Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Two Women

Wednesday, July 29, 2009 -- Week of Proper 12, Year One
Mary, Martha, and Lazarus of Bethany

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 976)
Psalms 72 (morning) 119:73-96 (evening)
2 Samuel 3:22-39
Acts 16:16-24
Mark 6:47-56

Yesterday's and today's stories from the Acts of the Apostles offer an interesting contrast. They are stories of two women, Lydia and the unnamed slave-girl.

We are given two piece of information about Lydia. She is "a worshiper of God" who shows up at the place of prayer in Philippi, outside the gate by the river. This is probably the gathering place for the Jewish residents of the city. The description "a worshiper of God" could mean that Lydia is Jewish. More likely she is among the "Godfearers," Gentiles who are attracted to Judaism for its monotheism and high ethic, but who are not Jews themselves.

The other thing we know about Lydia is that she is "from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth." Purple cloth is expensive cloth, also called royal purple. Lydia is a businesswoman from the region in Turkey where this exclusive textile was produced. She has a home in Philippi, a city in Greece which is on the main Roman highway connecting the east and west empires.

Lydia is a strong, wealthy and independent woman, overseeing her household and her business. She meets Paul and opens her heart to his words. She and her household are baptized. She then welcomes Paul and his companions into her home. Her home becomes the first Christian church in Europe. We read about Lydia in yesterday's lections.

Today we meet a slave-girl who also lives in Philippi. She has a spirit of divination. She is probably a priestess or prophetess of the Python spirit, linked to the famous serpent oracle of Delphi. The account says that this slave-priestess "brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling." (Ironically, the Turkish town of Lydia was also a center for the Delphic cult of Python.) Like Lydia, this slave-girl is drawn toward Paul and his companions. "These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation." Elsewhere in Luke's Gospel (Luke is the author of both Luke and Acts) we have an account of a man tormented by demons and living in a cemetery. He also calls Jesus the "Son of the Most High God." Jesus exorcised the demons from him. Here in Phillipi also we have an exorcism. Annoyed by the oracle's repeated attentions, Paul orders her spirit of divination to come out of her.

"But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities." Isn't that familiar? It's all about money. It's all about power. The men play on anti-Jewish sentiment to incite a crowd. It turns into a legal lynching. Paul and Silas are severely flogged with rods and imprisoned in jail with their feet in stocks. (Today a prison cell like where they were held is preserved for tourists in ancient Philippi.)

Two women. One an independent business woman. The other a slave-girl with a gift of divination. Lydia becomes the host for the new community of Jesus. I wonder what happened to the slave-girl. Her economic value to her owners would have been ruined. Paul had freed her from the spirit of divination that they used for their profit. Maybe she was more centered and clear-eyed. But, in all likelihood, she was still a slave. We don't see Paul and the early church challenging the institution of slavery. (Many preachers reminded us of that during the abolitionist movement.)

We are left to wonder about her. Was she welcomed into the Philippi church congregation? Although the early Christians did not challenge slavery as an institution, Paul's churches did do something remarkable and counter-cultural. In his congregations, slaves were given equal standing with free persons. They may still be slaves in their homes, but in the Christian congregation they were equal members of the body of Christ. Paul wrote in Galatians, "for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus." (3:26f)

It is possible to imagine Lydia the wealthy, independent and powerful international business woman and this unnamed slave-girl embracing as equal sisters in the congregation meeting in Lydia's home. It is also possible to imagine this slave-girl ruined, still in bondage, but now of little value to her owners, demoted and relegated to a lower place of servitude. Maybe both scenarios could be true.

Lowell

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

No Rest for the Weary

Tuesday, July 29, 2009 -- Week of Proper 12, Year One
Johann Sebastian, Bach, 1750; George Frederick Handel, 1759; and Henry Purcell, 1695; Composers

Today's Readings for the Daily Office
(Book of Common Prayer, p. 976)

Psalms 61, 62 (morning) 68:1-20(21-23)24-36 (evening)
2 Samuel 3:6-21
Acts 16:6-15
Mark 6:30-46

The passage that opens our gospel reading seems striking to me. Earlier Jesus had sent the disciples out two by two, traveling light, to announce God's reign, to cast out demons, and to anoint and heal the sick. Now they return to tell Jesus of their work and their travel. They are tired, "For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat." Jesus tells them to "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while." Well earned rest. Maybe even a retreat. Get away for a while and recharge the batteries. They go by boat "to a deserted place by themselves."

But it doesn't work out. People see them leaving and arrive by foot ahead of them. Instead of some quiet down-time, Jesus and the disciples meet another needy crowd. Here's the amazing part. Jesus "had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things."

What does it take for him to react that way? For one, he had to hold very lightly any expectations that he may have had. He taught his disciples to travel light -- "take nothing ...except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money..." It is also important to travel light spiritually. No expectations, no assumptions, no sense that you deserve better than you actually get. Gerald May says "Expectations are the long arm of desire, reaching forward in time and attempting to force reality to produce what one wants." (Simply Sane, p. 108) Expectations are another form of pride, mixed with magic -- "I can make the future be what I want it to be."

