paul

In our calendar, we have a rich tradition for honoring the two most significant pillars of the post-resurrection church. On January 18 we remember the "Confession of Peter," when Peter proclaims Jesus as the Messiah; and on January 25 we have the feast of the "Conversion of Paul," when we tell the story of Paul's dramatic transformation on the road to Damascus. These two observances open and close the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Today on June 29, we celebrate the joint feast of Saints Peter and Paul together. According to tradition they were both martyred in Rome in 64 during the persecution under Nero. The symbol of their joint celebration is a powerful image of the church's unity-in-diversity.

Paul was urbane and educated. He lived among the cosmopolitan Jewish Dispersion. Peter was probably illiterate; a fisherman from a Jewish village in Galilee. Peter was among the first apostles, an intimate companion during Jesus' earthly ministry. Paul was a persecutor of the church who later became a Christian after a vision of the risen Jesus. Peter was an acknowledged leader among the Jewish Christians. Paul's mission was to the Gentiles.

We have several references to their conflicts. Paul tells how he rebuked Peter to his face for Peter's hypocrisy of Jewish elitism and exclusiveness. Yet their commitment to Jesus and to the Good News transcended their differences. Their zeal took them to Rome where tradition tells of their martyrdoms. As a Roman citizen, Paul was allowed the privilege of swift beheading by a sword. Peter suffered painful crucifixion as Jesus, but head downward, according to the stories.

There was much to separate Peter and Paul. Class differences; theological conflicts; different missions; cultural contrasts; separate geographies; different origins in the faith. Yet their union in a shared feast, and the iconography celebrating their relationship, is a symbol of Christian unity-in-diversity. Often they are pictured cheek to cheek in a loving embrace. The writers of the icons also know of the contrast and conflicts between these two great leaders.

One of the traditional strengths of the Episcopal Church has been our willingness to agree to disagree. We are a diverse and often conflictive community. We come from different origins, theologies, economies, races and cultures. We can have dramatically different opinions over things we hold dear. Yet all meet at the communion rail where we receive the one body and one cup of Christ's transcendent and unifying presence among us.

The icon of Peter and Paul, companions despite their sometimes bitter conflicts and their contrasting ways, is an image of a vital church. It is a symbol to be embraced and valued.

The story of these apostles is instructive to our times. Peter was the first to acknowledge the unexpected presence of the Holy Spirit among the Gentiles. That's our story from Acts this morning. But when Paul began to develop congregations of Gentiles, Peter succumbed to pressure from the party of Jewish-Christians and separated himself from them in some form of Jewish exclusiveness. Paul let him have it with both verbal barrels, accusing Peter of hypocrisy.

Our church has lived with conflicts of exclusiveness and accusations of hypocrisy. Some in our church who have been unable to acknowledge the gifts of the Holy Spirit as exercised by ordained women or by gay Christians have separated themselves from the communion and been unwilling to live together in the unity-in-diversity that has been our tradition. That division is a cause for great sadness.

Yet God uses our conflicts and divisions. The Anglican Church is itself the product of a rather scandalous separation of communion. And we have given much to the diverse expressions of worldwide Christianity.

In so many ways, today's church is repairing ancient divisions. Several years ago the Episcopal Church signed a concordat of communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. At the upcoming General Convention, we expect to vote to be in communion with the first church of the reformation, the Moravian Church. We will also vote about taking the next step in our eucharistic sharing with the United Methodist Church. We have a proposal to begin collaboration with the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. and to establish dialogue with the Church of Sweden. In so many ways, old divisions are being healed, even as new divisions arise.

We need the leadership of Peter and Paul, the vision that maintains union despite conflict and difference.

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

Thursday, June 18, 2009

"The Lord said to My Lord"

Thursday, June 18 -- Week of Proper 6, Year One
Bernard Mizeki, Catechist and Martyr in Rhodesia, 1896

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 970)
Psalms [83] or 34 (morning) 85, 86 (evening)
1 Samuel 2:27-36
Acts 2:22-36
Luke 20:41 - 21:4

Starting tomorrow I will be on vacation until June 29 and will not be writing Morning Reflections.

"The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool." Psalm 110:1

Although Psalm 110 is not part of our lectionary today, it is quoted in our readings from both Acts and Luke. The first line of Psalm 110 is used in Luke's account of Jesus' dispute with the Sadducees. In Mark's version, this reference to Psalm 110 comes between a cordial conversation with a scribe and a warning to beware of the scribes while Jesus is speaking in the Temple. In Matthew's account, while Jesus is being challenged by the Pharisees, he quotes this passage to defeat them. And in the Acts reading today, Peter uses this verse as the rhetorical conclusion of his Pentecost speech.

