9th Sunday After Pentecost, July 26, 2015

Collect for the Day

O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Reflections: Indeed, it is the “things temporal” that wake me up in the night, that grow out of all proportion. I develop tunnel vision; they become ultimate. Remembrance is a grace that puts my concerns in true context. Remembrance is a sacrament, whether we re-member at the altar, or in our fuzzy slippers while we struggle to get the dog outdoors before she pees on the floor. 

First Lesson: 2 Kings 4:42-44

A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing food from the first fruits to the man of God: twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. Elisha said, “Give it to the people and let them eat.” But his servant said, “How can I set this before a hundred people?” So he repeated, “Give it to the people and let them eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’” He set it before them, they ate, and had some left, according to the word of the Lord.

Reflections: This story occurs during a famine. Before this account, Elisha accomplishes a number of wonders, including raising the dead son of the Shunammite woman.

I find it surprising that a man would give his grain and bread away rather than keep it for himself and his family. Even more because this man was a stranger to Israel. As Fr. Tony pointed out, he came from a town named after a Canaanite god. Nevertheless, he brings his first fruits to the prophet of Israel’s God.

I can imagine that Elisha’s servant, Gejazi, must have thought his master was nuts to waste the bread on son many hungry people, when it would satisfy a smaller number of people so much better. But God apparently clued Elisha in about something today’s social scientists are discovering. Satisfaction doesn’t depend on how much we have. It depends on how equitably the goods are distributed. We don’t really mind going a little hungry, if everyone else is a little hungry, too. What disturbs us is going hungry while the guy next door drives to a swank restaurant in his new car.

Is it any surprise that according to the Book of Acts, the Early Church shared everything equally?

Psalm 145: 10-19 Exaltabo te, Deus

All your works praise you, O LORD, * and your faithful servants bless you.

They make known the glory of your kingdom * and speak of your power;

That the peoples may know of your power * and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; * your dominion endures throughout all ages.

The LORD is faithful in all his words * and merciful in all his deeds.

The LORD upholds all those who fall; * he lifts up those who are bowed down.

The eyes of all wait upon you, O LORD, * and you give them their food in due season.

You open wide your hand * and satisfy the needs of every living creature.

The LORD is righteous in all his ways * and loving in all his works.

The LORD is near to those who call upon him, * to all who call upon him faithfully.

 

Epistle: Ephesians 3:14-21

I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Reflections: We are being rooted and grounded in love; the roots of our inner being are spreading deeply into the nourishing soil of the Divine. God being infinite, we have embarked on a lifelong journey of soul formation, not a short trip that is completed at baptism, or at confirmation, or . . . at any finite destination. Our deepening life in Christ is organic—witness the Eucharist, where we receive His body into ours.  

Paul prays that we may comprehend the full dimensions of Christ’s love. . . that we may understand or know a Mystery that remains beyond the capacity to understand. . . that we may comprehend, encompass, embody the “fullness of God.”

Jesus’ mother Mary has long been known in the Eastern Church as Mater Theou, “Mother of God.” This inscription is placed on all her icons. In addition, there is a beautiful icon of the Virgin standing with her arms raised in prayer. And a circle of Divine Light with an image of a young Christ blessing is at the level of her heart. This is the presence of Christ hidden within her. In this image she is called platytera ton ouranon, she who is “more spacious than the heavens.” He, whom not even the heavens can contain, dwells within her. And this is St. Paul’s prayer for us. 

Gospel: John 6:1-21

Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?" He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, "Six months' wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little." One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?"

Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost." So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets.

When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.” When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.

Reflections: The first reading and the gospel fit so well together, and there’s a lot to consider when we meditation on the miraculous feeding. But my attention is drawn to how differently Philip and Andrew respond to the situation.

Philip strikes me as a realist; he assesses and evaluates the situation, then makes a pronouncement and is done with it. It’s not an emotional issue for him. He doesn’t wring his hands with anxiety or regret.

Andrew seems to be the polar opposite. Apparently a natural optimist like his brother Peter, he almost bursts with enthusiasm: a little boy has some bread and fish! But then he second guesses himself, perhaps a bit self-conscious about his unguarded excitement.