It takes trust to let go of expectations and to let God bring to you whatever is coming next. When you are very tired and the next thing is more work, another challenge, that takes even more trust. When you are out of gas, you have to turn to God and let God's energy do the work for you.

Seeing with the eye of God must be key. Instead of seeing the needy, demanding crowd as another, unending demand on his limited energy; instead of thinking about how tired he was and how unfair it is that his anticipated rest has been interrupted -- Jesus reacted with compassion, the heart of God. Only out of the heart of God will come the energy to meet this crowd with something that is not colored by resentfulness.

Jesus gives us a lesson for every tiring day. No expectations. Accept what is given. See it with the eye of God, with compassion. Turn to God for energy. Let God's heart motivate, move and energize your response. No matter how little you may think you have left to give, God's heart is infinite.

The feeding of the multitudes teaches the same lesson more graphically. We've only got five loaves and two fish! It's enough for God.
________

Just a moment from the story of Paul's arrival in Macedonia, bringing the gospel onto the continent of Europe for the first time. The story says they "went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer." There they met Lydia, a prosperous independent merchant. They will establish their first congregation in her home.

When I took a tour following Paul's journey, we stopped at a place outside Philippi that is the traditional location of Paul's meeting Lydia. It is a place where the narrow river (we would call it a stream) widens a bit, forming easy access under some shade trees. I could see that pivotal encounter in my minds eye. The location was a natural place for baptism, and nearby is a church, with a baptismal font in its very center. It commemorates the baptism of Lydia, the first European Christian. I remember the deep feeling of being there, and the scene comes back to me whenever I read this passage.
________

One other note. Often when I read passages like the list of David's first six sons, each from a different wife, it strikes me how ironic it is that so many people point to scripture to defend a belief that marriage is strictly between one man and one woman. Marriage, and intimacy, has a rich and varied history. Often marriage was a matter of power and property. Abner left the service of Saul's son when he had the gumption to have a relationship with the king's concubine, which could be interpreted as a potential challenge to his rule. David makes Abner's defection to his side conditional on his returning Saul's daughter Michal to David as wife, another claim to royal privilege. Biblical family values. Complicated subject.
______

Note: one of our new observances from "Holy Women, Holy Men." Bach, Handel and Purcell. A day to celebrate music and musicians.

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, July 27, 2009

The Psalmist's Prayer

Monday, July 27, 2009 -- Week of Proper 12, Year One
William Reed Huntington, Priest, 1909

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 976)
Psalms 56, 57, [58] (morning) 64, 65 (evening)
2 Samuel 2:1-11
Acts 15:36 - 16:5
Mark 6:14-29

"Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful,
for I have taken refuge in you; *
in the shadow of your wings will I take refuge
until this time of trouble has gone by." (Psalm 57:1)

The psalms appointed for this morning speak of a time when the psalmist is facing troubles, conflicts and challenges that are beyond immediate control. The writer must turn to God for support and deliverance. Although we do not know the particular circumstances that prompted these verses, they have been a source of comfort and hope for countless people through the centuries.

From Psalm 56:

Whenever I am afraid *
I will put my trust in you.

In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust and will not be afraid, *
for what can flesh do to me?

You have noted my lamentation;
put my tears into your bottle; *
are they not recorded in your book?

In God, whose word I praise
in God I trust and will not be afraid, *
for what can mortals do to me?

I am bound by the vow I made to you, O God; *
I will present to you thank-offerings;

For you have rescued my soul from death and my feet from stumbling, *
that I may walk before you in the light of the living.

And from Psalm 57:

I will call upon you, O Most High God, *
you who maintain my cause.

You will send from heaven and save me;
you will confound those who trample upon me; *
you will send forth your love and you faithfulness.

My heart is firmly fixed, O God, my heart is fixed; *
I will sing and make melody.

Wake up, my spirit;
awake, lute and harp; *
I myself will waken the dawn.

I will confess you among the peoples, O God; *
I will sing praise to you among the nations.

For your loving-kindness is greater than the heavens, *
and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

Exalt yourself above the heavens, O God, *
and your glory over all the earth.

Mixed in among these words of trust and praise the psalmist complains of the people and troubles that threaten. There is no mincing of words. The writer speaks of enemies and of their damaging intentions: lions who devour the people, with teeth like spears and tongues like swords, who lay nets to entrap.

Slowly the tone of the message moves its focus. There is a pattern. The psalmist begins with a cry to God for help. Then a mixture of complaint and petition. But what emerges is a closing that praises God and visions relief from God's hands.

The psalmist gives us a good pattern of prayer, especially in times of trouble. A cry for help. Complaint and petition, not mincing words about one's complaint, but setting it forth to God in passionate speech. After having shown God the problems, something seems to settle. There emerges a renewed trust in God's presence and goodness. We are able to praise God and go ahead to face today's challenges.

