The balance of God

WEDNESDAY AFTER CREATION 5

9 October 2013

Readings:

Job 39:1-12, 19-20, 26-27, 40:1-2

Luke 6:27-36

Key Verses (using the World English Bible):

Job 39:19a, 26a: “Have you given the horse might?… Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars?”

Luke 6:35: “[The Most High,] he is kind toward the unthankful and evil.”

Reflection

You remember Job.  A “blameless and upright” man who “feared God, and turned away from evil”, Job becomes caught up in a kind of “cosmic dare” between God and Satan.  God lets Satan test Job’s faith with every possible affliction, except to his physical life.  Job’s “friends” reason that Job must have offended God somehow, and encourage him to repent.  And through all of this, Job, with an odd mixture of courage and humility, desires an audience with his Maker.  

When God finally does speak to Job out of the whirlwind, it’s only to put Job in his place.  In essence, the response is: “This happened because I am God, and you are not”, to which Job replies: “I did not understand… therefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:3b, 6).  I’d be lying if I said that I was satisfied with this answer, or that I would appreciate being a test subject in a divine contest, or even that I would respond like Job.  But, I believe, this book calls us to look beyond its surface, and deeper into its core.

The Season of Creation’s focus this week on “animals” provides a lens through which to view this core.  And in today’s passage, the picture painted is one of beauty, balance, admiration, and awe.  Our might can domesticate a horse; our wisdom can understand the hawk’s flight.  But the doe has no need for Lamaze techniques; she knows how to give birth.  The donkey need not learn “Nutrition Facts”; he knows what food he needs and where to get it.  The lesson is that we are to have respect for a power that is not our own.  We are not God.  We are not life.  We are not masters of the universe, or even of this earth.  We have to know, and be in harmony with, our place as a part of creation.

And yet this is not Jesus’ agenda today.  In the Gospel reading, Jesus challenges his followers with a new lesson in ethics:

“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.  To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer also the other; and from him who takes away your cloak, don’t withhold your coat also.”  (Luke 6:27-29)

So much for balance here.  But Jesus’ logic in shifting the balance away from us sheds light on the kindness (and maybe the image?) of God, who “is kind toward the unthankful and evil.”  That horse, hawk, doe, and deer from before—do they thank their Maker?  Certainly not in a way we can perceive.  What about the predators that may attack or devour them?  Certainly their actions are cruel to us.  But God provides for the needs of both groups without expecting anything in return.

The hard lesson is that we mustn’t wait for a thank-you, or for people to treat us well in order to “go and do likewise”.  Through good or evil, thanksgiving or ingratitude, we are called to the first of both.  To be kind as God is kind; to reflect the image of God—both Job’s and Jesus’ God—we have to realize that the balance is not meant to be in our favor.

Prayer of the Day

 O God,

grant us a deeper sense of fellowship with all living things,

our little brothers and sisters,

to whom in common with us,

you have given this earth as your home.

We recall with regret that in the past,

we have acted high-handedly and cruelly

in exercising our domain over them.

Thus the voice of the earth,

which should have risen to you in song,

has turned into a groan of travail.

May we realize that all these creatures also live

for themselves and for you—

not for us alone.

They too love the goodness of life, as we do,

and serve you better in their way,

than we do in ours.

—A prayer of St. Basil of Caesarea (329-379) as found in the New… Saint Joseph People’s Prayer Book of the Roman Catholic Church.

Hymn: “Lord of glory, you have bought us”

(Words: Eliza S. Alderson, 1818-1889; adapted by Joseph A. Soltero, 2013; 3^rd stanza adapted from Evangelical Lutheran Worship, 2006;

Tune: ‘Charitas’, John B. Dykes in Hymns Ancient and Modern, 1868)

Lord of glory, you have bought us

With your lifeblood as the price,

Never grudging for the lost ones

That tremendous sacrifice,

And, with that, have freely given

Blessings countless as the sand,

To the evil and unthankful

With your own unsparing hand.

Grant us hearts, dear Lord, to give you

Gladly, freely, of your own.

