Morning’s Lectio Divina – Page 4

Scripture Meditation: Luke 2:36-40

Posted on December 31, 2011January 1, 2015 by a quiet walk

Queen Anne Christian Church
January 1, 2012

³⁶ There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, ³⁷then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day. ³⁸At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child^* to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

39 When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. ⁴⁰The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him.

Who is this woman Anna and what does she have to do with the circumcision and naming of Jesus. She is mentioned only once in scripture and the only information we have about her is in these three verses, not a lot to go on. We don’t even know if Anna really existed, she may be a creation of Luke because the role Anna plays is important in the telling of his story.

When I read these few sentences something stuck out for me. Here is woman who is living in the temple, praying night and day, fasting night and day, and considered a Prophet, a woman! In a culture where women had only marginally better status than the household’s donkey this is amazing. But, Luke does give her great status within the Jewish culture; first of all he names her of the Tribe of Asher who was the seventh son of Jacob, so she has social credibility with temple authorities. Her husband’s name, Phanuel, which means “Face of God”, seems to foreshadow the very life she has lived all her years in the temple, praying and fasting, focusing her entire life on God. Her act of devotion and obedience to God appears to be exemplary, and she also appears to be one of kind. While it isn’t unheard of in scripture, after all there were women judges in the Hebrew Scriptures so women traditionally did play an important role in prophecy, but the impressions we receive from the Christian Scriptures are that a woman’s role had diminished to simple household duties.

So why would Luke even bring up this seemingly insignificant woman? After all she doesn’t play a role in the ceremony; in fact, she just seems to be at the right place, at the right time to meet Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. It is her response to that event that Luke is emphasizing here. Unlike Simeon, Anna doesn’t bless the child, or Mary and Joseph, she doesn’t offer advice, doesn’t even offer a warning about what they will endure. Rather she understands only one thing her prayers, which she’d been offering for long years, had been answered, because Anna sees the Face of God in Jesus. Even though this small child is only 40 days old she recognizes his importance to her people. And, what does she do: Anna immediately begins to praise God, and tell everyone she knows that she has seen the future of Jerusalem. Anna, a woman, yes a well respected and honored woman but a woman, becomes the first to spread the Good News. Anna becomes the voice of the voiceless in the culture of her day. She’s not telling the Chief Priest, or any other temple big wig, she’s telling those “who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem,” Anna is telling the ones who had suffered the most under the rule of the Romans and even under their own Jewish authorities.

Anna lived in the temple, she knew how it was run, she understood that many temple authorities were abusing their power, to gather wealth and power to themselves at the expense of the people God had placed in their care. Yet in all that time Anna never lost her faith, she knew a change was coming and when she saw the first glimmer in the eyes of a baby she could not contain herself, she had to broadcast it. Anna may not have known how the life of this newborn would alter the world she knew, actually rock the Jewish and Roman world to its core, but that didn’t matter, it didn’t matter because she saw hope in the eyes of a child, It didn’t even matter that she had no knowledge as to what kind of hope was coming, she simply had to tell what she saw.

Today we start a New Year, a year of promise and yes a year of change. Traditionally the symbol of the New Year is a child, representing new life and new opportunities for the coming year. Unfortunately we have come to see the New Year promises as only political, economic and material, but I wonder how Anna would see them. Would she see hope in the latest gadget to buy, would she make a New Year’s Resolution to lose weight, or to pray more? I don’t think so, I think she would look into the eyes of the New Year’s Child and see hope of different kind. A hope of a better tomorrow, redemption of the New Jerusalem, a hope that draws us closer to a relationship with God and God into a closer relationship with us. Anna never knew what would take place 30 years later, just as we don’t know what will happen in the year, or years, to come. That didn’t stop her from being the first to shout out that hope was at hand, and it shouldn’t stop us from shouting out the same thing today.

