#A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church

[firstumcschenectady]

“What To Do With Creation Stories” Based on Psalm 104:1-4, 10-15, 27-30 and Genesis 2:7-9, 15-25

I was really excited about the idea of starting Lent with Creation. After all, Lent is a season of preparation, a time when we are reflective and attending to the needs of our faith, and what better way to start that work than with the beginning of our shared story?

That excitement lasted until I sat down to reread the texts. At which point I began to question my sanity itself, and why I would set myself up to try to make meaning out of the Adam and Eve story. After all this story has been one of the primary ones used to subjugate women, not to mention queer and trans people AND has a bonus narrative of over emphasizing a duality of gender. My concerns about preaching about this led me down a line of thinking where I started to wonder if Creation itself really matters to Christianity and if perhaps we would be better off just ignoring all stories of Creation so I don't have to preach on Adam and Eve.

That should count as a red flag in my thinking processes, because my faith is at the root a Creation-based faith. Creation is how I make sense of EVERYTHING. The Bible starts and ends with creation. We as people are co-creators with God, working towards the world as God would have it be (“the kindom”). Creation is sacred. The natural world is one of my best teachers. All of creation sings praises to the Creator. There is wisdom in every rock and stream and leaf. This is how I think. This is how I am!

I myself learned how deeply all of this is engrained when my beloved 2 year old spent last summer curiously pulling leaves and flowers off of living things, while I found myself assessing the health of the plants and inserting myself between him and any plant I deemed likely to be hurt by the loss of a single leaf. The lectures that came out of my mouth about respecting all of living creation were an excellent clue as to what I believe, although – as you might expect – not terribly convincing to the one who heard them.

So, what to do with creation stories?

And, before anyone gets too concerned listening to me, this seems like a prime time to talk about science and how great it is. To take a creation story seriously is not to assume it is factual about history and science, it is to consider it as a meaning making narrative and look for the clues of what it was trying to explain and why. I am DEEPLY committed to understanding God as Creator, it is inseparable from my faith as well as my world view, but I believe God created through the big bang and continued to create through evolution and continues to create today, along with us and beyond us.

For me, to claim God as creator isn't about denying science. It is about believing there is sacredness in all that is, and that goodness is possible because God is the root of all being.

But, still, what are we to do with creation stories?

Well, I guess, we take them as they are: stories to help us understand the challenges of life, and we listen for their wisdom. Of course, the Bible has a multitude of creation stories because the Bible is working to make meaning and creation stories are particularly good at that. Phyllis Trible, starts the book God and the Rhetoric of Sexuality with the words “The Bible is a pilgrim wandering through history to merge past and present.”1 Looking at creation stories is the same as looking at the rest of the Bible. To make sense of it for the present requires some sense of what it may have meant in the past, but also a firm grounding in the present to see what it means now.

Now, as creation narratives go, Psalm 104 is one of my favorites. It seems to focus on the goodness and majesty of creation, and I like that theme. It also focuses on God's presence within creation, another one I really like. Best of all, Psalm 104 presents God as active in caring for creation for the goodness of creation itself – us included. It serves as a reminder to be grateful for water, which brings life, and for grass which sustains cattle, for edible plants we get to eat and wine and water and bread to satisfy people. If Psalm 104 does all this while having some weird conceptions about what the sky is and some odd ideas about punishment, I can let it be, because I need the reminders of awe and care and hope that I hear in the text.

However, as creation narratives go, Genesis 2 is probably my least favorite. To be fair though, I dislike the text because of what others have done with it more than because of the text itself. So I forced myself to actually listen to it, and it turns out to be WAY more interesting and life giving than I expected.

Dr. Gafney says the first created human in this story is an “entity that will be divided into equal halves to form two human persons, yielding different theological implications than turning a man's rib into a woman.”2 She is working on the interpretation from Phyllis Trible, which I'd like to point out was published in 1978 and continues to be one of the best texts on the subject.

In Trible's translation of this Genesis creation story we start with, “And YHWH God formed hā-'ādām [of] dust from hā'adāmâ and breathed into its nostrils the breath of life and hā-'ādām became a living nephesh.”3 From the beginning, Trible says, “Hā-'ādām is the focus of God's pleasure.”4 She translates hā-'ādām as “earth creature” as it is a pun on the word for earth, and points out that the earth creature is NOT identified sexually. Rather the earth creatures is “precisely and only the human being so far sexually undifferentiated.”5 Further, “only two ingredients constitute its life, and both are tenuous: dusty earth and divine breath. One from above, one from below. One is visible, the other invisible.”6

And here I start to get a sense of the meaning the early story tellers were trying to get to. They wondered about this fragile reality called life, they noticed that we are interrelated with earth, but also more, at least while we are alive. These metaphors for what we “are” make a lot of sense if you are thinking meaning making and not science, right? Also, if you are listening to what the text says and not assuming that “earth creature” is “man.”

Now, if I were to pick one point from this story as the key thing that I think should be taken from it, I would pick the line “it is not good for the earth creature to be alone” which, as Trible says, “contrasts wholeness with isolation.”7 Please note that this is said while the earth creature is still... one. So I don't think this is actually about romantic or sexual love, but rather the need for companionship and RELATIONSHIP. Further, God has been quite present with the earth-creature to this point, and it seems that God rather LIKES the earth-creature, but God still senses that the earth-creature is MADE FOR RELATIONSHIP with other earth creatures TOO.

And that, dear ones, I think holds throughout time. Trible says, “Since the earth-creature is not only part of the earth but also other than the earth, it needs fulfillment from that which is other than in the earth.”8 And, I've got to say, that feels right. And she points out that the ACTUAL phrase attributed to God says, “I will make a companion corresponding to it.” If you have a word other than companion, particularly one with a hierarchical basis in your mind, know that it is not fair to the Hebrew the story is told in. Trible explains, “According to Yahweh God, what the earth creature needs is a companion, one who is neither subordinate nor superior, one who alleviates isolation through identity.”9 Then God makes the animals, and they don't fit. This reflects a God who is flexible, and working out with the earth creature looking for what that one needs, right? I like that metaphor too!

And then, God tries something else. Trible says, “In becoming material for creation, the earth creature changes character. Whereas the making of the plants and animals were divine acts extrinsic to the earth creature itself, the making of the sexes is intrinsic. Indeed, this act has altered the very flesh of the creature: from one come two. After this intrinsic division, hā-'ādām is no longer identical with its past, so that when next it speaks a different creature is speaking.”10

“And hā-'ādām said,

This, finally, bone of my bones

and flesh of my flesh

This shall be called woman ['iŝŝâ]

because from man ['îš] was taken this.”11

Trible again, “the female pronoun this (zō't) unmistakably emphasizes the woman whose creation has made the earth creature different. Only after surgery does this creature, for the very first time, identify itself as male.” “No ambiguity clouds the words used 'iŝŝâ and îš. One is female, the other male. Their creation is simultaneous, not sequential. … Moreover, one is not opposite of the other. In the very act of distinguishing female from male, the earth creature describes her as “bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh.” These words speak unity, solidarity, mutuality, and equality. Accordingly, in this poem the man does not depict himself as either prior to or superior to the woman. … For both of them sexuality oringinates in the one flesh of humanity.” I'm going to take this a step further and say that if this story claims the first earth creature was not gendered (non-binary perhaps?) and that humanity comes before gender, sex, or sexuality. The human experience is primary. The human need for relationship is primary.

This story seems to be trying to figure out not just where we came from, but what relationships we are supposed to have with God, with earth, with plants, with animals, and with each other. While it is at it, it is trying to figure out the pull of sexuality and the power of new love, the form of families, the role of gender, and what makes humans unique. That's a lot to try to answer for one story. It is a lot more than the Big Bang Theory is able to offer too.

The Bible gives us multiple creation stories. I think that means we are to take seriously the sacredness of creation, but not fuss over the facts presented in each one. But we do have these stories to help us make sense of the big questions of life. Some of the answers will work for us, some won't. It is OK to take what brings life and leave the rest.

For me, today, I like the idea of being an earth creature with Divine breath, I appreciate the reminders of awe and beauty, and the ones that say that I was MADE for relationships and that's why they matter so much to me. What will I do with creation stories? Fight with them and savor them. Thank God. Amen

1Phyllis Trible, God and the Rhetoric of Sexuality (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1978) page 1.

2Wilda Gafney, A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church (New York, NY: Church Publishing, 2021), p. 78.

3Trible, 79.

4Trible, 80.

5Trible, 80.

6Trible, 80.