With the sunshine of your goodness,

Melt our thankless hearts of stone

Till our cold and selfish natures,

Warmed by you, at length believe

That more happy and more blessèd

’Tis to give than to receive.

Wondrous honor you have given

To our humblest charity

In your own mysterious sentence,

“You have done it so to me.”

Naked, sick, in prison, hungry—

In the least, your face we view,

Saying by your poor and needy,

“Give as I have given you.”

Lord of glory, you have bought us,

With your lifeblood as the price,

Never grudging for the lost ones

That tremendous sacrifice.

Give us faith to trust you boldly;

Hope, to fix our souls on you,

But, oh, best of all your graces,

Give us love each day anew.

The blessing of animals

FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER CREATION DAY

6 October 2013

Readings:

Ecclesiastes 3:14-22

Matthew 12:9-13

Key Verses (using the World English Bible):

Eccl. 3:19: “That which happens to the sons of men happens to animals… As the one dies, so the other dies.  Yes, they have all one breath; and man has no advantage over the animals.”

Matt. 12:11:  Jesus said: “What man… who has one sheep, and if this one falls into a pit on the Sabbath day, won’t he grab on to it, and lift it out?”

Reflection

Many churches today are celebrating “The Blessing of Animals”, in which churchgoers can bring their pets or companion animals to have them receive a blessing in the church.  The Season of Creation originally ends with “Animal Sunday”, the Sunday before the feast of St. Francis (4 Oct).  However, I’ve decided to follow the mainstream church practice of observing “Animal Sunday” on the Sunday nearest 4 Oct, and keeping the previous Sunday with the “heavenly host” themes, as it’s nearest to the feast of St. Michael and All Angels.

Animals don’t get their proper credit, even in the Bible.  Apart from being portrayed as mere food for humans or sacrifices for God, they also are used to represent lower characteristics or value.  Thus, after discussing how pervasive wickedness is on earth, humans are called “animals” in Ecclesiastes, in a tone that mirrors our modern insult.  Even Jesus, who, we might remember, leaves the 99 sheep to find the missing one; who today uses a sheep in danger as a lesson in compassion over law, even he ends with: “Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep!”

I suppose it’s natural for us to think of ourselves as superior to animals.  They appear simply to exist.   With regards to language, culture, civilization, literature, even self-awareness—all those things which we imagine are indicators of an advanced species—animals have a very basic expression of the first two, a non-existent expression of the next two, and who knows about that last one.  They live primarily on instinct.  What little forethought they may have is governed by their natural impulses of mating and feeding.

And yet we read that “man has no advantage over the animals.”  We all have “one breath”.  In fact, the word “animal” means ‘that creature which is animate, which has a soul’.  “I know every rock and tree and creature has a life, has a spirit, has a name”, Disney’s Pocahontas sings.  It’s possible both to disagree and to agree with this biblical verse.  Humanity certainly has many obvious advantages over animals.  But in all the things that truly matter, we are the same.  For all our advances, we all still must breathe, eat, sleep, and eventually die. 

Life, in all its diverse forms, is still life.  But, as people of faith, we claim that life comes from the God of all life.  If our capacities to reason, to plan, to cooperate do make us “superior”—even give us an advantage over—animals, then our faith charges us not to use this superiority for our own benefit, but for the benefit of all of God’s creatures.  Animals may mercilessly and thoughtlessly take each other’s lives for food, but if we are to continue consuming animals (and I don’t plan on giving up meat except on Lent!), then our “superior” capacities entrusts us to do so with mercy, with forethought, with humaneness.

  Even if a person is worth more than the sheep that fell into the well on the Sabbath, that sheep was still worthy enough to be pulled out, to be rescued, to be saved.

Prayer of the Day

O God,

you have made us and all living things.

You are even more wonderful

than what you have made.

We thank you for giving us

animals who bring us companionship and joy.