All over the world today, people will use these psalms or others like them, or they will take the pattern of prayer these psalms have modeled for them, and they will cry out to God. They will be heard. They will stand up and move forward in renewed courage to face what they must face, grounded in God's presence and help.

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, July 24, 2009

Moral Absolutes and Ambiguities

Friday, July 24, 2009 -- Week of Proper 11, Year One
Thomas a Kempis, Priest, 1471

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 976)
Psalms 40, 54 (morning) 51 (evening)
1 Samuel 31:1-13
Acts 15:12-21
Mark 5:21-43

Often people will come up to me because I am a priest and ask me a questions. "Is it a sin to do X?" "What do Christians believe about Y?" "Is it wrong to think Z?" They want me to give them some authoritative answer that they could trust to have the Church's imprimatur, Biblical foundation and presumably God's blessing.

But so many things are not that clear cut. Sincere believers can read scripture, pray devotedly, and think theologically, and come to different conclusions. Many convictions are deeply grounded in custom and convention, more established by environment and society than by eternal truth.

There are several things that emerge out of today's readings that might color the way we think about some customs and practices that people sometimes debate today.

There are two details about Saul's death that are worth noting. First, he takes his own life. Facing his army's defeat, and fearing humiliation and torture, "Saul took his own sword and fell upon it." His armor-bearer did likewise.

In Israel there was no stigma attached to his act of suicide. Saul was grieved and mourned as a fallen hero. David rewarded those who rescued Saul's body for burial.

In our culture, some Christian cemeteries have a policy forbidding the burial of people who take their own lives. (I hope that is becoming rarer today.) And it is not unusual to hear various expressions imputing particular guilt toward people who die by their own hand. Suicide is a very complicated subject. Often suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. It is often a symptom of some form of mental illness. Only God knows how deeply some people suffer, and God is compassionate. Saul's suicide, and the scripture's neutral presentation of it, should give pause to those who might make blanket judgment upon all who take their own lives.

One other note of some interest. When the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead rescued Saul's body, along with his sons', they cremated their remains and gave them a dignified burial. Although cremation was not practiced by the Israelites, David rewarded those who rescued the bodies. There is no complaint made about the cremations. Although it is less likely today, I have heard people express a belief that cremation is wrong and is against God's will and the Bible. Custom is powerful stuff.

Yesterday I pointed out how significant Acts 15 is to the direction of the early Christian movement. In contradiction to the Biblical teaching about circumcision and the unbroken custom of Judaism, Paul had been welcoming Gentiles into the Christian fellowship, baptizing and ordaining them without expecting them to become Jews, like all of the original followers of Jesus. Many in the church objected.

They brought the issue to a church council in Jerusalem. The traditionalists had a strong case from scripture and tradition: "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." (15:1) Peter told the story of his revelation, that God have given them "the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us; and in cleansing their hearts by faith he has made no distinction between them and us." Peter went on to say, "Why are you putting God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?" Paul "told of all the signs and wonders that God had done through them among the Gentiles."

After the arguments, James rendered the decision of the council. In his opening line, he expands the traditional use of the word "people." Customarily that word was used by Jews to mean "God's chosen people, the Jews." James expands it to include the Gentiles. He interprets a passage from Amos as inviting inclusion of Gentiles into the community. Then he reverses the ancient requirement of circumcision. Gentiles who join the Christian community do no have to be circumcised. It is an important decision. Had the decision been to confirm the traditional teaching, Paul's mission among the Gentiles would have suffered, and Christianity would have remained only a movement within Judaism, at least for the time being.

Controversies remained, however. James confirmed the Jewish prohibition from certain foods. He also advised that Christians should abstain from "things polluted by idols." That could be problematic in the Roman world where the empire was full of civic religion and dedication to the pantheon and to the divine Caesar. We see Paul's reflection on this controversy in his complicated writing about the meat from the public market, which would have been sacrificed to idols.

Suicide, cremation, circumcision, the laws. These are issues of practical importance to people who wish to order their lives in a fashion consistent with God's will. There are plenty of religious authorities who are willing to tell you what to believe and to tell you with certainty what is right and what is wrong. Moral absolutes abound. But there are so many different and competing versions.

Jesus invites us to follow him. He was remarkably free from the conventions and moral absolutes of his day. He seemed to live with a freedom marked by his unbounded trust in God and by his compassion and empathy for others, especially those who suffer. In today's story of the healing of the woman with a hemorrhage and his raising of Jairus' daughter, Jesus brings wholeness and life without being scrupulous over violating the scriptural purity laws. To touch or be touched by a corpse or a person with an issue of blood makes one unclean, the scripture teaches. Jesus did not let custom, convention, or even Biblical law interfere with his work of loving compassion.

There will always be controversies and moral ambiguities. There is no rule book to cover all the questions. Love is our best guide. Love God, love neighbor, love self. And everyone is neighbor. Or to paraphrase Augustine, "Love God, then do the best you can."

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, July 23, 2009

A Big Church Fight

Thursday, July 23, 2009 -- Week of Proper 11, Year One

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 976)
Psalms 50 (morning) [59, 60] or 66, 67 (evening)
1 Samuel 28:3-20
Acts 15:1-11
Mark 5:1-20

Sometimes reading the scripture is like reading the newspaper headlines or reading about what you are facing in your life today.

