Proper 6, Saturday: Who's side are you on?
Today's Readings:
- Psalm 87,90
- 1 Samuel 4:1b-11
- Acts 4:32-5:11
- Luke 21:20-28
The Philistines attack Israel. Israel loses, and Eli's sons haul out the Ark of the Covenant to let God win the fight. The sons of Eli die and the Philistines capture the Ark. Last night I went to hear Joan Chittester give a talk at Trinity Cathedral. She opened with an anecdote about a boxing match between a young Jewish boy and a young Roman Catholic boy. The Jewish boy entered the ring, flexed his muscles, pounded his chest, and went to his corner. The Roman Catholic boy entered the ring, flexed his muscles, pounded his chest, crossed himself, and went to his ring. A Rabbi watching this leaned over to a Roman Catholic priest and asked "sill that help him?" The Priest's answer: "Only if he can fight."
Eli's sons, blasphemers and destined to death, cannot fight. They also rely on the Lord to save them. They are unable to do their duty, as we've seen, and their reliance on God to save them is foolish. They have not deserved God's favor. How many of us live through our lives, sure that we will conquer our enemies because we have God on our side without asking if we are on God's side?
We need to move away from the 'please conquer our enemies for us' attitude in our prayers. I keep reading that in the Psalms and it's driving me batty. It is a very human plea, very understandable, but I think religion, as a means to salvation, should elevate us beyond such pettiness.
Proper 6, Friday: Blasphemy
Today's Readings:
- Psalm 88
- 1 Samuel 3:1-21
- Acts 2:37-47
- Luke 21:5-19
Samuel is called, but mistakes the voice of the Lord for Eli. When Eli percieves that the Lord is calling Samuel, he instructs Samuel to respond to the Lord. After that, the Lord comes to Samuel and tells him that Eli's family will fall because of the blasphemy of his sons. Eli's response to this is "It is the Lord,let him do what seems good to him."
Blasphemy against God is the unforgivable sin, and Eli's sons illustrate part of what that blasphemy looks like. Later on, Jesus will teach us that the only unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. In the Trinity, there is no difference between God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. They are names for three ways in which we live in God as the ground of all being. The book of Samuel and the Gospels were written before the Trinity was codified, but the trinity is hinted at in Paul's epistles. We've read them recently. Did Jesus think of the Trinity as we do today? I don't think so. I still think that Jesus didn't believe that he was God. The Messiah? Quite possibly. The Messiah that the Jews were expecting? Not really. So what did Jesus mean about sins against the holy spirit? Was it the moment of pentecost? Was it a moment of revelation that everyone should get at some point in their lives? Was the Holy Spirit the idea that God sustained his followers who had given up so much? I'm sure the answer will come up eventually. I'm not surprised by the fact that earlier questions are answered in later readings. It's not like each of these sets of readings is a complete lesson, connected, and related. When reading the Bible it is important to take on a little bit each day. After three weeks, I'm finding the larger themes in the Bible. I'm looking forward to what the rest of the year will bring.
Proper 6, Thursday: Stumbling Blocks
Today's Readings:
- Psalm 83 or 84
- 1 Samuel 2:27-36
- Acts 2:22-36
- Luke 20:41-21:4
An angel comes to Eli and tells him that his sons will die, and on that day God will raise up a prophet. Peter teaches the crowds about Jesus' resurrection and how God raised him from death. Jesus reiterates two very important lessons: don't be a poseur, and be generous even in poverty.
Yesterday I wrote about God wanting Eli's sons to die. They did something so offensive to God that God drew the line, they were unforgivable. What did they do? They took the best meats and drink of the sacrifices, they slept with the women in the temple. They ignored the sanctity of the temple, they interefered with other's as they worshipped God. In the past few weeks we've heard 'woe to those who put stumbling blocks in the way of God's children.' It wasn't a new concept to Paul, it was ancient. So what does it mean to put a stumbling block in front of God's children? There are as many answers as there are human beings, I suspect.
There is an idea in mentoring, guiding, or just plain helping others out, that says: Push on someone really really hard and they will respond with excellence. I respond with anger. I respond with a destructive anger. In religion this shows up as the preacher going on and on about sin. Berating me for my sins, especially sins I don't suffer from, I get pissed. Usually because I feel like there is an act of judgement happening at the same time. "You are a horrible worthless sinner, but I am saved." It doesn't work. I've never been pushed so far that I've hit someone, but I've wanted to. A short jab to the jaw will shut them up so the congregation can go back to searching for God. To me it's like playing one of those 'find the widget' games when everyone clues you in by saying "hot" or "cold" depending on where you move or what you do. It's like playing that game but having everyone screaming "COLD" in your face constantly, no matter what you do. Even if you pick up the hidden object, they keep screaming "COLD" until you drop it.
This kind of behavior does not make me want to find God, but to get away from them. I get so taken up by escaping that I can't settle down and look for where God is in the exchange. Not even in retrospect.