          Jesus seems unaffected by either a realism that would stop him from trying, or a hope that is easily discouraged in the face of so large a task. Maybe it doesn’t matter whether we tend to see the jar half full or half empty. Christ nourishes us in ways we cannot expect, in situations we think are irredeemable.

8th Sunday After Pentecost, July 19, 2015

Collect for the Day

Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen. 

Reflections: This is one of my favorite collects. It blesses my uncertainty and bewilderment. It reminds me that I don’t have to be right about what’s most needed, that I can simply hold a person or a situation before the God who knows and loves and redeems.

 

First Lesson: 2 Samuel 7:1-14a

When David, the king, was settled in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, "See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent." Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that you have in mind; for the LORD is with you."

But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan: Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the LORD: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"

Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the LORD of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies.

Moreover the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.

Reflections:   When the children of Israel entered Canaan, they changed from a wandering people to a settled one. The learning curve must have been huge. How do you settle into one place when you’re accustomed to living in tents and moving from place to place? (And what about property upkeep and landscaping?) They found some guidance by watching the people in neighboring cities, who had been settled for a long time.

Imagine how they must have been viewed by those neighbor—who were already good at mowing the lawn regularly and taking out their garbage carts on time. The Israelites had their own rich cultural heritage, but in the eyes of their neighbors, they must have seemed primitive and stupid. You can imagine the gossip.

In the books of Samuel, we see Israel struggling with the pressure to conform to the customs of the people around them. The obvious choices—a king, a temple—weren’t necessarily God’s choices. Eventually, God gives in and grants Israel a King—Saul (and we know how that turned out).

It’s a similar story with the temple. Every city worth its salt has a temple. Even the curmudgeonly prophet Nathan thinks building a temple is a good idea. At least, he does until God wakes him up at 2:00 in the morning and won’t let him get back to sleep.

          It turns out that whether and when to build a house for God just isn’t David’s business. Later on, another king in another situation . . . but not now. And then . . . here’s the momentous twist: David wants to build God a house, but God won’t let him. Instead, God will build David a house. So much for what David thought was important. In its place: a much greater blessing.  

Psalm 89:20-37 Tunc locutus es

"I have found David my servant; * with my holy oil have I anointed him.

My hand will hold him fast * and my arm will make him strong.

No enemy shall deceive him, * nor any wicked man bring him down.

I will crush his foes before him * and strike down those who hate him.

My faithfulness and love shall be with him * and he shall be victorious through my Name.

I shall make his dominion extend * from the Great Sea to the River.

He will say to me, 'You are my Father, * my God, and the rock of my salvation.'

I will make him my firstborn * and higher than the kings of the earth.

I will keep my love for him for ever, * and my covenant will stand firm for him.

I will establish his line for ever * and his throne as the days of heaven."

"If his children forsake my law * and do not walk according to my judgments;

If they break my statutes * and do not keep my commandments;

I will punish their transgressions with a rod * and their iniquities with the lash;

But I will not take my love from him, * nor let my faithfulness prove false.

I will not break my covenant, * nor change what has gone out of my lips.

Once for all I have sworn by my holiness: * 'I will not lie to David.

His line shall endure for ever * and his throne as the sun before me;

It shall stand fast for evermore like the moon, * the abiding witness in the sky.'

Epistle: Ephesians 2:11-22

Remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called "the uncircumcision" by those who are called "the circumcision”—a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands—remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it.

So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.

Reflections: This reading starts with boundaries: ‘us’ and ‘them,’ and the reminder that once, we were ‘them.’ Walls divide. Some are inside, and some outside. Walls create and are maintained by otherness, competition, hostility.

But in Christ, the hostility dissolves ad we find ourselves—despite our differences—one people. Walls gather us into one—a unity all the richer because of our differences.

In Christ, God’s house comes full circle. The wandering tent became fixed on the Temple Mount. But Christians are called to be a pilgrim people; we gather to worship within walls of brick and mortar; but the fruit of worship is the renewal of our souls and bodies, making us into vessels that carry the divine presence back out into the world.  