Acts 15 is a crisis and turning point in the history of the early church. Originally the Jesus sect was a Jewish Messianic movement. The original followers of Jesus were all Jewish (as was he, of course). They proclaimed Jesus the risen Lord as the fulfillment of the Hebrew prophecies. Not unlike the earlier movement of John the Baptist, they saw their proclamation as a renewal of Judaism. On the day of Pentecost they spoke to Jews who had gathered from the dispersion for that Jewish feast, saying, "Let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made (Jesus) both Lord and Messiah..." The Pentecost story concludes, "Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts..." In other words, the earliest Christians were Messianic Jews who added a Eucharistic observance to their traditional Jewish piety.

In the Roman world, there were some Gentiles who were attracted to the Jewish synagogue. They were drawn by Judaism's monotheism and by its high ethic, but they were not converted Jews. They were not circumcised and they did not observe the kosher laws and other ritual traditions, but they were familiar with Judaism and may have attended synagogue, seated apart from the Jewish congregation. The Jews called these Gentiles "Godfearers."

In Acts 10-11 we have the story of Peter and one of these Gentile Godfearers, the Roman Centurion Cornelius. Peter had a vision of clean and unclean foods, and a voice saying, "Get up, Peter; kill and eat." Peter objected. He had never eaten any unclean or non-kosher food. He had followed the Holiness code of scripture which named those unclean foods, like pork and shellfish. When the vision is repeated, Peter hears the voice say, "What God has made clean, you must not call profane." When Peter is suddenly called to the home of Cornelius and he sees the presence of the Holy Spirit in their response to the Gospel, Peter says, "Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" Peter was criticized for his act and had to defend himself to the other apostles in Jerusalem.

Now fast forward a few years and a few chapters to Acts 15 which we read today. Paul has been traveling through the Empire, and he has been welcoming Gentiles into the Christian fellowship in large numbers. He has baptized them, and he has laid hands on them for ministry. What Paul is doing is contrary to the practice among the apostles in Jerusalem and in Israel. It is contrary to the practice of many of the Christian leaders throughout the Empire, who continued to follow Jesus as a movement from within Judaism.

Acts 15 opens with some of these authorities, "certain individuals... from Judea." They seek to correct what Paul is doing. They tell the Gentile converts to Christianity, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." They have a strong argument. Jesus and all of the original disciples were circumcised, observant Jews. The Bible is clear. Circumcision and adherence to the law is necessary for salvation. The tradition is clear. This is what God's chosen people, the Jews, have been doing since Moses.

This is a church fight of major proportions. "And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to discuss this question with the apostles and the elders." The question is posed. Can a Gentile become Christian without being circumcised and following the law of Moses, without becoming a Jew, like Jesus and the original disciples?" It is a critical question. In tomorrow's Daily Office we will read the decision that the council reached.

The Episcopal Church today finds itself in a similar position as Paul and Barnabas. We have recognized the presence of the Holy Spirit in the loving, committed relationships of people of same-sex orientation. We have seen the faithful and holy lives of GLBT Christians who serve God and follow Jesus with the same fervor and zeal as any of the rest of us. The Episcopal Church has dared to baptize, bless and lay hands on them. We are being accused by some authorities who seek to correct what we are doing. "Unless they become straight or celibate according to the custom of heterosexuals, they cannot be saved." Like the "certain individuals... from Judea," they have a strong argument from scripture and tradition. This is a church fight of major proportions.

The Episcopal Church is testifying to the Anglican Communion just like Paul testified to the Apostolic Council in Jerusalem. Will Lambeth and Windsor follow the example of James and the Jerusalem apostles?

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, July 22, 2009

Ignatian Discernment

Wednesday, July 22, 2009 -- Week of Proper 11, Year One
Saint Mary Magdalene

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

EITHER, readings for Wednesday of Proper 11, p. 976)
Psalms 119:49-72 (morning) 49, 53 (evening)
1 Samuel 25:23-44
Acts 14:19-28
Mark 4:35-41

OR, readings for St. Mary Magdalene, p. 998
Morning Prayer: Psalm 116; Zephaniah 3:14-20; Mark 15:47-16:7
Evening Prayer: Psalms 30, 149; Exodus 15:19-21; 2 Corinthians 1:3-7

I chose to read the lections for Wednesday, Proper 11

"Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" Jesus woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. (Mark 4:38b-39)

No one has done more work on the discipline of discernment than the Jesuits, the monastic descendants of Ignatius of Loyola. Although I can't recall who taught it to me, for many years I've used an Ignatian discernment method from time to time when I've been faced with a choice between two options. (I hope I've remembered the process accurately. It is not something I've seen in written form.) Here's the way it was given to me:

In a battle in the early 1500's, Ignatius was seriously wounded. (I believe his leg was shattered by an artillery shell.) He spent months of painful convalescence.