As you take care of us,

may we, with your help,

take care of those who trust us to look after them,

so that we may share

in your own love for all creation;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

—adapted from “A Service for the Blessing of Animals” on http://www.animalliberationfront.com/Practical/Shop--ToDo/Religion/BlessingOfAnimals.htm 

Hymn: “All things bright and beautiful”

(Words: Cecil Frances Alexander, 1818-1895

Tune: ‘Royal Oak’, from The Dancing Master, 1686; adapted by Martin Fallas Shaw, 1875-1958; descant by Richard Proulx, b. 1937)

Refrain:

All things bright and beautiful,

All creatures great and small,

All things wise and wonderful,

The Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,

Each little bird that sings,

He made their glowing colors,

He made their tiny wings.

Refrain

The purple-headed mountain,

The river running by,

The sunset and the morning

That brightens up the sky.

Refrain

The cold wind in the winter,

The pleasant summer sun,

The ripe fruits in the garden,

He made them every one.

Refrain

He gave us eyes to see them,

And lips that we might tell

How great is God Almighty,

Who has made all things well.

Refrain

Enduring to the end (Feast of St. Francis)

FRIDAY AFTER CREATION 4

Feast of St. Francis of Assisi

4 October 2013

Readings:

2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:5

Luke 21:10-19

Key Verses (using the World English Bible):

2 Thes. 3:5: “May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patience of Christ.”

Luke 21:17-19: “You will be hated by all… for my name’s sake.  And not a hair of your head will perish.  By your endurance you will win your lives.”

Reflection

Jesus today paints a grim picture of what has come to be known as the “End Times”.  The world will be full of war, earthquakes, famines, plagues, and “great signs from heaven”.  Closer to home, Jesus’ followers will be threatened with persecution, hatred, abandonment by family and friends, and even death.  Through all of this, the Christian is to endure, to have patience, to trust that s/he will “not perish, but have eternal life”, as that notorious verse from John puts it.

Today’s scriptural meditations happen to fall on the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi.  St. Francis is known for many things: his commitment to poverty and to preaching the Word; his founding the Order of Friars and the Poor Clares; his love of creation, the environment, and especially animals.  In the spirit of the latter, many churches will bless companion animals this coming Sunday.  He is apparently the originator of the “Christmas crèche” or “Nativity scene”, and was the first person recorded to have received the “stigmata” or the sacred wounds of Christ’s passion.

However, the lesser things—though arguably, perhaps, the more important ones—St. Francis is known for are his mystical poetry, two examples of which are below in the Prayer of the Day and the Hymn.  We’re not sure if St. Francis actually authored the Prayer.  But its determination to plant God’s peace in the most unexpected places certainly resonates with the Hymn, where animate creatures like us share an unexpected kinship with inanimate ones—the four elements, the sun, the moon, and even death—and singing God’s praise is, perhaps surprisingly, our common purpose.

When reading heavy stuff like the End Times, we need to invoke and cling to St. Francis’ mystical and transcendent view of creation.  For in the midst of all the chaos and destruction that Jesus describes, the sense that the Divine will be present with us—even in that—can unmistakably still be heard.  It’s not a new idea.  The Psalmist, in a moment of spiritual ecstasy, reminds us that God is found both in heaven and in hell, and we cannot flee his presence—ever (Ps. 139:7-8).  Paul knew it too.  Having experienced hell on earth—insults, beatings, shipwrecks—he was still able to discern God’s love, eternal comfort and good hope, as his Church in Thessalonica recalls (2 Thes. 2:16-17).  These gave him confidence, and inspired him with the patience of Christ.  The word for ‘patience’ here can also be translated as ‘endurance’, as in the very endurance that Jesus assures us will win our lives.

In times of trouble and danger, we can’t forget that God is still with us.  We must be patient and try—even to the very end—to retune ourselves to the elements of God’s creation, using them to tell us where else, how else, and to whom else, we can still bring God’s peace.  In times of extreme danger to life, may we remember that Christ has gone that way before us, that even death now sings God’s praise.  There is to be no fear, for we are eternally in God’s presence.

Prayer of the Day

Lord, make us instruments of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let us sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is discord, union;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy.

Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.