Gospel: Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.  

Reflections: I am struck by how Jesus copes with a situation he cannot control. He and his disciples have poured themselves out for others, have had no time for themselves. They’re exhausted and overloaded, in need of silence and solitude for renewal. But they can’t get away. They try to go off, and what happens? A bunch of people have got there before them. Can you spell frustration? Bad mood? Boy, I sure can.

But Jesus doesn’t get angry or grumpy. He doesn’t even give them a stern lecture and send them on their way. How does he do it? I think the key is this: “He had compassion for them.” I don’t think it’s as simple as feeling sorry for them. It seems to signal a complete change, a move from exhaustion to strength, from being pestered and “peopled out,” to taking command—of himself and of the situation.

          I think this compassion is a key because that is the one thing I find works when I am overloaded and all I really want to do is get away, gorge on chocolate, or have a nap. The situation usually occurs when I’ve been working hard, interacting with people for a long time, and I finally get a chance to take a break or eat my lunch, (or go home). And then, someone shows up needing something from me.

          It’s not that I don’t have a choice. I could send them away, tell them to make an appointment, tell them it’s too late. But I serve people who don’t speak English well (and sometimes not at all), many of whom who don’t understand how colleges (and office hours) work, and some of whom have gone to a lot of trouble to find me.

          Ostensibly, I could deal with them quickly, and then do what I wanted. But it’s almost inevitable in my experience that if I try to deal with non-English speakers efficiently, it ends up taking longer. Every attempt to take a short cut requires twice longer to explain because if my mind is really on what I want to do afterwards, I am not taking the time I need for the person right in front of me. As a consequence of this double-mindedness, I experience building frustration (and if I’m not careful, resentment).

The best choice, which is far more effective, is to drop my agenda, and give my full attention to the person at hand. That is, to stop thinking about what I want, and to look at the other with compassion.

And the consequence? I think we all have this experience: even in trying circumstances, when united with Christ in compassion, we can be renewed.

7th Sunday After Pentecost, July 12, 2015

Collect for the Day:

O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

 

Reflections: Prayer as the door to wisdom. It’s not our crammed courses or frenzied activities that bring us God’s wisdom—regardless of what society tells us, or however hard we strive. We develop wisdom through prayer—especially the kind where we’re not doing all the talking. May God grant this prayer.

 

First Lesson: Amos 7:7-15

This is what the Lord God showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. And the LORD said to me, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A plumb line." Then the Lord said,

See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel;

I will never again pass them by;

the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate,

and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste,

and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.

Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, Amos has conspired against you in the very center of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos has said,

               Jeroboam shall die by the sword,

and Israel must go into exile

away from his land.

And Amaziah said to Amos, "O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom."

Then Amos answered Amaziah, "I am no prophet, nor a prophet's son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, and the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, `Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'"

 

Reflections: Amos didn’t pretend to be a professional prophet—a mouthpiece of the power structure in Israel. In fact, he was foreigner, being from the southern kingdom of Judah. Amos was an ordinary person who responded to God’s call. God gave him eyes to see and courage to speak.

          What can outsiders know about a situation? Sometimes more than an insider can. For all their cheeky meddling, an outsider can see through to the truth when we insiders are blinded by our assumptions and half-conscious agendas. How do we respond to the unwelcome observations of a stranger? What are we protecting?

 

Psalm 24 Domini est terra

The earth is the LORD'S and all that is in it, * the world and all who dwell therein.

For it is he who founded it upon the seas * and made it firm upon the rivers of the deep.

Who can ascend the hill of the LORD? * and who can stand in his holy place?

Those who have clean hands and a pure heart, * who have not pledged themselves to falsehood, nor sworn by what is a fraud.

They shall receive a blessing from the LORD * and a just reward from the God of their salvation.

Such is the generation of those who seek him, * of those who seek your face, O God of Jacob.

Lift up your heads, O gates; lift them high, O everlasting doors; * and the King of glory shall come in.

Who is this King of glory? * The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, O gates; lift them high, O everlasting doors; * and the King of glory shall come in.

Who is he, this King of glory? * The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory.

