Peace and Justice
Friday, October 8, 2010 -- Week of Proper 22, Year Two
William Dwight Porter Bliss, Priest, and Richard Theodore Ely, Economist, 1926, 1943
To read about our daily commemorations, go to our Holy Women, Holy Men blog:
http://liturgyandmusic.wordpress.com/category/holy-women-holy-men/
Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 987)
Psalms 140, 142 (morning) 141, 143:1-11 (12) (evening)
Micah 3:9 - 4:4
Acts 24:24 - 25:12
Luke 8:1-15
We hear two voices today in Micah's prophecy.
The first voice is that of the 8th century prophet who speaks judgment to the political and religious elite. The politicians "abhor justice and pervert all equity." (In the Hebrew scripture, "justice" is almost always an economic term.) The religious leaders pander to the wealthy and powerful, Micah says, sorting their words to favor the elite. Micah concludes that their behavior will be fatal to the nation. "Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height." (A century later, Jeremiah will cite this prophecy when he is tried for treason and sentenced to death for a similar prophecy. Micah's precedent will save Jeremiah's life.)
The second voice of Micah (beginning in chapter 4) comes from an unknown prophet of the exilic days. The first three verses of this oracle are also found in Isaiah 2. This passage is among the most beloved and lyrical of the entire scripture. "[God] shall judge between many peoples, and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more; but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken." (The last phrase about the vines and fig trees is unique to Micah.)
Quite a vision of universal peace and economic security. Quite a vision for a nation that had been subject to repeated invasion and military challenge, a nation sitting as on the crossroads between great world powers. The vision imagines those great, powerful nations processing to the more modest hill of Zion to be judged for the cause of peace and economic justice. Quite a vision for economies where wealthy landowners predominate, and peasants work for hire.
Politics and economics. These are the topics that religious leaders are supposed to avoid, especially if they are controversial, or it they challenge the ones who pay their stipend. Micah condemned the "priests who teach for a price" and the "prophets [who] give oracles for money; ...[who] lean upon the Lord and say, 'Surely the Lord is with us! No harm shall come to us.'"
Jesus was executed because he challenged the economic interests of both the Temple and Empire; his Gospel was subversive to the powerful and wealthy. "Thy kingdom come" was a political statement, and "forgive us our debts" was an economic statement. Jesus lived within the tradition of the great prophets.
Today our calendar commemoration remembers an economist and a priest who addressed economic injustice. Richard Theodore Ely (d. 1943) was an Episcopalian who taught at Johns Hopkins and at the University of Wisconsin. He challenged the extremes of both capitalism and socialism, saying, "I condemn alike that individualism that would allow the state no room for industrial activity, and that socialism which would absorb in the state the functions of the individualism." He was accused of teaching socialist principles, and critics tried to removed him from his professorship. Citing the social nature of the Gospel, Ely called the Episcopal Church to work to reform capitalism for the sake of the rights and dignity of American workers.
William Dwight Porter Bliss was an Episcopal priest and Christian socialist who called the church to work for economic justice, "rooted and grounded in Christ, the liberator, the head of humanity."
The prophets call us to a clarion tradition to seek peace and to seek economic justice and equity. In God's name we are to work for world peace and for a world where every person may live with the security of sitting "under their own vines" or "fig trees" -- "and no one shall make them afraid." What changes would need to happen to make that vision come true? Those are the changes we are called to work for, in the name of God.
I think about that major portion of the Biblical mandate as I read Jesus' parable of the seed. The Word of God that falls on the path, the rocks, the thorns, and the good soil. We tend to reap abundantly certain seeds of God -- we worship well, we learn the stories and traditions, we pray, we promote ethical behavior, we support local outreach, we help when people go through troubles, we are basically good people. But the political and economic mandates of the scripture so often fall among the thorns.
How can we embrace all of the Word of God? To do so, we will have to embrace a radical commitment to peace, economic justice, and equity. What soil will those seeds fall in?
William Dwight Porter Bliss, Priest, and Richard Theodore Ely, Economist, 1926, 1943
To read about our daily commemorations, go to our Holy Women, Holy Men blog:
http://liturgyandmusic.wordpress.com/category/holy-women-holy-men/
Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 987)
Psalms 140, 142 (morning) 141, 143:1-11 (12) (evening)
Micah 3:9 - 4:4
Acts 24:24 - 25:12
Luke 8:1-15
We hear two voices today in Micah's prophecy.
