"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; an age of wisdom and an age of foolishness; an epoch of belief and an epoch of incredulity; a season of Light and a season of Darkness; a Spring of hope and a Winter of despair..."
These immortal lines comprise the opening of Charles' Dickens' masterpiece, A Tale of Two Cities, a novel the narrative of which takes place before and during the French Revolution, in Paris and in London. But these words of contradiction might just as apply have been penned by the prophet Jeremiah, who lived and wrote before and during another critical time, the Jewish Exile to Babylon. Jeremiah was born into a priestly family and ordained at an early age, during the reign of King Josiah. During those days a copy of the Book of Law [an excerpt of the book of Deuteronomy] was soon fortuitously discovered in the Temple. This finding prompted Josiah to launch a thorough reform of Judaism, in which king, priests, and people cooperated, effecting a revitalization of the Faith. There was a Covenant Renewal ceremony and all the places of worship situated on the bemot, high places used for religious purposes in Canaan for ages, were destroyed, making the Temple in Jerusalem the place of worship for Jews.
After the golden years of Josiah, subsequent leaders were not so faithful and, in time, the Kingdom of Judah collapsed, many Jews were taken into exile, and Jeremiah himself was exiled, though not to Babylonia but to Egypt.
Jeremiah was a quite, peaceable mystic who had no interest in the dangerous business of prophecy. In the first chapter of his book, he recalls a vision in which God assigns him to be a prophet. Like any sane person, he makes excuse, specifically about being too young, and God responds that God will provide the Message and everything else that Jeremiah needs. The passages echo with words of the legitimacy of Jeremiah's call and the lameness of his excuse. And, so, he becomes a reluctant prophet.
The kind of results are not unpredictable. The High Priest has him scourged an put into the stocks. When he points out corruption in the Temple, he is tried and almost executed. He was thrown into prison. He was dropped down a cistern to die. And, at the last, he was murdered by fellow-exiles in Egypt.
I believe there are strong parallels between Jeremiah and Jesus. Both were prophets, and stayed on message. Both preached in parables. Both predicted the demolition of the Temple and destruction of Jerusalem. And each of them was reviled, scourged, tried and imprisoned, then executed for giving a dangerous message. I believe their stories offer us much to consider as Christians. First, let us never forget that our vocation includes the prophetic element; as followers of Jesus we must be involved in affairs of our world, and speak truth to power. Second we need to be discerning and prayerful, open to discovery of what God's call is upon us at present. Third, we need review then lose any excuses that we may be tempted to employ in order to avoid response to that call. And as we do so, let's remember God's promise to provide whatever we are missing, so that we can be effective in our Christian walk.
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Monday, August 26, 2019
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Let's go back to the first century to find our orientation. Two important developments occurred in the communities of the Jesus Movement. First, we separated from our mother religion, Judaism. Jews usually had a rapprochement with the Roman Government allowing them the practice of their religion and, in turn, to function as responsible citizens. Once Christians were distinct, we no longer had the protection of being Jewish and we were heretics to those holding to the Roman religious tradition. We stood out like a sore thumb, and persecutions followed. Second, Jesus didn't return as expected, in the form of the historical rabbi (though he was back in the poor, suffering, and oppressed), and that meant that the oral stories about him and other persons began to be written down and circulated. As the time passed, many, many Christians books circulated around the churches, with various texts being used in congregations. These were not the Bible; there would be no Bible until 397 A.D. when our bishops, under pressure to produce a Christian holy book to complement the Old Testament, decided on the contents for a New Testament. It was a tough process. The book of Revelation was approved by one vote, when Augustine broke a tie. There was no sense that they were producing a book to replace the Tradition, but rather the Bishops based their choices on the texts' faithfulness to the Catholic Faith coming down from the Apostles. The Bible came from the Church, not the Church from the Bible.
