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Lectionary - August 2002 |
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Lectionary - August 2002 |
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4 August 2002 - Year A - Proper 13/Ordinary 18/Pentecost +11 Wesley White -- August 4, 2002 Genesis 32:22-31 What are our limits for participating in a blessing? How persistent will we be if the blessing is for ourself? And, if it is for someone else, how persistent then? As we proceed through this next week we will have opportunity to push back the limits we allow, our society allows, common sense allows, fear allows that block any blessings for ourselves and others. May we take advantage of said opportunities - first by paying attention to them and then by acting. Wesley White -- Genesis 32:22-31 Jacob/Israel - "A cripple with a blessing" [Brueggemann] And here we are on the progressive end of things with a clear vision of being part of "pure, Universal Love" and yet caught in the misery and sin of the world and our own self-despair. We are still wrestling. A part of our wrestling with the face of GOD (Peniel) is dealing with the Jacob (trickster)/Israel (GOD-protected) parts of ourselves and our church. Are we the tenacious trickster able to hang on and to turn every turn to our own advantage? Are we the wounded healer able to learn and grow and move the story of life one step further along? It seems obvious we are all of that, and more. As we wrestle through the week, may you do so well. May you know, better than ever, that you are part of a Universal Love and your life will be ever more convincing evidence of Universal Mercy. So what are your specifics? Will you reconcile with your family? Will you stand in the way of 2 George's reprise of a war against Iraq? Will you find a way to advocate for a Living Wage (not only here in the United States but elsewhere)? Given that you have been willing to indenture yourself to achieve some heart-felt desire, will you as willingly wrestle with the unknown nature of GOD for 7 seconds, or 7 minutes, or 7 hours, or 7 days, or 7 weeks, or 7 years. May you receive a wrestled blessing and offer an audacious blessing in return. Wesley White -- Psalm 17:1-7, 15 Two questions: What is the difference between "Wrestling with GOD" and "Praying to GOD"? How do you weight these on a continuum of prophetic/progressive to priestly/orthodox? progressive----------------------------------------orthodox Wesley White -- Isaiah 55:1-5 How would you feel if someone shouted at you, "Ho!" So begins the King James and the New Revised. You do know that on the streets today that means "Whore!," not "Hey there!"? Either way, no matter your condition or your assigned status in the world, you are welcome. It is not too late to pay attention to the best and finest, to the most life-giving and life-nourishing of images and actions. To do so is to participate in the waving of a flag or a sending back a report from an advance scout that you have marked a place of ever-expanding community. If we were hunting dogs we would go on point to indicate the best deal in life - free food in the midst of hunger - eternal love and loyalty, no matter what. Ho! Come! The water's fine! Pass the word! Wesley White -- Psalm 145:8-9, 14-21 GOD is more wonderful than can be understood. Mercy, kindness, tenderness, and pity for all - for all! Why is it that verse 20, about guarding us here good guys and destroying them there bad guys, tends to outweigh the image of GOD being "generous to a fault" [Peterson]? What is there about us that draws us to the division of community (with us coming out on top, of course) instead of living out of GOD's trademark love? What would happen to this psalm if verse 20 were deleted? How would you evaluate such a change? Is this the key verse for understanding it or an extraneous verse? Does your evaluation change if you think about this in terms of one person, yourself - GOD caring for your praiseful parts and destructive of your other parts - or is this really class oriented with some folks being in and others out? Wesley White -- Romans 9:1-5 What enormous sorrow do you carry with you? Is it some regret, some continuing thorn in the flesh, some addictive behavior, some awareness of principalities and powers, some thwarted desire? How might that sorrow be assuaged? Confession, healing, power, audacity? Paul writes of his sorrow regarding those who have not yet caught his vision of resurrection. He claims himself willing to trade places with them. Am I willing to trade places with a biblical inerrantist or literalist? They are part of my family and have everything going for them in terms of the knowledge of details of the Bible. And yet I hear e.e. cummings observing that they are "so full of knowledge that they are empty, empty of understanding." Am I willing to trade places if it means giving up my little bit of experience of the expansiveness of GOD's love? Not yet. Is this lack of generosity on my part why we seem to be at loggerheads in the church today? Since I don't think that even Paul could exempt himself from his own experience, I expect that there is some other blockage. Simply deleting all that "cursed" language might be a helpful beginning. Paul's intensity of intention can hardly be faulted, but denying one's self is hardly a good starting point. Perhaps the best we can do is to proceed in trust without getting into a competition to see who can be most humble, cursed, or martyred. If nothing is impossible for GOD then there is bound to be a both/and way for a new community. Let's keep looking. Wesley White -- Matthew 14:13-21 I am remembering The United Methodist 2000 General Conference with the religious-right organized defeat after defeat for any sign of hope that the church would hear the cry of Christians who were oriented toward their own gender. Head after head rolled at each vote. Finally arrests were made. There was a need to get away, to lick the wounds. When we are feeling faint ourselves and desire to send the workload away so we can leisurely catch a bite and a nap, let us remember the disciples. Jesus reoriented their fatigue. First they needed to feed those present as if they were in their care. Blessing goes through such earthly, tired folk as you and me. So, if our ancestors in the faith could stick in there with heads rolling and crowds getting hungrier by the moment, so can we. Then, right away after this, like the disciples, we can take the leftovers and sail away into other storms. 