It is obvious that the early church used the first line of Psalm 110 as part of its argument in defense of Jesus' identity and authority. Here is the crux of the argument.

The Psalms are attested to David. Tradition holds that King David wrote the collection of Psalms in the Hebrew scripture. The early church read Psalm 110 as a prophecy from David. It opens with the words, "The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool." According to the early church's interpretation, David is saying, "God said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand...'" Who is this "Lord" of David who is sitting at the right hand of God?

The early church read Psalm 110 as a prophecy of the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus is David's Lord who has been raised to sit at the right hand of God. This image was so important that it showed up in the Creeds.

Peter in his Pentecost sermon also quoted from Psalm 16 as a prophecy from David concerning the resurrection of the Messiah. "He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh experience corruption." Peter has already alleged that David has died and was buried, and "his tomb is with us to this day." It is assumed that David's body has decayed that that David has entered Hades, one of the traditional destines presumed of the dead.

When the early church proclaimed Jesus' resurrection to Jewish neighbors, these passages from the Psalms were key points in their argument on behalf of Jesus' identity as the Messiah who was crucified and risen. They claimed that these were prophecies from David about the future Messiah -- prophecies fulfilled by the resurrection of Jesus, whose body did not experience corruption and who was raised to sit at the right hand of God.

It is likely that these proof texts weren't entirely satisfactory to their audiences. Psalm 110 is a royal psalm. It was probably written for a Judean king, possibly for a coronation. They way it reads, the first line would be spoken in the voice of the liturgist who is reading the poem for the King: "The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand..." In other words, a bard speaks, "God said to my King, 'Sit at my right hand..." The poem implies that the earthly throne which the king is to sit upon is the right hand of God, much like the Temple was seen to be the place where God dwells or an image of God's heavenly throne. A later verse in Psalm 110 gives the king priestly status, like that of the priest-king Melchizedek.

Psalm 110 concludes with a royal expectation that was not part of Jesus' mission: "He will heap high the corpses; he will smash heads over the wide earth." One of the reasons why many did not accept Jesus as Messiah is the quantity of traditional Messianic prophecies that look for the coming Messiah to be a military leader who would defeat Israel's enemies and restore the nation to international power and prominence. Jesus did not fulfill those Messianic expectations.

For some contemporary Christians, the Messianic prophecies about war and genocide are still treasured anticipations for the Messiah, just simply postponed for the second coming of Jesus. For them, Jesus, the compassionate and loving Lamb of God and Prince of Peace who broke the cycle of violence by being its non-violent victim, will come back again, but this time he will wage war and massacres creating rivers of blood to wreak judgment on every human being, except those who have professed Jesus as Lord. (And many of those liberal Christians are probably targeted for hellish revenge just like the heathen). I don't know what the appeal is on behalf of this god of genocide. But if the Jesus who returns is the same Jesus who was raised, our blood-thirsty Christians will be as disappointed as those in the first century who expected a military Messiah.

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

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

God's Will in Evil

Wednesday, June 17, 2009 -- Week of Proper 6, Year One

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 970)
Psalms 119:97-120 (morning) 81-82 (evening)
1 Samuel 2:12-26
Acts 2:1-21
Luke 20:27-40

In the narrative from 1 Samuel we meet the bad sons of the priest Eli. We read about their blasphemous and outrageous behavior -- taking the portions of the sacrifice that were reserved to God, threatening the righteous, lying with the women serving the shrine. When Eli speaks to them to correct their behavior, the text says, "But they would not listen to the voice of their father; for it was the will of the Lord to kill them."

We hear echoes of the Exodus story here. Pharaoh has been wicked, sinning against God and God's people. Moses speaks to Pharaoh, but Pharaoh will not hear. The narrative says that God hardened Pharaoh's heart so that he could not listen.

In some of our Biblical stories, it appears that God is active on both sides of the moral line. God works to bring about justice, but it seems that God is also active within the hardness of heart of the Pharaoh and the dissolute behavior of Eli's sons.

Part of what we say about the story of the cross is that God embraces all of our evil and violence into God's own being and brings about resurrection. God is present even in the hardness of heart and wicked behavior, letting it be somehow with God's will, and then using that evil as part of what God intends for liberation and blessing.