7Trible, 89.

8Trible, 90.

9Trible, 90.

10Trible, 97.

11Trible, 97.

Rev. Sara E. Baron  First United Methodist Church of Schenectady  603 State St. Schenectady, NY 12305  Pronouns: she/her/hers  http://fumcschenectady.org/  https://www.facebook.com/FUMCSchenectady

February 26, 2023

[rivikah]

Clearly

When reading a mathematical or logical proof, if the author says “Clearly, ….” you should check the statement that follows. Often it’s not clear. Sometimes it’s not even correct. This advice applies to both reading logical arguments and making them. The things we think are obvious can hide blindspots. The Sadducees in this passage are making a logical argument against the resurrection. They are…

[a-queer-seminarian]

Today is Easter Sunday. Today is Trans Day of Visibility. Today is day 176 of genocide.

This year the lectionary gives us Mark's account of the Resurrection, with its fearful cliffhanger ending — an empty tomb, but Jesus's body missing. And isn't that unresolved note fitting?

In the face of so much suffering across the world, it feels right to be compelled to sit — even on this most jubilant of days — with the poor and disenfranchised in their continued suffering.

Mark's account:

Just days before, the women closest to Jesus witnessed him slowly suffocate to death on a Roman cross. Now, now trudge to his tomb to anoint his corpse — and find the stone rolled away, his body gone. A strange figure inside tells them that Jesus is has risen, and will reunite with them in Galilee.

They respond not with joy, but trembling ekstasis — a sense of being beside yourself, taken out of your own mind with shock. They flee.

The women keep what they've seen and heard to themselves — because their beloved friend outliving execution is just too good to be true. When does fortune ever favor those who languish under Empire's shadow?

Love wins, yet hate still holds us captive.

I'm grateful that Mark's resurrection story is the one many of us are hearing in church this year. His version emphasizes the "already but not yet" experience of God's liberation of which theologians write: Christians believe that in Christ's incarnation — his life, death, and resurrection — all of humanity, all of Creation is already redeemed... and yet, we still experience suffering. The Kin(g)dom is already incoming, but not yet fully manifested.

Like Mark's Gospel with its Easter joy overshadowed by ongoing fear, Trans Day of Visibility is fraught with the tension of, on the one hand, needing to be seen, to be known, to move society from awareness into acceptance into celebration; and, on the other hand, grappling with the increased violence and bigotry that a larger spotlight brings.

The trans community intimately understands the intermingling of life and death, joy and pain.

When we manage to roll back the stones on our tombs of silence and shame, self-loathing and social death, and stride boldly into new, transforming and transformative life — into trans joy! — death still stalks us.

We are blessedly, audaciously free — and we are in constant danger. There are many who would shove us back into our tombs.

And of course, the trans community is by no means alone in experiencing the not-yet-ness of God's Kin(g)dom.

Empire's violence continues to overshadow God's liberation.

The women who came to tend to their beloved dead initially experienced the loss of his body as one more indignity heaped upon them by Empire. Was his torture, their terror, not enough, that even their grief must be trampled upon, his corpse stolen away from them?

The people of Gaza are undergoing such horrors now. Indignity is heaped on indignity as they are bombed, assaulted, terrorized, starved, mocked. They are not given a moment's rest to tend to their dead. They are not permitted to celebrate Easter's joy as they deserve. They are forced to break their Ramadan fasts with little more than grass.

Those of us who reside in the imperial core — as I do as a white Christian in the United States — must not look away from the violence our leaders are funding, enabling, justifying.

We must not celebrate God's all-encompassing redemption without also bearing witness to the ways that liberation is not yet experienced by so many across the world.

This Easter, I pray for a free Palestine. I pray for an end to Western Empire, the severing of all its toxic tendrils holding the whole earth in a death grip.

I pray that faith communities will commit and recommit themselves to helping roll the stones of hate and fear away — and to eroding those stones into nothing, so they cannot be used to crush us once we've stepped into new life.

I pray for joy so vibrant it washes fear away, disintegrates all hatred into awe.

In the meantime, I pray for the energy and courage to bear witness to suffering; for the wisdom for each of us to discern our part in easing pain; for God's Spirit to reveal Xirself to and among the world's despised, over and over — till God's Kin(g)dom comes in full at last.

"The Empty Tomb" by artist He Qi.

[johnhardinsawyer]

Your People Are My People

John Sawyer

Bedford Presbyterian Church

10 / 15 / 23 – Narrative Lectionary 206

Ruth 1:1-17

Ruth 4:13-17

“Your People are My People”

(Living Discipleship # 6 – Nurturing Spiritual Relationships)

I was talking with someone whose child had recently gone off to college and when I asked how their child was settling in, I remember them saying to me, “I was nervous at first, but she’s doing so well.  It looks like she’s found her people.”

Have you found your people?  You may find yourself in a group of people talking about, let’s say, the New England Patriots, or Pokémon, or fly fishing, or military service, or Taylor Swift, or birdwatching, or whatever your own occupation or vocation happens to be.  And everyone in the group is passionate about the same thing – you speak the same language, you know you are accepted and respected, and you find great satisfaction being part of the group.  You may have very well found your people.  

Whenever I talk with people about guitars and the differences between a Les Paul and a Stratocaster and how germanium fuzz face pedals sound different from silicon fuzz face pedals, I feel like I’ve found my people.  But also, when I get together with fellow pastors and we are able to talk church – to tell stories, and laugh, and listen, and support one another, I feel like I’ve found my people.  

Now, clearly, our biological – or nuclear – families can be “our people,” but there is also this idea of a “family of choice” or “found family” based on bonds that are chosen and not biological.  Maybe someone’s biological family is all gone or there has been some kind of rift.  A “found family” can fill the void left by a biological family – or, at the very least, helps to supplement a biological family.  A church can be a “found family” for many people.  

Have you found your people yet – the people who speak your language, who can finish your sentences, who you can call when you need them and they’ll show up?  They don’t have to be related to you by blood or even marriage.  They don’t have to be of your same generation.  They don’t have to even like all the things that you like, but they like you.  Maybe they love you.  And you love them.

In today’s readings from the Book of Ruth, we find the story of two women who become each other’s people – a found family.  Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi, have lost the rest of their families and all they have is each other.  These two women come from different countries.  Naomi comes from the town of Bethlehem in Judah (yes, that Bethlehem in Judah, where Jesus will one day be born).  Ruth comes from Moab (out in the desert – at least sixty miles from Bethlehem – on the other side of the Dead Sea).  The people out in Moab speak differently, and live differently, and pray differently from the people in Bethlehem, but years before – during a time of famine – Naomi and her husband and their two sons from Bethlehem had moved to Moab.  After a time, Naomi’s husband and two sons died – leaving Naomi with her two Moabite daughters-in-law.  One of them, Orpah, goes back to her own Moabite family (with Naomi’s blessing).  But the other daughter-in-law, Ruth, wants to stay with Naomi.  

In probably the most famous passage from the Book of Ruth, Ruth makes a beautiful promise to Naomi:

‘Do not press me to leave you    or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go;    where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people,    and your God my God.  Where you die, I will die—    there will I be buried. . .  (Ruth 1:16-17) 

This passage of scripture is often read at weddings, but remember, Ruth is saying these words, not to her future spouse, but to her mother-in-law.  Now, sometimes a relationship between a mother-in-law and a son-or-daughter-in-law is very close – but other times, that relationship can be fraught with judgment and resentment and a whole lot of other big feelings.  When was the last time you heard a bride or groom at a wedding make such a beautiful promise to their mother-in-law?  “Where you go, I will go. . . your people shall be my people. . . where you die, I will die. . .”  I’m trying to picture what my own mother-in-law’s face would have been like if I had said those words to her at my wedding.  And I loved my mother-in-law.  

Here we have Ruth – pledging her life and love and future to Naomi.  “I’ve got nobody left here to speak of in Moab,” Ruth is saying.  “You are all I have.  And, if we are going to go back to your land – the land of Judah, the little town of Bethlehem – then I will go with you and your people will become my people.”  In the original language, there is this implication that by “my people” Ruth is talking about a “people” to belong to, as in “with a people,” or “in the possession of a people,” or “in the custody or care of – belonging to – a people.”[1]  Ruth has, what writer and scholar Jennifer Harvey describes as “a new and fierce sense of peoplehood – taking a risk and swan-diving into the unknown by coming to identify with her mother-in-law [and her mother-in-law’s people].”[2]  And, just so you know, there was one aspect of Naomi’s people that set them apart from other peoples in that day and age.  