Some early traditions, like the Assumption of Mary, do not appear inside the collection of books selected by the bishops. And, the Assumption simply reflects the Church's belief that, from the last moment of her life, Mary was reunited with her son in heaven. Nevertheless, in the Episcopal Church we say that Scripture contains "all things necessary for salvation;" and there is no problem with that. But, if this teaching is not essential to salvation, then why do we have a celebration named the Feast of Saint Mary the Virgin, commonly called the Assumption? Let me suggest two important reasons.
The first reason is the ancient belief that Mary is a heavenly prayer partner for those who call on her. Saint Paul reminds us that, because of what Jesus has done, death no longer has any dominion over us. We can pray for and with the Saints in heaven, and vice-versa. I am delighted to say that that truth is being recognized at long last by Protestants. I belong to an international prayer fellowship called the Ecumenical Society of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We have members who are Protestant, Roman, and Anglican. And we all say the real rosary, not one of the knock-offs. And the Evangelical Christian scholar Tim Perry now clearly states that it is o.k. to have Mary as a prayer partner. Moreover, the rather prominent conservative evangelist Scott McKnight proudly celebrates an "Honor Mary Day" every year, not so unlike what we are doing.
Why he does that is the second reason for our Marian celebration, namely, that Mary is the model disciple. Just look at her life. Her "yes" to being the Theotokos, (God-bearer, Mother of God) made our salvation possible and reflects her profound trust and surrender to God's will in trying, confusing circumstances. Her Magnificat, sung during the visit to Elizabeth [Luke 1: 46-56], is a radical call for building the Kingdom of God, and reflects every single disciple's obligation to promote social justice. In considering predictions about her son, she is a model of prayer and meditation. As religion teacher and mentor for her Son, Mary is a model of openness to learning and sharing of faith. When Mary said at Cana, "Do what he tells you," she pointed us to stay focused on Christ. As a minister, along with other women, in Jesus' ministry, Mary shows us disciple-grade devotion. In her moments at the Cross, she demonstrates deep faith and perseverance, when our Lord places her under St. John's care. And when she goes with him to Ephesus to serve fellow-Christians there, Mary is a model of service to the Church. And in her assumption, she is our model of hope in eternal life. So, what is missing here? Nothing. We have much to learn and celebrate from this Feast.
Some early traditions, like the Assumption of Mary, do not appear inside the collection of books selected by the bishops. And, the Assumption simply reflects the Church's belief that, from the last moment of her life, Mary was reunited with her son in heaven. Nevertheless, in the Episcopal Church we say that Scripture contains "all things necessary for salvation;" and there is no problem with that. But, if this teaching is not essential to salvation, then why do we have a celebration named the Feast of Saint Mary the Virgin, commonly called the Assumption? Let me suggest two important reasons.
The first reason is the ancient belief that Mary is a heavenly prayer partner for those who call on her. Saint Paul reminds us that, because of what Jesus has done, death no longer has any dominion over us. We can pray for and with the Saints in heaven, and vice-versa. I am delighted to say that that truth is being recognized at long last by Protestants. I belong to an international prayer fellowship called the Ecumenical Society of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We have members who are Protestant, Roman, and Anglican. And we all say the real rosary, not one of the knock-offs. And the Evangelical Christian scholar Tim Perry now clearly states that it is o.k. to have Mary as a prayer partner. Moreover, the rather prominent conservative evangelist Scott McKnight proudly celebrates an "Honor Mary Day" every year, not so unlike what we are doing.
Why he does that is the second reason for our Marian celebration, namely, that Mary is the model disciple. Just look at her life. Her "yes" to being the Theotokos, (God-bearer, Mother of God) made our salvation possible and reflects her profound trust and surrender to God's will in trying, confusing circumstances. Her Magnificat, sung during the visit to Elizabeth [Luke 1: 46-56], is a radical call for building the Kingdom of God, and reflects every single disciple's obligation to promote social justice. In considering predictions about her son, she is a model of prayer and meditation. As religion teacher and mentor for her Son, Mary is a model of openness to learning and sharing of faith. When Mary said at Cana, "Do what he tells you," she pointed us to stay focused on Christ. As a minister, along with other women, in Jesus' ministry, Mary shows us disciple-grade devotion. In her moments at the Cross, she demonstrates deep faith and perseverance, when our Lord places her under St. John's care. And when she goes with him to Ephesus to serve fellow-Christians there, Mary is a model of service to the Church. And in her assumption, she is our model of hope in eternal life. So, what is missing here? Nothing. We have much to learn and celebrate from this Feast.
