Today's Gospel Insights

Fri, 01 Jul 2005 21:12:55 GMT

The blog has moved to www.episcoblog.org..

Click here to go there.

Blessings,

Jim

Thu, 30 Jun 2005 21:33:06 GMT

The Gospel for FRIDAY, July 1, 2005 (Canada Day)

Luke 23:26-31
As they were leading him away they seized on a man, Simon from Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and made him shoulder the cross and carry it behind Jesus. Large numbers of people followed him, and women too, who mourned and lamented for him. But Jesus turned to them and said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep rather for yourselves and for your children. For look, the days are surely coming when people will say, “Blessed are those who are barren, the wombs that have never borne children, the breasts that have never suckled!” Then they will begin to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!”; to the hills, “Cover us!” For if this is what is done to green wood, what will be done when the wood is dry?’ -- The New Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1995, c1985

Blessed Are the Barren
The early fathers of the church would have had no issue with placing this prophecy into "an orderly account" for Greek listeners. The destruction of Jerusalem had already fulfilled the prophecy when the words were written down.

A Reflection
I would much have preferred to have the lectionary deal out something like "suffer the little children" on this day. It's my sixtieth birthday. Instead, I'm drawing closer to the "kiss between life and eternity," as Israel described the moment of death; it's not a fearsome prospect, but one of interest as my mind conjures up a far greater number of spiritual questions than it did when I was younger and more interested in technical things.

The whole concept of "taking up" my cross, whatever it will be (or perhaps already is?) is one that is of considerable interest. Is it my ministry, my vocation, my avocation, or something else entirely? If I know or feel that I am following Jesus when I am doing it, does that knowledge mean that it is "my cross"?

The Cross as metaphor for a mundane calling seems dramatically over-done. Few of us have the desire, or even the opportunity, to sacrifice our lives at the altar of Truth as Jesus did, or as did the early martyrs.

Yet we are unlike Simon of Cyrene; we turn and run from danger. We cannot abide suffering (and why should we abide needless suffering?), and our moral compasses seem to find a different truth with every situation. I keep telling myself that absolutes are few, and I wonder at those who can slap an absolute truth on just about anything.

Jesus gave us the means to keep the wood green and to avoid having it dry out. Whether we walk with Him, sharing our (or others') burdens with Him, or follow behind Him, carrying the burdens of others, we are spiritually refreshed by His limitless supply of love and blessing and Grace.

A Collect
Father, help us to know and understand when we are given a portion of Jesus' burden, that we may serve Him and you, as you would have us. Amen.

Wed, 29 Jun 2005 15:40:48 GMT

The Gospel for THURSDAY, June 30, 2005

Luke 23:13-25
Pilate then summoned the chief priests and the leading men and the people. He said to them, ‘You brought this man before me as a popular agitator. Now I have gone into the matter myself in your presence and found no grounds in the man for any of the charges you bring against him. Nor has Herod either, since he has sent him back to us. As you can see, the man has done nothing that deserves death, so I shall have him flogged and then let him go.’ But as one man they howled, ‘Away with him! Give us Barabbas!’ (This man had been thrown into prison because of a riot in the city and murder.) In his desire to set Jesus free, Pilate addressed them again, but they shouted back, ‘Crucify him! Crucify him!’ And for the third time he spoke to them, ‘But what harm has this man done? I have found no case against him that deserves death, so I shall have him flogged and then let him go.’ But they kept on shouting at the top of their voices, demanding that he should be crucified. And their shouts kept growing louder. Pilate then gave his verdict: their demand was to be granted. He released the man they asked for, who had been imprisoned because of rioting and murder, and handed Jesus over to them to deal with as they pleased. -- The New Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1995, c1985

A Version of the Story
Giving Pilate credit for attempting to be just is probably a stretch of the facts. Pilate is reported to have had no interest in justice or equity, but only in ensuring his own tenure, success, and potential promotion.

A Reflection
Some students attempt to use this account as evidence that "not standing by your beliefs" will cause bad things to happen.