—“A Prayer attributed to St. Francis”, as translated in the Book of Common Prayer, p. 833

Hymn: “All creatures of our God and King”

(Words: St. Francis of Assisi, 1182-1226; translated by William H. Draper, 1855-1933; adapted by Joseph A. Soltero, 2013

Tune: ‘Lasst uns erfreuen’, from Auserlesene Catholische Geistliche Kirchengeseng, 1623; arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1872-1958)

All creatures of our God and King,

lift up your voices, let us sing:

“Alleluia! Alleluia!”

Bright, burning sun with golden beams;

pale, silver moon that gently gleams,

Refrain:

O praise him! O praise him!

Alleluia, alleluia, alleuia!

Great, rushing winds and breezes soft,

You clouds that ride the sky aloft,

O praise him! Alleluia!

Fair, rising morn, with praise rejoice.

Stars nightly shining, find a voice,

Refrain

Swift, flowing water, pure and clear,

Make music for your Lord to hear.

Alleluia! Alleluia!

Fire, so intense and fiercely bright,

You give to us both warmth and light.

Refrain

Dear mother earth, you day by day

Unfold your blessings on our way,

O praise him! Alleluia!

All flowers and fruits that in you grow,

God’s glory let them also show.

Refrain

All you with mercy in your heart,

Forgiving others, take your part,

O sing now: “Alleluia!”

All you that pain and sorrow bear,

Praise God, and cast on him your care.

Refrain

And even you, most gentle death,

Waiting to hush our final breath,

O praise him! Alleluia!

You lead back home the child of God,

For Christ our Lord that way has trod.

Refrain

Let all things their Creator bless,

And worship him in humbleness.

O praise him! Alleluia!

Praise God the Father, praise the Son,

And praise the Spirit, Three in One!

Refrain

The unforgivable sin

WEDNESDAY AFTER CREATION 4

2 October 2013

Readings:

2 Corinthians 12:1-12

Matthew 12:22-32

Key Verses (using the World English Bible):

2 Cor. 12:9: “[The Lord] has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you…’”

Matt. 12:32:  Jesus said, “Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, neither in this age, nor in that which is to come.”

Reflection

“Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
—Lord’s Prayer

What a stark contrast we have from last Wednesday’s readings!  Last week, Jesus refused to condemn an unnamed and unknown disciple who cast demons out in Jesus’ name.  “Whoever is not against us is on our side!”, Jesus declared.  Not so today.  Today, Jesus—whom we know, in whose name the Gospel is written—today, it is he who casts out a demon, and declares, “He who is not with me is against me.”  And then Jesus makes a startling warning: “Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven… whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him.”

Many reasons have been for the “unforgivable sin”.  The principal one I’ve come across  goes something like this:

One can blaspheme and speak against God the Father without sinning because no one has seen the Father except the Son (cf. John 6:46).  One can blaspheme and speak against God the Son without sinning because Christ became a curse for us (Gal. 3:13).  Furthermore, if you’ll pardon my slight ingress into “modalism” for simplicity’s sake, the Father created the world long before humans existed, and the Son redeemed it long before we were born.  But the Spirit is God’s active grace and power in our world, in our lives, right now.  You see, grace isn’t God’s only free gift.  Jesus freely gave his disciples the Comforter, the Advocate, the One who would guide them after his ascension.  And if you read through the “Acts of the Apostles”, you might think it would better be called the “Acts of the Holy Spirit.”  The Spirit continues to guide us in much the same way.  To speak against any of these things is, therefore, to deny God’s power, to ignore God’s direct and personal interventions in our own lives, to refuse his grace and love after having been given it.  

I remember hearing this passage when I was a child, and it would make me a little uneasy, even a little afraid.  How do I know if I’ve cursed the Holy Spirit?  Is saying the words enough?  If it’s unforgivable, what if I later realize the error of my ways?  Is it too late?