11 August 2002 - Year A - Proper 14/Ordinary 19/Pentecost +12 Wesley White for August 11, 2002 Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28 We are told that no one with faith will be disappointed and yet there are disappointments aplenty. In some we are disappointed in others (betrayed by them, even) and in some the disappointment or betrayal is internal. Where in the midst of disappointment can you find the faith that does not disappoint? Pay attention this next week to where people are feeling disappointed. It will give you some sense of where their faith needs strengthening. Of course, the same goes for you and me. Noting disappointments can lead to an increase in compassion or anger. Note carefully in which direction you are led. My sense is that if our experience with life is not leading us to greater compassion we have been compromised by some unhelpful rule or commandment. Wesley White -- Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28 The Joseph story we will be tracking for a bit helps us reflect on a hidden providence/predestination of GOD working through the power of the dream. A part of this will be the refrain of "bowing down." A part of this hiddenness is what is not read - the dreams. Without the unspoken part it is trickier to know where to focus. What are the dreams of the people you are with and what your own? What dreams of the future do you have. How do you envision the expansive love of GOD being manifest in our time and place? What will this look like for those who are laying public plans to bomb Iraq not dissimilar from the secret plans to bomb Hiroshima? What will this look like for those who have been injured by blockades of materials, emotional support, new thoughts, and the like? If you are not operating out of a grand dream, what direction do you have? But back to the story we have. In the midst of immediate family tension there rides to the rescue echoes of a past family tension. Ishmael's descendants come riding by to shift the scene within Isaac's descendants from murder to exile. Would that we could find the connections that will allow past hurts to be a source of present blessing. How can that happen within a church divided or a world waiting for war? The work before us is both the recognition of and a participation in a yet hidden providence. Specifically, what will it take for us to follow Reuben's lead of compassion within a family all too willing to use violence first? Do we need to start a Reuben Society in regard to current war plans? Can we do that knowing that Reuben also got caught up with power issues when he slept with Bilhah (35:22)? None of us seem particularly pure. Providence certainly is tangled. Wesley White -- Psalm 105: 1-6, 16-22, 45b On this day of remembrance of the nuclear plague set loose
on the world the overall tone of this psalm is difficult. How
do we divide out one part of the whole as a needle of providence
in a haystack of difficulty? "Alleluia! "Give thanks to America, call on its name, "Seek America and its strength...." "America gave them the territories of nations, How might the background of providence be glimpsed when the foreground of self-interest is so distracting? [Note: You might be interested in reflecting on "God Weeps" - #2048 from The Faith We Sing - as another way to approach this day and this psalm.] Wesley White -- 1 Kings 19:9-18 Can you tell any tonal difference in Elijah's two explanations of why he is off dreaming in a cave when he might be engaged in the danger that is life? When you read this passage aloud do you read verse 10 the same as verse 14? For me there is a shift from edgy, defensive, blaming to calmly centered, clear, ready to take part. Does that come from not finding GOD in all the usual in-your-face places? The hiddenness of quiet or silence is a place we might all do well to cultivate. It must be noted, though, that it is not a natural place for many and it can take earthquake, wind, and fire to move some of us toward it. Be bold enough to stick your head outside your bunker. The sound of silence may catch your attention and fortify you to re-engage. Wesley White -- Psalm 85:8-13 The New Jerusalem Bible notes: "God's saving justice blazes the trail; it is the condition of peace and happiness." Done any trail blazing yet today? Have any trail blazing planned for later in the day? Will that come through your "right living" or through forcing others to toe some mark? Blaze well. Wesley White -- Romans 10:5-15 There is no capturing Christ. A cultivated Christ will not justify our desires. Having heard about Christ, is the message of new life, resurrection, for yourself and for others always on the top of your heart and the tip of your tongue, ready to leap to life? If so you are part of the grand procession of people telling the good things of GOD. That's enough. Wesley White -- Matthew 14:22-33 In the midst of each and every storm, before we experience a moment of peace in the midst of fear, know that prayer