In last week’s service, we focused on the Ten Commandments, but there are 603 more commandments in the Hebrew Bible that help to flesh out the original ten.  And some of these additional commandments found in the Books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy have to do with God’s concern for orphans and widows and how God’s people are commanded to care for them.[3]  There are plenty of other places in the Hebrew Bible – especially in the words of the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah and others – in which God’s people get in trouble because they are forgetting to follow the commandments – and their neglect for widows and orphans is often listed as one key violation of God’s law.[4]

As Naomi and Ruth set out for Bethlehem, there is this hope in Naomi’s heart that they will find some care and assistance there because this is what the law requires.  They do find help, too.  Naomi puts a plan in motion to introduce Ruth to a man named Boaz.  Boaz is a member of Naomi’s family on her deceased husband’s side.  And, when Boaz comes to know Ruth, he promises to love and care for her and for Naomi.  

Just so you know, if you go to Bethlehem today, you can visit Boaz’s field, which is also known as Shepherd’s Field, for it is said that there – centuries after Ruth and Boaz – the angels came to tell the shepherds about the birth of the baby Jesus.  Ruth – a foreign woman from Moab – who became the great grandmother of the future King David, is part of the lineage of Jesus.  God’s people became her people.  Their God became her God.  

Have you found your people?  If you have found your people – when you do find your people – there is no knowing the ways that God can bless the world through the gifts of love and friendship.  The church is a place where finding your people can make a tremendous difference in the trajectory of your life.  Many of us would not be who we are if it weren’t for those people who became our people in and through the body of Christ.  

One of the marks of discipleship is receiving and developing the gift of spiritual friendships.  These are friendships that are not just about having common interests – they are about walking alongside one another through all of the joys and sorrows of life.  One of the things that drew Ruth and Naomi so closely together was their shared grief.  Walking alongside someone in shared grief does have a way of bringing people closer together.  At the end of today’s scripture reading, though, we also have the gift of seeing Ruth and Naomi rejoicing together.  They have truly become each other’s people – overcoming the differences of place, and background, and language, and other things that might have divided them.  

In recent days, the world has seen the all-too-common harsh reality of what happens when people do not regard others as “their people.”  For generations, the members of Hamas and the residents of Gaza and the state of Israel have not fully regarded one another as each other’s people – even though they are neighbors.  Members of our own U.S. Congress do not see one another as each other’s people – even though they have taken the same oaths and pledge allegiance to the same flag.  Even churches – torn apart by arguments over ordination and membership, transubstantiation and consubstantiation, acceptance and denial of acceptance – do not see one another as each other’s people, even though we share the same Lord and Savior.

But just because the church has, historically, been a place of division, this does not mean that we can’t be a different kind of place – a different kind of people.  Jennifer Harvey, puts the peoplehood question to the church:  “who are our people and how do we show that?” [5]  It is a risk – both to name the fact that most of “our people” look, and sound, and act, and vote a lot like us and/or to claim the foreigners, and outsiders, and opposite-thinkers as “our people,” too.  For Harvey, the “Who are my people and how am I showing that?” question is something that – when answered publicly – determines the future of the church. 

“Peoplehood doesn’t just happen,” Harvey says.  It can be measured by who I identify with and how willing I am to “go where you go” and lodge where you lodge, and who I claim as my – or our – people.  And so, when it comes to who we welcome and how we welcome, who we celebrate and what we hold in common, who we are passionate about and willing to put our lives and reputations on the line for, do the people we claim as our people reflect the many-faceted fullness of God’s kingdom?  

Have we found our people, Bedford Presbyterian Church, or are they still out there hoping to be found?  Being – and becoming – the full and whole people of God is a work-in-progress.  It can be such a gift and blessing.  It can be so risky and so hard.  And yet we live, trusting in the grace of the One who when we had no name, and no people, and no future, claimed us as God’s own.  And yet we live, trusting in the grace of the One who looked out on all of the broken peoples of every time and place and in the person of Jesus Christ said, “These people will be my people.”  And yet we live, trusting in the grace of the One whose Holy Spirit reveals the essential common needs and hopes that each person has for peace, and wholeness, and acceptance, and life, itself and the clarity of heart and mind and spirit to see these needs and hopes in the lives of every person – no matter who they are.  

Have you found your people?  May God’s grace and peace draw us together as one people. . . God’s people. . . each other’s people.  

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

-----

Those of you who are careful readers of our bulletin – and I know that you all are – will see that, today, the Passing of the Peace has moved from the end of the service to right now.  I know that there are some people who love the Passing of the Peace and I know that there are others who do not.  When we pass the Peace of Christ to one another, we are publicly praying that God’s blessing of peace will be with the person who is right in front of us.  We are claiming the great power and gift of blessing another person.  

In our congregation, we usually will pass the Peace to those who are in our immediate vicinity – within arm’s reach.  There is a tradition in other churches, though, who offer a “Full Peace” – in which everyone in the room will fully pass the peace to everyone else.  This can take a few minutes, but building relationships is not a cursory – momentary – thing.  It takes time.  

So, in just a moment, let us take some time to greet one another – greet everyone in the room – and offer the Peace of Christ to them.  I’m especially interested in those who are on the “Street Side” of the sanctuary passing the Peace to those on the “Parking Lot Side.”  You would be surprised how many years some folks have been coming to worship who have never crossed over to meet or greet someone from the other side of the room.  Now, there are some who don’t mind passing the Peace, but they do mind shaking hands or hugging. If you are one of these people, you are deserving of some peace of mind. If you would rather not shake hands or hug, that is just fine.  Simply clasp your hands together like this, or place your hands over your heart as you pass the Peace.  If you are joining us online, you can type your greetings of “Peace” into the comments or chat section.  

May you find some of your people today. . .  and may you be blessed.  

Friends, may the Peace of Christ be with you. . . 

. . . And also with you. . .  

----

[1] F. Brown, S. Driver, and C. Briggs, The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1997) 767-768.  

[2] Jennifer Harvey, from a lecture at the NEXTChurch Conference, March 13, 2019.  Quotes from the notes of JHS.  

[3] Exodus 22:22-23; Leviticus 22:13; Deuteronomy 10:17-19, 14:29, 15:7-11, 24:17 and 19, 27:19.

[4] See Isaiah 1:2-23, 10:2; Jeremiah 7:6; Malachi 3:5, among other places.

[5] Jennifer Harvey, from a lecture at the NEXTChurch Conference, March 13, 2019.  Quotes from the notes of JHS.  

[emjee]

On religion, how do you see Mary?

I mean this because I saw your Advent post and the answer about the pink candle, that has a different meaning to Catholic people, as far as I know.

So funny story about the rose candle, when I was growing up I was indeed taught that the third Sunday of Advent is dedicated particularly to Mary (in the Revised Common Lectionary, which American Episcopalians use, the Marian reading sometimes comes on Advent III and sometimes Advent IV; I guess pre-RCL it was always Advent III). However, when I brought this up at my Catholic elementary school my teacher informed me that Rose Sunday/Gaudete Sunday/Advent III was only rose as a “yay we’re more than halfway there” kind of thing, which I found hilarious because I’d never seen Roman Catholics pass on a chance to celebrate Mary before.

As for Mary, personally I am a huge fan! It took me a while to come to a sort of understanding with her because of the narrative I got in Catholic school, where she was a literally unattainable paragon of (suspiciously blonde) womanhood--not only was she both a mother and a virgin, under the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception she was also completely sinless. (I do not hold with that doctrine, neither do I hold with the idea of her perpetual virginity.) So for a long time I was kind of convinced that we didn’t have much in common, and as far as women in the Gospels went I paid more attention to Mary and Martha of Bethany and Mary Magdalene.

And then--this must have been in early high school--I went to Bible study at church, which I usually couldn’t go to because it’s before the service and more often then not I had to acolyte and was busy during that block of time. Bible study then was led by our associate priest, who to this day is one of my favorite members of the clergy, and it was the Feast of the Annunciation, so that was the reading we focused on. And for some reason, despite having heard that lesson at least once a year every year of my life, that was the Sunday it clicked. This was a young woman being asked permission by an angel on behalf of God. She herself did not ask permission of anyone else before giving her answer. She asked the angel questions, and the angel answered those questions. Sure didn’t sound like meek and mild to me. She sounded like someone I wanted to know, someone I wanted to be friends with. Moving beyond the Annunciation to the Visitation, she gives us this beautiful hymn wherein she talks about casting the mighty down from their high places and lifting up the downtrodden and giving them enough to eat. When I started providing childcare for the eighteen-month-old of some church friends, I thought about how Jesus used to be toddler-sized and how Mary bounced him on her hip just like I did with this little boy.