Today we are some 20 centuries past the birth of Jesus, and yes a lot has happened within the church we aren’t particularly proud of, but, there is also a lot that we should be exclaiming with praise. Anna was shouting that change was coming and a good change at that, if people listened. Well I am shouting out that change is coming to us as well. In the last 5 years I have worshiped and studied with people of many different denominations and there is one very important lesson all of us agree upon and that is Church as we have known it is undergoing a radical change. Now I don’t mean individual churches, like Queen Anne, we are a part of the greater Church, but we are only one part. I mean Church, the Greater Body of Christ, God and Holy Spirit. I mean the Church made up of every tradition, whether followers of Christ, Islam, YHWH, Buddha, or any other expression of God that draws people into relationship with the Creator. If Anna were here today she’d be shouting from the rooftops that how we worship, the ways we express our spirituality, and how we care for the ‘other’ are evolving into a new expression of God in creation. She would be saying, I see the future in the young and old alike who have awakened to discover they want more than what those of the Baby Boomer Generation have grown comfortable with. Anna would be telling you, no long will the 1 or 2 hours on Sunday Morning be enough, that a time is coming when all will take their awakened spirituality and apply it to their lives, to live in a new way, where Sunday Morning, or Wednesday Evening, or Tuesday at noon becomes a time to celebrate lives enriched by a living faith. But, the real job, the real life, of being co‑creators’ with the Great Spirit comes in our everyday living together.

Simeon warned Mary and Joseph to be prepared for heart break, and I think he would offer us that very same warning because we too will live through heart break. It is never easy creating something new and alive. There will be, there are right now, birth pangs. Suffering will take place, all of us will have to walk through some dark places, shedding some old ways, adapting others, and creating new ones. But like Anna we cannot be worried about that, just as she only wanted to let the world know that something new is coming and to get ready, we too need to tell and help prepare the hearts, minds, and spirits of our fellow travelers for new life. Anna didn’t know what the future would bring; she was only the harbinger, the robin, or first crocus of a new spring that would rock the World as she knew it.

We have just entered winter, yet deep in what looks like a lifeless ground there are stirrings of new life, ready to be born. New green shoots will shoot up and spread their leaves and produce the fruit of a new world. Within the hidden places of the earth there are animals sleeping and preparing for the spring, having their young that will grow up to become the next generation. Our Churches are like that, we too are ready to send out shoots to grow into new green life, we too are ready to shelter the young so that they will grow into a new strong generation of Christ’s Body. Luke ends this passage with the young family returning to Galilee where the “child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God.” Today we are the ones to shelter, and fill with wisdom the young who will follow us and take up the new life of the Body of Christ. More importantly we are the Anna’s of today, shouting out the first good news of a new spring. It is up to us to shout out “I’ve seen the Face of God, hope is coming and it will be good.”

AMEN

©Ruth Jewell, January 1, 2012

A Pre-Christmas Meditation

Posted on December 22, 2011 by a quiet walk

Luke 1:78-79
⁷⁸By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
⁷⁹to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

It is the first full day of winter, Christmas is just 3 days away and the sun has just broken over the trees to the east of us; it is a bright, cold, winters morning. I’ve been re-reading the above scripture from Luke as I watch the sun climb into the sky. We used these verses yesterday for our prayer group Lectio Divina and I haven’t been able to get them out of my mind, therefore, I ‘m not supposed to. I NEED to continue to consider what they mean to me.

These are the last two verses of the prophecy Zechariah speaks when John (the Baptist) is presented to the temple. Mind you these are the first words Zechariah has spoken for 9 months so he’s put a lot of thought into this moment. This is part of the Christmas Story we don’t hear much of yet it is a beautiful piece and one worth remembering. John after all is the one who announces the coming of the Messiah and, in the synoptic Gospels, baptizes him. (Just in case you’ve never noticed there is no baptism in the Gospel of John.) John also recognizes the divinity of Jesus from the womb when the pregnant Mary approaches Elizabeth. So John has a role in this divine birth narrative.

