Daily Office

Year One, Proper 6, Sunday: The Peace of God

Today's Readings:

• Psalm 93,96
• Ecclus. 46:11-20
• Rev. 15:1-8
• Matt 18:1-14

The story of Samuel implies that there is a separation between Samuel and God. I mean that Samuel is not speaking for God, he is not the voice of God. I just found it interesting that the prophets brought their own humanity to their message of Godliness.
In Matthew we read about greatness. Jesus says that true greatness is like the humbleness of a child. This takes some thinking. I don't know many humble children. Young children are selfish, egotistical, and do not recognize that other people are people. On the other hand, I don't know many adults who have the natural generosity of a child. Children almost instinctively share food. They also assume that adults will hold anything of theirs even after the child forgets about it. Yesterday I talked about the sensitivity to God that children have, a trait that adults tend to lose. To be like a little child is to have that natural sensitivity to Heaven, ignoring the emotional baggage that we wear all the time.
Another lesson: Woe to those who put stumbling blocks between others and God. Now that's an interesting notion, a lesson that I don't hear very often, although Paul mentions it in the second letter to the Corinthians. What is a stumbling block to God? Is it a stumbling block to say that people can only recieve salvation from a priest? What about the pastors who scream and rant and rave about sin, cataloguing it and healing you of sin and demons every Sunday, only asking that you come back in the next Sunday to be healed again? That's a stumbling block for me.
Jesus also teaches his follows to purge themselves of evil: "If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out." Ouch. I have a friend who went through a spiritual purging. She gave away things that could lead her astray. Removing everything that tempts you doesn't really work, in my mind. An alcoholic may get rid of all the alcohol in their house, but it doesn't stop them from wanting a drink. Teaching them to fear the temptations of the world leaves them weak, faithless, and not much of a human being. There is a preacher that sometimes haunts Portland State University, although I understand there are similar preachers at many universities and colleges. He carries large signs in the public areas of the campus and screams at students. One day he condemned a young woman to hell because she wasn't wearing a bra and tempting men, wearing nothing but a white t-shirt on a hot summer day. I think he meant that seeing her breasts through the shirt made him think unholy things, and decided that it was the fault of the young woman. It's like a witch trial all over again.
Instead, we need to let go of every temptation of the world. Do not banish them from our lives, but let go of the hold they have on us. Don't let the desire for a better home entertainment system or a bigger car get in the way of living. By not letting the desire for material things take control of us, we can respond to God appropriately. We can use things, but not love them. We do not need to spend our lives in a war against the material world. Another benefit is that if you believe in the Devil, everything the Devil can tempt you with is not as important to you any more.

posted by Josh English @ 12:08 PM