So, yeah, I love her, she’s Theotokos, the Mother of God. I try to remember to say the Angelus every day (I am very bad at remembering to say the Angelus every day) and I’ll say a string of Hail Marys whenever I’m feeling particularly anxious (interestingly enough I prefer to say them in French, still not entirely sure why). But mostly I think of her as a brave woman who asked questions, who was a member of a marginalized community living under imperial occupation, who saw her eldest child die horrifically at the hands of that imperial power. She had the companionship of a righteous man. She had friends. She was a whole beautiful complex person, and I think a lot about what the Gospels never tell us. I love her. 

[holyspoons]

I am so SOOOO excited to have these new resources in my hands!! A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church by Rev. Dr. Wil Gafney of @britedivinity #drwilgafney #womenslectionary

[globalworship]

Visio Divina with Art of He Qi: Pentecost

During Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Church for the Sake of Others (C4SO Anglican diocese) celebrates artist He Qi, who reinterprets sacred art within an ancient Chinese art idiom. His work is a blend of Chinese folk art and traditional painting technique with the iconography of the Western Middle Ages and Modern Art. On each Sunday during May, we have licensed one of He’s paintings to illuminate one of the lectionary readings. We will provide prompts for you to do Visio Divina, or “sacred seeing,” an ancient form of Christian prayer in which we allow our hearts and imaginations to enter into a sacred image to see what God might have to show us.

+++

Painting "The Holy Spirit" by He Qi Lectionary Reading | Sunday, May 23: John 14:8-17 and Acts 2:1-21, "Pentecost" John 14:8-17 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. Acts 2:1-21 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.” Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” Visio Divina | Prompt Recall when you first experienced the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Gradually become aware of that same Spirit with you and in you right now. Thank God for the gift of his Spirit in your life. Now think of the different names for the Spirit: Advocate, Comforter, Counselor, Guide, etc. Do any of them describe the ways you’ve experienced the Spirit in your life? Recalling those experiences, express gratitude for all the ways in which God has revealed himself to you. As you look at today’s image, what do you notice? Is your eye drawn to the candle’s flames and the fiery doves? What else in this image stirs your imagination and engages you in that first Pentecost moment? Place yourself in the image, knowing that Jesus has also promised you that he “will give you another helper, to be with you forever” and that this helper will “dwell with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17). In what moments of your life has this Spirit been a helper to you? As you look at the image, notice the different locations represented. In Acts, the Spirit fills people from “every nation under heaven” and astonishes them as they hear each other in their native languages. Are there people you have a hard time hearing, understanding and connecting with? Are there people or groups you struggle to love and serve? Ask the Spirit to do His Pentecost work in your life to help you really hear others’ native experiences and find ways to love, serve and advocate for those God brings to mind. After pondering this for a few minutes, think about places where you’ve seen a lack of love and compassion—systems fractured by issues of racism and inequality. Pray that this same Spirit would break down walls of hostility and enable voices and experiences to truly be heard, especially those of the poor and marginalized.

Finally, still your heart, notice your breath, remember that the Spirit is known in that breath, and then ask the Spirit to blow you toward opportunities of love and reconciliation. Ask him to use you as an instrument of His peace and unity.

[dailybiblelessons]

The Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Revised Common Lectionary Proper 6 Roman Catholic Proper 11

Here is an explanation of the calendar of Bible lessons.

Complementary Hebrew Scripture Torah Lesson: Exodus 19:2-8a

On the third new moon after the Israelites had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day, they came into the wilderness of Sinai. They had journeyed from Rephidim, entered the wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness; Israel camped there in front of the mountain. Then Moses went up to God; the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the Israelites: You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation.¹ These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites.”

So Moses came, summoned the elders of the people, and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. The people all answered as one: “Everything that the Lord has spoken we will do.”

¹Peter uses these phrases in 1 Peter 2:9, a passage about a living stone and a chosen people.

Semi-continuous Hebrew Scripture from the Torah: Genesis 18:1-15, 21:1-7

The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. He said, “My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on–since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.” Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.

They said to him, “Where is your wife Sarah?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” Then one said, “I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.”¹ And Sarah was listening at the tent entrance behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?” The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, and say, ‘shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son.” But Sarah denied, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. He said, “Oh yes, you did laugh.”

The Lord dealt with Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as he had promised. Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham gave the name Isaac to his son whom Sarah bore him. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Now Sarah said, “God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.” And she said, “Who would ever have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

¹Paul quotes this verse in Galatians 4:30, part of an allegory of Hagar and Sarah. Paul quotes this verse in Romans 9:7, where he asserts that God has elected Israel. In the recounting of the near sacrifice of Isaac in Hebrews 11:17-22 this is used to show Abraham's faith.

Complementary Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.  Worship the Lord with gladness;  come into his presence with singing.

Know that the Lord is God.  It is he that made us, and we are his;  we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,  and his courts with praise.  Give thanks to him, bless his name. For the Lord is good;  his steadfast love endures forever,  and his faithfulness to all generations.

Semi-continuous Psalm 116:1-2,12-19

I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice  and my supplications. Because he inclined his ear to me,  therefore I will call on him as long as I live.

What shall I return to the Lord  for all his bounty to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation  and call on the name of the Lord, I will pay my vows to the Lord  in the presence of all his people. Precious in the sight of the Lord  is the death of his faithful ones. O Lord, I am your servant;  I am your servant, the child of your serving girl.  You have loosed my bonds. I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice  and call on the name of the Lord¹. I will pay my vows to the Lord  in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the Lord,  in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!

¹This verse is nearly quoted in Hebrews 13:1-16 (specifically in verse 15), which concerns service well-pleasing to God.

New Testament Epistle Lesson: Romans 5:1-8

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person–though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.

New Testament Gospel Lesson: Matthew 9:35-10:8

There are parallel passages at Mark 3:13-19 and Luke 6:12-16.

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of God has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.”

Year A Ordinary 11, RCL Proper 6, Catholic Proper 11 Sunday

Selections are from Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings copyright © 1995 by the Consultation on Common Texts. Unless otherwise indicated, Bible text is from New Revised Standard Version Bible (NRSV) copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Image Credit: The Sending of the Twelve. According to this web site, this is a fourteenth century painting, which means it is in the public domain.

[romancatholicreflections]

25th January >> Daily Reflection on Today’s Mass Readings for Roman Catholics on the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle (Acts of the Apostles 22:3-16 or Acts of the Apostles 9:1-22, Psalms 117:1bc, 2 & Mark 16:15-18)

Lectionary: 519

Praying Ordinary Time

Pope Francis on this day- 2014

Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer

What If I Have Trouble Getting Better?

A key word tying together today’s readings is “baptism.”

Do you know, or do you actual observe or celebrate, your Baptism date? Right, Baptism date is what I asked. Nearly everyone knows and acknowledges their human birthdate. Hallmark cards asserts that “industry-wide, more cards are sold and sent for birthdays than for all Holidays combined,” but I wonder how many of us who are Christian observe our Baptism dates. Do you take your children out to dinner on their Baptism anniversary? Do you light their baptismal candles and tell again the story of the event of their Baptism: who was there, what reading was read, what was sung (excuse me??? Sung???)? Do you know and remember your god-parents?

I don’t believe these are silly questions. Today in the Great Feast of the Conversion of Paul we hear the wonderful story of his encounter with the Risen Lord, the way he was blinded by the face of Christ, whom he recognized to be the God (Yahweh) in whom he (Saul) believed. Saul is healed of his blindness by Ananias, but we might miss a very important instruction that Ananias gave to Saul who chooses to respond to Jesus and become Paul: “. . . You will be the Lord’s witness before all, to what you have seen and heard. Now why delay? Get up and be baptized . . .”

Paul heard Jesus say: “Saul, why are you persecuting me?” What Saul realized was that to persecute Jesus’ friends, companions, even the little ones, is to persecute Jesus Himself. He was called to make great changes in his attitude and his actions.

We Christians of the 21st C are like Paul in that we have not been privileged to know Jesus in his life before his passion and death. We do have the opportunity to know the Resurrected Lord, however, and for Paul that was enough to make those demanding changes. Paul understood that to know and follow Jesus is to know and follow Him in the life of the community of the Church – the men and women who are largely faithful to their Baptismal call; and to know the poor and persecuted with whom Jesus identifies, and it is to enter into confident prayer that God is fully alive in three Divine persons inviting us to know the Divine self in our own inner lives through prayer and the sacramental life of the community.

