Catastrophes
Monday, November 8, 2010 -- Week of Proper 27, Year Two
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 993)
Psalms 80 (morning) 77, [79] (evening)
Joel 1:1-13
Revelation 18:15-24
Luke 14:12-24
We read of four catastrophes today.
Psalm 80 asks God to restore the nation that God has established. The psalmist remembers how God called the people from bondage into this new place where we grew and prospered. But now the nation is defeated and depressed. The psalmist prays, "Turn now, O God of hosts, look down from heaven; behold and tend this vine; preserve what your right hand has planted. ...Restore us, O God of hosts; show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved."
Joel begins with a catastrophic locust plague. In an agricultural society which lives year to year by its harvests, everything has been destroyed -- grain, fruit, and oil. "Surely, joy withers away among the people," says the prophet. "Put on sackcloth and lament, you priests; wail, you ministers of the altar. ...Grain offering and drink offering are withheld from the house of your God."
In the book of Revelation, Babylon has fallen -- it is a code word for Rome, for Empire. Earlier John has spoken of the wealth and greed, the oppression and violence of the empire, including its trade in human lives. The merchants now mourn, "Alas, alas, the great city, clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! For in one hour, all this wealth has been laid waste!" Yet John calls upon heaven and the saints of earth to rejoice. The violence and oppression of Babylon has been visited upon itself. "All nations were deceived by your sorcery. And in you was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slaughtered on earth."
And in Luke, Jesus speaks of a great dinner party. The slave of the host sends to call the guests. They are involved in other important matters -- purchasing land or equipment (oxen), or getting married. The guests refuse their invitations. The party is profoundly threatened. So the host sends the slave to invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame -- those who are judged impure and unclean according to religious standards. There is even more room, so the master tells the slave, "Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled." Then the ominous warning, "For I tell you, none of those who were invited will taste my dinner."
So often the Biblical record speaks of catastrophes and gives voice to our anguish and our hope. When a homeland is defeated and depressed, we call on God to restore us. When natural disasters bring desolation and famine, we lift voices of grief and lament. When greed and pride produce the seeds of its own destruction, we see and understand the catastrophic consequences. When good people are distracted and preoccupied, God turns to the broken and needy to feed them and celebrate with them.
There are signs of all of these scenarios in our world. We ask God to be with us to help us through the hard times. We remember the catastrophic consequences of arrogance and greed. Will we learn from history or repeat it? Will we live the values of Babylon or Jesus? Will we live by the light of God's kingdom or by the lure of empire?
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 993)
Psalms 80 (morning) 77, [79] (evening)
Joel 1:1-13
Revelation 18:15-24
Luke 14:12-24
We read of four catastrophes today.
Psalm 80 asks God to restore the nation that God has established. The psalmist remembers how God called the people from bondage into this new place where we grew and prospered. But now the nation is defeated and depressed. The psalmist prays, "Turn now, O God of hosts, look down from heaven; behold and tend this vine; preserve what your right hand has planted. ...Restore us, O God of hosts; show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved."
Joel begins with a catastrophic locust plague. In an agricultural society which lives year to year by its harvests, everything has been destroyed -- grain, fruit, and oil. "Surely, joy withers away among the people," says the prophet. "Put on sackcloth and lament, you priests; wail, you ministers of the altar. ...Grain offering and drink offering are withheld from the house of your God."
In the book of Revelation, Babylon has fallen -- it is a code word for Rome, for Empire. Earlier John has spoken of the wealth and greed, the oppression and violence of the empire, including its trade in human lives. The merchants now mourn, "Alas, alas, the great city, clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! For in one hour, all this wealth has been laid waste!" Yet John calls upon heaven and the saints of earth to rejoice. The violence and oppression of Babylon has been visited upon itself. "All nations were deceived by your sorcery. And in you was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slaughtered on earth."
And in Luke, Jesus speaks of a great dinner party. The slave of the host sends to call the guests. They are involved in other important matters -- purchasing land or equipment (oxen), or getting married. The guests refuse their invitations. The party is profoundly threatened. So the host sends the slave to invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame -- those who are judged impure and unclean according to religious standards. There is even more room, so the master tells the slave, "Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled." Then the ominous warning, "For I tell you, none of those who were invited will taste my dinner."
So often the Biblical record speaks of catastrophes and gives voice to our anguish and our hope. When a homeland is defeated and depressed, we call on God to restore us. When natural disasters bring desolation and famine, we lift voices of grief and lament. When greed and pride produce the seeds of its own destruction, we see and understand the catastrophic consequences. When good people are distracted and preoccupied, God turns to the broken and needy to feed them and celebrate with them.
There are signs of all of these scenarios in our world. We ask God to be with us to help us through the hard times. We remember the catastrophic consequences of arrogance and greed. Will we learn from history or repeat it? Will we live the values of Babylon or Jesus? Will we live by the light of God's kingdom or by the lure of empire?
Lowell
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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 @ 7:45 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
And some days we get up and pray and work and study and maybe even help a bit and pray some more. And that is enough. And it seems most hopeful to me that there are others who pattern their life this way, too, even through the catastrophes! Sharing God's peace with you - Janet
I remember the day after 9/11. I was driving from home to work. The radio was full of "the world will never be the same again!!" I looked out the window and saw a mother walking her child to school, talking, bending over to look at something the child had picked up from the ground. I knew deeply within me -- "this is more true."
Some of the most moving writings are journals or remembrances of regular people living hopeful lives in the midst of terrible circumstances.
Lowell
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