Honest Prayer
Wednesday, August 29, 2012 -- Week of Proper 16
John Bunyan, Writer, 1688
Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 981)
Psalms 119:1-24 (morning) // 12, 13, 14 (evening)
Job 6:1; 7:1-21
Acts 10:1-16
John 7:1-13
[Go to http://www.missionstclare.com/english/index.html for an online version of the Daily Office including today's scripture readings.]
"God, leave me alone!" is Job's cry. He is haunted and suffering. Bad dreams and long sleepless nights of tossing. Illness that will not improve. His only way out is death.
He parodies Psalm 8, "What are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?" That psalm thanks God for glorifying human beings beyond our deserving. Job turns the psalm on its ear, asking God, why do you pay so much attention to us to make us so miserable? Just look the other way and leave us alone, he tells God. He'll be dead and gone soon, "as the cloud fades and vanishes, so those who go down to Sheol do not come up; they return no more to their houses, nor do their places know them any more. ...I shall lie in the earth; you will seek me, but I shall not be." Death will be his relief from suffering and also his escape from God's hand.
One of the messages of the story of Job is that God accepts such frank lament and complaint. Job is an example of honesty. He can tell God what he really thinks without covering it with pieties or respectful "prayerful" language. This is the real language of prayer from the heart. Job blasts God with his anger and hurt. He shows us how to speak forthrightly to God. We can tell God anything.
In fact, when we are angry or hurt, it is helpful to direct our fury toward God. God is big enough to take it. If we project our anger and hurt on another human being, we are likely to hurt or confuse that person. If we project our anger and hurt inwardly, we are likely to become depressed. The healthiest and safest way to express our deepest and most conflictive emotions is to direct them to God in fierce honesty.
Sometimes we hear nothing in response.
Sometimes we sense that though we hear nothing, God is still there. God does not depart just because we have challenged God.
Occasionally we sense a response. Jeremiah railed at God, calling God a "deceitful brook," and God's response was to scold him for speaking foolishly, and then to give him more authority and work to do. In the book of Job, we hear Job's complaints, and we will wait a long time for God's response. Eventually, Job will experience God face to face, and Job will be changed.
Only God is big enough to take our most extreme emotions. It is right to communicate them to God honestly.
____________________
A note about our reading from Acts. We are beginning a story narrating an important turning point in the history of the early Church. By a revelation in a dream, Peter will have his traditional, Biblical understanding of "clean" and "profane" challenged. Then he be sent to the home of the Roman army officer Cornelius. Peter will witness the presence of God in this household of unclean, Gentile pagans, and Peter will see the gifts of the Holy Spirit manifest in them. He will then do something remarkable and very controversial. Peter will baptize them into the fellowship of the community.
Peter's act will cause a huge church conflict. Why would he do such a unilateral thing, contrary to the Scripture and tradition that they have inherited? Peter will have to face the other apostles and explain his behavior. Peter will explain his vision and his observation of the gifts of the Spirit among these outsiders. "If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?" (11:17) The apostles will be silenced and will thank God for the manifestation of the Spirit among the Gentiles.
But this is a fight that will go on for a long time.
Paul will pick up the banner of inclusion and liberation, baptizing Gentiles into his congregations without circumcision. Repeatedly he will be attacked by fellow Christians, and he will have to defend his actions over and over. But the new, revisionist way will prevail. Once again, God shows the presence of grace where it wasn't expected, the manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit among those believed to be unclean sinners.
It is a story to give heart to the Episcopal Church and other bodies who have seen the gifts of the Spirit among our GLBT brothers and sisters. We've seen the same gifts among them that we have received. We can no longer regard them as unclean or profane. But it will take a long time for all of our fellow Christians to be convinced.
John Bunyan, Writer, 1688
Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 981)
Psalms 119:1-24 (morning) // 12, 13, 14 (evening)
Job 6:1; 7:1-21
Acts 10:1-16
John 7:1-13
[Go to http://www.missionstclare.com/english/index.html for an online version of the Daily Office including today's scripture readings.]
"God, leave me alone!" is Job's cry. He is haunted and suffering. Bad dreams and long sleepless nights of tossing. Illness that will not improve. His only way out is death.
He parodies Psalm 8, "What are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?" That psalm thanks God for glorifying human beings beyond our deserving. Job turns the psalm on its ear, asking God, why do you pay so much attention to us to make us so miserable? Just look the other way and leave us alone, he tells God. He'll be dead and gone soon, "as the cloud fades and vanishes, so those who go down to Sheol do not come up; they return no more to their houses, nor do their places know them any more. ...I shall lie in the earth; you will seek me, but I shall not be." Death will be his relief from suffering and also his escape from God's hand.