 

Epistle: Ephesians 1:3-14

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us.

With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.

In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God's own people, to the praise of his glory.

 

Reflections: The content of this letter rather, which makes for difficult reading. And typical of Paul’s work, the long winding sentences don’t make it any easier to follow. For this reason, I’m reproducing the outline of his message below:

Blessed be the God and Father has blessed to be holy and blameless before him. In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of our trespasses.

He has made known to us his will, (which is) to gather up all things in heaven and on earth.

We have also obtained an inheritance so that we might live for his glory. When you had heard and believed, (you) were marked with the promised Holy Spirit; the pledge of our inheritance (which is) redemption as God's own people.

 

Gospel: Mark 6:14-29

King Herod heard of the demons cast out and the many who were anointed and cured, for Jesus' name had become known. Some were saying, "John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him." But others said, "It is Elijah." And others said, "It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old." But when Herod heard of it, he said, "John, whom I beheaded, has been raised."

For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because Herod had married her. For John had been telling Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him.

But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it." And he solemnly swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom." She went out and said to her mother, "What should I ask for?" She replied, "The head of John the baptizer." Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."

The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John's head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.

 

Reflections: Although John’s prophetic voice was disturbing to Herod, something about it that was compelling. It seemed to reach down inside.

It’s difficult to discern the value of the voices that swarm around and within us, and to disentangle them from popular opinion and our self-image. How do we figure out what really matters? And what is violated if we ignore it?

6th Sunday after Pentecost, July 5, 2015

Collect for the Day

O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole heart, and united to one another with pure affection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Reflections: It’s really simple, what God asks of us. Maybe that’s what makes it so hard. One would think we would be able to keep all the commandments (there are only ten of them, after all; how hard can that be?). But when you get to thinking, what do they really mean? How we do honor our parents? What does it mean by “killing”?  How do we refrain from covetousness? Where does admiration cross the line into envy? Or care for others slide into gossip? Figuring out all the nuances of the commandments turns out to be a full time job—and we inevitably end up focused on ourselves: comparing our sins with those of others.

Fortunately, there is what St. Paul calls the “more excellent way.” Rather than rules, caveats, and mitigating circumstances, there is love. Of course, it isn’t ours, this love that guides our hearts and minds. Nor does it belong to God as some divine possession. It is very the presence of the Spirit of God. And precisely because of that, this “way” frees us from self-concern and orients us towards God and our neighbor. It frees us to be the person God calls us to be—not merely to think about it. With the collect above, let us pray to be filled with that love. 

First Lesson: Ezekiel 2:1-5

The Lord said to me: O mortal, stand up on your feet, and I will speak with you. And when he spoke to me, a spirit entered into me and set me on my feet; and I heard him speaking to me. He said to me, Mortal, I am sending you to the people of Israel, to a nation of rebels who have rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have transgressed against me to this very day. Their descendants are impudent and stubborn. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, "Thus says the Lord GOD." Whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house), they shall know that there has been a prophet among them.

Reflections: My image of Hebrew prophets was one of bristly-bearded, sinewy old guys who were congenitally angry and confrontational. Then I actually read the prophets.

This passage tells me that Ezekiel didn’t fit my preconceptions; it sounds like he was probably like most of us. He might even have been a bit timid. It seems to me that it was the Spirit that gave him backbone and put him on his feet.

          Who does God choose to be a prophet? Apparently one need not be naturally combative or even innately self-confident. In fact, it would seem that personality isn’t what makes a prophet; it’s God.

Psalm 48 Magnus Dominus

Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised; * in the city of our God is his holy hill.
Beautiful and lofty, the joy of all the earth is the hill of Zion, * the very center of the world and the city of the great King.
God is in her citadels; * he is known to be her sure refuge.
Behold, the kings of the earth assembled * and marched forward together.
They looked and were astounded; * they retreated and fled in terror.
Trembling seized them there; * they writhed like a woman in childbirth,

        like ships of the sea when the east wind shatters them.

As we have heard, so have we seen, in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God; *

        God has established her for ever.

