Proper
8, Year C
2
Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 or 1
Kings 19:15-16, 19-21
Psalm
77:1-2, 11-20 or Psalm
16
Galatians
5:1,13-25
Luke
9:51-62
The
currency of God is love. God is love
itself. As St. Paul writes in 1
Corinthians, "Love is patient, love is kind..." Love is not resentful, it doesn't seek
revenge, it doesn't intentionally hurt us – it wants us to become fully,
spiritually, human; and nothing will keep this from eventually happening. The fruits of love are joy, peace, patience,
kindness, generosity, gentleness... (Galatians 5).
If
your image of God is anything else, think about changing it, because you're not
realizing the full truth.
Love
is also a choice we make. If it wasn't a choice, it wouldn't be love –
it would be a software program. For us
to be able to choose love, God had to take a risk and give us free will, the
freedom to choose it.
St.
Paul writes in his letter to the Galatians that we are called to this
freedom. We can choose to be a slave to
our own egos (to become self-indulgent, as he calls it), or "becomes
slaves to one another." He wasn't
talking about a slavery of oppression, but a deep commitment of love for one
another, in community (families, social groups, churches, support groups, etc.).
We
do not lose our identity when we commit to a group through love; we actually
enhance our identity through the interconnectedness that comes with a cohesive
community. Pure individualism spawns social disintegration. Individualism can happen even when people
interact on a daily basis with others at work or play; but it is done for their
own benefit rather than for the benefit of the community.
St.
Paul warns, "If you bite and devour one another, take care that you are
not consumed by one another." Feels
a little like this is what's happening in today's society.
Again,
the fruits of a life with the Spirit include "love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." These are nice things, indeed, but how does
one live a life to get them? The secret
is in the fruits of the Spirit themselves:
·
love
your neighbors as yourself
·
be joyful
·
spread peace
·
be patient
·
show kindness
to people, creatures, and the earth
·
be generous
with your time, talent and treasures; share a smile and a blessing
·
have faith
that all will be well
·
be gentle
with others, and with yourself
·
be aware of each moment and how you are
relating to it; what impact are you having right now, and how will it impact
the future? This will help you with self-control.
The
benefits of a life in the Spirit become the tools to get there; the tools bring
the benefits. This is one of God's many
circles of life that bring new life.
Blessings
to all!
Proper
6, Year C
I
Kings 21:1-21 or 2 Samuel 11:26-12:15
Psalm
5:1-8 or Psalm
32
Galatians
2:15-21
Luke
7:36-8:3
We
live in a face-paced society that often leaves our time and space filled with
many things, all of which we only experience briefly and at a very shallow
level, like a flat stone skipping over the surface of the water. Scurrying from one thing to the next, the
depth of our lives and our understanding of life itself is replaced by an
illusion of fulfillment or accomplishment.
We never grasp the implications of our thoughts, words, and deeds on the
underlying fabric of life, relying instead on valuing the worth of things and
moments in time in terms of their surface value.
Nathan
tried to enlighten King David, whose understanding of the true depths of life
were being diluted by his power and delusions (2 Samuel 11). David committed a foul act, for which he had
little awareness of its implications.
Nathan
told David that there was once a rich man who stole a lamb from a poor man, and
prepared it for a guest who had traveled to visit the rich man. The rich man did not want to take a lamb from
his own herd, so he took it from the poor man.
In terms of the law, the rich man forcibly transferred the value of the lamb
from the poor man to himself. If it went
to court, the rich man should be expected to at least reimburse the poor man
for the value of the lamb. Perhaps there
would also be a monetary fine and a lecture, but then things would be settled. The rest of us, in our busy lives, might
agree that the test of "eye for an eye" was met.
In
reality, however, much more damage had been done that was overlooked. Consider the real worth of the lamb to the
poor man, most of which is impossible to put a price on: there was an intense
bond between this lamb and the family: "It grew up with the man and his
children; it used to eat of his meager fare, and drink from his cup, and lie in
his bosom, and it was like a daughter to him." No amount of money can replace this type of loss.
The
lamb's owner experienced and understood the love that flows between God and His
children and creatures. The awareness of
this connection and the great value of a life together was rooted in the depth
of his soul, which could only be reached through reflection, present moment
awareness, and a willingness to understand.