I don't think anybody has any reason to believe that this account is as "factual" as anyone else's account.

What this account does is to place blame onto the crowd, when the blame apparently belongs to those in power whose positions were threatened by Jesus' truth.

I told my sons when they were small that giving in to a bully is the surest way to ensure that he will return for more bullying. If you're going to get beat up, why not kick him in the shins first, so he'll find someone else less painful to encounter, the next time?

That was bad advice, though with some practical merit.

Jesus' approach to the situation, to speak truth to power, was the correct and best practice. He neither stooped to their level nor was cowed by their force. Nothing in Torah or the Roman code could justify their actions, while Jesus was, both figuratively and literally, "on the side of the angels."

A Collect
Almighty God, your Son faced injustice with courage and sure knowledge of your truth; give us your grace to follow his example. Amen

Tue, 28 Jun 2005 18:53:03 GMT

The Gospel for WEDNESDAY, June 29, 2005 (St. Peter & St. Paul)

Luke 23:1-12
The whole assembly then rose, and they brought him before Pilate. They began their accusation by saying, ‘We found this man inciting our people to revolt, opposing payment of the tribute to Caesar, and claiming to be Christ, a king.’ Pilate put to him this question, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ He replied, ‘It is you who say it.’ Pilate then said to the chief priests and the crowd, ‘I find no case against this man.’ But they persisted, ‘He is inflaming the people with his teaching all over Judaea and all the way from Galilee, where he started, down to here.’ When Pilate heard this, he asked if the man were a Galilean; and finding that he came under Herod’s jurisdiction, he passed him over to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time. Herod was delighted to see Jesus; he had heard about him and had been wanting for a long time to set eyes on him; moreover, he was hoping to see some miracle worked by him. So he questioned him at some length, but without getting any reply. Meanwhile the chief priests and the scribes were there, vigorously pressing their accusations. Then Herod, together with his guards, treated him with contempt and made fun of him; he put a rich cloak on him and sent him back to Pilate. And though Herod and Pilate had been enemies before, they were reconciled that same day. -- The New Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1995, c1985

Taking Jesus Seriously
This Herod was so sure of himself as a ruler that he failed to render even the most basic of human courtesies to Jesus, instead treating Jesus as a fool.

A Reflection
How do we treat people today who propose radical ideas?

When we deal with unempowered or disenfranchised persons, we are pre-wired to discount them and whatever they have to say. If we imagine one of the homeless camped out on K Street in Washington appearing at a congressional hearing next to one of the lobbyists whose offices are on K Street, we quickly form our opinions as to the outcome.

It's not "fair" today, nor was it fair then.

Martin King told us, "The content of a man's character is not where he stands in times of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

We know that while the outcome of a conflict may be influenced by a contestant's character, there are numerous factors that trump character, when we are dealing with human beings. When we are dealing with corrupted humans whose immediate circumstances are threatened, we should expect only outcomes favorable to those humans, not outcomes that achieve justice.

And we can almost guarantee that these outcomes will not be what would be produced by systems grounded in Jesus' commandments. Jesus put it well when He told us to render to Caesar that which is Caesar's, and to God that which is God's -- including justice, and mercy.

The Collect
Almighty God, whose blessed apostles Peter and Paul glorified you by their martyrdom: Grant that your Church, instructed by their teaching and example, and knit together in unity by your Spirit, may ever stand firm upon the one foundation, which is Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Mon, 27 Jun 2005 19:30:24 GMT

The Gospel for TUESDAY, June 28, 2005 (Irenaeus)

Luke 22:63-71
Meanwhile the men who guarded Jesus were mocking and beating him. They blindfolded him and questioned him, saying, ‘Prophesy! Who hit you then?’ And they heaped many other insults on him. When day broke there was a meeting of the elders of the people, the chief priests and scribes. He was brought before their council, and they said to him, ‘If you are the Christ, tell us.’ He replied, ‘If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I question you, you will not answer. But from now on, the Son of man will be seated at the right hand of the Power of God.’ They all said, ‘So you are the Son of God then?’ He answered, ‘It is you who say I am.’ Then they said, ‘Why do we need any evidence? We have heard it for ourselves from his own lips.’ -- The New Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1995, c1985

Kangaroo Court
We see "justice" like this handed out by the forces of darkness on a daily basis. It hurts us now as it should have hurt them, then.

