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Lectionary - November 2003 |
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Lectionary - November 2003 |
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November 2, 2003 - Year B - Proper 26B/Ordinary 31B/Pentecost 21 Wesley White November 2, 2003 Ruth 1:1-18 Commandments and love. Necessity and love. Priests and prophets. Faith and justice. Lots of room to look at things holistically without tracking down one side to the exclusion of the other. Wesley White Ruth 1:1-18 Two key words here - Are we not always caught with turning and turning - hopefully to come round right? Who shall we turn to if you turn away? Naomi urges a return of Oprah (whoops, Orpah) and Ruth to the world. She releases them, turns them. One is turned and one turns back again. Are we not always caught in clinging. It is the first act recorded about Adam and Eve - even more ancient than the snake and fruit and tree story. Martin Buber used these two images to describe the difficulties of dealing with life imaged as a whirlpool of fate. We either jump from one piece of flotsam-it or jetsam-it to another or we never do and only cling to what we have-it. Either it-action lead us downward and can be considered evil. It is important to move beyond these two common responses to life and come to this: 'So long as the heaven of THOU is spread out over me the winds of causality cower at my heels and the whirlpool of fate stays its course.' [Martin Buber] I have to admit it has been years since I read the wonderful book, "I and Thou." I don't have it right at hand and may be forgetting something here in the twilight of life. If so, I trust someone here will refresh my memory. Wesley White Psalm 146 A daily mantra is needed to clear our eyes from the big lies, told often enough that we lose our ability to be affronted by their evident stupidity or silliness. Here is a good mantra: "GOD loves good people, protects strangers, takes the
side of orphans and widows, Say this six times upon arising, five times at mid-morning, four times at noon, three times at siesta-time, twice at the evening meal, and once at bedtime. This pattern will help many. There are others, though, for whom it needs to build during the day. They are encouraged to say it once upon arising, twice at mid-morning, thrice at noon, four times before siesta, five times at supper/dinner, and six times at bedtime. One clears the cobwebs of the night and the other prepares one for transformative dreams. Use the pattern that fits you. Which ever you use, may you be strengthened to not let the bastards grind you down. So laugh loud with every pseudo authoritative sounding phrase such as "nihil illigitami carborundum" or "non illegitimi carborundum est" or "illegitimi non carborundum." Wesley White Hebrews 9:11-14 There are a lot of footnotes in this section indicating alternative translations. Does this give permission to also question what it means to come to the temple with one's own blood? One picture is that of carrying on the sacrifices, so we are talking about our own blood spilt. Another picture is that of transforming the old sacrifices, so we are talking about living blood flowing freely within. If, as some translate, "...he bypassed the old tent and its trappings in this created world and went straight into heaven's tent....", The sacrificial trimmings could be done without. It is difficult to get out of the sacrificial mindset with all its trappings, but it is not impossible to move in a different direction. Wesley White Mark 12:28-34 Lou and Peter Berryman, Wisconsin accordion and guitar song writing and performing team, have a wonderful song on their House Concert CD (actually it is one of several great songs). So there's 65 miles to go, to get to my sweet prairie flower The speed limit's now 65; it should take me exactly an hour Only 65 miles to go, but when 10 miles further I drive I notice with dread there's a sign up ahead saying Speed zone, slow down, 55 [repeat with new figures] and so it goes the "kingdom of God," one's "sweet prairie flower," is not far, only an hour away. At least one question that might have been asked if only one had dared, "is not far a good thing?" Check out John Wesley's sermon, "The Almost Christian" that concludes with comments about the altogether Christian. "...do good designs and good desires make a Christian? By no means, unless they are brought to good effect." "Remember 'always to pray and not to faint', till thou also canst lift up thy hand unto heaven and declare to him that liveth for ever and ever, 'Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee.' "May we all thus experience what it is to be not almost only, but altogether Christians! Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus, knowing we have peace with God through Jesus Christ, rejoicing in hope of the glory of God, and having the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost given unto us!" Let's not end with recognizing good words. Let's apply them in our lives and world. Wesley White Psalm 119:1-8 The Judicial Council of the United Methodist Church has recently decreed that they desire a particular outcome of an investigation and sent it back to be redone in their image. Presumably they will keep sending it back until they get the result they want. (Does anyone remember Florida and the Presidential "election"?) A counter argument I saw online goes, "Both the Committee on Investigation and Trial Court need to be fully aware of their ability to define the meaning of chargeable offenses. They need to be aware that even though there are prohibitions about certain behaviors in the 2000 Discipline, that none of these prohibitions is actually a chargeable offense. Each Committee on Investigation and Trial Court must decide if violating one of these specific prohibition in a specific set of circumstances actually constitutes any one of the chargeable offense under ¶2702. As a trier of law, a CI or TR must review the total circumstances of the situation and all that is written in the Discipline. After such a review, it may decide a particular prohibitions is unjust, oppressive or unwarranted either in that particular circumstance or always. And if the prohibition is unjust, then it has the power to decide no violation of a chargeable offense has occurred. No one should not be convicted for violating an unjust prohibition." We are talking here about the blessing of the laws of the Lord that lead to new life for the individual, community, and creation. The laws that don't do that can be questioned. If we jump way to verse 175 this becomes clearer. "Let me live that I may praise you, and let your ordinances help me." Indeed we live to love GOD and Neighbor and Self and One Another and Enemies. The laws (ways of living) that enhance this love are indeed blest and those that don't blast us apart. Wesley White Deuteronomy 6:1-9 "The command for Israel to love God becomes one of Deuteronomy's most distinctive doctrines, acting as an important corrective to the emphasis upon awe and fear in worship." (NISB note on verse 5) This is something worth telling to our kids and friends and others - Love trumps fear. In recent days we have not done so well with this affirmation but have had to come at it from around the corner of "No Fear." I'll be glad when we can get back to the Love language. November 9, 2003 - Year B - Proper 27B/Ordinary 32B/Pentecost 22 Wesley White November 9, 2003 Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17 So how are we going to treat widows? Include them (marriage) or exclude them (eviction). By extension, how are we going to treat any other that ranks below one's own sense of entitlement or one's own class? The practice of ministry is the measure of theology. Wesley White Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17 FROM THE BOOKSHELF Ruth no other options An Aggada
based on the book of Ruth I am a decent man. I have a reputation to maintain. I live a decent life and say my prayers daily. I thank God for many things, and most especially I say the prayer prescribed for all Jewish men, "Thank God that I was not born a woman." Mostly I steer clear of women. They spell nothing but trouble, and in a small town like Bethlehem, there are no secrets. So when I woke in the middle of the night, naked, my cloak pulled up to my chest, a shudder of fear ran through me. And then, in the darkness, I became aware of a woman beside me. I could hear her breathing. I could feel the warmth of her body. I knew I was in trouble. Deep trouble. My head was pounding and I felt sick to the stomach, from fear and too much to drink. What kind of mess have I gotten myself into? It was the last night of the threshing season. Big celebration. Lots of good food and lots and lots of wine, and everyone ate and drank and partied till the wee small hours, until they passed out somewhere on the threshing floor. And yes, a lot of men and women got mixed up with each other they do every year but I always thought of myself as too smart to fall into that trap. Now this. And I didn't even know who this woman was. It was the middle of the night, but she put her face close to mine and whispered, "I am Ruth." "Ruth? Ruth who? I don't know any Ruth." "I am Ruth, the woman from Moab. I am the daughter-in-law of Naomi, your kinswoman. You were very kind to me and helped me glean grain from your fields. You protected me and gave me food." Then the whole thing came clear to me. I do her a favor. She pays me back by giving me her body. "Damn," I whispered loudly. Then more quietly because I didn't want to wake up any of the other drunken bodies scattered around the threshing floor. "I thought you were something more than a p?. Do you think I let you glean in the fields just so I could get you into the sack?" I could feel her stiffen and sit up. "I should have known. I should have bloody well known that no man would understand this." "Quiet," I whispered. "You'll wake everybody up." "Let them wake up," Ruth hissed. "And I'll give them a little lecture about what it's like being a woman. A woman is just half a human, remember. I have no rights. I have no place I can go