While the prophecy Zechariah speaks tells us his son will be the one to prepare the way for the Messiah, these two verses are really about the coming role of the Messiah, the light that will shine in darkness. Zechariah knows what it is like to be in darkness; from the day Gabriel announced to him he’d have a son he had been unable to speak. For a Jewish Priest the inability to speak is a kind of darkness, for being unable to speak the words of God is like putting out the light for those who need the comfort of the WORD. These two verses don’t refer to sunlight, they refer to Son Light, and the WORD spoken that draws us out of our darkest moments, pulling us away from the death of a life lived in the shadows.

The footnote for verse 78 tells us that there is another ancient interpretation of line two, “… the dawn from on his has broken upon us,” instead of “… The dawn from on high will break upon us,” and that changes the meaning of the two verses. I happen to like the ancient version of that line because it means there is no waiting for the Good News, it is now, always has been now. We have never had to wait for the WORD, all we’ve had to do is open our ears, eyes, hearts, and listen.

The birth of Jesus is the embodiment of the Divine, the Holy Spirit, who wanted us to see the WORD that had been repeated over and over again by messengers throughout the ages. But Jesus added to the Spirits message, He just didn’t speak the words, and berate those who had fallen away; he acted the WORDS, which was a significant change in the game plan for G-D. No longer are we to hear the message we are to act it out. If we are to honor the Child in the manger then we must do more that kneel and give homage. We are to remember Jesus was born homeless and poor, which means that the light, the words we offer, must lead the homeless and poor, in body and spirit, out of the darkness.

I have always had a love/hate relationship with the Christmas Season. I dislike the gift giving, the hoopla, the commercials, and the insincerity of the greetings people give. I have always wondered how I will change to make this moment meaningful for myself and for those I love. I finally have come to the conclusion giving expensive gifts and preparing an overly elaborate dinner is not Christmas. That does nothing to honor the dawn that has broken upon us. So this year I offer my gifts to the homeless and the poor. The money for dinner went to feed the poor. That is my Christmas gift to family and friends, the light of the WORD acted out. I know I can’t care for all of the poor, homeless, or mentally ill, there are too many and they tug at my heart. I want to gather them all up, human and non-human, and hold them, give them warm clothes, good meal, and a safe place to rest. I can only offer what little I have.

Holy Spirit, love was born that night in a stable and the WORD became visible to all who could see. I pray that now in the messiness of emphatic change in how we hear and see the spirit we will all gather at the manger and offer not gifts of gold, or IPods, or gameboys, but rather offer love, compassion, mercy, and justice for those whose have lived in darkness for too long. My prayer is I will hear you, touch you and listen with an open heart, ear and eye. May my mouth be opened to offer the overflowing love you have given me, let me be the shepherd to guide people on the path to your peace.

©Ruth Jewell, December 22, 2011

Building a Road

Posted on December 4, 2011 by a quiet walk

Isaiah 40:3-4

³ A voice cries out: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our G-d.
⁴ Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.’

I have read and heard this scripture read I don’t know how many times and it is only this morning that I took a hard look at how it is punctuated. This isn’t someone in the wilderness crying out, it really is a voice sending us into the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord, and that changed how I looked at this scripture.

As I read this several times I realized Isaiah isn’t talking about going out into nature but rather to travel inward to the desert of my heart, the valleys of my despair, an over inflated ego, and all of the lumps and bumps I cross on the road of life. It takes faith to create a highway where no road has ever been and what could be lonelier than the empty places in my own heart. Making way for G-d means I must open a door, pull up the weeds that block the entry and let G-d in. It is something I have to choose to do and to complete with the only expectation that G-d will come, belief and faith is all I have to build that road.

What is amazing is what happens when I do finish the way and G-d comes! Wow, the valleys of my despair are lifted up into the light and I learn that my own ego is the real stumbling block to G-d. Letting G-d travel the highway of my heart my ego takes on a reasonable size and the roads I travel become level like a smooth plain.