Thursday, August 8, 2019
St. Dominic [Clericus Meeting]
Dominic was born in Spain in 1170 to a Christian family. In 1191, he had a life-altering experience, seeing the devastation of a great famine in his country. He was so moved by what he saw that, like his contemporary St. Francis of Assisi, Dominic gave away all his possessions to the poor. When he did that he derived new clarity and became interested in studying, which he undertook with passion. He was especially concerned with the Albigensian heresy [gnostic] but held that they should be converted through preaching/teaching and not threatened and persecuted. Five intense years later, Dominic was ordained a priest and, after a stint as an austere cathedral canon, and then subdeacon, he went our on preaching tours in Languedoc and Toulouse, attracting many followers.
As a result, he organized he Dominican Order -- the Blackfriars. Like their founder, hey were deeply devoted to study and good preaching. They produced the great intellectual, Saint Thomas Aquinas!
The lesson for me is that disengagement from wealth, reducing our attachment to things (knowing the risk that they can easily own us) allows us to gain clarity and spurs us to greater study. We, then, can become truly effective in preaching and in inspiring ourselves and others to build the Kingdom of God, a world in which God's will is done on the earth as in heaven, the world we are aching for.
As a result, he organized he Dominican Order -- the Blackfriars. Like their founder, hey were deeply devoted to study and good preaching. They produced the great intellectual, Saint Thomas Aquinas!
The lesson for me is that disengagement from wealth, reducing our attachment to things (knowing the risk that they can easily own us) allows us to gain clarity and spurs us to greater study. We, then, can become truly effective in preaching and in inspiring ourselves and others to build the Kingdom of God, a world in which God's will is done on the earth as in heaven, the world we are aching for.
Wednesday, August 7, 2019
Saint Stephen I and the Letter
Imagine that you are an active Christian, participating in an illegal religion, in the mid third century of the common era. You have been arrested for being a Christian. You are brought before the magistrate for a crime that is understood to be not only an offence against true religion but also against the state which officially promotes it. You are a traitor to the gods and to your empire, so not a good position. Three options are presented to you. You may either surrender some distinctly Christian document (this is long before the New Testament is compiled, so you have a wide variety of writings from which to choose) or you may go to the little altar in the magistrate's court and sacrifice to the god of the day or Caesar as god. Then you will be asked to formally denounce your faith and, when you do, you are issued the Brevis, a letter to carry with you that says don't molest this person who has renounced the Christian religion. Your third alternative: death.
What do you do? You may choose to be martytred. You could also renounce, with your fingers crossed, and sacrifice, knowing that the god to whom you offer doesn't exist or is a mere human. Choosing the latter, you may live to carry on your Christian ministry. Choose the former and you prematurely depart this life. Many persons in your position will choose to sacrifice, get the letter, and persevere in Christian practice. Those who have not, and are alive, will call you traditor, traitor.
The question quickly arose as to whether a traditor's personal ministry was affected by his or her acquisition of the letter. A group, who came to be called Donatists, held that the action nullified previously received sacraments, so, for example, a lay traditor had to be re-baptised, re-confirmed. Ordained traditores were to be re-ordained and, until they were, sacraments administered by them considered invalid. A traditor's Mass was no good.
Stephen I (not to be confused with the first-century Protomartyr) in 254 became the 22nd bishop of Rome in succession from Peter and Paul and defended our Catholic Faith from the Donatists. He rightly maintained that received teaching clearly tells us that the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and ordination are permanent and unrepeatable. One can rely on the ministrations of the faithful, as sacraments are objectively effective. "Let that be observed which the Tradition has handed down," Stephen said. But the controversy continued and Stephen was martyred -- murdered at the altar -- whilst saying Mass during the later Emperor Valerian's persecution.