A Reflection
The truly horrible aspect to this is story is that the One Who came to show the face of YHWH to humans is shown the face of the evil one, in darkness, with all the horror that the church and the state can bring to bear, at their collective worst.

The stories near and after the time of the crucifixion are tinted, a bit. The justifications of the early church fathers' lay along the positions they took, especially as the new "rabbinic" orientation of Judaism sought to create a clear separation between Jesus-Jews and the unconverted.

For me, the story certainly could have unwrapped itself this way, and some variation on it is highly likely -- and it really doesn't matter. The facts are that Jesus was executed as a religious/political radical who posed too great a danger to both the Roman state and the Temple rulers.

I take from this story, however, a deeply personalized insight into the worst offenses of legal systems gone far astray; and I take away Jesus' courageous stand against the systems as both inspiration and model for us, today.

Will we die for our beliefs? People do, every day. Some wittingly, some caught up in the machinery of illicit governments unchallenged by the "church" or honest women and men.

What will we do, short of death?

The Collect
Almighty God, who upheld your servant Irenaeus with strength to maintain the truth against every blast of vain doctrine: Keep us, we pray, steadfast in your true religion, that in constancy and peace we may walk in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Mon, 27 Jun 2005 01:58:31 GMT

The Gospel for MONDAY, June 27, 2005

Luke 22:52-62
Then Jesus said to the chief priests and captains of the Temple guard and elders who had come for him, ‘Am I a bandit, that you had to set out with swords and clubs? When I was among you in the Temple day after day you never made a move to lay hands on me. But this is your hour; this is the reign of darkness.’ They seized him then and led him away, and they took him to the high priest’s house. Peter followed at a distance. They had lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and Peter sat down among them, and as he was sitting there by the blaze a servant–girl saw him, peered at him, and said, ‘This man was with him too.’ But he denied it. ‘Woman, I do not know him,’ he said. Shortly afterwards someone else saw him and said, ‘You are one of them too.’ But Peter replied, ‘I am not, my friend.’ About an hour later another man insisted, saying, ‘This fellow was certainly with him. Why, he is a Galilean.’ Peter said, ‘My friend, I do not know what you are talking about.’ At that instant, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed, and the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter, and Peter remembered the Lord’s words when he had said to him, ‘Before the cock crows today, you will have disowned me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly. -- The New Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1995, c1985

Reign of Darkness
When the lights are out, we think we can get away with acts too obvious in the full light of God's day.

A Reflection
The early Christians often called themselves "Children of the Light." And we have dozens of metaphors for good things that happen in the sunshine and perhaps more for the evil that tries to hide by cover of darkness.

As a sort of roving troubleshooter for my company, I ask a series of almost random questions when I encounter a troubled project; when I detect hesitance to answer, I know I've found a nerve, and by moving around that new focus, I can normally find two or three of the big issues in a relatively small amount of time.

People are astounded at how quickly I can uncover problems that have been "hidden" for quite a while.

They're even more astounded when I tell them how I do it. Most don't believe me. They think that I am hiding the true answer from them!

There is a good reason for having all the metaphors arranged the way that they are: our human psyches are wired in a way that is remarkably and aptly described in terms of those metaphors.

Let's all try to become true Children of the Light! Jesus preached in the daylight. So should we.