This isn’t about someone crying in the wilderness, unless the person crying is me. Rather it’s about what I must do in order to get ready to accept the gifts G-d gives me every day. Gifts such as a golden sunrise, or sunset that tingles my heart and takes my breath away. Gifts such as the love I receive from my beloved and friends but often don’t acknowledge. The gift of time: time to pray, time to sit in silence, time to laugh, time to leap with joy, and yes even time to cry, suffer, and have my heartbroken. All of these are gifts are given by G-d and all of them provide me with strength, courage, peace, blessings, and comfort, simply because I know the Holy Presence is nearby. Life will never be easy, but it is bearable when I maintain the highway in the desert of my heart where G-d walks.

©Ruth A. Jewell, December 4, 2011

NEVER FORGET

Posted on December 2, 2011 by a quiet walk

1 Corinthians 1:7-9 Just think—you don’t need a thing, you’ve got it all! All God’s gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that. (Italics mine) The Message

Wow, I just read this as the scripture for my morning meditation and the last sentence just jumped out at me and took my breath away. G*d, the one and the only, the great I AM set ME, little ol’ ME, on this path, I am astounded that I never thought of it that way before.

Like most people I have enough of an ego to believe that what I do is all my own thought and that often gets me into a whole lot of trouble. Yet here Paul is telling the people of Corinth, and me, that G*d started this crazy trip and, even more amazing, that same G*d will never give up on me. Even when I screw up, or tell G*d “no I think I’ll do it my way,” which usually ends up badly, G*d is still there to pick up the pieces, wipe the dirt off my face and place that all important bandage across my wounded heart.

This is the season of Advent and I must admit it is not my favorite time of the year. Most of my family times their deaths for this part of the calendar, in fact today, December 2, 2011, is the 42^nd anniversary of my father’s passing. So I have some personal issues for a time of the year when most people are excited and filled with joy. Yet this passage of Paul’s gives me hope. I do not think it was a coincidence that I chose to read this passage from The Message instead of the NRSV version and I am grateful for the Presence’s help in directing my hand as it passed over the Bibles on my bookshelf. I could have chosen a version that would have said something a little different and more ‘traditional’ and then I would have just gone on with my day. But, this passage is more important than I thought. I am not alone on this journey, G*d will not forget me, no matter where my path leads me the Holy Presence will be there to support me and give me guidance, isn’t that amazing.

In the past two weeks I have received news that could change the way my ministry will happen and knowing that G*d will be along for the journey makes this scary new section of my path a whole lot easier to anticipate. I know the Holy Spirit is guiding me and that Christ is there to pick me up when I fall and when I get frightened or simply tired G*d will be there to hold me in the palm of her hand and comfort me. I also know when it’s time to celebrate G*d, Christ, and Holy Spirit will dance through the night with me and we will sing with great joy. Paul writes “G*d will not give up on us,” and even though I know I will sometimes forget I know G*d won’t and that is all I need to know.

©Ruth Jewell, December 2, 2011

What Does It Mean To Keep Awake?

Posted on November 27, 2011 by a quiet walk

Sermon: Queen Anne Christian Church, Seattle, WA
November 27, 2011, First Sunday of Advent
Scripture: Mark 13:24–37

The Coming of the Son of Man
24 ‘But in those days, after that suffering,
the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light,
²⁵ and the stars will be falling from heaven,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
²⁶Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in clouds” with great power and glory.²⁷Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

28 ‘From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near.²⁹So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he^* is near, at the very gates.³⁰Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.³¹Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

32 ‘But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.³³Beware, keep alert;^* for you do not know when the time will come.³⁴It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch.³⁵Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn,³⁶or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly.³⁷And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.’

These verses are some of the most difficult found in the Gospel of Mark. It’s not just the fact this it is apocalyptic in nature, but it is stuffed with meaning, which may or may not have meaning for us in the 21^st century. It is also an odd start to Advent, no angels, no shepherds, just a warning, crazy stuff huh. So, we are going to have to wade through the imagery and history to find what is meaningful for us today. I wish I had more than 10 minutes or so because there is so much in this scripture and it’s really interesting, but I’m sure you don’t so I will be brief.