As I prayed with this text I asked Paul to share with me something of his inner experience and was caught up in a sense of the Gaze of Christ as he asked me the question: “how faithful are you to the graces of Baptism I gave you? Will you be my servant, trusting in my mercy even now, after all these years?”

The gift and the demands of baptism do not get old and wear out. Ever new is the call to life in Christ and the labor of loving care for the all of God’s people. Paul’s conversion is a perfect feast for our conversion or re-conversion to the task of loving God, God’s creation and all of God’s people. Ignatius of Loyola reminds us that love is shown in deeds more than in words. How will be act baptized today?

“Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every person.”

by Eileen-Burke Sullivan

Creighton University's Division of Mission and Ministry

[barbaramoorersm]

November 4, 2018

November 4, 2018

Deuteronomy 6: 2-6

Moses urges the nation to follow God’s Commandments.

Hebrews 7: 23-28

The author speaks of the weaknesses of religious, human leaders.

Mark 12: 28b-34

This month, Christians remember those men and women who have died, and those we celebrate as members of the great Communion of Saints.    

But within the last few weeks we have also seen or read about a “Caravan” of poor men and women slowly coming to our nation, and not only are they feared and lied about, but are being accused of carrying leprosy.  In addition, we have also read about two Black men killed by someone trying to enter a Black church in Kentucky.   We have heard about over a dozen pipe bombs mailed to critics of the President and then, the tragic death of eleven of our Jewish brothers in sisters while at worship in their Pittsburgh synagogue last Saturday morning.

It is unimaginable that such hatred and fear could be generated and fueled within a few weeks, but it has been.  In fact, it has been on the rise for years, and now it is more overt and public. And who are the objects of such hatred and fear?  Immigrants, Black and Brown men and women, Muslims, women, and members of the Jewish faith.  The Jewish Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center have documented this rise.

In the midst of all of this heartache, we preachers open the three texts for the coming weekend and try to prepare a sermon.  I am convinced that preach we must, and hold up what our Christian faith proclaims in the midst of all of this tragedy.  As I reviewed the three texts listed above, I had to struggle to find the words I needed. But then, there they were!  One line from the Old Testament, the Hebrew Scriptures, and one phrase from the Gospel of Mark.

The Book of Deuteronomy shares the words of Moses reminding the people to keep God’s laws and statues and then Moses proclaims that if they are followed, the people will “thus have a long life”.  Think about that assurance in light of the eleven men and women murdered last week. They were keeping the “statues and commandments” God asked of them, but their lives both long and shorter were snuffed out by hatred.   I remember reminding my students that incidents of Antisemitism are on the rise and the ADL has confirmed that fact. Why do we not see this reality?  Why do we not understand its historical impact? Why do we fail to see its cause and perhaps the ways we encourage it?

Mark’s Gospel records a Scribe, a member of the religious elite, trying perhaps to trap Jesus, asks him “Which is the first of all the commandments?”  The first commandment to love God as described by Jesus is followed by the second which Jesus states “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”. Then Jesus adds, “There is no other commandment greater than these” two.

To “love your neighbor as yourself”.  Does that mean lying about them, hating them, killing them, trying to assassinate them?  Does that mean that my needs and narcissism supersede the needs of my brothers and sisters?

During this past week, a reading appeared in the weekly lectionary that spoke of Jesus describing the Kingdom of God.  I would like to suggest that it may offer us some advice on how to proceed in the present environment.  Luke quotes Jesus as saying, “To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God?  It is like yeast a woman took and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened”.

I believe, we are being called to be a small bit of yeast living in our communities and thus by our actions, words and heart have the capacity to leaven the bread of our toxic world.  I believe we can.  How?  We can do it by our kindness, truth telling, voting, getting the facts and speaking up. We leaven the dough of our context by our prayers and contributions.  I believe we leaven our communities by respect, just actions and understanding our history and world.  I believe we leaven our community when we make efforts to understand the roots and causes of Antisemitism.

Remember, leaven is small compared to the batch of flour, but it is powerful. You and I have that power and capacity to make a difference.

May we do so!

[sejanashines]

BWIM blog Year W Devotional Series Epiphany IV

BWIM blog Year W Devotional Series Epiphany IV

Check out my first blog post contribution to the ongoing blog series, “A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church” published by Baptist Women In Ministry (BWIM)! "A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church, Year W Devotional Series, Epiphany IV" by Sejana Yoo can be read here: https://bwim.info/a-womens-lectionary-for-the-whole-church-year-w-devotional-series-epiphany-iv/ A personal note about…

[firstumcschenectady]

“Everything Is Good” based on Zephaniah 3:14-20 and 1 Timothy 4:1-6, 9-10

I was trained in process theology, which focuses on genuine free-will and understands God to be all-good and all-knowing, but NOT all powerful (because that would defy free will). These days I mostly don't think about process theology, it just sort of flows through me without awareness. But then I came upon the line from 1 Timothy, “For everything created by God is good, and nothing for rejection, rather received with thanksgiving.”1

Reading that, my heart leapt for joy! An affirmation of the goodness of creation! YES! A reminder to focus on the good! YES! A move towards gratitude, as spiritual practice, YES!

And about that far into my excitement, I found the counter-narrative building up in me. Because there are weapons of mass destruction and addictive recreational drugs and I'm not willing to go so far as to claim they are good. Now, if you want an easy way out of this, you can say simply that “everything created by GOD is good” and not everything created by humans. Truthfully, that's probably a good distinction.

But, this is where I find I'm truly a process theologian. Process theology says that any capacity that exists can be used for good or for evil, and that as capacity increases so too does the capacity for good and in equal measure the capacity for evil. So, power. Any given power can be used for good, or for evil. To go back to my prior examples, we might think of the scientific and engineering minds as well as the money that was used to create weapons of mass destruction and that those resources could have been used quite differently – maybe to modernize the electrical grid or enable tree planting to fight climate change or... all sorts of things. The capacities can be used for God. God intends them for good. But we are free to choose how we use them.

Unfortunately, quite often, people choose to use power and capacity for evil. The reasons are wise ranging, and quite often those doing great harm are doing so because they were also harmed, but the truth is that there is a lot of bad stuff out there. And society is rife with collective horrible decisions.

And, I think there is wisdom still in 1 Timothy's “For everything created by God is good, and nothing for rejection, rather received with thanksgiving.” Because I think God did create everything for good, and nothing for rejection – and WE have choices about how we use stuff.

In Dr. Gafney's reflections on this text she said, “The Epistle is highlighting how very much opposite of the spirit and teaching of Christ are the false doctrines they are rebuking; doctrines that limit and exclude.”2 Now, this argument is powerful and beautiful, and should be held carefully.

My specific concern is the decision made by the early Church to not require followers of Jesus to follow kosher guidelines. I think that decision was fine, but I also think it it is a faithful choice for Jewish people to be kosher, and for religions to have dietary codes. I'm reminded of a young friend who kept kosher, and was willing to talk about it who said, “It is what I can do to remind myself regularly of God.” Beautiful.

Which I guess is to say that religious dietary codes can be good.

And lack of them can be good.

The capacity of all things to be good makes space for us to consider what it means to use any given thing FOR good. How can we sanctify something in how we choose to use it? 1 Timothy says, “For it is sanctified by God's word and prayer,” but I think there is a little bit more to it.

If everything is made to be good then even the most basic parts of our lives are sanctified. What does it mean to eat with an awareness of the goodness of the food we have, and God's blessings on it? Does that change the pace at which we eat, the presence of prayers of grace, the amount of attention we give to the flavors of our food? Does it impact what we choose to eat when we are thinking of eating itself as a potential moral good for ourselves and the world?

What does it mean to think of sleep as GOOD? How does that impact how we approach it?

Or, this was a recent insight for me, what does it mean to think of exercise as “the opportunity to move with joy?” (Because if I'm honest I have mostly thought of it as “the best way to quickly punish my body for the fact that I sit too much.”) I think maybe thinking of exercise as a good gift from God can create some pretty radical changes for me.

Or, what does it mean to notice the goodness and sanctity of … the chance to sing a hymn together, or the joy of a cup of tea, or a random meeting on the sidewalk? The simple little things that make up our days and our weeks, what if they ARE all meant for good?