back to, and no place I can go forward to. I am a foreigner in this country, I am a widow, I have no father and no sons. All I have is a mother-in-law who schemes and plans and figures that if I come here and seduce you, maybe you'll marry me. But you wouldn't know what it's like to have your back against the wall, to have no options, no choices and no hope. It's no wonder you men pray, 'Thank God I was not born a woman.' I would too. Men have all the power and all the choices and I have no power and no choices except the power of ?x and so I turn myself into a p? in the wild hope that you might marry me." I couldn't see her in the dark but I could feel her anger and her pain. And I could remember her face. I had seen the grim determination in her eyes and in her body as she worked in the blazing sun from early morning till late at night, breaking her back to pick up the few little heads of grain missed by the harvesters. And I had heard her story gossiped in the streets of Bethlehem, how hope had turned to pain and death in her native Moab, of her dedication to her mother-in- law. I had envied her courage, her strength, her commitment. Now I could hear her deep and angry breathing as she sat there beside me on the threshing floor. She was right, of course. Part of my daily prayer was to say, "Thank God I was not born a woman," and now, suddenly, I knew why. I was far too weak to be a woman. I would long ago have been crushed by the pain and circumstance Ruth and Naomi had faced. "Thank God I was not born a woman," because I could never do what Ruth had done, simply to stay alive. Nor did I have the loyalty and commitment she had showed, when she followed Naomi into a strange and distant land. And then I knew I needed Ruth. Not for the ?x and not for the comfort but for the sheer strength and will and hope that lives in such a person. "Ruth," I said. "If I can work it out, will you marry me?" "No," she said. "If it means death, so be it, but I won't sell myself again, just to survive." "Not for your sake, Ruth. For mine. I have power, but you have strength. As a male, I have rights, but you have purpose. Without you, I am incomplete." There was a long, long silence. Then in the darkness of that threshing floor, she took my hand. - - - - - - - I AM DELIGHTED WHEN YOU CAN USE SOMETHING FROM RUMORS. AS LONG AS IT'S WITHIN THE LIFE AND WORK OF YOUR CONGREGATION OR PARISH, YOU DON'T NEED PERMISSION. IF YOU ARE USING AN ITEM FROM RUMORS IN YOUR CHURCH BULLETIN OR NEWSLETTER, please copy this on to the end of it. "From Ralph Milton's RUMORS, a free Internet 'e-zine' for active Christians with a sense of humor. To subscribe, send an e-mail to: rumors-subscribe@joinhands.com. Don't put anything else in that e-mail." Wesley White Psalm 127 How does the Lord build houses and guard cities and give sleep to the anxious? From the resources and potentials given from within us? It is very easy to over-focus on GOD's power without considering our responses with what we have. An important issue is how we see GOD's authority at work in the world. A significant model GOD uses over and over is the unexpected person, the youngster, the outcast, the baby, a death - whereby the enemy of life and justice is shown for what it is, shame trying to blame the victim for the crime. Imagine you have a quiver of yourselves to aid you in your living. All those experiences from the past and all your expectations of ever-greater love of GOD and neighbor support of your living well in this in-between moment. Wow, what resources we have been given. No wonder we don't give up building and guarding and resting. Wesley White Hebrews 9:24-28 How would you handle this scripture if it came around in relationship to Christmas? If we start with verse 23, we need something better than the usual rounds of repeated sacrifices. How do we get off that wheel of sacrifice? Perhaps we need Christmas to be paired with Good Friday or see how Good Friday is bracketed by Christmas and Easter. How would it be to look at things through the gift of birth? "For Christ did not enter a world made by human hands, a mere copy of heavenly realms, but he entered into creation itself, now appearing as Emmanuel - with the presence of GOD alongside us. With new blood regenerated from the depth of bone, the foundation of the world, he comes to life. He has been present in every age to remove sin through an offering of life abundant. Just as we bump into life's consequences and are able to learn from the discernment of judgment, so Christ comes to reveal the unbearable bearing of repetitive life without progress. Christ's eternal presence does not focus exclusively on sin's repeatability, but on salvation, nonetheless." Wesley White Mark 12:38-44 As always, what we see depends on where we stand. Listen to this note from the NISB - "Given the immediately preceding reference to 'devouring widows houses' (v. 40), it is hard to know whether Jesus' example of the widow giving all she had should be taken as a good thing (more than the wealthy give) or as another condemnation of the workings of the Temple (all