The Vision of John
Tuesday, November 2, 2010 -- Week of Proper 26, Year Two
All Faithful Departed
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 991)
Psalms 61, 62 (morning) 68:1-20(21-23)24-36 (evening)
Ecclesiasticus* 43:1-22
Revelation 14:14 - 15:8
Luke 13:1-9
* found in the Apocrypha; also known as the Wisdom of Jesus Son of Sirach
First, just a quick note about the beautiful passage in Ecclesiasticus. With exquisite lyrics Ben Sira writes of the glory of the sky, sun, moon, and stars. He continues to speak of snow, storm, frost and ice. As Ben Sira looks at everything in creation he sees it all as the works of God's hands and delightful to God. His writing complements the spirit of those who work in the environmental movements and who challenge us to change the way we treat our earth. Ben Sira offers an excellent expression of respect for creation, and a song to gladden those who work for sustainability.
I want to make one comment on the vision from Revelation. Unless we are careful in our reading, this passage might appear genocidal. The enthroned Son of Man has a sickle for a harvest and the earth is fully ripe. Another angel has a sickle to gather the earth's clusters of grapes. The grapes are put "into the great wine press of the wrath of God. And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the wine press, as high as a horse's bridle, for a distance of about two hundred miles." In Isaiah 63 the wine press is a frightening symbol of God's wrath.
First a note about the measurements. What the NRSV translates "about two hundred miles" is in the Greek "one thousand six hundred stadia." In the language of symbolic numbers, 1,600 is a symbolic way of saying the whole earth. Four is the number of the created order, the earth. Ten is the symbol for totality. 1,600 is an intensification of earth and totality -- 4 X 4 and 10 X 10.
An important clue to John's meaning is the presence of the wine press "outside the city" -- the place of Christ's crucifixion. John imagines two harvests -- the first sickle to harvest the wheat and the second to harvest the grapes. The imagery is Eucharistic -- bread and wine. The allusion here is to the blood of Christ which covers the whole earth with Eucharist.
John's entire vision rests on the revelation that in the death of Jesus the victory is won. Christ's death overcomes evil. It is finished. Therefore in the book of Revelation, no battle is ever shown. The battle is already over and won. Now we must live in that victory, and persevere against the Beast of Empire.
When I was in seminary, scholarly consensus believed that John was writing to a community that was under persecution from Rome. He was writing to encourage them while they faced the violence of the Empire. Subsequent studies now argue that there is no evidence of persecution during the time that this book was written. Multiple signs in the book imply that the real danger that John addresses is the culture of the Beast -- the temptations of luxury, wealth, indulgence, and misuse of power, and the idolatrous behavior of empires who act like gods.
John imagines the spiritual warfare of resisting the consumption, arrogance and violence of empire and trusting in the victory of the Lamb and the Eucharistic feast. John warns Rome and all other empires, greed and violence have their own terrible consequences.
In so many ways, John's vision is a vision for today. As we see our culture manifesting so many of the beastly characteristics of empire. We recognize decaying virtue and a tendency toward violence. We now have been at war for a decade, and no end is in sight. We see the portents in the earth and the plagues of environmental disaster.
We need the encouragement of vision. A vision of the triumph of peace. A vision of a community in harmony, singing with abundance. A vision of a beautiful city, lit by the presence of God -- where the nations are healed and the trees produce fruit each month. Where the thirsty drink and justice prevails.
Resist the temptations of empire, John tells us. Embrace the victory of the Lamb. Live in a spirit of harmony, compassion, peace and love. Be a Eucharistic community. It is a message not just for the Roman Empire, but also for the American Empire.
All Faithful Departed
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 991)
Psalms 61, 62 (morning) 68:1-20(21-23)24-36 (evening)
Ecclesiasticus* 43:1-22
Revelation 14:14 - 15:8
Luke 13:1-9
* found in the Apocrypha; also known as the Wisdom of Jesus Son of Sirach
First, just a quick note about the beautiful passage in Ecclesiasticus. With exquisite lyrics Ben Sira writes of the glory of the sky, sun, moon, and stars. He continues to speak of snow, storm, frost and ice. As Ben Sira looks at everything in creation he sees it all as the works of God's hands and delightful to God. His writing complements the spirit of those who work in the environmental movements and who challenge us to change the way we treat our earth. Ben Sira offers an excellent expression of respect for creation, and a song to gladden those who work for sustainability.
I want to make one comment on the vision from Revelation. Unless we are careful in our reading, this passage might appear genocidal. The enthroned Son of Man has a sickle for a harvest and the earth is fully ripe. Another angel has a sickle to gather the earth's clusters of grapes. The grapes are put "into the great wine press of the wrath of God. And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the wine press, as high as a horse's bridle, for a distance of about two hundred miles." In Isaiah 63 the wine press is a frightening symbol of God's wrath.
First a note about the measurements. What the NRSV translates "about two hundred miles" is in the Greek "one thousand six hundred stadia." In the language of symbolic numbers, 1,600 is a symbolic way of saying the whole earth. Four is the number of the created order, the earth. Ten is the symbol for totality. 1,600 is an intensification of earth and totality -- 4 X 4 and 10 X 10.
An important clue to John's meaning is the presence of the wine press "outside the city" -- the place of Christ's crucifixion. John imagines two harvests -- the first sickle to harvest the wheat and the second to harvest the grapes. The imagery is Eucharistic -- bread and wine. The allusion here is to the blood of Christ which covers the whole earth with Eucharist.
John's entire vision rests on the revelation that in the death of Jesus the victory is won. Christ's death overcomes evil. It is finished. Therefore in the book of Revelation, no battle is ever shown. The battle is already over and won. Now we must live in that victory, and persevere against the Beast of Empire.
When I was in seminary, scholarly consensus believed that John was writing to a community that was under persecution from Rome. He was writing to encourage them while they faced the violence of the Empire. Subsequent studies now argue that there is no evidence of persecution during the time that this book was written. Multiple signs in the book imply that the real danger that John addresses is the culture of the Beast -- the temptations of luxury, wealth, indulgence, and misuse of power, and the idolatrous behavior of empires who act like gods.
John imagines the spiritual warfare of resisting the consumption, arrogance and violence of empire and trusting in the victory of the Lamb and the Eucharistic feast. John warns Rome and all other empires, greed and violence have their own terrible consequences.
In so many ways, John's vision is a vision for today. As we see our culture manifesting so many of the beastly characteristics of empire. We recognize decaying virtue and a tendency toward violence. We now have been at war for a decade, and no end is in sight. We see the portents in the earth and the plagues of environmental disaster.
We need the encouragement of vision. A vision of the triumph of peace. A vision of a community in harmony, singing with abundance. A vision of a beautiful city, lit by the presence of God -- where the nations are healed and the trees produce fruit each month. Where the thirsty drink and justice prevails.
Resist the temptations of empire, John tells us. Embrace the victory of the Lamb. Live in a spirit of harmony, compassion, peace and love. Be a Eucharistic community. It is a message not just for the Roman Empire, but also for the American 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 |
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