The rest of the story: Miltraides, a subsequent bishop of Rome, investigated and ruled against the Donatists in 313. But the heresy persisted in North Africa [by the "Numidian Bishops"] until the Christians there were wiped out by Muslims in the eighth century!
What do you do? You may choose to be martytred. You could also renounce, with your fingers crossed, and sacrifice, knowing that the god to whom you offer doesn't exist or is a mere human. Choosing the latter, you may live to carry on your Christian ministry. Choose the former and you prematurely depart this life. Many persons in your position will choose to sacrifice, get the letter, and persevere in Christian practice. Those who have not, and are alive, will call you traditor, traitor.
The question quickly arose as to whether a traditor's personal ministry was affected by his or her acquisition of the letter. A group, who came to be called Donatists, held that the action nullified previously received sacraments, so, for example, a lay traditor had to be re-baptised, re-confirmed. Ordained traditores were to be re-ordained and, until they were, sacraments administered by them considered invalid. A traditor's Mass was no good.
Stephen I (not to be confused with the first-century Protomartyr) in 254 became the 22nd bishop of Rome in succession from Peter and Paul and defended our Catholic Faith from the Donatists. He rightly maintained that received teaching clearly tells us that the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and ordination are permanent and unrepeatable. One can rely on the ministrations of the faithful, as sacraments are objectively effective. "Let that be observed which the Tradition has handed down," Stephen said. But the controversy continued and Stephen was martyred -- murdered at the altar -- whilst saying Mass during the later Emperor Valerian's persecution.
The rest of the story: Miltraides, a subsequent bishop of Rome, investigated and ruled against the Donatists in 313. But the heresy persisted in North Africa [by the "Numidian Bishops"] until the Christians there were wiped out by Muslims in the eighth century!
Sunday, August 4, 2019
Pentecost VIII: Greed v. Sacrifice
In today's gospel pericope [Lk. 12: 13-21] a man asks Jesus to arbitrate division of an estate between his brother and himself, Jesus initially asks how he's qualified to do that and then tells a story. The comment about qualification actually seems to be a significant statement for the separation of church and state. Rabbis routinely made such adjudications and the government accepted them. Jesus, in effect, is saying I'm not an attorney, I'm clergy. Leave religious matters to me, civil matters to judges.
Good lessons.
But of core significance is Jesus' next comment, for he has intuited that the man's motivation is not a desire for justice, but greed. No doubt, if Jesus had to put on his judge's hat and proceeded, the man would have had a nice backhander for him in appreciation. Jesus elsewhere tells us that the love of wealth is the greatest impediment to relationship with God.
In the story, a wealthy man faces the quandary of more stuff that he can store. He decides to have current structures demolished and build larger ones to hold his inventory. Then, he reasons, he will have it made and be able to eat, drink and be merry for the rest of his life. Jesus has God saying in effect: Guess what? You are going to die tonight! Jesus says that is what it is like for those who are generous to themselves and not generous towards God. But, theologically speaking, why does the attachment to wealth mean spiritual death? First, it leads us to forget that everything is from God; we don't create anything, we hold it as stewards for God. Second, attachment causes us to rely on our wealth, and the power it buys, rather than trusting in God. Third,attachment destroys our sense of priorities, de-emphasizing loving service of others and promoting self-service in the interest of wealth, power, privilege, pleasure, and security.
What then is the antithesis of attachment? In practice, it is sacrificial giving, putting good works via God's Church and other institutions (and volunteering time and talent) as our very first priority, then trusting God with everything else. Second, sacrificial giving promotes trust in God, which bring us "the peace surpassing understanding." We sleep well, knowing that we have done right in a very generous way. And that keeps us in tune with trust and gratitude for all that we have, drawing us closer to the Divine.
Good lessons.