she had to live on is gone)." Given the larger context, instead of just focusing on a snapshot, I opt for the condemnation perspective. That which does not move toward increasing love of GOD and Neighbor contains the seeds of destruction. If it's not building up, it is preparing to come tumbling down. There are certainly equivalents in today's world of people who so readily vote for proponents of policies that in both the short-run and long-run run counter to their best interests. We get so caught up by the forces and rhythms of the culture around us that we willingly suspend our belief and put in our last two cents rah-rah-ing the current structures. Eventually people self-censor their own conscience and best interest to prop up loosing propositions. Is this not the history of the fall of the Roman Empire and every Empire before and since. That which can fall, will. Weep for widows, literally and figuratively. Their houses are taken from them and they willing invest the last of their life's saving in one scheme or market or another and so willingly step into a gas shower. And how different are "widows" from you and me? No wonder the stones here are not cornerstones but stones waiting to crumble. A contrast here might be the Ruth story. Would that more would get up and go for what was needed, even if culturally suspect, rather than be co-conspirators in their own demise. Wesley White Psalm 146 This hymn reminds me of Mother Mary's Magnificat. By extension, Hannah comes also to mind along with prophets of all ages who are freed by the boundary crossing words of the wisdom writers. When I put together the advent of Advent with Mary, I am reminded of an online resource of Advent Devotions from the Wisconsin United Methodists for Social Action. Marianne Cotter has a week with Mary. You can print out the devotional in all its glory for your own use or that part of the church you are with by going to the WUMFSA site and clicking on Advent Meditation . The Advent to Epiphany devotional can also be read there on a daily basis, if that works better for you. Wesley White 1 Kings 17:8-16 In the midst of Baal worshiping Phoenicians Elijah found GOD at work. Elijah appealed to the ancient virtue of hospitality - first make me, the traveler, a little something from your less than little supply. When the virtue held, the blessing came, eyes were opened to see the abundance that was overlooked before. How might we continue to offer the gift of hospitality beyond any scarcity-fear of our own? Has the church lost this gift of hospitality among its own members as well as an offering for others? What are we afraid of when we turn our GLBT sisters and brothers away from the little we have? What are we afraid of when we retreat from literally standing alongside the poor? Are we afraid of contagion or compassion? This morning we are training our greeters and ushers in some of the attitudes and actions of hospitality. A part of that will be a sensitivity to be on hospitality-duty (though that is a less than felicitous way of putting it) even when not listed as part of the greets or ushers for the day. Do you believe that going out of your way for another is simply what you are to do? Have you been taken advantage of too many times to risk it again? Do you know you have enough, and more, to share? This gift can be learned from those who do hospitality best, the outcast and the poor. GOD observes this in the "widows." May GOD observe this gift in you and me. November 16, 2003 - Year B - Proper 28B/Ordinary 33B/Pentecost 23 Wesley White November 16, 2003 1 Samuel 1:4-20 Temples and sanctuaries are places of immense promise and hope as well as places of great injury and injustice. How is where you are and what would be one step to move us along toward peace and joy? Wesley White 1 Sam 1:4-20 The "house of the Lord" [by extension the Temple, the sanctuary] is a place of hope and prayer, a place to make vows, and a place of of satisfaction. This very same place continues such hurtful premises as children are the measure of a woman (today, that gender orientation is the measure of purity), is a place of last resort rather than first thought, and a place where leaders can't tell the difference between drunkenness and desperate prayer. If you were to make one change in the holy space sensibilities of our present time, what would it be? On a different tack, what, in your experience, is "closed" and needs to be "opened"? An online study by two congregations here of Henri Nouwen's "Wounded Healer" is suggesting the closed reality in our lives is that of "loneliness" and the opening this creates is that of "hospitality." How do you connect Samuel and Nouwen? Is open hospitality the issue of this and every day? Wesley White 1 Samuel 2:1-10 or Ps 113 Whether it be Lady Wisdom in the beginning or Hannah or a Psalmist or Mary or you or me - when we stop long enough to listen there is the echo of a far-off hymn hailing a new creation. Are you hearing the assurance that such a new creation is a given? Even if it gets us into all manner of issues of how such a strong future