There was a line in a commentary on Ezra that I read in preparation for out Bible Study that really stood out for me. The author, Dr. Tamara Cohn Eskenazi who is a Rabbi, points out that Ezra is not focused on the work of heroes but rather on the work of the people as a whole. She says, “Success is not a return to glory but the sanctification of the mundane, 'daily, prose-bound, routine.'”3

Sanctification: making something holy. So “success” is finding the holy in the mundane.

Now, the things that have done great harm to us or others – we need to be clear those were not God's intent – but what if God is working with us to transform them anyway? To bring healing and to make it possible to bring whatever good is able to come out of even great harm. (From Zechariah, “I will change their shame into praise.”)

What if God is up to all kinds of good all the time all around us and all we have to do is notice? Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Isn't that wonderful?

Amen

1 1 Timothy 4:4,Translation by Wilda Gafney, A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church (New York, NY: Church Publishing, 2021), p. 49.

2 Wilda Gafney, A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Church, p. 50.

3 Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, In an Age of Prose: A Literary Approach to Ezra-Nehemiah (Atlanta, Georgia: Scholars Press, 1988), p. 187.

January 29, 2023

[rivikah]

A Women's Lectionary For The Whole Church

It’s the last week of the liturgical year. Advent is coming up and we’ll tell the whole story over again. I’ve used Wilda C. Gafney’s A Women’s Lectionary For The Whole Church this year and on this last week of the year, I’m ignoring the actual recommended texts in favor of writing down some thoughts about this lectionary. One thing you notice working through this lectionary is that Dr. Gafney…

[tpanan]

My Sunday Daily Blessings

January 23, 2022

Be still quiet your heart and mind, the LORD is here, loving you talking to you...........                                                                        

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Roman Rite Calendar) Lectionary 69, Cycle C

First Reading: Nehemiah 8: 2-4a, 5-6, 8-10

Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, which consisted of men, women, and those children old enough to understand. Standing at one end of the open place that was before the Water Gate, he read out of the book from daybreak till midday, in the presence of the men, the women, and those children old enough to understand; and all the people listened attentively to the book of the law. Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that had been made for the occasion. He opened the scroll so that all the people might see it— for he was standing higher up than any of the people —; and, as he opened it, all the people rose. Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people, their hands raised high, answered, “Amen, amen!”

Then they bowed down and prostrated themselves before the LORD, their faces to the ground. Ezra read plainly from the book of the law of God, interpreting it so that all could understand what was read. Then Nehemiah, that is, His Excellency, and Ezra the priest-scribe and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all the people: “Today is holy to the LORD your God. Do not be sad, and do not weep”—for all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law. He said further: “Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks, and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared; for today is holy to our LORD. Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength!”

Responsorial Psalm:  Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 15

"Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life."

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:12-30

Brothers and sisters: As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

Now the body is not a single part, but many. If a foot should say, “Because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body, “ it does not for this reason belong any less to the body. Or if an ear should say, “Because I am not an eye I do not belong to the body, “ it does not for this reason belong any less to the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God placed the parts, each one of them, in the body as he intended. If they were all one part, where would the body be? But as it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you, “ nor again the head to the feet, “I do not need you.” Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary, and those parts of the body that we consider less honorable we surround with greater honor, and our less presentable parts are treated with greater propriety, whereas our more presentable parts do not need this.

But God has so constructed the body as to give greater honor to a part that is without it, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.

Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it. Some people God has designated in the church to be, first, apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers; then, mighty deeds; then gifts of healing, assistance, administration, and varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work mighty deeds? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?

Verse before the Gospel: Luke 4:18

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

"The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, and to proclaim liberty to captives."

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

**Gospel: Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21

Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed them down to us, I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received.

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region.He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.

He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,                        because he has anointed me                        to bring glad tidings to the poor.            He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives                        and recovery of sight to the blind,                        to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.

Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”

**Meditation:

What does the Gospel of Luke tell us about Jesus and his mission and what he came to do for us? Many skeptics question the reliability and accuracy of the Gospel accounts of Jesus. Luke tells us that his account is utterly believable because it comes from firsthand witnesses (Luke 1:2) who knew Jesus personally, heard him teach, saw his miracles, and witnessed his atoning death on the cross and his rising from the tomb to everlasting life.

Luke begins his account by addressing his friend, Theophilus, a name which means "beloved of God" (Luke 1:3). In so many words Luke tells his friend (and us as well), I am writing to you the most incredible story humankind has known - and which many witnesses and messengers of God's word have openly explained on many occasions. Luke wants his friend and all who read his account to "know the truth" (Luke 1:4) concerning Jesus of Nazareth who was sent from the Father in heaven and anointed by the Holy Spirit to bring us the good news and power of God's kingdom.

The "good news"of Jesus brings new life and freedom The word "gospel" literally means "good news." The Gospel is the Good News of Jesus Christ and the new life and freedom he has won for us through his atoning death on the cross for our sins and his resurrection to everlasting life and glory with the Father in heaven. The Gospel is the all-powerful and all-merciful word of God for us today as much as it was for the people who first heard it in Jesus' time. It's a life-giving word that has supernatural power to change, transform, and bring freedom and healing to those who accept it as the living word of God. Are you hungry for God's word of truth and mercy, love and forgiveness? And do you want to grow in the knowledge of God and what he has accomplished for us through his Son, Jesus Christ?

Jesus came in the power of the Spirit Luke tells us that Jesus was about 30 years of age when he began his public ministry (Luke 3:23). Right after Jesus was baptized by John and anointed by the Spirit at the River Jordan (Luke 3:21-22), he spent 40 days in the wilderness to devote himself to prayer and fasting (Luke 4:1-13). At the end of this period of spiritual preparation and testing, Luke tells us that Jesus "returned in the power of the Spirit to his own land of Galilee" (Luke 4:14). Jesus chose to begin his public ministry in Galilee first, rather than in Jerusalem, the holy city and temple of God. This was in fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 9:1,2.

Luke tells us that Jesus chose to publicly announce his mission in the synagogue at Nazareth. The people there were familiar with Jesus since it was his custom to regularly attend the weekly Sabbath service. Jesus was also known by many in Nazareth as a "carpenter" (Mark 6:3) and "son of Joseph" (Luke 4:21). When the president of the synagogue called on Jesus to read from the book of the prophet Isaiah, Jesus chose to read Isaiah's description (verses 1-2 of chapter 61) of what the Messiah would do when he came to restore God's kingdom for the people of Israel.

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord" (Isaiah 61:1-2).

Isaiah had prophesied that the Messiah would be sent by God and anointed in the power of the Holy Spirit to preach "good news" and bring healing, blessing, and freedom to all who were oppressed (see Isaiah 61:1-2). Jesus awakened their hope in God's promises when he announced that this word was now being fulfilled in his very own person. Luke tells us that the people of Nazareth spoke well of him and received his "gracious word" with amazement and wonder. But they also openly questioned how the "son of Joseph" would fulfill this Messianic mission (Luke 4:21). Jesus challenged them to believe the word God had spoken through the prophets and the word he now speaks in God's name through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus renews and strengthens us in faith, hope, and love The Lord Jesus speaks this same word to each of us today - he comes to bring us healing and restoration, pardon and freedom from the oppression of sin, despair, hopelessness, and destruction. Do you believe his word with expectant faith and trust, or with doubt and indifference? The Lord will not refuse to pour out his Spirit on all who trust in him. Ask the Lord Jesus to renew in you the joy of the Gospel and the freedom to live each day with trusting faith, joyful hope, and fervent love.

Lord Jesus, you are the fulfillment of all our hopes and dreams. Through the gift of your Holy Spirit you bring us truth, freedom, and abundant life. Fill me with the joy of the Gospel and inflame my heart with a burning love for you and a deep thirst for your word.

Sources:

Lectionary for Mass for use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, copyright (c) 2001, 1998, 1986, 1970Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain (c) 1968, 1981, 1997, international committee on english in the liturgy, Inc All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

****Meditations may be freely reprinted and translated into other languages for non-profit use only. Please cite copyright and original source. Copyright 2021 Daily Scripture Readings and Meditation, dailyscripture.net author Don Schwager

[woodworkingpastor]

One church under God’s grace -- Acts 15:1-18 -- May 2, 2021 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter

When we visited Rose in Portland, I noticed a $2 bill on a bulletin board in her house. I asked her about it, and she said someone she’d never heard of sent her a card at Christmas. In fact, she and her roommate both received many Christmas cards, because the Brethren Volunteer Service office encourages Brethren to send cards to BVS’ers around the world. You can imagine that Brethren respond well to an opportunity like this; perhaps you’ve sent a few cards like this yourself.