He found that his pain was relieved sometimes when he would go into periods of active imagination. He imagined what his life would be like when he was healed and released from the hospital. He made up stories about his future life, using all of his senses to place himself into the future. He created scenes from his imagined future and experienced them vividly -- with sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell -- thinking and feeling what his new life might be. Whenever Ignatius was actively imagining, his pain would decrease and the time seemed to pass more quickly.

He discovered that his imagination gravitated toward two narratives. In one narrative, he would experience himself becoming a great, chivalrous knight, doing valiant deeds of courage and winning the hand of a noble maiden. In the other narrative, he would experience himself becoming a knight for Christ, boldly taking the gospel into the most remote or challenging or needed places.

While in active imagination, Ignatius experienced relief with either narrative. But he noticed a significant difference about where his spirit went afterwards, in the time when he was just taking care of business in a normal state of consciousness. He noticed in the hours following his narratives about becoming a great warrior knight, that he experienced a sense of turbulence, discomfort and even desolation. But he noticed in the hours following his imagining about becoming a knight for Christ, that he experienced a sense of consolation, harmony, and especially peace.

Ignatius interpreted the sense of peace to be the presence of God, drawing him into God's will for him, helping him to discern the direction of his future. He embraced the vision of that second narrative, and became a great knight for Christ, desiring to undertake the greatest service possible to the Church and the world.

The presence of peace is a sign of God's will. In the chaos and storm of a decision, when there are two potential options or directions, I will sometimes use a form of Ignatian discernment practice. I'll set before me the two options.

One day I will spend some time actively imagining myself living into the first option, using all five senses to create scenes from that future possibility. Then I will go about my normal daily activity, but I'll keep a bit of attention directed to notice where my spirit goes. Another day, I'll spend time in active imagination living into the other option. Then I will pay attention to my spirit, mood and intuition during ordinary business. What after-affect is there following each separate scenario?

If I sense some form of consolation and peace in the ordinary time following active imagination with one narrative, and if I sense some form of turbulence in the ordinary time following imagination with the other narrative, I'll accept that as a sign of God's will. The presence of peace is key.

Where does the peace of Christ lead us, especially when our boat seems tossed and we've lost control of our direction? A sense of discernment can bring peace, even in the midst of challenge and threat. A sense of peace can give direction toward God's will for us and for the fullest exercise of our creativity, courage, freedom and service. Sometimes a little active imagination can lead us toward discernment.

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, July 21, 2009

Choosing Right in History

Tuesday, July 21, 2009 -- Week of Proper 11, Year One
Albert John Luthuli, Prophetic Witness in South Africa, 1967

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 976)
Psalms 45 (morning) 47, 48 (evening)
1 Samuel 25:1-22
Acts 14:1-18
Mark 4:21-34

How do you know which side is right? As we read history, how do we know which side we would have chosen had we lived then?

The victors get to write the history, it is said. In retrospect, the treatment that the successful struggle receives makes true the parable that Mark quotes today: "For to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away." As history's stories are told -- and the lamp is put on the lampstand; the formerly hidden is disclosed -- so often in the writing, the eventual heroes get all of the laurels while their opponents become eternal villains. As today's gospel reflects, "the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. For to those who have, more will be given; from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away." Historians seem to see the seeds of eventual rewards even in the early stories of the struggles of our heroes, and their rivals are left in the dustbin of history.

But if we had actually been there when a future hero were but a mustard seed, when he or she was but a small seed, before becoming "the greatest of all shrubs," would we have recognized the implicit power or goodness?

Those thoughts came to me today as I read the beginning of the story of David and Nabal and Abigail. David was on the run from King Saul. No one yet knows who will prevail in this conflict. Nabal is probably a chieftain among the Calebites, a leading clan of Judah. He is wealthy. He probably views David as something like a runaway slave or rebellious subject of Saul, who may be Nabal's ally.

David appears to be running something like a protection racket. His men have been camping (hiding?) in the wilderness nearby, and they have not raided or stolen any of Nabal's cattle. They may have claimed the area as their territory and kept any rival gangs of armed men from bothering Nabal's property as well. At the shearing festival, which is a time of community feasting, David sends ten men to "collect" from Nabal. The expectation is that Nabal will give a gift to them the size of what ten men can carry. (There is a Mafia quality to the request. "Storeowner. You are in our territory. We've kept the local hoods away from your place. A little protection money is in order.")

Nabal resists the shakedown. "Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse?" "Who is Don Corleone?" Nabal sides with Saul. If Saul had won the struggle with David, this story might have been told from the perspective of Saul, and Nabal would have been a loyal friend. (I remember a plaque on the side of a house in London commemorating the residence of Benedict Arnold, "An American Patriot.") If I had been Nabal, which side would I have chosen? How might I have reacted to David's proposal?