One of the messages of the story of Job is that God accepts such frank lament and complaint. Job is an example of honesty. He can tell God what he really thinks without covering it with pieties or respectful "prayerful" language. This is the real language of prayer from the heart. Job blasts God with his anger and hurt. He shows us how to speak forthrightly to God. We can tell God anything.
In fact, when we are angry or hurt, it is helpful to direct our fury toward God. God is big enough to take it. If we project our anger and hurt on another human being, we are likely to hurt or confuse that person. If we project our anger and hurt inwardly, we are likely to become depressed. The healthiest and safest way to express our deepest and most conflictive emotions is to direct them to God in fierce honesty.
Sometimes we hear nothing in response.
Sometimes we sense that though we hear nothing, God is still there. God does not depart just because we have challenged God.
Occasionally we sense a response. Jeremiah railed at God, calling God a "deceitful brook," and God's response was to scold him for speaking foolishly, and then to give him more authority and work to do. In the book of Job, we hear Job's complaints, and we will wait a long time for God's response. Eventually, Job will experience God face to face, and Job will be changed.
Only God is big enough to take our most extreme emotions. It is right to communicate them to God honestly.
____________________
A note about our reading from Acts. We are beginning a story narrating an important turning point in the history of the early Church. By a revelation in a dream, Peter will have his traditional, Biblical understanding of "clean" and "profane" challenged. Then he be sent to the home of the Roman army officer Cornelius. Peter will witness the presence of God in this household of unclean, Gentile pagans, and Peter will see the gifts of the Holy Spirit manifest in them. He will then do something remarkable and very controversial. Peter will baptize them into the fellowship of the community.
Peter's act will cause a huge church conflict. Why would he do such a unilateral thing, contrary to the Scripture and tradition that they have inherited? Peter will have to face the other apostles and explain his behavior. Peter will explain his vision and his observation of the gifts of the Spirit among these outsiders. "If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?" (11:17) The apostles will be silenced and will thank God for the manifestation of the Spirit among the Gentiles.
But this is a fight that will go on for a long time.
Paul will pick up the banner of inclusion and liberation, baptizing Gentiles into his congregations without circumcision. Repeatedly he will be attacked by fellow Christians, and he will have to defend his actions over and over. But the new, revisionist way will prevail. Once again, God shows the presence of grace where it wasn't expected, the manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit among those believed to be unclean sinners.
It is a story to give heart to the Episcopal Church and other bodies who have seen the gifts of the Spirit among our GLBT brothers and sisters. We've seen the same gifts among them that we have received. We can no longer regard them as unclean or profane. But it will take a long time for all of our fellow Christians to be convinced.
Lowell
____________
Audio
podcast: Listen
to an audio podcast of the most recent Morning Reflections from today and the
past week. Go to: http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id244.html
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 http://www.missionstclare.com/english/index.html
Another form of the office from Phyllis Tickle's
"Divine Hours" is available on our partner web site www.ExploreFaith.org at this location
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 @ 7:24 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
This is so good on so many levels Lowell. You do not cease to amaze me. I loved Jeremiah’s discourse with the Almighty. That is what I love so much about the God I am finding. There are no hard feelings. Say what you may, do what you do. God is such the perfect correcting, nurturing parent. – Not many critters like to be called a liar. God takes it like water off a duck’s back. I can just see God’s eyes roll. LOL. At least Jeremiah was talking to God. He didn’t go out and hire a lawyer.
I don’t know if this is the correct way to do this – and I am not opposed to correction – but most of this is to answer Janet’s post from yesterday. I did not know how you want that done, Lowell – stick to the day or float with the now. :)
Mike
To Janet
I can say philosophical discourse on a blog..
I did not see the movie you mention but it sounds worth watching. It seems to me, on first blush, to show that no one could stand up to OT law, not even God. Yet we must worship God.
I have to be running a meaning and purpose program in my attitude toward life or, I have found, my outlooks is quite dark. So I do meaning and purpose. I accept the premise that I will never really understand, but as I accept my premise, there becomes meaning. I mostly see it in hindsight – as Moses only saw God’s back. But there is a beautiful sense to it, and the Arabs, though as bizarre to me in their Koranic beliefs as OT thumpers are in theirs, had it right when they said that the blow that does not kill me will make me stronger. I have no doubts of this. My speculation is that the suffering is to increase our love. My love of God, my sense of Christ’s message, and my tolerance of myself and others, has increased with suffering. I will not go into whose fault it is that I suffer. That seems irrelevant, mostly. God is running the show anyway. I am just a participant observer.
You seem to have found a pretty good answer for yourself to it. YOur bottom line seems much the same as mine. I tip my mothballed jewish beanie to you. I forget the name of that thing.
Best,
mike
Thanks for the comments, Mike.
It usually works best to click the comment button below the item you want to comment on. So you might want to offer Janet your thoughts on the same day that she commented about. She follows the blog, so she probably sees it in either place.
Lowell
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