We have waited in silence on your loving-kindness, O God, * in the midst of your temple.
Your praise, like your Name, O God, reaches to the world's end; * your right hand is full of justice.
Let Mount Zion be glad and the cities of Judah rejoice, * because of your judgments.
Make the circuit of Zion; walk round about her; * count the number of her towers.
Consider well her bulwarks; examine her strongholds; * that you may tell those who come after.
This God is our God for ever and ever; * he shall be our guide for evermore.

Epistle: 2 Corinthians 12:2-10

I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. And I know that such a person—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows—was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat. On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me, even considering the exceptional character of the revelations.

Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.

Reflections: Some contemporary readers picture Paul as forceful, opinionated, and a bit manipulative. That is an easy, but superficial, assessment. A serious study of his letters shows him to be a brilliant and pioneering theologian who was deeply committed to Christ, who put his reputation and his life on the line for the gospel. This passage in II Corinthians gives us a rare glimpse of a perhaps less obvious facet of Paul’s personality—humility.

As you may remember, Paul was writing to address problems in the community he had founded at Corinth. We can infer from the text that the congregation was under pressure from other evangelists who arrived in Corinth some time after Paul had left. Apparently, these newcomers criticized Paul and extolled their own virtues.

Truth to tell, there were many things about Paul to pick on. We know from a close reading of his letters that he wasn’t good looking, wasn’t a good speaker, didn’t command automatic respect. Moreover, Paul was a late convert to Christ, having first been a persecutor of the early Christians. To top it all off, he worked at a craft rather than allowing the fledgling community to support him. In the eyes of his critics, if Paul had been a true evangelist, he would have expected to be paid (like they expected to be). Today, of course, we can recognize these traits as marks of Paul’s authenticity.

To defend the Corinthian flock from these wolves, Paul needed to demonstrate not only that he was an authentic evangelist, but that he was every bit the equal of his critics. So he speaks of something he mentions nowhere else in his letters.

Throughout his correspondence, Paul writes freely about his mission, his sufferings, even his past as a persecutor—and his subsequent conversion. But here he writes about his exalted spiritual experience, and he is clearly not at all comfortable about doing it. He speaks of it only under duress, and even then only in the third person. A careful reader, however, knows that Paul is referring to himself.

However we might otherwise judge Paul’s personality, this short reading shows a private and difficult moment. He relates the experience not to make himself look special, but to authenticate the gospel that he preaches. What motivates him? 

Gospel: Mark 6:1-13

Jesus left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, "Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, "Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house." And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.

Then he went about among the villages teaching. He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them." So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

Reflections: The prophet is not without honor—except among the people who know him best. Seems backward, doesn’t it? But I remember how it felt when a friend succeeded at something . . . and I was left in the dust. Of course, I was happy for her . . . but even so I couldn’t help feeling a twinge of envy. What if I had had the same opportunities, or . . . ?

When our own make good, their success either exalts us with them, or it highlights the fact that we haven’t. The people of Nazareth were no different. Jesus was just one of the carpenter’s boys, but he comes back home as someone special—a teacher with a following, drawing crowds and blocking traffic. Mister BigShot. What’s makes him so special? He’s only one of us.

          What makes a prophet? Can it be only an outsider, a particularly strong or courageous person, or someone with special credentials? It’s certainly easier to hear an uncomfortable message from an impressive stranger than from someone we know well. And it’s even harder if that person is irritating, a know-it-all, or a habitual nag.

          But what makes a prophet isn’t us. It’s God. When we are open to each other in love, the Spirit can stand us on our feet, and God can speak through our deeds (and sometimes even our words).

So if anyone can be God’s prophet, who is carrying that voice to us today? Someone on the internet? A member of the family? A guy in the street? Can we—dare we listen (just in case)?

Mother Karen closed her sermon with this prayer: “God give us the grace to see beyond what we think we know.” Amen.

5th Sunday After Pentecost, June 28, 2015

Collect for the Day:

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. 