In the Acts of the Apostles, we see an ongoing conflict between Paul and the synagogues. Paul's strategy for growing the church was to go into the synagogue, argue that a man who was crucified as a Roman criminal and condemned by the Sanhedren as a blasphemer is the Messiah now risen from the grave. His primary appeal was to the Gentiles in the synagogue, those called "Godfearers." These were people who were attracted to Judaism's monotheism and high moral ethic, but who did not become Jews, largely because of the intimidating requirements of circumcision and the practice of Kosher and other odd purity laws. To them, Paul's message was attractive. All of the benefits of Judaism without the bad parts. From the synagogue's perspective, Paul was stealing their Gentiles from them. Often these Godfearing Gentiles were wealthy and well placed Greeks and Roman citizens.

How might I have reacted to Paul? If I had been the rabbi of the synagogue in Iconium, I'm sure I would have resisted Paul. It is easy to see how a synagogue dispute might have escalated into potential violence in Iconium, as we read today in Acts. If I had been a faithful member of the Jewish community there, how would I have reacted? Paul was trying to steal our Godfearers!

Today is our first opportunity since General Convention to observe one of the new commemorations in our trail calendar "Holy Women, Holy Men." Today is the proposed feast for Albert John Luthuli, one of the early leaders of the African National Congress in South Afrida and a Nobel Prize laureate. I remember hearing words of sympathy in the segregated Mississippi of my childhood for the struggle that the ruling whites in South Africa were having with black independence movements, most of which were believed to be Communist influenced. Many white political and economic leaders in my home state saw the apartheid struggle as being similar to their own struggle to protect their traditional way of life from the chaos and threat of integration. It is a great gift to grow up in a culture that was wrong about something fundamental. It makes you a bit suspicious of the assumptions of cultural values.

Sometimes good people choose to support what history will later tell them was the wrong side in a struggle. How do we know we are choosing well today? How do we know who will be the eventual hero and who will be Nabal in our generation? Would we have chosen the refugee David or the wandering Paul or Albert Luthuli as he started with the ANC?

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, July 20, 2009

Liberators

Monday, July 20, 2009 -- Week of Proper 11, Year One
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Amelia Bloomer, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet Ross Tubman, Liberators and Prophets

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 976)
Psalms 41, 52 (morning) 44 (evening)
1 Samuel 24:1-22
Acts 13:44-52
Mark 4:1-20


I reset my clock wrongly (changing the alarm but not the time) and ended up sleeping an hour more than usual. Probably needed it.

My mind will be full of General Convention images for a while, I imagine. As I read Mark's gospel passages about the seeds that fall on different soils, producing different results, I thought of all of those resolutions from General Convention. Each of those attempts to articulate a sense of God's word and mission to us today will have a varied history. Some will take root and be fruitful; a few on rocky soil will be non-starters; others will have a brief history and fade away quickly; still others will be choked by various forms of "the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things."

The quick publicity has mostly surrounded two decisions -- C025 and D056 -- reflections on the relationship of the church with our gay and lesbian members. Already thorns have risen to choke and attack those words.

As I read this morning in 1 Samuel of the story of Saul's pursuit of David, it morphed into a metaphor for some of the Anglican Communion's intention to attack and subdue the Episcopal Church. Some see us as enemy, intending to break the Communion, snubbing the instruments of communion and the Archbishop, walking away from relationship. No, no, and no, is our answer. But can that answer be heard?

Paul's conflicts in Acts have some resemblance to our own. Paul was accused of blasphemy by his Jewish brothers because they rejected his interpretation of scripture to support his experience of Jesus as Messiah. He also faced opposition from fellow Christians because Paul recognized the presence of the Spirit in Gentiles, baptized them and laid hands on them for ministry, contrary to scripture and tradition. Throughout his ministry Paul was in continued controversy because of his desire for inclusion of the Gentiles. I see Paul as a patron for those who desire full inclusion for our LGBT neighbors.

Today is our commemoration of four liberators and prophets -- Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Amelia Bloomer, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet Ross Tubman. Stanton debated the conventional interpretation of scripture and tradition which enforced subordination of women and prohibited them from ordination and from equal access to work and to vote. Bloomer joined the struggle for women's rights to the emancipation movement on behalf of slaves, becoming a latter day Moses. Escaped slave Sojourner Truth proclaimed and claimed her equal dignity and rights as an African American woman. Tubman also escaped slavery and worked personally as well as with the Union Army to free slaves from their bondage.

Today's gay rights movement picks up its banner from the abolitionists, the women suffragettes, and the civil rights movements. It is important to realize that each of these groups had to overcome entrenched interpretations of the Bible which condoned their oppression; they had to overcome centuries of custom and all of the intrenched structures and institutions which felt threatened by the claims of equality.

Abolitionist Theodore Parker claimed that "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." Martin Luther King, Jr. picked up that phrase, as have gay rights activists. The small steps that our General Convention made on behalf of justice, compassion and love are in a powerful stream of liberating tradition which moves from Moses, through Jesus and Paul, into the movements that have freed slaves and still are bringing liberation to women and people of color. At every step there is conflict and opposition.

I find encouragement largely out of my own story. I grew up in the segregated South. I remember the fear. My friends and neighbors were certain that integration would destroy order and good life. Their fears were unfounded. God's will for ever-expanding justice, compassion and love is an irresistible stream. In the end, love will triumph. As Bishop Maze likes to say, "In the end, there is only God."