But of core significance is Jesus' next comment, for he has intuited that the man's motivation is not a desire for justice, but greed. No doubt, if Jesus had to put on his judge's hat and proceeded, the man would have had a nice backhander for him in appreciation. Jesus elsewhere tells us that the love of wealth is the greatest impediment to relationship with God.
In the story, a wealthy man faces the quandary of more stuff that he can store. He decides to have current structures demolished and build larger ones to hold his inventory. Then, he reasons, he will have it made and be able to eat, drink and be merry for the rest of his life. Jesus has God saying in effect: Guess what? You are going to die tonight! Jesus says that is what it is like for those who are generous to themselves and not generous towards God. But, theologically speaking, why does the attachment to wealth mean spiritual death? First, it leads us to forget that everything is from God; we don't create anything, we hold it as stewards for God. Second, attachment causes us to rely on our wealth, and the power it buys, rather than trusting in God. Third,attachment destroys our sense of priorities, de-emphasizing loving service of others and promoting self-service in the interest of wealth, power, privilege, pleasure, and security.
What then is the antithesis of attachment? In practice, it is sacrificial giving, putting good works via God's Church and other institutions (and volunteering time and talent) as our very first priority, then trusting God with everything else. Second, sacrificial giving promotes trust in God, which bring us "the peace surpassing understanding." We sleep well, knowing that we have done right in a very generous way. And that keeps us in tune with trust and gratitude for all that we have, drawing us closer to the Divine.
Friday, July 26, 2019
The Our Father
The Our Father, or Lord's Prayer as some call it (actually Jesus said a lot of different prayers) is one that many of us have known since childhood. I grew up with the incorrect notion that the material was original with Jesus. Certainly not. Remember that Jesus said he came, not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it. He wanted to make the religion more genuine and end the games and loopholes which had developed around the Law, allowing superficial compliance while skirting the spirit. He called for the Torah to be torqued-up (read the Sermon on the Mount), loopholes closed, games discontinued. He also tended to simplify many elaborations of his religion.
Every observant male Jew in Jesus' time recited the Amidah each morning. The Our Father is a thoughtful abbreviated version of that ancient prayer. His followers in the Jesus Movement recited the Our Father in place of the Amidah. Let's look at key elements.
Our Father -- Jesus uses the intimate word abba, Daddy. That was never before done in Jewish worship and never used in Jewish scriptures. Jesus asserts a new and personal relationship with God. How might your prayer life change if you were in a conversation with your heavenly Daddy?
Hallowed -- It's a passive verb. We do not hallow God's name, God alone sanctifies God's name, by blessing his people. Instead we are called to honour that Name. But many times we don't.
Kingdom -- The term first appears in the Jewish Kaddish learnt in childhood. It's about striving for a victory for God. May we have more small victories of justice, love, and peace day by day.
Daily bread -- Here we pray for our needs. That's countercultural, as we are trained to pursue all the stuff that marketers makes us think we can't live without, by created needs that don't exist, in order to consumerize us. The rendering in most translations calls for bread for today, reminding us to live for the moment and to trust God in everything. However, the Bible manuscripts in Aramaic (the language that Jesus spoke), read "bread for tomorrow." It's ok, I think, to look ahead just a little.
Forgive our sins -- This is a fundamental principle in Jewish theology: you release the people who have offended you, then God will release you. And not until. Many people seem to dislike the modern version, preferring "trespasses," which sounds rather like walking on someone's lawn, to "sins," which is very direct and uncomfortable. We need to be uncomfortable.
that
The time of trial -- Unlike the old translation "lead us not into temptation," this more accurate rendering does not imply that God somehow sets us up for failure. To be saved from the time of trial, or hard testing, is important because we do need grace to persevere. Jesus says that it is only the one who hangs in there until the end who will find salvation.