Daily Office, Proper 6, Wednesday: Living in the Resurrection
Today's Readings:
- Psalm 119:97-120
- 1 Samuel 2:12-26
- Acts 2:1-21
- Luke 20:27-40
Samuel is a rough read. It's hard to hear about God not letting someone hear the truth because God wants to kill that person. It is not easy to hear it when God 'hardens the heart' of the Pharoh in Exodus, it is not easy to hear that He 'hardens the hearts' of Eli's sons. It's the action of a tribal God, but when the book of Samuel was written, monothiesm didn't have its modern meaning. The Jews were probably henotheists, as other Old Testament language hints at.
I've heard the story of Pentecost from Acts many times in my life. Reading it today I realize something that I didn't notice before: Peter describes the gift of Pentecost (of speaking with a universal translator) as a sign of the last days. I'm also interested by the fact that the devout Jews, having the gift of tongues, did not teach about Jesus, but about God. The Trinity had not been established yet, but even with Trinitarian language we have to be careful. I heard one young woman talk about 'when Jesus created the world' and I heard someone on the Sid Roth show say that he read about Jesus is Genesis. The Trinity doen't work like that for me, so I have a hard time not screaming at the radio when I hear something so blatantly wrong. Oddly enough, I have no problem saying that our gifts come from God, and they come from the Holy Spirit. Jesus teaches. God never taught the masses, He has always relied on prophets. But, I digress.
Jesus avoids another trick question with an honest answer. Basically, there is no marriage in heaven. We learned this in our pre-marital counsiling sessions, but didn't really know where that statement came from. Now I know. But more importantly, Jesus says that "God is not the God of the Dead, but of the Living." Those who have died and have lived rightly live in "the resurrection." To God, Moses, Abraham, etc., are Alive. Since I tend to avoid any talk of the afterlife, I need to remember this and re-examine it.
Proper 6: Tuesday: What do we owe the Emporer?
Today's Readings:
- Psalm 78:1-39
- 1 Samuel. 1:21-2:11
- Acts 1:15-26
- Luke 20:19-26
Hannah 'lends' Samuel to the Lord. Isn't that interesting? As a member of God's creation, Samuel and Hannah already belong to the Lord, but Hannah's dedication is similar to our modern promises made when we baptize infants: we promise to raise them in the Lord. Hannah goes to the extreme by letting Samuel grow up in the Church. Her prayer demonstrates the foundational nature of God's existence.
Peter recounts the betrayal of Judas and the death of Judas. Peter describes this in a different manner than the Gospel of Matthew. Peter's account (well, this is and extension of the Gospel of Luke, so it's Luke's account) describes Judas' death as vengeance from God, but in Matthew Judas commits suicide. This is another reminder that the early Christian Church was not unified in their story or beliefs. Another sign: over a hundred people cast lots to determine who would replace Judas in the Twelve. Already there is a political division: the Twelve and the Rest. There are divided views, otherwise Matthias would be chosen unanimously or not have had competition. What happened to the people who supported Joseph (also called Justus or Barsabbas)? The Church was not unified, and the Bible that we know today is the result of the winners in the historical battles for the identity and control of the Christian Church.
Anyway, back to Luke's Gospel. Jesus avoids another clever trap. Jesus tells the scribes to give to the Emporer what is the Emporer's, and give to God what is God's. It's a clever answer that mystifies his detractors. Everything comes from God: every gift and talent. So whatdo we owe the emporer? SInce we don't live in a monarchy, we might as well as "What do we owe to the material world?" It's a bit of a jump, but it's how I understand the deeper meaning of the question. Jesus taught us that we cannot have two masters. We cannot serve both, but the scribes live ina world that straddles loyalties to the Emporer and to God.
What do we owe God? What physical thing? Hannah cannot give Samuel to God because God already owns him, and Hannah, and us. What God wants from us is love, loyalty, and relationship. He does not want sacrificial animals or statues. There is nothing we can make as a gift to God. The gifts we can give God are immaterial.
Stepping back a bit, Jesus also told us that are two great commandments: Love God with all your heart, mind, and soul; Love your neighbor as yourself. What should we give the emporer? Love. Christian Love. The English language is too limited to avoid adjectives here. I think there are eleven different words in the Bible that are translated as 'Love' in English editions. Maybe the love we need to give to the emporer (or leaders of the world, or anyone else) is agape love. To God we give the sacrifice of thanksgiving, which means getting past our human ego and thanking God for all the gifts of this world.
Year One, Proper 6, Monday: Who deserves the covenant?
Today's Readings:
- Psalm 80
- 1 Samuel. 1:1-20
- Acts 1:1-14
- Luke 20:9-19
Today we read about the birth of Samuel. His mother was Hanna, a second wife, and barren. The first wife of Elkanah has children. Hanna begs God for a male child and promises to give the child to God for God's service. She gives birth to Samuel.
In the Book of Acts we read about Jesus' ascension and promise of Pentecost. Jesus still refers to God as a separate entity, reminding me that the doctrine of the Trinity is a human construction. Jesus does not give a timetable for the restoration of Israel. In fact, He says that it is not our place to know about that timetable.
Luke tells us that Jesus threatened the leaders of the Church with the idea that God would take the promise of His Covenant and give it to others who are worthy. Near the end of His life, Jesus teaches that the covenant is not the sole property of the Hebrews, but of anyone who is faithful to God. It is another sign of the changes that Jesus went through. His ministry was no longer about finding the lost sheep of Israel, but bringing all of humanity back to God.
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.