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, July 07, 2009

General Convention

I'm blogging the next two weeks from the General Convention of the Episcopal Church.

See generalconvention.blogspot.com

Lowell

Friday, July 03, 2009

Power in Weakness

Friday, July 3, 2009 -- Week of Proper 8, Year One

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 972)
Psalms 140, 142 (morning) 141, 143:1-11(12) (evening)
1 Samuel 13:19 - 14:15
Acts 9:1-9
Luke 23:26-31

Important Note: On Sunday I travel to the General Convention of the Episcopal Church. For the next two weeks I will be sending reports from the Convention to the Morning Reflection email list. To be on that email list, send your email address to secretary@stpaulsfay.org

Much of my focus will be on sermons, meditations, reflections and insights that happen there. I'll also report on the business and decisions of the Convention. My next Daily Office Morning Reflection will be July 20.


To follow my General Convention blog, please go to http://generalconvention.blogspot.com/


This Sunday's Epistle reading is a fascinating passage from Paul's second letter to the Corinthians. It opens: "I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven -- whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. And I know that such a person -- whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows -- was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat." (1 Corinthians 2f)

It may be that Paul was remembering the incident that we read today in Acts, his conversion and call on the road to Damascus. Luke (the author of Acts) includes several details -- the flash of a light from heaven, the voice of Jesus who questions and calls him. These details are not included in Paul's later letter. In fact, Paul says nothing to the Corinthians about this remarkable experience of being caught up to the third heaven, except to reflect on his own weaknesses, and to ground his faith in this word from God: "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." Christ's grace is sufficient and is most powerfully manifest in times when we are weak.

Paul knows what he speaks of. Three weeks ago when we were reading from 2 Corinthians, Paul listed the persecutions, jailings, beatings, shipwrecks, insults and calamities he has endured for Christ's sake. He knows himself to be strong when he is weak, and he knows it is Christ's power and presence that strengthens him.

After the mystical experience on the Damascus Road, Paul was left blind. He had to be led by the hand and cared for by others. In his weakness, he had have his first experienced of being welcomed into the Christian fellowship. In spite of his reputation as an enemy, he was cared for.

How nice that Paul's story of his vision and blindness which inaugurated his call to ministry is paired with the story of Simon of Cyrene, another story of another road. Simon is a bystander on the road that Jesus is walking with the cross. Simon is taken, apparently by random and without his permission, and he is forced to carry Jesus' cross. Apparently Jesus' weakness had become so extreme that he could no longer bear his own cross. He needed help to carry it.

We hear no more of Simon in the New Testament accounts. But it is likely that he continued within the community of the early Church, for his name is remembered when the Gospel accounts began to be written some forty years later.

In his weakness, Jesus needs Simon. Being at the wrong place at the wrong time, Simon is forced to do the ugly and strenuous job of carrying a stranger's means of criminal execution. Simon bears Jesus' cross, and he is remembered now two-thousand years later. The words Paul heard are not inappropriate on this road to Golgatha: "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness."

Jesus' cross is God's power made perfect in weakness. In the words of the recently published proposed statement on Interreligious Relations, the cross is "the Christian symbol and act of self-emptying, humility, redemptive suffering, sacrificial self-giving, and unvanquished love." Whenever we participate in these acts of weakness, we are also bearing the cross of Christ. We are experiencing the presence of the crucified and risen One. We too can know that God's grace is sufficient for us, for power is made perfect in weakness."

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, July 02, 2009

The Eunuch's Baptism

Thursday, July 2, 2009 -- Week of Proper 8, Year One

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 972)
Psalms 131, 132, [133] (morning) 134, 135 (evening)
1 Samuel 13:5-18
Acts 8:26-40
Luke 23:13-25

Baptism is the foundational ritual and sacrament of the Church. In baptism we recognize and convey our essential identity as God's own children, members of the Body of Christ. In Baptism we are filled with God's Holy Spirit, renewed and cleansed and empowered for ministry. Everything flows from Baptism. The Prayer Book speaks of our tradition: "Holy Baptism is full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ's Body the church. The bond which God establishes in Baptism is indissoluble." (BCP, p. 298)

In our story today from Acts, an angel tells the apostle Philip to travel the wilderness road between Jerusalem and Gaza. Along that road he meets a foreigner, a eunuch who serves as a treasurer for the queen of Ethiopia. The text says that he had "come to Jerusalem to worship." Now that phrase gives me pause. The Torah makes it very clear in the laws guarding community purity that a eunuch shall not be admitted to the assembly of the Lord. (Deuteronomy 23:1) It may be that this unnamed eunuch has experienced some form of exclusion or discrimination in Jerusalem, where he would have been barred from entering the worship assembly. Maybe he is a Jew who was kept outside in the Court of the Gentiles.