allows such tragedy at the present to continue, we still proceed as though it were true. To do anything else is to settle for what is and "we are far too good not to be better" (a quote quoted two nights ago by our cluster church conference preacher). Even in the midst of our humility may we sing loud and clear - a new order is growing among us. Don't give up for you are one of the stepping stones of its arrival; you bear within you new life. Wesley White Hebrews 10:11-25 Lucky Jesus, he gets to sit down by Daddy Abba and wait for all things to come to him. If you've got eternity there is time for enemies to turn into footstools (although that is a bit close to the use of human skin for lampshades that happened all too often). When you're a man with a plan that is foreordained to come to pass you can afford to wait the rascals out. For you and me that waiting game doesn't quite cut it. We don't have eternity even though we do better when we think we do. Mostly we need to get up off whatever is holding us back and be proactive in turning enemies into friends. Waiting through eternity for someone to morph or reincarnate into a stool seems like too small a goal. If we are going to take advantage of the moment we have it will be important for us to "consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds" through a vehicle called "encouragement." So, what's it going to be today? Sit back and wait for "them" to come round to "our" way of thinking? intentionally encourage ourselves and our foes to be better? Choose well, for our beginning has an ending. Wesley White Mark 13:1-8 In United Methodism we have distributed our Temple to Nashville, Evanston, New York, Washington and other places. This trick won't do us any better than the one Temple in Jesus' time. Even a distributed temple will come tumbling down when we try to substitute security for ministry and power/personality for integrity/thinking. This dear denomination is going to come down because, as John Wesley warned, we have been more intent on getting all we can get and storing away all we can store away but not giving all we can give. That internal surplus takes the soul unto itself and can be shaken loose only in earthquake loud ways of reshaping our responses to the world. We can view all this commotion and change in the very negative way of destruction crying out "Woe! Woe!" We can, alternatively, view this, not as a time of starvation, but as a hearing the "Wawl! Wawl!" of a newborn's cry in the midst of the blood and pain of birth. "Woe!" or "Wawl!"? The choice of how we respond to the stimuli around us is very important work. Wesley White Psalm 16 "The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places." NRSV Hear this word from John Wesley's Directions for Renewing our Covenant with God, Third Edition, 1784. "Christ hath many services to be done, some are more easy and honourable, others more difficult and disgraceful: some are suitable to our inclinations and interests, others are contrary to both; in some we may please Christ and please ourselves, as when he requires us to feed, and clothe ourselves, to provide things honest for our own maintenance, yea, and there are some Spiritual duties that are more pleasing than others; as to rejoice in the Lord, to be blessing and praising of God, to be feeding ourselves with the delights and comforts of Religion; these are the sweet works of a Christian. But then there are other works, wherein we cannot please Christ, but by denying ourselves, as giving and lending, bearing and forbearing, reproving men for their sins, withdrawing from their company, witnessing against their wickedness, confessing Christ and his Name, when it will cost us shame and reproach: sailing against the wind, swimming against the tide, steering contrary to the times; parting with our ease, our liberties, and accommodations for the Name of our Lord Jesus." Do you find these boundaries to be pleasant for you? Wesley White Daniel 12:1-3 In the midst of trouble we awaken to our being in life. How did we live in the days leading up to the breakdown? The watchman image from Ezekiel is a good connecting spot here. Did you sound the alarm while you could or did you see trouble brewing and try to make do or benefit as you could until it came? In the midst of the "land of dust" we awaken to our being in life. Do we live, as we have always lived, caring for the common good in good times as well as bad times, not only knowing something of the difference between good and evil but doing what we can to find the good in evil? Do we live, as we have always lived, avoiding shame while behaving shamefully? In the midst of pre-creation darkness are we connected with light that will not be put out, beaconing and beckoning like stars pointing to new life? Rise with Michael. Live well in the midst of unwellness. Live at ease in the midst of disease. Rise and shine, for your light is; come! This is more important than resurrection - live abundantly - que sara, sara. Wesley White Psalm 93 Consider the triangle. Wide at the base and indistinct because of the roiling