The English Methodist Leslie Weatherhead wrote a little book called "The Will of God" during the evil days of World War II. He spoke of God's will in three ways. The Intentional Will of God is God's intention for all creation, that humans obey God's law of love and live lives that are just and right. That is God's original intention for us, and if we lived by God's intention, we would be brought into God's kingdom. The Conditional Will of God is God's will for us under our broken and fallen circumstances. Given our selfishness, violence and evil, the Conditional Will of God bids us act faithfully under those conditions. Ultimately God will accomplish God's Ultimate Will that all may be brought into God's kingdom where love and justice reigns.

In Weatherhead's terms, it was God's Intentional Will that humanity listen to Jesus so that the kingdom of God would reign. But under the circumstances of our rejection of Jesus, it was God's Conditional Will that Jesus remain faithful even though it meant his crucifixion. Through the resurrection God is ultimately accomplishing God's original intention that all creation be brought into God's kingdom.

It's easy to get that same sense when we see God working for good in the midst of the wicked activities of many of the Biblical characters. One of the ways the authors express that is to say that God was underneath even the hard and evil hearts, using their wickedness to promote God's intention for good.
____

The ancient story of the Tower of Babel tells of the division of humanity in a confusion of languages caused by the pride of our trying to build a tower to heaven. Filled with God's Holy Spirit, the disciples speak in many languages and faithful Jewish visitors from all over the earth understand their speech. Question: Is computer technology, which promises one day to overcome language barriers and allow us to speak to one another almost instantly over the Internet, another Tower of Babel or a continuation of the miracle of Pentecost?

Before answering, notice how creative Jesus' answer to the Sadducees was. They were linear and literal in their thought, using traditional Scriptural frames for their questions. Jesus' answer is out of he box.

Lowell

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Today's Readings

Tuesday, June 16, 2009 -- Week of Proper 6, Year One
Joseph Butler, Bishop of Durham, 1752

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 970)
Psalms 78:1-39 (morning) 78:40-72 (evening)
1 Samuel 1:21 - 2:11
Acts 1:15-26
Luke 20:19-26


I was tired today and slept late. Here are the readings.

Lowell

Monday, June 15, 2009

History Lessons

Monday, June 15, 2009 -- Week of Proper 6, Year One
Evelyn Underhill, mystic and teacher, 1941

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 970)
Psalms 80 (morning) 77, [79] (evening)
1 Samuel 1:1-20
Acts 1:1-14
Luke 20:9-19

Today we begin the sequential reading of the great Deuteronomic History which will take us through mid-October -- the narrative of 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings. (This section is part of a larger unit which includes Deuteronomy, Joshua and Judges.) This epic was composed sometime after the exile (586 BCE) by scholars who were trying to help a nation understand its history and its plight as a people in exile.

The central figure of the story is David, the ideal king. Samuel the last of the judges and the first prophet and Saul the first king are the other main characters. Samuel and Saul prepare the way for David. Saul is a particularly tragic figure, who in this narrative can do nothing good. David is presented as one who consistently trusts God. According to this version of the history, God was not with Saul and God was with David.

The authors have a theological message. They look to the past to communicate a teaching for a nation in exile in the present. According to the Deuteronomic History, God has blessed Israel whenever Israel has been obedient to God's law and faithful to maintain Jerusalem as the central place of worship. When Israel has failed in its obedience to God's laws and whenever it has compromised the purity of its worship, God abandoned Israel and disaster ensued. The writers raise up David as the ideal king, and offer his leadership as a model and hope for Israel's future redemption.

Today we begin with the story of the birth of Samuel, the prophet who will anoint David. The narrative opens with the sadness of a barren women, Hannah, the beloved wife of a righteous man. Like Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Sampson's mother, God takes a woman who has been unable to bear children and God brings forth a special birth.

In a time of barrenness and need, for a people in a barren and distant land, the story narrates the hope that God will act and bring forth a new future.

Deuteronomic editors look to the past to inspire hope in the future. The writers reshape the story of their history so it becomes an object lesson which will give vision for the present. Many commentators have remarked how the authors have worked the narrative so that it serves a teaching purpose. They don't intend to write objective history. Undoubtedly Saul was not as bad as he is portrayed and David was not as good as he is pictured. But the writers wish to give us gifts and meaning, identity and purpose through a new understanding of the past.

They want to inspire an exiled community to new obedience to God's law. They tell the story of Israel's successes and failures through the prism of obedience. Look at our history, they say. Whenever we have been obedient, God has blessed us. Whenever we have been disobedient, God has punished us. Be obedient now, in this tragic time, and God will restore us again. We will reclaim our glorious past, as in the days of David.