This lamb was extremely precious to the poor man – but was just meat to
the rich man. The rich man was shallow,
and was blind to the true nature of things.
Upon
hearing the story, King David's eyes were opened and he began to understand the
depth of the situation. He began to
actually feel the pain of the poor man, and declared that the rich man deserved
to die. When Nathan explained that David's
offense was like that of the rich man, David finally experienced the true
consequences of his actions. He felt the
pain that he inflicted on someone else.
A
sharp word spoken years ago continues to cut in later years. A child whipped by a parent's leather belt
carries the scars for decades. A
friend's betrayal burns in the memory relentlessly. When will we understand the full implications
of our thoughts, words, and deeds?
In
Luke 7 we see yet another example of someone who lived only at a shallow surface
level of understanding. The Pharisee
Simon had invited Jesus to dine with him, thinking that Jesus was a great
prophet. It would enhance Simon's
prestige to have dined with Jesus.
A
woman showed up who ministered to Jesus.
She was a known "sinner," considered an outsider for some
offense she committed. Simon the
Pharisee became disappointed that Jesus didn't recognize her for what she was,
but instead permitted her to remain and minister to him. The law was clear to Simon – this woman
should not be here, nor should people of respect have anything to do with her –
apparently Jesus was no prophet after all.
But
Jesus actually saw this woman much better than did Simon. Jesus saw this woman for who she really was –
someone who understood the depth of life and the full implications of her
actions, like King David. Now she was looking
for forgiveness at this very deep level, from the only person who could deeply
forgive. She knew that Jesus' love
worked the same way; it could go anywhere that evil was present, anywhere there
was hurt and pain, and meet it head on to heal it.
Jesus
asked Simon, "Do you really see
this woman?"
People
who can see deeply into life have a unique gift of sensitivity, like Nathan and
Jesus; they can see and understand the true implications of a misplaced thought,
word, or deed. They know how much hurt
and pain occurs that cannot be compensated for in a court of law. And because of this, they are more careful
about what they think, do or say, because they do not want to inflict this
deeper pain on anyone or anything – because they love.
Proper
5, Year C
I
Kings 17:8-24
Psalm
146 or Psalm 30
Galatians
1:11-24
Luke
7:11-17
One
of the themes we find in literature throughout recorded history in many
cultures is the idea of rebirth, or new life coming from old. Sometimes this archetype, if you will,
emerges in a story of someone being brought back to life who has, in some way, physically
died.
Two
such stories appear in this week’s lectionary, both involving a widow with an
only son who has died. The first is described
in I Kings 17, where Elijah resuscitates the son of the widow of Zarephath
after praying to God. The second case,
recorded in Luke 7, involved the widow of Nain, who was escorting the body of
her son out of the town. Jesus had
compassion on her, and restored her son’s life.
While
these stories are hundreds of years apart, they point to a basic truth about
life – new life can, indeed, spring from old.
Both
of these stories remind us of a third case, where a widow, Mary, watched her
son, Jesus, being executed. The only
begotten Son of God was eventually restored to life by the love of God despite
the hatred of the people.
That
there can be, and is, life after physical death is well-established in my
beliefs. It’s the way things have been
designed. Life is so precious that, even
though it may change form, it continues on under the protection and love of
God.
These
stories demonstrate the life-giving power of God. But we must also realize that it doesn’t just
stop at physical existence. People can
die spiritually, too, by succumbing to the ever-growing ego. Like Saul of Tarsus, a person can get buried
under the burdens of prejudice, hatred, fear, shame, worry, and numerous other
illusions. These things can become
“scales over our eyes,” blinding us to truth, joy, unity and peace.
The
psalmist knows that spiritual resuscitation comes at the hand of God: “The Lord
sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.” (Psalm
146).
Paul
writes about his spiritual awakening in his letter to the Galatians. He describes his earlier life of spiritual
death: “I was violently persecuting the Church of God
and was trying to destroy it.” But Paul
was called through the grace of God, thee scales fell from his eyes, and he was
reborn. The one who was formerly persecuting the Church was “now proclaiming
the faith he once tried to destroy.” (Galatians 1)
Jesus
teaches us that God is present when “the dead are raised up.” (Luke 7:22) This can refer to physical healings and
resurrections, it can refer to the transitions people experience passing from
this life to the next, and it can refer to people awakening from the dead
spiritually.