Looking at that $2 bill made me wonder about the story behind it. How many $2 bills did that person send last December? How sacrificial was their gift—did they have to save up a bit to have room in their budget to make these gifts? Did they go to the bank themselves, or did someone make that trip for them?

We might never know the story of the $2 bill, but what we do know is that there are a lot of people who “serve” in BVS by praying for and supporting those who can. The church is a community that has substance and strength and support to it, and those qualities carry us through many different kinds of life circumstances.

The significance of Acts 15

The story of Acts 15 is one of those illustrations of the substance and strength of the church community. It is also a story that reveals a difficult set of circumstances, one that stretched the substance of the church community almost to the breaking point; one that even after the situation seems resolved at the end of the chapter would go on to challenge the church for the remainder of the New Testament era.

Acts 15 is a passage with a long history in Brethren life and thought. It explains why we continue the tradition of council meeting, so it should be familiar to us. But the text also affirms two sometimes opposing beliefs that are both true.

The first is that we are a convictional community: there are things we believe about the Gospel that if we ceased to believe or practice would leave us as a different kind of community; we could not rightly claim our old labels.

Consider the case when a church has a name that is connected to a particular neighborhood, but then moves somewhere else and keeps the old name. There are a few examples of this around Roanoke, but perhaps some hypothetical examples are better: a name like “First Church of the Brethren” works pretty much anywhere, but a name like “Oak Grove Church of the Brethren” only works here! Our church name roots us to a particular place.

More than our name, however, we are a church of certain beliefs and practices.

We are a group of people who believes that Jesus is Lord, and that salvation is found in his name. If we were to stop believing that, we could rightly take the word “church” off the front sign.

We are a group of people who believe that war is sin; who believe in Council meeting, in Love Feast, in regular worship, and a whole host of other things. If we were to abandon these beliefs and practices, we could rightly take the words “of the Brethren” off the front sign.

One of the worst things you could ever say about a church is, “Oh, you can believe whatever you want to believe and be a member there.” That’s not too far removed from saying “those people don’t believe anything at all.” We are a convictional community.

Second, we are a community of people. One of the things this means is that we will have disagreements. When we pretend that this isn’t the case, we are telling a different story than the New Testament, which airs the dirty laundry for all to see.

I find it somewhat instructive that the old Brethren used to have Council meeting and Love Feast on the same weekend. At a recent Moderator Town Hall, Carl Bowman talked about one of the unexpected benefits of having men and women sit on opposite sides of the room for Love Feast: you wouldn’t know who you’d be sitting next to at the table. We would all just come into the Fellowship Hall and take our seat. It raises some fascinating issues about being part of the church family:

Whose feet will you get to wash?

Who will you break communion bread with?

Let me ask a question: these are very complicated, divisive times; do any of us have a friend or a family member who you’re not sure you want to sit next to at Love Feast? Someone you used to be close to, but now not so much. It’s one thing to sit across the room from this person. But do you want to sit next to them and wash their feet? When we read Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:23-25

So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.

or when we read Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 13:4-5:

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful…

we begin to understand that the New Testament is not interested in a hypothetical community of people or an imaginary group of people or an ideal group of people. The New Testament does not intend to provide the raw materials for inspirational Christian art to hang on our walls, or for sentimental verses to read at weddings. It provides the context for real people coming to reflect the life and attitudes and qualities found in the power of Jesus’ resurrection in 33AD and the confession that Jesus is Lord. Imagine how seriously we must take Council meeting if we’re going to have Love Feast tomorrow.

The problem of Acts 15

The problem of Acts 15 is one that emerges from a church navigating its life-shaping convictions while ministering to and with stubborn people. The meeting in Jerusalem is the result of a problem that has been brewing for some time: Can non-Jewish persons become followers of Jesus? It is a challenge that continues to perplex the church through the rest of the New Testament epistles. It seems like a strange question for our day, because the church left this issue behind over 1,900 years ago—but we’ll soon see that in some other forms, the issue is still with us.

The answer from the church leaders in Jerusalem was, “yes, by following all of the steps of a Jewish convert.” The leaders in Jerusalem felt that this new movement in Jesus was ultimately one that fell under the umbrella of Judaism. For people who were not Jews, there was a first step to becoming a Christian, some pattern that their lives needed to conform to first.

The difficulty with the Jerusalem position was that the Holy Spirit’s answer was, “yes” without any further qualification. The signs that indicate someone is part of the family of God are showing up in non-Jewish persons.

The Spirit-led missionary work of the church was challenging some of the traditional understandings of the faith. And so you have this scene at the beginning of Acts 15 where a delegation from Jerusalem goes down to Antioch to smack the hands of the leaders there, telling them that they’re doing ministry wrong. It would seem that approach didn’t go over so well, as verse 2 tells us that

…Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them…

That’s a kind way of describing what likely approached a knock-down, drag-out fight. The Greek word that the NRSV politely translates as “dissension” (stasiV) is also used in the Gospels to describe Barabbas as an insurrectionist, and later in Acts to describe a riot. Words have ranges of meaning, and we should resist the temptation to choose the strongest definition of the term here, but perhaps you see the point. Things must have gotten ugly; Paul was not one to back down when he felt he was in the right.

But to their great credit, the church in Antioch didn’t go rogue. They didn’t say, “We’ll just leave the church and start another one.” They sent Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem to settle the issue. What tipped the conversation at that first Council Meeting was Peter’s testimony. If you recall a story the Narrative Lectionary skips over, you’ll remember of when Peter went to Cornelius’ house, a place he wouldn’t have gone on his own. But when the Holy Spirit took him some place he did not want to go and showed him things he did not expect to see among people in whom he would not have thought it possible, Peter changed his mind about what God is doing.

Brethren and Council meeting

I have always appreciated the openness Brethren take to decision making, basing our practices both on Scripture and on the belief that the Spirit moves in and among all of us. But church congregational life a bit more difficult, because we have a tendency to slip into debates over matters of opinion. For instance, the issue of whether or not Brethren could have carpet in their homes was once a matter for Annual Conference discussions. In fact, the issue came to the Annual Meeting six times over 52 years, from 1827 to 1879. It sounds strange to our ears, to be sure. The issue was ultimately about all members conforming to the “lowliness” of Jesus, and the church seeking a level of equality among all of its members. Personally, it’s not something I think all that important for Council meeting in our time, although I have learned that while their will conceivably come a day when we need to approve a motion to put new carpet in the Sanctuary, we will be better served if a committee has already selected the color!

But as it concerns the Annual Meeting, “Carpets and Fine Houses” was not the only matter perplexing the church in the 1800’s. Like the rest of America, the Brethren were then asking questions about the inclusion of “Colored Members” (the term the minutes use) within churches.

Two identical queries came to the Annual Meeting on this subject in 1835: “How is it viewed to receive colored people into our church?” To their credit, the issue was not whether Black persons could or should be received as members, that much was clear. As the Annual Meeting said,

inasmuch as the Gospel is to be preached to all nations and races, and if they come as repentant sinners, believing in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and apply for baptism, we could not consistently refuse them (1835, Article 12).

Unfortunately, things were not so simple in practice. Brethren of this era practiced the “salutation,” also known as the “Holy Kiss.” The Annual Meeting was also forced to admit that

There is a repugnance in some of our white members to salute colored persons in this manner; the colored members should bear with that weakness, and not offer the kiss to such weak members until they become stronger and make the first offer (1835, Article 12).

It puts people in a tough spot. Some white members could not bring themselves to say that Black persons were fully Christian, equal members of the church; the church properly says the white members are “weak” of faith, and yet it still leaves Black members feeling as outsiders in a world that had made them outsiders.

Of course, we still debate the equality of Black persons in our world. We remain simultaneously a convictional community and sometimes stubborn people.

Conclusion

As we approach our own Council Meeting in two weeks, we don’t have anything quite as significant as matters like these, but we do have some important decisions to consider: how we will share an almost unbelievably large budget surplus; a surplus made possible because while our Covid-schedule has lowered some of our expenses, your faithfulness to ministry here has remained consistent. Our board is bringing some creative possibilities for how we share that surplus; possibilities that are both consistent with our past and present that also reach toward some new relationships in the community.

It is exciting to consider how the Spirit is moving in our lives, helping us navigate life when the Spirit is helping us live out our faith not in a hypothetical community of people or an imaginary group of people or an ideal group of people, but a real group of people.

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

10th October >> Fr. Martin’s Gospel Reflections / Homilies on Luke 11:27-28 for Saturday, Twenty Seventh Week in Ordinary Time: ‘Happier those who hear the word of God and keep it’.