Their work was a powerful gift that helped the dispersed community of Israel to survive. Many other exiled peoples were unable to retain their identity and disappeared from history.

For this time of challenge in our ownhistory, how might we find inspiration from the past? How might we reshape our narrative in order to give meaning and identity in this time of our history?

I can imagine a history that reminds us of our modest beginnings -- we were a poor people in a land of challenge. We can retell the stories of hope and hard work that helped fashion a nation out of a wilderness. We can remind ourselves of the character and principles of our founders, their commitment to honesty and to fair dealing. We can tell stories of how people took care of one another and provided for the weak and the ill. We can trace the expansion of liberty from male property owners to all men and eventually to slaves and women, the continuing evolution of our vision of liberty and justice for all.

How would you re-tell the story of our past in order to help us reclaim a healing and inspiring vision for our future? We will be reading a great version of that project for the next four months as we immerse ourselves in the Deuteronomic History of Israel. It will give us opportunity to reflect on origins, identity, purpose and renewal.

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

Friday, June 12, 2009

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

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Early Meeting

Thursday, June 11, 2009 -- Week of Proper 5, Year One
St. Barnabas the Apostle

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer)

EITHER the readings for Thursday, Proper 5 (p. 970)
Psalms [70], 71 (morning) 74 (evening)
Ecclesiasticus* 44:19 - 45:5
2 Corinthians 12:1-10
Luke 19:28-40
*found in the Apocrypha (also called Sirach)

OR the readings for St. Barnabas (p. 998)
Morning Prayer: Psalms 15, 67; Ecclesiasticus* 31:3-11; Acts 4:32-37
Evening Prayer: Psalms 19, 146; Job 29:1-16; Acts 9:26-31

I've got an early meeting today. No time to write. St. Barnabas Day is my 29th anniversary of ordination to the diaconate.

Collect for St. Barnabas:
Grant, O God, that we may follow the example of your faithful servant Barnabas, who, seeking no his own renown but the well-being of your Church, gave generously of his life and substance for the relief of the poor and the spread of the Gospel; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Lowell

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Paul's Hardships

Wednesday, June 10, 2009 -- Week of Proper 5, Year One
Ephrem of Edessa, Deacon, 373

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 970)
Psalms 72 (morning) 119:73-96 (evening)
Deuteronomy 31:30 - 32:14
2 Corinthians 11:21b-33
Luke 19:11-27

As we continue reading Paul's "severe letter" to the church in Corinth, he challenges his rivals in the congregation. We don't know much about them, but it is likely that they have interfered with the money collection for the Jerusalem church, maybe taking payment for themselves from the funds that Paul intended for Jerusalem. Paul attacks what he interprets as their prideful ways and contrasts his own trials with their presumption to privilege. He probably is picking up their language when he calls himself a fool. His opponents have accused Paul of appearing powerful and weighty in his letters, but small and inarticulate in his person.

Paul chides the congregation, "For you put up with it when someone makes slaves of you, or preys upon you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or gives you a slap in the face! To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that!" Then Paul lists the longest and most detailed account of the hardships that he had faced. It is a compelling list: "...labors, ...imprisonments, ...countless floggings, and often near death. Five times ...the forty lashes minus one. Three times ...beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked; for a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from bandits, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers and sisters; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, hungry and thirsty, often without food, cold and naked. And, besides other things, I am under daily pressure because of my anxiety for all the churches."

Now that last line ought to provoke guilt among the congregation in Corinth. It is they themselves who are bringing anxiety to Paul, this heroic figure who has already suffered so much for the sake of the gospel. The drama and conflict in Paul's life rivals an adventure movie.

Reading an account of the hardships that Paul endured is humbling. Sometimes it is helpful to recall the endurance others have faced, especially whenever we feel our situation has become hard or depressing.

I remember when I was finding it hard to make time daily for prayer and scripture. It seemed that I was so busy; there was always something pressing that made be think I should do that rather than protect my prayer and scripture time. There were so many needs I felt I had to address. Then I read a brief account in the newspaper about the President's schedule. The President was Jimmy Carter. Like any President, his day started early and lasted late, and there were immense pressures demanding his attention. Yet, every day, he stepped aside for his own time of prayer and scripture. That changed my own perspective. If the President could find time with all of his pressures, certainly I could, despite my comparably smaller concerns.

The next time I'm tired, maybe I'll remember Paul and all that he faced, and I can find a bit more energy to persevere myself.