First Lesson: 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27

After the death of Saul, when David had returned from defeating the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag. David intoned this lamentation over Saul and his son Jonathan. (He ordered that The Song of the Bow be taught to the people of Judah; it is written in the Book of Jashar.) He said:

Your glory, O Israel, lies slain upon your high places! How the mighty have fallen!
Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon;
or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice, the daughters of the uncircumcised will exult.
You mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor bounteous fields!
For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, anointed with oil no more.
From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty,
the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, nor the sword of Saul return empty.
Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided;
they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
who clothed you with crimson, in luxury, who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.
How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan lies slain upon your high places.
I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; greatly beloved were you to me;
your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.
How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war perished!

Reflections: It astonishes me that, after the betrayal David experienced at the hands of King Saul, he did not return like for like. He never betrayed the king. The psalms attest that David never demonized his “enemy”; he did not sin against him in his heart. How often do we, when we are criticized or persecuted (or just plain annoyed), give our opponents their due?

Psalm 130 De profundis

Out of the depths have I called to you, O LORD; LORD, hear my voice; *
     let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.
If you, LORD, were to note what is done amiss, * O Lord, who could stand?
For there is forgiveness with you; * therefore you shall be feared.
I wait for the LORD; my soul waits for him; * in his word is my hope.
My soul waits for the LORD, more than watchmen for the morning, * more than watchmen for the morning.
O Israel, wait for the LORD, * for with the LORD there is mercy;
With him there is plenteous redemption, * and he shall redeem Israel from all their sins.

Epistle: 2 Corinthians 8:7-15

As you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you—so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.

I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others. For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. And in this matter I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something-- now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means. For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has-- not according to what one does not have. I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance. As it is written,

 

         The one who had much did not have too much,
         and the one who had little did not have too little.

Reflections: Paul is writing to the Christian community at Corinth to encourage them to come through with their gifts of financial support for the Christians in Jerusalem. Apparently, it was a project they had undertaken the previous year, but had not completed.

It’s always a touchy thing, asking for money, and judging from his letter, it was no less so back then. But the core of Paul’s argument is profound: the donation as a demonstration and fulfillment of the Corinthians’ identity as brothers and sisters in Christ.

As the Letter of James states, “faith without action is dead”; compassionate action is a natural expression of faith. Acts of mercy flow from who we are—and further shape who we are becoming—in Christ. 

 

Gospel: Mark 5:21-43

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet and begged him repeatedly, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live." He went with him.

And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, "If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well." Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, "Who touched my clothes?" And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, `Who touched me?'" He looked all around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease."

While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader's house to say, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?" But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe." He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. When he had entered, he said to them, "Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha cum," which means, "Little girl, get up!" And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

Reflections: This reading combines two quite different stories. The first is about a local leader who humbles himself before a mere itinerant teacher. Obviously his love for his daughter drives out thoughts about status. Jairus begs Jesus to come and heal his dying daughter. But soon Jesus’ progress is arrested when an old woman dares to touch his clothing to receive healing. Although unclean from bleeding, the woman is so driven by desperation that she dares violate the social rules that would keep her away.

          When Jesus stops suddenly and looks around, asking, “Who touched me?” the disciples think his question ludicrous. They were in the midst of a jostling crowd. Jairus knows the urgency of the moment; there is no time to lose. But Jesus has lost his focus. For Jairus this incident must have been nightmarish. It’s not fair. He asked first; he is important (she’s a nobody; what is more, she’s unclean). I can imagine Jairus raging inside, biting his tongue as he dances from foot to foot, jangling his keys (or whatever people jangled back in those days).

          And then the nightmare becomes real. A messenger tells him that his daughter has died. It’s too late; the delay cost has him the person he loves most in the world. If only Jesus had stayed on task and come straight away; if only Jairus himself had reminded him, insisted, urged him on. If only . . .  

          “If only” locks us into a tiny, imaginary world with very close and windowless walls. It’s a world with only us inside, that pivots on our failings. “If only” . . . is hell. And it’s a hell that we create from moment to moment.

We’re locked in; the door won’t open. There’s no way out. Maybe we push on it and slam our fists against it, but it doesn’t budge, only confirming what we already know: we don’t deserve to get out, anyway. We slump against it in resignation and despair.

         What if the door opens inward? And who is knocking to come in?