But what if you read through the entire Bible? (After reading Acts, of course.)  Page after page, verse after verse, you find a God who is never finished with his people.  You find a story whose core is a God of infinite love, patience, and yes, forgiveness.  The newly freed Israelites built a Golden Calf when they doubted God’s power.  They “spoke against” God and Moses about the lack of food and water.  Later on, at the time of the prophets, Israel again was seduced into idolatry, desecrated the holy days of God, and even began to abuse the marginalized of its own society.  And through all of this, God surely meted out punishment.  The earth swallowed up the calf-worshippers.  Serpents bit and killed the unfaithful Israelites.  God let Babylon defeat and exile Israel.  But at no time does the Bible say that God just gave up and went off to find another nation, another people who was more faithful, more compassionate, more obedient.  Even after being complicit in the death of Jesus, “all Israel will be saved”, says Paul to the Romans (11:26).    No, God relented.  God overlooked.  God forgave.

Dear reader, God does not hold grudges.  God is not easily offended.  If blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is indeed unforgivable, I think it’ll be because we won’t be able to forgive ourselves after having committed it.  After having cursed—and I mean, really cursed, repudiated from the heart and soul—everything that God stands for: unity, love, patience, goodness, selflessness, wisdom, light, peace, the list goes on—after having truly done this unthinkable thing, how could I forgive myself?  We all know from experience that grudges against oneself are the hardest to overcome.  But even then, there is still reason, not just to hope, but also to rejoice and be thankful.

“O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” (Ps. 136:1, NRSV)

“His anger is but for a moment.  His favor is for a lifetime.” (Ps. 30:5)

Prayer of the Day

Almighty God,

you do not wish for the death of sinners,

but rather that they should turn from wickedness and live.

Forgive all those who truly repent,

and unfeignedly put their trust in your holy Word.

Grant us true repentance and your Holy Spirit.

May our present actions may please you.

May the rest of our life from now on

be more pure and holy,

so that at last we may enter your eternal joy;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

—adapted from Christian Worship: Services for the Church: with Order of Vespers and Hymns, by Samuel Osgood (1862), itself adapted from the “Collect of Forgiveness” from the Book of Common Prayer (1662).

Hymn: “Forgive them, O my Father”

(Words: Cecil F. Alexander, in Hymns Ancient and Modern, 1875; adapted by Joseph A. Soltero, 2013

Tune: ‘Llangloffan’, Welsh melody from Hymnau a Thonau, by D. Evans, 1865)

“Forgive them, O my Father;

They know not what they do.”

The Savior spoke in anguish,

As iron-sharp nails went through.

He spoke no words of anger

To them that shed his blood,

But prayer and tend’rest pity,

Large as the love of God.

For me, that is compassion.

For me, it’s tender care.

I need his wide forgiveness

As much as any there.

For still my pride and hardness

Hang Jesus on that tree,

And sharper nails, O Savior,

Are driven in by me.

How often have I slighted

Your gentle voice that said:

“Forgive me too, Lord Jesus,

I knew not what I did.”

O depth of sweet compassion!

O love divine and true!

O save the souls that slight you,

And know not what they do.

Michaelmas 2013

ST. MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS

29 September 2013

Readings:

Revelation 12:7-12

Matthew 18:1-14

Key Verses (using the World English Bible):

Rev. 12:7: “There was war in the sky.  Michael and his angels made war on the dragon.  The dragon and his angels made war.”

Matt. 18:14: “It is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”

Note:

Some churches will transfer this feast day to Monday, in order to maintain the Sunday readings.  For reference, the readings for the 4^th Sunday after Creation are: Joshua 5:13-6:7 and Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43.

Reflection

My close friends know I’m not a fan of the fantasy genre.  You won't find Lord of the Rings in my DVD collection, Harry Potter on my bookshelf, “Skyrim” on my computer, or “Dungeons & Dragons” on my coffee table.  I know fiction is all about suspending disbelief, but I can’t really do that while seeing dragons and elves running around, with that barely-real look that only CGI can give them.  I personally prefer the type of fiction that attempts to root itself in the real world.

Oh good, you’re still with me!