Saturday, Twenty Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada)

Luke 11:27-28

'Happy the womb that bore you and the breasts you sucked!'

As Jesus was speaking, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said, ‘Happy the womb that bore you and the breasts you sucked!’ But he replied, ‘Still happier those who hear the word of God and keep it!’

Gospel (USA)

Luke 11:27-28

Blessed is the womb that carried you. Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.

While Jesus was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” He replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”

Reflections (6)

(i) Saturday, Twenty Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Paul says something very striking in today’s first reading. He declares that baptism into Christ has collapsed some of the distinctions that were so evident in the ancient world, the distinction between Jew and pagan, between slave and free, and between male and female. He declares that through baptism, we are all one in Christ Jesus. Regardless of our state in live, in virtue of our baptism and our faith, we are all equally sons and daughters of God and brothers and sisters of Christ and of one another in Christ. What Paul writes would have been revolutionary in its time, and it remains a powerful reminder of our fundamental equality and unity in Christ today. We find something similar at play in today’s gospel reading. A woman in the crowd singles out Jesus’ mother for praise, pronouncing a beatitude upon her, ‘Happy the womb that bore you and the breasts you sucked?’ The woman, who was probably a mother herself, considered Jesus’ mother to be uniquely blessed because of the unique son that she bore. Of course, she was right in a sense. Mary is uniquely blessed; we honour her in a way we don’t honour any other woman. Yet, in his reply to the woman in the crowd, Jesus moves the focus away from his mother to all his disciples, to all of us here today, ‘Still happier those who hear the word of God and keep it’. Jesus gives us there the essence of what it is to be a disciple, hearing the word of God as Jesus proclaims it, and keeping that word in our lives. If we do that, Jesus declares, we will be as blessed as the physical mother of Jesus, whoever we are, whatever our distinctive nature, our background or our social status. Mary, of course, was not only the physical mother of Jesus. She was also the ideal disciple, who heard the word of God, surrendered to it, and lived it to the full. We can all be like Mary in that regard, and, in so far as we are, Jesus declares that we will be as blessed as she is.

And/Or

(ii) Saturday, Twenty Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

This morning’s gospel reading is probably one of the shortest in the Lectionary. It is just two verses long. It is a little exchange between Jesus and a nameless woman that is to be found only in the gospel of Luke. Women feature prominently in Luke’s gospel. A woman was so taken by what Jesus was saying that she spontaneously uttered a beatitude, directed at Jesus’ mother. One woman declared another woman blessed because she was the mother of Jesus, this very special human being. Jesus undoubtedly had the highest possible regard for his mother. Yet, he deflects the woman’s beatitude onto a much wider group, ‘Still happier/more blessed those who hear the word of God and keep it’. Of course, Jesus’ mother was a prominent member of that much wider group. She, more than anyone else, heard the word of God and kept it. Jesus is saying that if his mother is blessed, it is not so much because she is his mother but because she gave herself over to the hearing and doing of God’s word, ‘Let it be to be according to your word’. Jesus is also saying that if we give ourselves over to the hearing and doing of God’s word, we will be just as blessed as she is.

 And/Or

(iii) Saturday, Twenty Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

In this morning’s gospel reading, a woman in the crowd praises Jesus indirectly by pronouncing a beatitude on his mother. In reply Jesus pronounces his own beatitude which focuses not on himself or on his mother but on all who hear God’s word and keep it. That short gospel reading is from Luke’s gospel, and in Luke’s gospel the mother of Jesus is very much portrayed as someone who hears the word of God and keeps it. In that context, Jesus is saying in response to the woman’s beatitude that his mother is blessed not so much for the Son that she bore but because she hears the word of God and keeps it. Indeed, it was because Mary heard God’s word, addressed to her by the angel Gabriel, and then surrendered to that word, that she became the mother of Jesus. Her listening and keeping of God’s word, expressed in her response to Gabriel, ‘Let it be to me according to your word’, is what Jesus draws attention to, because everything else, including her physical motherhood of Jesus, is based on that, and comes from it. We are all invited to look to Mary as the one who can show us what it means to hear God’s word and keep it. Yes, she is the physical mother of Jesus, but she is also the model disciple of Jesus, and it is above all from her that we can all learn what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. In so far as we hear the word of God and keep it as Mary did, we will give birth to Jesus in our own lives. Mary’s Son will live in and through us.

 And/Or

(iv) Saturday, Twenty Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

This must be one of the shortest gospels in the Lectionary. Jesus and a woman from the crowd exchange beatitudes. The woman declares blessed the mother of Jesus, the womb that bore him and the breasts he sucked. Jesus, in reply, declares more blessed those who hear the word of God and keep it. Jesus’ mother is of course included among those who hear the word of God and keep it. Indeed, Luke’s gospel, from whom this short gospel reading is taken, portrays Mary as the one supremely heard the word of God and kept it. Towards the beginning of Luke’s gospel she declares to the angel Gabriel, ‘Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be to be according to your word’, with ‘your word’ referring not just to the word of Gabriel but to the word of God which Gabriel proclaims. Mary’s whole life was according to God’s word. She pondered that word and it shaped her life. Luke tells us that when the shepherds made known to Mary what had been told to them about Mary’s child, she treasured all their words and pondered them in her heart. While Jesus’ beatitude embraces Mary in a special way, it has the potential to include us all. We are all called like Mary to live our lives according to God’s word, to treasure that word and ponder it in our hearts, so that it shapes our lives. In his letter to the members of the church in Colossae, Paul exhorts them ‘let the word of Christ dwell in your richly’. We are called to be people of the word, people whose lives proclaim God’s word, as did the life of Mary.

 And/Or

(v) Saturday, Twenty Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

In the prayer of Mary in Luke’s gospel which we call the Magnificat Mary announced that all generations would call her blessed. In this morning’s gospel we hear of one woman who declares Mary blessed, announcing to Jesus, ‘Blessed the womb that bore you and the breasts you sucked!’ This is one of several beatitudes in the gospels and one of only two directed at Mary in particular. Jesus responds to the woman’s beatitude with his own beatitude, one which embraces his mother, but a much wider group as well, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it’. Mary is the great example of someone who heard the word of God and kept it. Earlier in Luke’s gospel, at the hour of the annunciation, Mary surrendered herself to the word of Gabriel, the word of God, ‘Let it be with me according to your word’. At the time of the visitation, Elizabeth pronounced her own beatitude over Mary that reflected Mary’s response to God’s word, ‘Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord’. Elisabeth declared Mary blessed not primarily because she is the physical mother of Jesus, but because of her faith, because she responded to God’s word and lived by that word, kept that word, allowed that word to shape her life. Like Mary, we are all called to hear the word of God as proclaimed by Jesus and then to keep that word, to live by it. Insofar as we allow our lives to be shaped by God’s word, we too will be declared blessed by Jesus, as Mary was.

 And/Or

(vi) Saturday, Twenty Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

In today’s very short gospel reading, two women feature. A nameless woman in the crowd pronounces a beatitude over another woman, Mary, the mother of Jesus, ‘Happy the womb that bore you and the breasts that you sucked!’ The woman is so impressed by Jesus that she declares his mother blessed. We honour Mary for the same reason. We venerate her as the mother of Jesus, the Son of God, the one through whom God visited his people and all humankind in a unique way. Jesus replies to this woman’s beatitude with a beatitude of his own, ‘Still happier those who hear the word of God and keep it’. In this gospel of Luke, Mary is portrayed as the one who truly heard the word of God and kept it. She surrendered to God’s word proclaimed to her by the angel Gabriel, ‘Let it be with me according to your word’. She allowed herself to be shaped by God’s word spoken by Gabriel, not just in a physical sense, but in the sense of her whole life being shaped by God’s word, God’s will. Jesus’ response to the woman’s beatitude could be understood as saying, ‘Yes, my mother is blessed, but she is blessed primarily because she heard the word of God and kept it’. None of us can be embraced by the woman’s beatitude, because Jesus had only one physical mother. However, we can all be embraced by Jesus’ beatitude, because, like Mary, we can all hear the word of God and keep it. When in the prayer, the ‘Hail Mary’, we ask Mary to pray for us sinners now, we are asking her to help us to open our hearts and our lives to the creative power of God’s word, just as generously as she did. In Luke’s gospel, the seed that fell on good soil is described as ‘the one who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance’. This corresponds exactly to Luke’s portrait of Mary in his gospel. It is a portrait we are all called to grow into.

Fr. Martin Hogan.