Returning home, the eunuch is reading scripture. (In ancient days, silent reading was unusual; people spoke the words as they read.) When Philip joins him in the chariot, Philip hears him read from Isaiah, "Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth." The words are Isaiah's, and they seem to evoke something in the eunuch. Maybe when the eunuch was excluded from the assembly he experienced humiliation and injustice, and seemed powerless to protest. He asks Philip, "About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?"

Philip tells him about another who was excluded from the assembly; another who experienced humiliation and injustice; another who was silent like a lamb. He tells of Jesus whose "life is taken away from the earth," and about his resurrection, the life restored and empowered. Philip gave the eunuch the good news about Jesus.

The eunuch must have been deeply moved. He could identify with Jesus. He wanted to be connected with one who had been humiliated and restored.

Then comes the question. "Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?" That is a loaded question.

I am about to leave for the General Convention of the Episcopal Church. This question from the Ethiopian eunuch is the kind of question that could provoke great debate from our assembly. The scripture says very clearly, no eunuch shall be admitted to the assembly of the Lord. That has been our tradition for all of these centuries. But, this eunuch has heard and received the living Word. He has a deep spiritual desire to be baptized, and he has compelling gifts of the spirit to offer to God and to God's people. Shall we bar him from the community? Shall we reject his being and his ministry?

Philip did not ask the General Convention. Philip stopped the chariot and baptized the eunuch, and God's Holy Spirit filled Philip with rejoicing.

Years ago when we were asking whether women could be ordained, there was much debate. Many raised up scriptures that gave women a secondary place in community and family life. Others spoke of the tradition of centuries, going back to the apostles, all males, like Philip. But some spoke of the foundational sacrament of Baptism which identifies us as children of God, fully initiated into the Body of Christ. Is the Body of Christ to be represented only by maleness? "If you won't ordain us, then stop baptizing us," said women, whose compelling gifts and spirit were being offered to the church.

Our General Convention followed the path of Philip. We recognized the presence of God's empowered spirit in women, and we honored the theology of baptism which makes us children of God, members of the Body of Christ, empowered for ministry.

We are still debating. Now we are talking about the descendants of the Ethiopian eunuch. Shall gay people be barred from the community? Shall their ministries be denied to them? Shall they be denied access to the sacraments of marriage and ordination? Shall their gifts and spirit be rejected?

Can there be any doubt what Philip would tell the Church if he could?

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, July 01, 2009

Strange Bedfellows

Wednesday, July 1, 2009 -- Week of Proper 8, Year One

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 972)
Psalms 119:145-176 (morning) 128, 129, 130 (evening)
1 Samuel 12:1-6, 16-25
Acts 8:14-25
Luke 23:1-12

Politics makes strange bedfellows.

As we read yesterday the chief priests and religious authorities blindfolded and tortured Jesus in order to coerce a confession from him. Their charge was blasphemy. If they could convict Jesus of blasphemy, they would have religious grounds to execute him.

But theirs is an occupied land. The religious leaders have no authority to carry out a death sentence, so they must take Jesus to the Romans and accuse him before the secular powers. In that venue, the charges against Jesus change. They say that Jesus challenged the payment of taxes to the Romans. That's a serious charge. And they tweak the accusation of blasphemy. To the Romans they say Jesus has claimed that he is a king, the Messiah. Romans were aware of Jewish Messianic hopes. If there were to be an armed Jewish rebellion, it would be led by someone claiming the renewed crown of David. "He stirs up the people," the priests say. This is the language of insurrection and rebellion.

But Pilate the governor is not convinced. He learns that Jesus is a Galilean. Jesus is a citizen of Pilate's enemy, Herod Antipas. Herod had wanted to inherit his father's appointment as the king of the Jews, but the Romans made him tetrarch of Galilee and Perea. Since Herod was in Jerusalem for the Passover, Pilate sends the problem to him. Surprisingly, Herod is delighted. He had been curious about the rumors of a miracle worker in his province.

So Herod questions Jesus and listens to the charges from the chief priests and scribes. Again they accuse Jesus of sedition and rebellion -- "He says he is a king." That might have struck a nerve with Herod. Herod wanted to be king, but was denied. Herod toys with Jesus. But Jesus won't play; he won't perform any miracles. So Herod lets his soldiers work him over a bit. As a sign of the accusation against Jesus, they mock him, treat him with contempt, probably with violent contempt, then they dress him up like a royal clown and send him back.

The result of the day's entertainment is that Herod and Pilate, former enemies, become friends. Herod, the would-be king, gets to torment and mock another failed claimant. Thanks for the fun, Pilate.

Chief priests, Pilate and Herod. Each has a different and competing agenda. But they find themselves united in their contempt for Jesus. I am reminded of the constellation of enemies that gathered around Martin Luther King, Jr. -- Entrenched white politicians; true-believer segregationists including preachers; J. Edgar Hoover and other anti-communists; defenders of the Vietnam War; the KKK; people who just don't like change; law-and-order folks who reject the notion that non-violent resistance to unjust law was legitimate. Prophets like Jesus and MLK provoke fears from diverse angles. They make strange friends and bedfellows.


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