Today’s reading from Revelation could’ve easily leapt out of the fantasy genre.  There’s a cosmic war in heaven (war in heaven, can you believe it?), angels, dragons, an old serpent—the basic ingredients for the epic “ultimate good vs. evil conflict”.  Earlier in this chapter from Revelation, a great red dragon had tried to devour the male child about to be born of a “woman clothed with the sun”.  This child “is to rule all the nations” and “was caught up to God, and to his throne”, a peculiar and strangely condensed version of Jesus’ birth.  No wonder we don’t read this on Christmas.  And to top it off, the Archangel Michael and his heavenly host then wage war against this dragon and cast him down to earth.

Readings like these are, of course, the basis for themes of warfare that are prevalent in certain kinds of Christianity.  The church on earth is traditionally called “The Church Militant”.  Unlike “The Church Triumphant”, comprised of the communion of saints, the Church Militant is depicted as wrestling against both earthly and spiritual forces of wickedness that constantly threaten to lead it to damnation (cf. Ephesians 6).  Many of us may have heard phrases like “prayer warrior”, “the Word is the sword”, "slain in the Spirit", “the armor of God”, “the shield of faith”, or hymns like “Onward, Christian soldiers”.

As a Christian, I can’t deny that evil exists.  All you have to do is turn to the news on television.  I mean, barely two weeks ago, we experienced even more mass shootings in the U.S., and for what?  But if you live your life in the constant fear of evil’s next manifestation, you will not live the life that God wants you to live.  There has to be a balance between the paranoia that comes from watching CNN 24 hours a day, and the carefree ignorance that comes from pretending that everything is okay.

That balance is faith.  The more you focus on evil, the more you run the risk of feeding it more energy.  Choose to feed that energy to God—to goodness, to kindness, to love, to your neighbor.  In moments of trial, cling to these things as if your own life depended on it, because living your life does.  And as cliché as the phrase is, ask yourself “What would Jesus do?”  For we know that he would not let fear or evil defeat him—no, he would heal, save, and love.  He would assure us that his Father doesn’t want any one of his little ones to perish.

The overarching promise of God’s own (s)word is that good really does triumph over evil.  Whatever war is to be waged in heaven or on earth, let it be.  Let those who started it, finish it.  Our job is to “rejoice always” and “walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself for us.”

Prayer of the Day

Everlasting God,

you have ordained and constituted in a wonderful order

the ministries of angels and mortals.

Mercifully grant that,

as your holy angels always serve and worship you in heaven,

so by your appointment

they may help and defend us here on earth;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Hymn: “You holy angels bright”

(Words: Richard Baxter, 17^th cent., and John Hampden Gurney, 19^th cent., adapted by Joseph A. Soltero, 2013

Tune: ‘Darwall’s 148^th’, melody and bass by John Darwall, 18^th cent.; harmony by William Henry Monk, 19^th cent.; descant by Sydney Hugo Nicholson, 20^th cent.)

You holy angels bright,

Who wait at God’s right hand,

Or through the realms of light

Fly at your Lord’s command,

Assist our song,

For else the theme

Too high would seem

For mortal tongue.

You blessèd souls at rest,

Who ran this earthly race

And now, from sin released,

Behold the Savior’s face,

His praises sound,

As in his sight

With sweet delight

You now abound.

You saints who toil below,

Adore your heavenly King,

And onward as you go,

Your joyful anthems sing.

Take what he gives.

Through good or ill,

O praise him still,

Who ever lives.

My soul, bear now your part,

Triumph in God above,

And with a well-tuned heart,

Come sing the songs of love!

Let all your days

Till life shall end,

Whate’er he send,

Be filled with praise.

Living water from within

FRIDAY AFTER CREATION 3

27 September 2013

Readings:

2 Peter 3:1-13

John 7:33-39

Key Verses (using the World English Bible):

2 Pet. 3:11-12: “… what kind of people ought you to be in holy living and godliness, looking for and earnestly desiring the coming day of God…?”

John 7:38: Jesus said, “He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, from within him will flow rivers of living water.”