is going on. Do you sense the echo of Jesus' prayer preparing you to dare step out of "Business As Usual"? Yes, this means that you are free to name the boat the disciples were in. What is the name of the frail boat you are in that you have named with a big name? Is your boat named "Possession Is Nine-tenths of the Law," "I Got Mine, You Get Yours," "Might Makes Right," "Church," "Me Myself and I," or "________." Whatever, Be baptized in the sea of possibilities beyond surety. When you are splutteringly pulled up you will know the differences of assurance. The assurance that if you just stay in the boat and follow the rules you'll be ok is shown to be false (that just leads to longingly looking back at captivity in Egypt and faint-heartedness in the moment). The assurance that if you follow the call of the mysterious I AM/WAS/WILL-BE pray-er "all will be well" is shown to be true (that leads to looking ahead to healing for all). May your prayers be prelude to your inviting people beyond their box (even a seemingly good box) to stride the wild waters of real life (none of that water park sham). This is a wonderful way to pass on the gift of prayer you have received and leads you out of your boxy boat to life abundant. 18 August 2002 - Year A - Proper 15/Ordinary 20/Pentecost +13 Wesley White -- for August 18, 2002 Showing mercy to betrayers, legalists, and foreigners for sins of the past and blindness in the present is ever a challenge. As we proceed into the next week may we be responsive to how open the gift of life is - for ourselves and for others. I am looking forward to new voices here this week. I continue hopeful that more and more will lift their voice about what they see in the scriptures that encourage them in seeing and following GOD's expansive love. Tina Lang -- Lectionary: Genesis 45:1-15 Family secrets? Jacob's brood sure had them. Jealous brothers throwing the favorite son in a pit, selling him off, and telling dad he was killed by a wild beast...that's a big secret for a bunch of bumbling brothers to keep! The favorite son recognizing his betrayers many years later yet protecting his true identity...that's another big secret! The favorite son conniving to make it look as if the second favorite was a thief...more secrecy and deception! It begins with one lie, one family secret, one unresolved issue, and the dysfunction in the family just continues to compound. Can you imagine the stress, anxiety, anger, and guilt that accompanied all of this secret-keeping? Secret-keeping is hard work! After years of secret-keeping, as the brothers are all gathered around Joseph begging for mercy on Benjamin's behalf, scripture tells us that Joseph could no longer control his feelings. He dismissed all of his servants to be left alone with his brothersbehind closed doors. Let's keep those family secrets within the family! But scripture also tells us that Joseph wept so loudly that the Egyptians, even Pharaoh's household heard it. Joseph finally admits his identity to his brothers and the secrets begin to unravel. Of course, there's much more to the story, but Joseph's revelation to his brothers ended some of the secret-keeping and began what could become a process of forgiveness and reconciliation. Do we have any family secrets in our churches, denominations, or even the Church at large? Does the church experience any of those family dynamics that Jacob's clan experienced? Who will stand up and wail so loudly that the family secrets are heard by those on "the other side of the door?" Will unraveling the dysfunction of our past help us begin the process of forgiveness and reconciliation? Please God, let it be so. Wesley White -- Matthew 15:10-28 The sea in which we swim is invisible to us. The water comes in and goes out. We live. In this regard, the stuff we are exposed to is simply the stuff we are exposed to. The good, the bad, and the ugly are all things we take in day after day. The junk food comes in, the junk jokes come in, the junk prejudices come in, the junk thinking comes in, the junk suffering comes in, the junk guilt comes in. The junk we will have with us, always. But all these influences that bombard us day and night are not determinants. We yet can learn and choose, rather than just junk react. One key question here is about the validating responses we make. If we respond to the openness of GOD's love, we validate that. If we respond to the consumer drive of our culture, we validate that. If we respond to a belittling joke, we validate that. Etc. What comes out of us completes a circuit with what went in. The longer the circuit runs the deeper rut it makes and the more difficult it is to break free without a major conversion event. Let us not conspire with institutional racism and sweatshops. Let us not conspire with divisions and brokennesses of all kinds. Let us not conspire with rigid rules for the benefit of the present rulers. Let us conspire with the love planted deep within us, as deep as creation. Let us conspire with our enemies that we might yet be friends. 