waters. Single-pointed above where there is but stillness. There is a presupposition that this model is the best model and that the best place on the model is the top. Yet, as we close off one church year and begin the next there is soon to be a cycle that draws us back to the top diving into the bottom - what topological fun as the silent word takes on noisy flesh. I know how inappropriate it is to foster these sorts of mixed-upnesses between scriptural traditions, cosmological models, anachronisms and neologisms. and the like. But I simply can't get used to static images of a living GOD or a living me or you. Every time we get to surety of decrees and call them holy it feels like the still before the storm or that what is running deep below the still waters is about to break loose. If majestic on high is the Lord, can this same Lord be majestic in low places as well? Well, of course. May we have the eyes and ears to hear. November 23, 2003 - Year B - Christ the King Wesley White November 23, 2003 2 Samuel 23:1-7 What is the role of King in a movement? In an institution? Is King the appropriate image for Jesus? for Christ? for Jesus Christ? Wesley White 2 Samuel 23:1-7 O how readily we associate our own behavior with the light of the angels of the morning. With us in charge everything will be ordered, secure, and prosperous. Oh, yeah? Well, let's play that out a generation. Care to track David's sons? Care to look beyond Solomon to the division of the nation? Care to travel down that line to Exile? If all that happens to the bright, morning star of David, to whom will it not happen? How easily we slip from intentions of justice to worthlessness/godlessness. Vigilance, friend, and courage. Wesley White Psalm 132 Translation is such a fun game. If there were one thing the church has always needed, it is translators of tongues. In today's world we experience that those who speak in the tongue of the religioius right renewal groups are not heard as telling the wonders of GOD by those on the religious right progressive groups. And, vice versa. Wouldn't it be loverly to have someone who can do a simultaneous translation of right to left and left to right. This is not a moderate or middle position but a very active translation ministry. Observe these differences between the NRSV and The Message.
Do you find yourself mostly using one language system - righteousness, for instance - and not understanding those who use the justice language? Are you oriented to the use of these terms the other way around. How about the "faithful" and "worshiper" pairing? Do you find the trinity of "faithful shouting righteousness" to hold together? How about "worshipers singing justice"? How would you mix and match these six words and how would you respond in a group that only used the other set? Wesley White Revelation 1:4b-8 Here is an extended, "Dear Friend," greeting from your friend who has a word of encouragement for you while you are in a difficult situation. Here we are asked to look at our state-of-affairs "under light," as they say in the Fantastics, or from above, to reset the horizon of our life, or alongside, Emmanuel-like, or from below, with death as an advisor whispering in our ear, a la Castaneda. See how large you can cast your net - timeless from was and is and to be - spirit-filled with the more than enough of seven such - loved into freedom - articulate, able to put experience into language and have language transform experience, all the way from A to .... Imaginations engaged! Read on. Wesley White John 18:33-37 Its hard to see Pilate as a shuttling diplomat running between the religious authorities and Jesus. This activity would naturally bring forth the question about the King question, "Is this your question or not?" Once it is established that this is question is merely for trapping purposes, Jesus responds with a challenge to us in this day as well as that - what are we to do with such an alien frame of reference, one that would not play by the established patterns of power? Where is your realm of authority located? Is it in the arena of shuttling, seeing what is possible and following? Is it in the arena of larger perspective, of truth, that interconnects everything? What is your theory of everything? A test here is our willingness to listen and to witness to what is currently knowable and to stretch toward that which is not yet. When we settle for whatever big frog in a small pond we are, we settle for being a king. When we humbly strive for that which is better, we pick up a new surname, Truth-Teller. This puts Jesus right up there with Aletheia, Greek goddess of truth, and Edith Ann. Now we can see there is an alternative to the the usual understanding of power. It no longer comes from military might or human institutions, but from interconnexions with GOD and Neighbor. This is better than kingship (even though being the king is good). You came into the world, as did Jesus, not to Lord it over, but to witness to the larger picture we call truth. Wesley White Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 When we can't see a