Saint C. S. Lewis, the great Anglican theologian, said that the purpose of prayer is not to change God's mind but to shape our own. I hope these reflections on Jesus' most famous prayer will help us do that.
e
Every observant male Jew in Jesus' time recited the Amidah each morning. The Our Father is a thoughtful abbreviated version of that ancient prayer. His followers in the Jesus Movement recited the Our Father in place of the Amidah. Let's look at key elements.
Our Father -- Jesus uses the intimate word abba, Daddy. That was never before done in Jewish worship and never used in Jewish scriptures. Jesus asserts a new and personal relationship with God. How might your prayer life change if you were in a conversation with your heavenly Daddy?
Hallowed -- It's a passive verb. We do not hallow God's name, God alone sanctifies God's name, by blessing his people. Instead we are called to honour that Name. But many times we don't.
Kingdom -- The term first appears in the Jewish Kaddish learnt in childhood. It's about striving for a victory for God. May we have more small victories of justice, love, and peace day by day.
Daily bread -- Here we pray for our needs. That's countercultural, as we are trained to pursue all the stuff that marketers makes us think we can't live without, by created needs that don't exist, in order to consumerize us. The rendering in most translations calls for bread for today, reminding us to live for the moment and to trust God in everything. However, the Bible manuscripts in Aramaic (the language that Jesus spoke), read "bread for tomorrow." It's ok, I think, to look ahead just a little.
Forgive our sins -- This is a fundamental principle in Jewish theology: you release the people who have offended you, then God will release you. And not until. Many people seem to dislike the modern version, preferring "trespasses," which sounds rather like walking on someone's lawn, to "sins," which is very direct and uncomfortable. We need to be uncomfortable.
that
The time of trial -- Unlike the old translation "lead us not into temptation," this more accurate rendering does not imply that God somehow sets us up for failure. To be saved from the time of trial, or hard testing, is important because we do need grace to persevere. Jesus says that it is only the one who hangs in there until the end who will find salvation.
Saint C. S. Lewis, the great Anglican theologian, said that the purpose of prayer is not to change God's mind but to shape our own. I hope these reflections on Jesus' most famous prayer will help us do that.
e
Sunday, July 21, 2019
Pentecost VI: God and Social Injustice
The early Jewish population seem to be have been the poor cousins in the family of Canaanite peoples. That early nomadic population developed a Law which was, although barbaric, light-years ahead of its predecessors. Hebrews were on the margins of society and had a radically progressive view of social justice They blazed a trail by giving all slaves a day off every week, treating refugees just like other people, and allowing the poor to glean from harvests of those better-off. Soon, like any developing people, Jews advanced in organization. Soon, they had a king, a capital city, a fixed temple, plus a cosy little merger of church and state. They had become the Establishment they once reacted against, and they managed to find all kinds of creative ways to circumvent, or otherwise play games with, the Law.
The result of this shift was the rise of prophecy, for prophets would call out social injustice and evil wherever they found it, and call people back to genuine worship. The first prophet whose writings appear in the Bible was Amos, whom we talked about last week. He's back with another vision of YHVH as a human, playing twenty questions. God shows Amos a bowl of late-summer fruits in wonderful condition and then tells Amos that he has blessed his people for the last time, he's gone.
This was during the reigns of Uzziah ([Judah] and Jeroboam II[ [Israel] and Amos's words will be remembered, for soon both kingdoms fall and exile ensues. Amos now tells us that the wealthy have committed three grave offences, which caused God to pull the plug. First, they exploited the poor, needy, and working class. Second, succeeding at that, the rich objectified those of whom they were taking advantage; making them economic commodities to be used, bought and sold without regard to fair compensation or human development. Third, the next logical step was to begin to perpetuate an overclass of rich people, and so they did. The wealth gap widened. God bailed out.
We learn, then, that God will not sustain a society based on domination, rather than love of one's neighbour. The worshipping community cannot be complicit or neutral in the face of systemic injustice. Worship must lead us to work for a just society and world, Our New Testament story, recounting the ministries of Martha and Mary, reminds us that we need worship and also need to participate in activism --that both are important and complementary. They must work in tandem.
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