25 August 2002 - Year A - Proper 16/Ordinary 21/Pentecost +14 Wesley White -- August 25, 2002 We will be listening for rocks and rivers in different ways than usual this week. Unchangeable (if not unbreakable) tablets are prefigured on the river and a rock (pulled from its gravity of sinking) that can flow with allowance is instituted. Be ready to be surprised that what seems so firm can flow and what seems so transient can persist. Wesley White -- Exodus 1:8-2:10 "Many years later a new king came to power. He did not know what Joseph had done for Egypt.... The Egyptians put slave bosses in charge of the people of Israel and tried to wear them down with hard work." [CEV] Many years later a new fundamentalism came to power. It did not know what Jesus had done for creation.... The Literalists put slave bosses in charge of the people and tried to wear them down with hard legislation. Eventually it came to throwing babies into the bath water. Eventually, the cries coalesced and the bath water threw back a baby. It is just so darn hard to be pure. Patriarchal literalists will always find themselves betrayed by their own daughters. Huzzah! for Shiphrah and Puah and older sisters and mothers and Pharaoh's daughters with an open heart for those who cry. Huzzah! for anyone with an open heart for those who cry. Wesley White -- Psalm 124 Imaginative speculation is more than fun. Conventional metaphors for coming through danger abound here. So why is it important to pile image upon image? I suppose a sense of relief could be large enough that the singer needs to express many different layers of danger and danger diffused. How many different threats and defeats have progressives of any kind felt in recent days? Can we sing this song before seeing a light at the end of the tunnel? Yes, we can. We can remember creation and extrapolate that freedom is intended to come to fruition. Hear this Psalm echoed in other scriptures like Colossians 3:15b-17 - Cultivate thankfulness [Creation is for you]. Let the presence of GOD/Jesus abound in your life [Creation is for you]. In the midst of every event Sophia/Wisdom composes a song [Creation is for you]. Every step of the way, for good and for ill, give thanks [Creation is for you]. This song is based on having forgotten the intention of Creation and then remembering it in the midst of a dark night. The inbreaking speed of light squared dramatically bursts through the energy/material boundary and caged birds sing again. May you know again this day, "Creation is for you." Wesley White -- Isaiah 51:1-6 So you are interested in "pursuit of saving justice," "right living," "seeking GOD," "pursuing righteousness." Here are two attendant tasks. First, ponder in your heart your source material. Rehearse again GOD's touching of Sarai and Abram. Follow their journey to Sarah and Abraham. Remember GOD's touching of your life and your journey. Anticipate the touching and journeying of others. Second, go about your interest with "exuberance and laughter," with "thankful voices and melodic songs." Joy, gladness, thanksgiving, rejoicing, melody, and song will be our modus operandi. For too long we have thought that earnestness was our calling. All along the sudden approach of GOD's justice can only be responded to with some form of dance. If we are going to anticipate this gift arriving swiftly it is important to do so with lightness. Let others argue about who's in and who's out. As for me and my house - its shimmy, shimmy, shimmy - justice and righteousness are already prevailing for those with an eye to joy, an ear to song, and an eagerness to participate. Wesley White -- Psalm 138 "Feets, don't fail me now." May what began with creation be finished in me. At one time everything was possible. Little by little the possibilities dropped away to reveal what was already here. Honed against other realities from creation to now, the basic shape of your life and my life has emerged. And now these basics have been loved and polished and rounded to fit with one another into a larger body, a new creation from which possibility after possibility is sculpted away by yet new honings and finishings. In Christ we are a new creation. In GOD we are a growing thanksgiving. All of this grows from verse 3 with a Syriac reading of "gave new strength to my heart" compared with the Hebrew reading of "troubled the strength of my heart." In the troubling and in the giving - creation ebbs and flows, hones and fulfills, until we become an affirmation of all that has been and a thankfulness for all that will be. Wesley White -- Romans 12:1-8 Freedom. We cannot speak of GOD without speaking of freedom. We cannot speak of Jesus without speaking of freedom. Freedom, in Eugene Peterson's The Message, is imaged in this way: "So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't." Within the context of love and glory we are free to be. Within the context of the principalities and powers, the culture around us, freedom cuts us loose. Our perception is not confined to fitting in. The "collateral damage" all around us can be heard and responded to as we are freed from the immaturity of being the measuring rod or wanting what we want when we want it. Freedom compels us to enjoy going beyond the ethics of the moment to measure life within the intention of creation echoing through eternity. We are free to live with peace, in peace, through peace, by peace, toward peace. When we are afraid we can hear the angel say, "Peace." We can hear this as encouragement to find freedom and live abundantly. Wesley White -- Matthew 16:13-20 It wasn't too long ago that Peter was sinking like a rock. The cry from his lips was, "Save me!" Do you remember that it was without hesitation that Jesus reached out to grab Peter's hand? It is on this rock that the church is built. The rock of knowing the need for assistance beyond one's abilities. The rock of knowing that with a quick and loving hand even rocks can skip across the water (this even when the water and the rock are not smooth). Oh yes, the tradition of firm rules and locking people out and selectively letting them in is still functioning. None-the-less, the dynamism that goes into rescuing rocks is far preferable to the stasis of locked doors. So, in what part of life are you raising a hand for assistance and in what part of life are you raising a hand with assistance? This is a much better key to life than measuring people by their facility with creeds. Raise away! |