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

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Zacchaeus

Tuesday, June 9, 2009 -- Week of Proper 5, Year One
Columba, Abbot of Iona, 597

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 970)
Psalms 61, 62 (morning) 68:1-20(21-23)24-36 (evening)
Deuteronomy 30:11-20
2 Corinthians 11:1-21a
Luke 19:1-10

Generations of children have sung the little song, "Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he. He climbed up in the sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see." I can remember singing that song and thinking about that "wee little man." He was like me, I thought. He was little. So for me, the story meant that Jesus noticed and cared for the little ones, like children. It was like the story of Jesus taking the children in his arm.

I get a different view of the story reading it as a grown up. The only significance to his shortness was that Zacchaeus showed his faith by taking an the unusual step of climbing up a tree to see above the crowd when Jesus visited Jericho. There are two other characteristics that are far more significant to me now.

Zacchaeus is a tax collector. That means he was a Jewish collaborator with the Roman occupation. It also means he was corrupt, for the only way a tax collector made money was through graft, adding an extra surcharge on top of the collected taxes. All of the tax was expected to be paid to the officials. For the tax collector to make money, he had to overcharge. The tax collector was the up-close, familiar face of Roman occupation, enforcing the resentful payments that subsidized, among other things, the army which enforced the occupation. Tax collectors were hated. They were something like traitors -- corrupt, greedy traitors.

And Zacchaeus was a rich man. Becoming rich in the Middle East culture was dishonorable and a sign of low morals. Just one chapter earlier Luke asserts that Jesus said, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." (18:24f)

We tend to honor those who are enterprising and can extend their family's wealth. Not so in Jesus' culture. The honorable person was one who sustained his family's fortune -- not losing land, wealth or status; but not expanding it either. The paradigm behind this ethic is the presumption that wealth is a zero-sum game. In a land-based agricultural economy, that makes sense. There is only so much arable land. An honorable person maintains their landed inheritance.

To extend one's land -- to add to one's wealth or to grow rich -- would mean in that culture that someone else must lose their land or wealth. For you to prosper, someone else must suffer. Therefore to grow rich is to cause another's poverty. To become rich is to exercise greed -- the most dishonorable of sins in the Biblical world. The wealthy are those who have through greed taken from others in order to extend themselves beyond their given place. The honorable are those who accept their given place in society and maintain their status in a just equilibrium.

These economic principles underlie much of the wisdom and ethics of the Bible. (It's interesting that you will rarely meet someone who claims to be a Biblical "believer" or literalist or fundamentalist who will also promote a Biblical economic ethic for our time.)

One other important custom to understand. In Jesus' culture, to eat with someone was a public declaration of acceptance and alliance with that other. To have a meal with another person was to publicly say that you accept that person as your friend and you connect your standing and honor in the community with that person's character and status.

Jesus violates the ethical norms of his society when he chooses to go to Zacchaeus' house for a meal. No Rabbi, no honorable, ethical, law-observant person would make such an alliance as Jesus made that day. His act was scandalous. It was offensive to those who were trying to live an honorable and righteous life. It was offensive to those who tried to promote the honorable and righteous life. Good people, honorable people, did not eat with the tax collectors or the rich.

Zacchaeus responds with a radical, extravagant act of generosity. But maybe it's not as extravagant as it may appear to us. "Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor." That may not have impressed the crowd as much as it probably impresses us. In all likelihood, at least half, probably more of his possessions he had gained unhonorably and dishonestly. Zacchaeus' second statement is more noteworthy. "If I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much." No doubt he has. And his four-fold reimbursement is even more than the law demanded. It is a remarkable and generous commitment.

Jesus' act of acceptance and friendship toward one who was known to be greedy and dishonest transforms Zacchaeus. Salvation comes to his house. Jesus acknowledges this disreputable man as a "son of Abraham." Zacchaeus responds to Jesus' generosity with his own generosity.

How different might our society be if we extended such generosity and acceptance toward those whom we regard as dishonorable sinners?

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

Monday, June 08, 2009

The "Severe Letter"

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 970)
Psalms 56, 57, [58] (morning) 64, 65 (evening)
Deuteronomy 30:1-10
2 Corinthians 10:1-18
Luke 18:31-43

One of these days I want to re-read 2 Corinthians and change the order of reading. I want to start either with this section we begin today (chapters 10-13), or possibly with the previous two chapters (8-9) that discuss Paul's fund drive on behalf of the Jerusalem church. Most scholars believe that 2 Corinthians as we now have it is a combination of several shorter letters which reflect a conflict that Paul experienced with the congregation in Corinth.