resolution to our particular sense of persecution it is always handy to have a deus ex machina, even if it is more dream than machine. When we have done all we can do (sometimes that is more and sometimes less than is needed, seldom is it just what is needed) we can but wait for comeuppance for others and dominion for ourselves. Daniel's dream is the dream of every 96 pound weakling. In today's world it is also the dream of the church - to be returned to the mystique of Holy Empire, but this time one that is everlasting. What keeps getting left out of the dream is the reality of death to make this dream come to pass. So verses 11-12 are conveniently left out as the Greek Empire is done in. In leaving these out we get the same old story in recent days regarding the USA and Iraq. As long as we can ignore death we can dream of conquest. So the president attends fund-raisers instead of funerals. We will see about days of judgment to come and open books. That will pretty much take care of itself. For now, keep doing what you can. November 30, 2003 - Year C - Advent 1 Wesley White November 30, 2003 Jeremiah 33:14-16 It is good to be back on a common lectionary again. Spend a brief moment on what tomorrow is going to look like. Wesley White Luke 21:25-36 When trouble comes, as it does, a part of our work is to interpret it. At the beginning of things (which means right now) we are to see more deeply into the processes at work and clarify the expected consequences if we keep traveling down the current path. Being able to stand up, look trouble in the eye, and know that help is on the way and we are part of that help is a great blessing for ourselves and for others. So look around. What glimmer of a new heaven and earth do you see? Are you acting on that? Are you sharing your perspective with others? Have you ever looked at the word generation and not applied the usual number of years to that? What would happen if you read it in terms of the folks we seem self-blocked from seeing the larger perspective. "Truly I tell you, scoffers will be with you until all things have taken place." Rather than read verse 33 literally, as though words on a page won't fade, even on archival paper, let's listen to the "words" we know - love, forgiveness, peace. These will not pass away even if the language changes and one more translation will be needed. When we get too caught up in literalism we get caught in idolizing the Bible. If there needs to be a choice, choose connotation and meaning over denotation and letter of the law. Wesley White 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 If we just read these verses without noting what went before the major thrust would be: 1) we have joy before God because of you and your lack of
faith 2) we can again ride to your rescue It is almost, Hooray! We got to you just in time. We found a fault to fix and justify the process of faith being from the top down. Later this will come to be known as missionary hubris. Its in the nature of the leader of the pack to uncover any weakness in the followers. A good bet for finding fault, as Paul goes on, is in the arenas of basic human functioning. In this case sexuality. This gets additional clout when human authority is tied with spiritual authority (4:8). How gleeful are you when your adversary gives you an opening to be able to correct them? Is Paul's prayer similar to your prayer for "them"? Is Advent here the looking for and yearning for an external mechanism that will require our loving one another? What has blocked that from already occurring? What needs to change for mutuality to be effectively present? Wesley White Jeremiah 33:14-16 What is the difference between "executing" justice and righteousness and "being" justice and righteousness? What is the difference between "running" a country honestly and fairly and "being" honest and fair? To see in this way is to see a better day a-comin'. So work on your seeing being. Wesley White Psalm 25:1-10 In the USofA it is Thanksgiving Day. Let's try verse 10 (NRSV): or verse 21: What other places can you find that you can retranslate the psalm or your life in terms of thanksgiving? LON Aloha Wesley, Thanks for giving! Wesley White 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 Question: What is the level of your abundance of love? Question: Is that enough to love those who aren't loving those who are either or both near and far? Question: Does a yearning for more love show up in your prayers? Wesley White Luke 21:25-36 Rudyard Kipling wrote a little poem, If , that has been much quoted. I you can keep your head when all about you Are losing
theirs and blaming it on you, .... Yes, go ahead and make that last line more inclusive. It gives another feel to the waiting process of Advent. It is so easy to just jump to Christmas, to Resurrection, to Judgment. It is so tempting to jump out of whatever frying pan you are in, even a cross-shaped frying pan. It is difficult to live in the in-between between our current realities and our hopes. Do you have your head and heart and relationships on straight? That's enough. Enjoy! |