It
is in God’s sweet nature to heal, preserve and enhance the life that He
gives. We will experience this in many
ways as we travel through time that never ends.
We will come to know His good intentions, steadfast love, and how He
makes new life from old.
Affirmations
Today
I will be more alert to God’s power to create new life from old.
Today
I will be more appreciative of the life around me.
Today
I will fill each moment of life with reverence, patience and acceptance.
Proper 4 Year C
1
Kings 18:20-21, (22-29), 30-39
Psalm
96
Galatians
1:1-12 or 1
Kings 8:22-23, 41-43
Luke
7:1-10
The
readings for this Sunday open with a piercing challenge from Elijah to the
people gathered at Mount Carmel – "How long will you go limping with two
different opinions? If the Lord is God,
follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him."
Elijah, a prophet of God, stood alone against 450 prophets of
Baal. But at God's bidding, he
challenged these prophets so that the people could actually know which path was
best. It was the battle of the bulls, so
to speak, and Elijah came out on top.
The people who witnessed this event concluded, "The Lord indeed is
God; the Lord indeed is God."
The question of which way was best was settled for the people of
Israel at that time, but, for some reason, it keeps popping up time and time
again for each generation. Even today it
seems that we are limping our way through government, through social issues,
and perhaps even through our own lives, because we can't seem to settle in on
whom to follow.
Do we follow the wisdom of God in our lives, or are we going to follow
Baal?
Yes, Baal is alive and well today. He (or it) is with us, representing the
"way of this world," the system of mankind, a world based on the
value of money and the illusion of power, pride, and prejudice. It's a system that trashes the planet for
profit, and doesn't mind leaving behind a few thousand bodies in pursuit of some
dream. It flies a banner that often
reads, "I've got mine, now you get yours...and to hell with the
rest."
The lure of Baal is strong.
He has a much better marketing system than the will of God. It appeals to the short-term pleasures and
false hopes that easily attract the undisciplined mind. It highlights the occasional successes, and
hides the numerous failures as best it can. "You can have it all," it
exclaims. But at what price?
God's wisdom for living, however, runs much deeper and its
benefits last much longer – forever, in fact.
He sent Jesus to us to teach us these things; how to live together in
peace, how to live in harmony with nature, how to acquire an inner peace that
glows from being a member of God's family.
Perhaps the Wisdom Jesus needs greater emphasis in our lives and
in our churches. We tend to focus on the
Savior Jesus, as a redeemer of "sins", making us OK with God, but
then fail to carry this over to the next step – what does that really mean to
me in my life?
Paul wrote to the Galatians, "The Lord Jesus Christ gave
himself for our sins to set us free from
the present evil age..." (emphasis mine.) Paul was not talking about a salvation at some
point in the future, but something that could be used in the present.
Perhaps salvation starts here and now, by understanding,
practicing and sharing the real benefits of God's Kingdom. He wants us to have peace and joy in this
life, too. He wants all people to share
in the beauty and abundance of what this earth can offer us. He wants us to learn from each other, to
appreciate the diversity all His children have to offer, to help Him further
His creation.
Jesus is a great psychologist.
He knows how the human mind works, and provides us with the keys to
understanding it and living together with others in Community. This the living water he so often spoke
of. He gave us the keys to shedding the
scales of prejudice, inferiority, arrogance, shame, pride, fear, and worry to
name a few. These keys are great treasures that too often get over-shadowed by
designer jeans, weed-free lawns, and plasma TV screens. All these things can be nice to have, but at
what cost?
The
battle of the bulls continues. Psalm 96
teaches that, "All the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made
the heavens." He also gave us the
true Gospel of love, as Paul wrote, "I did not receive the Gospel from a
human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of
Christ."
Jesus
emphasized that people will know his children through their acts of love. This, in the end, will be far stronger than
any system of marketing there can ever be.
May all your thoughts, words, and deeds be acts of love.
Reflection
Questions
1.
What does salvation mean to you?
2.
What buying decisions can you make to bring greater harmony to the world?
3.
Have you ever thought of Jesus as a psychologist, therapist or counselor?
4. Read through the scripture lessons for this Sunday again, and spend
some time journaling your thoughts.