A linear version of the story might go like this. Paul was the first Christian leader to reach Corinth. There he continued his strategy of visiting the synagogue and teaching about Jesus as the Messiah. With great heart and passion, he proclaimed Jesus as Lord, and he invited the Gentile god-fearers into a new form of Jewish fellowship that did not require circumcision and adherence to many of the kosher and ritual practices that were especially peculiar to Judaism and challenging for Greeks who were otherwise attracted to the high ethics and the monotheism of Judaism. Paul's basic gospel was the message of justification by grace, apart from the law.

Paul worked long enough to establish a congregation that followed Jesus as Lord and Messiah. It may be that the Jewish members who joined his group became alienated from the synagogue. There was some natural tension within Paul's congregation as it combined into a single fellowship people from two very different origins and worldviews -- Jews and Greeks. After a while, Paul left to pursue his collection for the Jerusalem church and to visit Ephesus, an important center for the early church and major city in the Mediterranian. He promised to return to Corinth, but troubles in Ephesus delayed his return.

During the delay, some other apostles came into Corinth and something happened. Maybe they talked the congregation into using some of the money they had been saving for Paul's Jerusalem collection and turned it toward local use. In some ways these new apostles criticized and challenged Paul's authority in the congregation. Paul considered them to be rivals who had invaded his ecclesiastical territory and believed that they threatened the work he had begun.

So Paul made a visit to Corinth to confront the situation. He challenged an unnamed rival. Paul left again, returning to Ephesus, but it appears that Paul believed his trip to Corinth had been unsuccessful, maybe even a disaster.

That's where we pick up with chapter 10. Chronologically it may be the first letter that is the collection we now call 2 Corinthians. Chapters 10-13 are often identified with the "severe letter" Paul references in 2:4.

Paul is angry. He defends his ministry. He attacks his rivals. He promotes his authority as the founding apostle of the Corinthian Church. He says that these late-comers have invaded his territory. Paul blasts with both barrels. We can imagine his anxiety, as he wonders how this missive will be received.

Good news! Titus visits Corinth and discovers that the letter has had its intended effect. Overjoyed, Paul writes what we now have as Chapters 1-7, a thankful and conciliatory message. Now that his rivals have been defeated, Paul advises a process for forgiveness and reconciliation.

It's a little bit like the Star Wars movies. They were released in a non-chronological order, so you have to remember the whole plot to follow some of the characters and conflicts in any particular movie you are watching.

So right now, we are reading part one of 2 Corinthians. Things have gone bad. Paul is angry, defensive and on the attack. Since we've already read the thankful letter, we know how things will turn out. But it helps the drama to suspend our memory and put ourselves back into the anxiety of Paul when the direction of the Corinthian church was at stake. Will these outsider "super-apostles" take away his authority, and the money that has been collected under Paul's direction? Will Paul lose his standing as the patriarch of the church he founded? How will Paul address this challenge to his territory? It's going to be an ugly fight. Paul is determined to win.

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

Friday, June 05, 2009

Money

Friday, June 5, 2009 -- Week of Proper 4, Year One
Boniface, Archbishop of Mainz, Missionary to Germany, and Martyr, 754

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 968)
Psalms 40, 54 (morning) 51 (evening)
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
2 Corinthians 8:16-24
Luke 18:9-14

We have several passages with references to money and wealth today. (Next spring we'll be offering a class about Money for those who have been through our basic Servant Leadership training.)

As I read the instructions in Deuteronomy about the first fruits, I was reminded of a practice that many people find meaningful and satisfying. The congregation is told to take the first fruits of the harvest and bring it to the priest. The priest sets the offering on the altar. There follows a fine liturgy, as those presenting the offering remember the ancient story: "A wandering Aramean was my ancestor..." They recite their sacred history -- the sojourn as aliens in the land of Egypt; growth into a great nation; the oppression of harsh labor; their cry to God for deliverance; the Exodus from Egypt into "a land flowing with milk and honey."

I know many people who do a similar ritual on payday. When they receive their check, they make their "first fruits" offering by writing the first check that will come from this income as their offering to God through the church. Many people who tithe write their check for 10% of their income. Others who may be working toward a tithe will write their check for whatever proportion they have pledged. In such a way they join this ancient Hebrew tradition of thanking God for all that God has given us in this land flowing with milk and honey.

The end of the reading today includes a celebration. Those offering gifts along with the priests bow down together before the Lord. "Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given you and to your house." Note the inclusion of the aliens in the bounty and the celebration of the community.