A Collect
Lord Jesus, you are the Light of the World, yet you endured the reign of darkness imposed by men with darkened minds; keep us always in your Light, precious Saviour of Souls. Amen

Sat, 25 Jun 2005 22:30:44 GMT

The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost (June 26, 2005)

Matthew 10:34-42
‘Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth: it is not peace I have come to bring, but a sword. For I have come to set son against father, daughter against mother, daughter–in–law against mother–in–law; a person’s enemies will be the members of his own household. ‘No one who prefers father or mother to me is worthy of me. No one who prefers son or daughter to me is worthy of me. Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me. Anyone who finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it. ‘Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. ‘Anyone who welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will have a prophet’s reward; and anyone who welcomes an upright person because he is upright will have the reward of an upright person. ‘If anyone gives so much as a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple, then in truth I tell you, he will most certainly not go without his reward.’ -- New Jerusalem Bible

Sermon Delivered at St Nicholas Episcopal Church June 26, 2005

Open our minds, Lord, to understand your Word, and shape our hearts to show your Word forth in our lives. Amen.

The late science fiction writer Rod Serling created the Twilight Zone television series that is still in syndication today. Each episode begins with Serling calmly reciting the invocation: “Imagine, if you will…..” There’s a fairly benign setup, a little plot development, and then slightly stranger and stranger plot twists that result in a totally unexpected ending leaving us …. amazed.

Today’s gospel inverts that: it begins with a powerful statement – not peace, but a sword -- and spends the remainder of the story developing what leads up to it.

[Trouble in the World]

So … imagine, if you will …, that you are an everyday resident of Galilee, or Judea. Maybe you are a tenant farmer just barely eking out a living by farming land that you lost because you couldn’t afford the Roman taxes and the temple taxes. Maybe you are a day laborer, working for one or two denarii per day building yet another gaudy Roman building. Or maybe you’re totally marginalized like a widow: homeless, unemployable, truly a non-person. And so you’ve come to the nearby village for the day to beg alongside those who came to trade or to go to the local synagogue.

It’s 30, A.D. For the last 67 years, the Romans have occupied this land, land given to your ancestors by YHWH. It’s not that your fellow Jews haven’t tried to get rid of the Romans; it’s just that every time they’ve rebelled, the ever-present Roman army garrison has displayed its amazing power, cruelty, and efficiency. The Romans capture and crucify the rebels, hundreds at a time. Their victims line the roads on crosses, for miles and miles and miles. Nobody could stand up to that much organization and manpower and the deadly … earnest ... willingness to use it at the drop of a hat.

[Trouble in the Text]

And into this scene, and into our little village walks the man they call Jesus, with a few dozens of followers. And the first thing he says to them is, “… it is not peace I have come to bring, but a sword!”

Oy!

OK, maybe this is the one we’ve been waiting for. After all, we’re expecting a son of David to be the new anointed one, to rule us as David did, to make Israel a great nation once again, to get rid of these cursed, impure, pagan Romans, to let us live sanctified lives under the Law, again.

But then Jesus goes on.

“For I have come to set son against father, daughter against mother, daughter–in–law against mother–in–law;a person’s enemies will be the members of his own household.”

Wait a minute. The word Jesus used for “sword” also means “butcher’s knife,” like the one we would use to cut the meat away from the bone (if we had any meat). It’s the way that our family might be dissected away from us by having different views of YHWH and what YHWH intends for us to do – different from the “approved” standard.

If a Jew were to begin to follow Jesus, to eat with those whom the Pharisees disapproved, to talk to Samaritan women, as Jesus did, as Jesus taught by His own example, then that Jew wasn’t helping himself.

The president of the local synagogue was always on the lookout for marginally-observant Jews: Jews who weren’t keeping any one of the 613 various rules – mitzvots -- that attempted to keep Israel separated from non-Jews and their de facto impurity.

And a Jew who strayed far enough afield could be kicked out for a month …. or forever. Suddenly, nobody would have anything to do with that straying Jew, wouldn’t sell him food, or buy his goods. He just ceased to exist. Even worse, the cost of discipleship to Jesus for a first century Jew could be one’s life.

The Temple leadership and the Roman occupiers were alike, at least, in that respect. Having cultist Jews talking about a Messiah and the destruction of the Temple and such were disturbing to the peace. One person’s life for good order and discipline? It seemed well worth the price, especially if it was a peasant’s life.