Reflection

As we discussed last week (on 21 Sep), the seven-day Jewish Feast of Tabernacles/Booths (Sukkot) recalls the wood-and-leaf dwellings, which sheltered the Israelites during their forty-year wanderings in the desert.  Jesus remarkably uses this particular feast to show that his believers can become the very water, which the Israelites would’ve practically dived right into after a four-decade sojourn through the scorching desert.

Jesus alludes to say Isaiah, who says:

“[The Lord] will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in dry places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters don’t fail.” (Isa. 58:11)

We’re understandably accustomed to imagining Jesus himself as the source from which we spiritually drink.  In the Gospel of John alone, Jesus changes water into wine (2:1-11), preaches entry into God’s Kingdom as a rebirth of water and Spirit (3:5), and promises ‘living water’ to a thirsty Samaritan woman (4:10-15).  In his final moments, blood and water flow from Jesus’ pierced side (19:34).  And in today’s very reading, Jesus says: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink!” (7:37, emphasis mine).

But just one verse later, we find Jesus telling his followers that they can become like him—again.  We saw it when he called his followers “the light of the world”, who must let their light shine before others.  We saw it when Jesus urges a would-be disciple to “take up his cross and follow me.”  We saw it in Paul’s writings, who not only echoed Jesus’ words by calling the Philippians “stars of the cosmos”, but also believed that he was crucified with Christ (presumably after taking up his own cross?), and that Christians would be raised in a resurrection like Christ’s.

Perhaps the point of the Incarnation is that only God’s grace could explain to us the extent of God’s love for all of creation.  We would never have understood it of our own accord.  But once we’ve gotten the message, we are called no longer to be passive recipients, but active “doers of the word”, as James puts it (1:22).  Once we’ve gotten Christ the Word, we can’t keep him to ourselves.  We are called to become light and water for others.

Let me make it clear that I’m not here endorsing street-corner, doomsday and hellfire preaching, mass conversions, crusades, and the like.  I’ve often seen those become contests for how many souls you can win.  God indeed does not wish “that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance”, as Peter writes in today’s reading.  But repentance is not a race. Turning back to God is not finalized on a subway train.  It’s a lifetime process that even saints through the ages never felt they got right.

So what do we do?  Peter urges his community to dedicate themselves to “holy living and godliness”, or piety.  When we focus first on how we’re living, how we’re loving God, neighbor, and self, not only do we begin to show by example, but we also let God be God.  We trust him to turn us into the light and water, the wisdom and refreshment, that will shine and flow into the dark and dry places of souls who need of God’s love.

Prayer of the Day

O God, giver of life and health,

your Son Jesus Christ has called us

to hunger and thirst to see right prevail.

Refresh us with your grace,

that we may not be weary in well-doing;

for the sake of him who meets all our needs,

Jesus Christ our Savior,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

—from the “Book of Common Worship” of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 18^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Hymn: “From my spirit within flows a fountain of life”

(Words: “R.K.”, source is www.hymnal.net; adapted by Joseph A. Soltero, 2013

Music: George Bennard, 20^th cent.)

From my spirit within flows a fountain of life,

And in me flows God, One-in-Three.

God the Father’s the source,

Christ the Son is the course,

And the Spirit imparts life to me.

Refrain:

Lord, I treasure the sweet flow of life,

And my soul, at your feet I lay down.

Deepen, Lord, the complete flow of life,

When you come, may my life be my crown.

In the fresh, tender grass, Jesus makes me lie down.

He leads me by waters of rest.

No more struggle and strain.

All self-effort is vain.

In the flow, I am perfectly blest.

Refrain

Jesus calls us each day to the Holiest Place,

To dwell in his presence divine.

Hallelujah, I’ve heard

An encouraging word:

“Abide! You’re a branch in the vine.”

A cup of water

WEDNESDAY AFTER CREATION 3

25 September 2013

Readings:

1 Peter 1:17-25

Mark 9:38-41

Key Verses (using the World English Bible):

1 Pet. 1:22:  “Seeing you have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth through the Spirit in sincere brotherly affection, love one another from the heart fervently.”

Mark 9:42:  Jesus said, “For whoever will give you a cup of water to drink in my name… will in no way lose his reward.”