The first voice is that of the 8th century prophet who speaks judgment to the political and religious elite. The politicians "abhor justice and pervert all equity." (In the Hebrew scripture, "justice" is almost always an economic term.) The religious leaders pander to the wealthy and powerful, Micah says, sorting their words to favor the elite. Micah concludes that their behavior will be fatal to the nation. "Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height." (A century later, Jeremiah will cite this prophecy when he is tried for treason and sentenced to death for a similar prophecy. Micah's precedent will save Jeremiah's life.)
The second voice of Micah (beginning in chapter 4) comes from an unknown prophet of the exilic days. The first three verses of this oracle are also found in Isaiah 2. This passage is among the most beloved and lyrical of the entire scripture. "[God] shall judge between many peoples, and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more; but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken." (The last phrase about the vines and fig trees is unique to Micah.)
Quite a vision of universal peace and economic security. Quite a vision for a nation that had been subject to repeated invasion and military challenge, a nation sitting as on the crossroads between great world powers. The vision imagines those great, powerful nations processing to the more modest hill of Zion to be judged for the cause of peace and economic justice. Quite a vision for economies where wealthy landowners predominate, and peasants work for hire.
Politics and economics. These are the topics that religious leaders are supposed to avoid, especially if they are controversial, or it they challenge the ones who pay their stipend. Micah condemned the "priests who teach for a price" and the "prophets [who] give oracles for money; ...[who] lean upon the Lord and say, 'Surely the Lord is with us! No harm shall come to us.'"
Jesus was executed because he challenged the economic interests of both the Temple and Empire; his Gospel was subversive to the powerful and wealthy. "Thy kingdom come" was a political statement, and "forgive us our debts" was an economic statement. Jesus lived within the tradition of the great prophets.
Today our calendar commemoration remembers an economist and a priest who addressed economic injustice. Richard Theodore Ely (d. 1943) was an Episcopalian who taught at Johns Hopkins and at the University of Wisconsin. He challenged the extremes of both capitalism and socialism, saying, "I condemn alike that individualism that would allow the state no room for industrial activity, and that socialism which would absorb in the state the functions of the individualism." He was accused of teaching socialist principles, and critics tried to removed him from his professorship. Citing the social nature of the Gospel, Ely called the Episcopal Church to work to reform capitalism for the sake of the rights and dignity of American workers.
William Dwight Porter Bliss was an Episcopal priest and Christian socialist who called the church to work for economic justice, "rooted and grounded in Christ, the liberator, the head of humanity."
The prophets call us to a clarion tradition to seek peace and to seek economic justice and equity. In God's name we are to work for world peace and for a world where every person may live with the security of sitting "under their own vines" or "fig trees" -- "and no one shall make them afraid." What changes would need to happen to make that vision come true? Those are the changes we are called to work for, in the name of God.
I think about that major portion of the Biblical mandate as I read Jesus' parable of the seed. The Word of God that falls on the path, the rocks, the thorns, and the good soil. We tend to reap abundantly certain seeds of God -- we worship well, we learn the stories and traditions, we pray, we promote ethical behavior, we support local outreach, we help when people go through troubles, we are basically good people. But the political and economic mandates of the scripture so often fall among the thorns.
How can we embrace all of the Word of God? To do so, we will have to embrace a radical commitment to peace, economic justice, and equity. What soil will those seeds fall in?
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 missionstclare.com -- Click for online Daily Office 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 -- Click for Divine Hours Discussion Blog: To comment on today's reflection or readings, go to http://lowellsblog.blogspot.com, or click here for Lowell's blog find today's reading, click "comment" at the bottom of the reading, and post your thoughts. |
| The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church is to explore and celebrate God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love. See 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 |
posted by Lowell @ 9:29 AM
1 comments
1 Comments:
Beautiful imagery of the tree of life (whose leaves are healing for all nations) also comes to mind - planted there between the nations as each sits under their own canopy of fruit and vines. And the importance of strong individuals working collectively for peace and justice. Thank you Lowell - another valuable reflection with an image I can carry close in my heart.
Peace, Janet
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