“Fine,” we say. “We’re not occupied by bloodthirsty Romans, and we aren’t in that religious system. How does this apply to us?”

There is, of course, the timeless message about family and friends becoming obstacles to following Jesus. It’s likely that each of us has family members, and friends, who just don’t understand a faith that requires no obvious evidence, a faith that has no foundation in any obvious science: in short, a faith that’s willing to wait until the evidence changes. And the temptations to shave the moral edges on things like taxes, or school exams, are ever-present tests to our commitment to honoring our Creator’s vision for us.

We whose lives are lived free from physical oppression and religious domination, we are far from the wretched conditions in which those villagers lived. Yet the promise that Jesus offered almost two thousand years ago, is, like Jesus, unchanged for us. The difference between the time the story was written down, and now as we read it, ought to be that the things that oppress us are different.

We have no Roman oppressors; but we do have global outsourcing, downsizing, and corporate megalomania. National governments use force in shameful ways for dubious reasons. Wouldn’t we rather have a government with its priority interest in providing education, food, medicine and shelter for its weakest and poorest citizens, whether they are children or old people?

And we are called to witness the global poverty that exists in stark contrast to the lives we lead. Jesus calls us just as strongly today to care for the least among us, as he did through Father Bill Sassman, with Food for the Poor, who visited with us right here, just a few weeks ago.

What would cause someone in first century Palestine, then, to choose Jesus?

You have already imagined the lives they led; anything would have been better than those lives, and Jesus offered them the promise of salvation plus eternal life with YHWH, starting … right now, today.

And what’s different about us, today? Yes, we experience different qualities of fear and oppression and injustice -- usually, thankfully, only as witnesses for others. But they are just as real to the victims.

[Grace in the Text]

So whether it’s a sword or a butcher’s knife, it really doesn’t matter. Remember, this gospel text isn’t the entire message He left for us. He did come to bring peace for us, after we have accepted the claim He lays on us to follow him and to welcome him into our hearts and minds and attitudes and actions towards others. And He didn’t say it would be easy going. But we know what we feel in our hearts, and the great joy that comes from accepting a risen Christ who is with us, as he said – no, as he promised -- even unto the end of the age.

[Grace in the World]

We have the same uncertainties about our relationships today with our fellow human beings as they did then in Palestine, and with our Creator. And yes, having the promise of the Kingdom appearing in our lives, today, is just as powerful now as it was two thousand years ago.

The late Roman Catholic monastic, priest, and prolific writer Henri Nouwen lived some of the most productive years of his life in a Canadian retreat home for the severely disabled and retarded, L’Arche. In his book of Daily Meditations, he says

Peace is Shalom --- well-being of mind, heart, and body, individually and communally. It can exist in the midst of a war-torn world, even in the midst of unresolved problems and increasing human conflicts. Jesus made that peace by giving his life for his brothers and sisters. This is no easy peace, but it is everlasting and it comes from God. Are we willing to give our lives in the service of peace?

It is a good thing when we have met together here on a Sunday. We have expressed publicly our attitudes of love for one another and for our Creator. Jesus reminded us to do both of these things when He summarized the Law and the Prophets. It is a far greater thing, however, to leave this place with the Peace that passes all understanding, sure and certain of God’s great love for us as his beloved children. We can exhibit, every day, the same confidence that Jesus did, sure in His Father’s love, sure that the Father is watching over us, caring for us … listening to us. And the more of our lives that we lose for Jesus’ sake, as this gospel text says, into God’s boundless love – surely the more we will find our lives new and alive and refreshed by the Spirit, in wonder, love, and peace.

This prayer, written by a doctoral student, Jason Whitehead, seems very fitting both for this gospel and our times:

Like a sword you sent your son to remove us from our comforts,
To place us in the wilderness so that we might wander and wonder.
Give us the strength for the journey ahead,
So that we might do what little we can in order to further your kingdom here on earth,
One where justice rolls down like a mighty river,
And peace flows like an ever-present stream…

Amen

The Collect
Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.