Reflection

The Season of Creation wisely devotes two Sundays in its three-year cycle to water themes.  As we saw this past Sunday, water can symbolize so many things in Scripture and in the tradition of our faith.  It can represent the grace and power of God, as when God parted the Red Sea, holding its waters back until the Israelites had passed safely through.  It can also portray chaos and danger, as when Jesus calmed the churning waters that threatened his disciples in their sailboat.  Rising from the waters of baptism is meant to reenact the believer’s burial and rebirth, rising to life again, in Christ.

But Scripture is also mindful of the principal symbol of water: our source of life.  The Egyptians panicked as their water turned to blood, for they wouldn’t last more than three days without drinking water.  And in today’s reading from the Gospel, Jesus uses this fact to teach a subtle, yet valuable lesson, one that the Church would do well to heed.

The disciples complain to Jesus that someone who isn't following them is using Jesus’ name to heal.  Jesus’ reply is striking: “Whoever is not against us is on our side… Whoever will give you a cup of water to drink in my name… will in no way lose his reward.”  For all that Jesus has to say about himself, his mission, his origins, his relation to the Father—and it’s plenty—you won’t find any of that here.  Jesus does not encourage his followers to cross-examine this foreign healer.  Does he confess the consubstantiality of the Son with the Father?  Does she believe that Jesus spoke to the Native Americans too?  Recite the rosary?  Practice only adult baptism?  Keeps the Sabbath on Saturday?  Do they follow the church year, or just the Memorial of the Last Supper?  No, in all essentials, when it comes down to it, Jesus here is swift to include them all on his side.

What would Christianity look like if we really followed this example?  If our many divisions prevent us from offering each other the cup of salvation, why can’t we just offer each other that cup of water instead?  For water, too, is a common need we all share.  We can still disagree; we can still cling in love to the tradition we were raised in.  But when it comes to acts of kindness, to respect, to nourishment and fellowship, we already have Jesus’ promise that no reward will be lost.

Did the disciples get it?  It’s hard to tell with those Twelve sometimes.  On one occasion, Jesus foretold his death, and they began to argue about which one of them was the greatest!  But I imagine that when they lost their Master, their immense grief brought them back to his words, to relish and savor them, like some do when receiving Communion, to hold on to him any way they could.  The community of the apostle Peter is urged “to love one another from the heart fervently.”  I write it this way because, coupled with Jesus’ words, it almost sounds to me like the desperate plea of someone who personally has walked down the path of quick judgment and sectarianism.

In situations of life and death, of sincere love and devotion, creed is not important.  In the things that matter most, God will not ask what religion you belong to, or whom you believe in.   God will simply be there with you, and for you.  There’s nothing to lose.

Prayer of the Day

Most high and holy God,

pour out upon us your one and unifying Spirit,

and awaken in every confession of the whole church

a holy hunger and thirst for unity in you;

through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

—from Evangelical Lutheran Worship, prayer for “Church Unity”, p. 73

Hymn: “Where cross the crowded ways of life”

(Words: Frank Mason North, 1903; adapted by Joseph A. Soltero, 2013

Tune: ‘Gardiner’, aka ‘Germany’, from Sacred Melodies, 1815, arranged by William Gardiner)

Where cross the crowded ways of life,

Where sound the cries of race and clan

Above the noise of selfish strife,

We hear your voice, O Son of Man.

In haunts of wretchedness and need,

On shadowed thresholds dark with fears,

From paths where hide the lures of greed,

We catch the vision of your tears.

From tender childhood’s helplessness,

From human grief and burdened toil,

From famished souls, from sorrow’s stress,

Your heart has never known recoil.

The cup of water giv’n for you

Still holds the freshness of your grace.

Yet long these multitudes to view

The sweet compassion of your face.

O Master, from the mountainside

Make haste to heal these hearts of pain.

Among these restless throngs, abide.

O tread the city’s streets again.

Till all the world shall learn your love,

And follow where your feet have trod,

Till, glorious from your heav’n above,

Shall come the city of our God.