If we were to read the verses beyond those assigned for today, we would see that every third year, instead of taking the first fruits to the temple, the tithe is distributed among "the Levites, the aliens, the orphans, and the widows, so they may eat their fill within your towns." The Levites were the priests, who had no land for their wealth and so were dependent upon the offerings of the congregation. The aliens, orphans and widows were poor and vulnerable. The people are given a responsibility to care for the poor and vulnerable. This is a consistent theme in scripture.

We see that theme picked up in Paul's letter to Corinth. Yesterday's reading included his powerful appeal to the wealthy Corinthian church to give generously toward his monetary collection for the needs of the church in Israel. As is so often the case when money is involved, there is some tension about the project, and Paul declares his intent "that no one should blame us about this generous gift that we are administering, for we intend to do what is right not only in the Lord's sight but also in the sight of others." Transparent accounting. That's in the Bible too!

This section about the money collection is significant, focusing Paul's energy for two full chapters (8 and 9).

Lest we become too legalistic about our offerings, we have the word from Luke's gospel today where Jesus contrasts the piety of a Pharisee and a tax collector. The Pharisee is confident and self-satisfied, thanking God that he is not like other people. He goes beyond the requirements of the law in tithing. But the tax collector stands humbly in his appeal for God's mercy. Jesus blesses the tax collector's prayer.

Stewardship is a spiritual issue. What we do with what we get is important. God has blessed us, and our thankful return of the first fruits is an acknowledgment to God, the source of our wealth and blessing. And God has made us responsible for the welfare of our neighbor, especially the poor and vulnerable. We are to give generously and to do so humbly. As we heard Jesus say in Monday's gospel reading: "So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, 'We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!'"

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

Thursday, June 04, 2009

Today's Readings

Today's Reading for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 968)
Psalms 50 (morning) [59, 60] or 8:84 (evening)
Deuteronomy 16:18-20; 17:14-20
2 Corinthians 8:1-16
Luke 18:1-8

I am away early to see someone off to surgery. No time to write.

Here are today's Daily Office readings.

Lowell

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Repent

Wednesday, June 3, 2009 -- Week of Proper 4, Year One
The Martyrs of Uganda, 1886

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 968)
Psalms 119:49-72 (morning) 49, [53] (evening)
Deuteronomy 13:1-11
2 Corinthians 7:2-16
Luke 17:20-37

Most of us grow up with the notion that to repent is to feel bad for your sins. Sometimes that's appropriate, but in the Bible "repent" means primarily resolve -- have resolve to turn around from the direction you are traveling -- away from God and away from your true self -- and return to God.

We first hear the New Testament word "repent" in the opening of Mark's gospel. In words reminiscent of the exile, Mark opens with the cry from the wilderness, "Prepare the way of the Lord." Then the story of Jesus begins, first with his baptism, then with his sojourn in the wilderness. The arrest of John prompts Jesus to begin his public ministry, and he proclaims the good news of God: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news." Then follows the good news -- the story of Jesus.

We are invited to walk in the way of Jesus. Like the ancient story of exile, it is a sojourn through the wilderness back home. We find ourselves in exile, away from our true home -- repentance is turning back toward home, to reconnect with God and walking home with resolve through the wilderness.

There is another angle to the meaning of repentance. I picked this up from Marcus Borg. The Greek roots of the word "repent" combine to mean "go beyond the mind that you have." To repent is to go beyond the mind that we were given by our environment and by our culture, and allow Christ to shape a new mind and a new heart.

A major part of repentance is to recognize the cultural conditioning that we all receive, and place those cultural values in the wider context of Christ's life and values. Go beyond the mind you have been given by your culture, and renew your mind in the good news. Borg says, "Repentance is the path of salvation. It is the path of reconnection, the path of transformation, the path of being born again, the path of dying and rising, the path of response to the message of the Kingdom of God... The Kingdom is at hand: go beyond the mind that you have. Repentance, like sin and salvation, is both personal and social." ("The Heart of Christianity," p. 180)

In today's reading from Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, Paul commends the congregation because they have repented. Some of the congregation had been listening to and the teaching of some of Paul's enemies and following their way. Paul wrote a letter. (In chapter two he mentions his "tearful letter." Many scholars believe chapters 10-13 are that tearful letter. In that section, Paul defends his ministry and attacks his enemies in Corinth.) Now Paul is rejoicing because Titus has visited Corinth and reported that the letter has had its intended result. The congregation has turned away from the false teachers and turned back in affection toward Paul. They have gone beyond the mind they had been given, and renewed their minds with the gospel Paul preached. They've reconnected with him. There is a renewed resolve in their relationship.

Repent means a lot more than to feel contrition. It's about a lot more than sins. Repent is about the direction of our lives. To repent is to reconnect with God, to turn away from our self-centered ways and turn toward the way of Jesus. It is to leave the exile of our bondage, including the bondage of our cultural conditioning, and go beyond the mind that we have, embracing the mind of Christ. It is the path of transformation. Repent, and be-love, the Kingdom of God is at hand.

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

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Religious Conflict

Tuesday, June 2, 2009 -- Week of Proper 4, Year One
The Martyrs of Lyons, 177

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 968)
Psalms 45 (morning) 47, 48 (evening)
Deuteronomy 12:1-12
2 Corinthians 6:3-12(14 - 7:1)
Luke 17:11-19

Maybe the most predictable thing that can be said about religion is that there will be conflict about how we practice and what we believe. All three of our readings today are stories rooted in religious conflict.

Deuteronomy is a book focused by its intent on religious reform. The most distinctive demand from Deuteronomy is the centralization of sacrifice at a single national sanctuary. The expectation from Genesis and Exodus is that devout Hebrews would make altars of sacrifice at many holy places where they experienced the presence of God. That was the practice of the patriarchs, and Exodus 20 includes instructions from Moses about how to make these sacrificial shrines. When they settled in the promised land, the various tribes set aside holy places for their own practice of worship and sacrifice.

Deuteronomy intends to destroy those shrines. The writer of Deuteronomy wants every site that had been used by the native peoples and every site that had become holy to the Israelites to be physically torn down and desecrated. Only the central shrine is acceptable.

It is easy to imagine the hostility and conflict such a reform might provoke. Ancient holy places were sacred and beloved to the people who had prayed there. They resisted the Deuteronomic reforms. (The conflict between centralization and decentralization is common in many spheres.)

One other note about Deuteronomy. There is a theology central to the book that provoked the author of Job to write in rebuttal. Deuteronomy is characterized by a theology that asserts that God rewards the good and punishes the wicked. The nation's misfortunes are the consequences of its wrongdoing. If the nation will only do right -- including centralizing its worship -- God will bless it. In masterful literature, Job denies and challenges that theology.

The reading from Paul's second letter to the Corinthians is a defensive assertion of his ministry intended to refute some Christian leaders in Corinth who oppose and criticize Paul. Paul goes through a remarkable list of endurances that he has faced and then maintains to the Corinthians, "There is no restriction in our affections, but only in yours."

We also have the option of reading a fragment (6:14-7:1) that most scholars believe comes from a separate letter, maybe the "previous letter" mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5:9. It interrupts the train of thought between 6:13 and 7:2. It also is a conflictive piece. Paul tells the believers "do not be mismatched with unbelievers." Is he advising divorce? Maybe. Elsewhere Paul moderates this absolute ban (1 Cor. 7). The dualistic language in this passage sounds like the teaching of separatist communities such as in Qumran. There were separatist communities in early Christianity. Paul often speaks how Christians can maintain their integrity while living publicly in the Roman world.

So in Paul we have three conflicts in this one reading today -- the personal conflict over Paul himself, marriage between Christians and non-Christians, and dualistic withdrawal vs. creative engagement.

And the last reading from Luke tells of Jesus' healing of ten lepers. The only one who returned to give thanks was a Samaritan, a heretic from a hated tribe. The religious conflict between Jews and Samaritans was deep, bitter and centuries old. Jesus commends the Samaritan.

One other note. We remember the Martyrs of Lyon today. They were early Christians who were persecuted by Roman authorities. Interestingly in the light of current news, some of the evidence used to convict the Christians was obtained by torturing their household slaves. Under the duress of torture, the slaves told the authorities what the authorites wanted them to say (that's what people do when tortured), that the Christians were cannibals (a common accusation, attacking the Eucharist). On the basis of false evidence from torture, the Martyrs of Lyon then were tortured horribly to death.

Religious conflict is inevitable. A couple of thoughts about that. First, it is absurd hubris for any human or any theological system to claim it has the only truth or all truth. The Bible certainly makes no such claim. It's diversity of beliefs and the debates within scripture testify that we are to be in a perpetual conversation about the deepest things.

Our Pentecost Gospel last Sunday told us that there are truths that the Spirit must still lead us into. Second, it is a noble heritage we enter when we join the on-going debate about truth. We join the voices of the patriarchs, the Deuteronomic historian, the author of Job, Paul and the Corinthians, Jesus, Jews and Samaritans. We can enter the conflict with energy, integrity, and a bit of humbleness. After all, only God is infinite truth. The best we can do is to approach with honesty and awe.

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