The fact of the matter is Jesus isn’t talking about the second coming at all here because He almost immediately says that no one will know when that will happen, not even him! Mark is writing to a community that needs to flee the Jewish revolt, which began in 66-65 of the Common Era and resulted in the destruction of the temple in 70 of the Common Era. So much of the imagery Jesus speaks here is related to Jesus’ own prophecy of that event, which came true. Mark is telling his community that this war isn’t theirs, it’s not the beginning of the end, so Mark’s community needs to “get out of Dodge” before they become enmeshed in the destruction. What is important to recognize is Jesus is fine without knowing, it is useless to speculate about the second and Jesus knew God has ensured that history, his and ours, was headed somewhere, we have to be patient and let it unfold. And, that is the first clue to finding meaning in this scripture; patience.

Let’s take another look, in Mark 13:30-31 Jesus says “Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Now that surely sounds like the second coming. Well let’s think about that for a moment, if Mark is warning his community to leave Jerusalem, telling them that the war wasn’t their war, nor the Messiah’s war, does it not make sense that what Mark is saying is this war will end before they do, Jerusalem may pass away but the words and deeds of Jesus won’t. Again Mark, through Jesus’ words, is telling his community to be patient. How do we know that, well in verse 32 Jesus says “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the son, only the Father.” Well if no one knows, not even Jesus or the angels, and the lack of that knowledge doesn’t bother Jesus then we need to stop worrying about the whens and start living the way we are intended. All we have to do is “be alert,” when the time is right, it will happen. But what does it mean to be alert?

So what are we to do while we wait, oh ever so patiently, well Jesus has an answer for that as well in verse 34, Jesus always has an answer, well nearly always, sometimes Jesus lets us figure it out. So here’s the story. Your employer goes on an extended vacation and he tells you and your fellow workers that each of you have your tasks to complete while he, or she, is gone. The employer doesn’t expect you to wonder when he or she will return, or to cut short your work days, or take a vacation yourself, the employer expects you to do your job and fulfill your contract. The employer tells you that she doesn’t know when she will return, so you need to keep awake and do your job or otherwise you will be caught short when she does return. And that is the second clue to what this scripture means to us, we have a task that needs to be completed before the coming of the Master.

So how do the clues of waiting and working fit us in this season of Advent? Well first of all we aren’t supposed to sit in our rocking chairs and wait for the day to come, whether that be Christmas Day or the Second coming. We Christians have a mission to complete; our waiting is supposed to be active waiting not passive. Jesus makes that clear when he says “each has his work.” So just what are we supposed to do; well be a faithful witness and in Mark’s day, and ours, that points to social justice. We need to be aware of the social justice issues of our day, which by the way aren’t that different from when Mark’s Gospel was written. How do I know that, well all I have to do, and you too, is LOOK at what Jesus DID, not so much what he said, for Mark, nor Matthew or Luke for that matter, does not record many of Jesus’ words but nearly every page has Jesus doing something. Jesus heals the sick, chases out demons, feeds the hungry, and offers comfort where comfort is needed. He plays with children and shares his table with those the so-called righteous of his day lock out of their homes. In other words he made a difference in his world and Jesus calls us to make a difference in our world. While we wait for the day the Kingdom of God is fully expressed WE are to do the best we can to prepare for it. We are to keep AWAKE and not let the Master find us sleeping in our Lazyboy chairs with the remote in our laps. We are to continue the ministry Jesus and his Disciples started, opening the doors of compassion, love, mercy and justice for those who have no voice in this world.

It’s not our place to speculate when the Master will return; it is our task to do the work of the Master while we wait for the Kingdom to be fulfilled. God has assured us that history is going places; Jesus was content with letting God take control, so we too must do the same. Tomorrow will come, of that we have no doubt, and today is all we need to be concerned about. Do you remember the old television show Mission Impossible? Well just like the voice on the tape this is your assignment. “This is your mission if you choose to accept it, take care of the poor, the hungry, the widow, and the stranger amongst you. Have compassion for the voiceless, offer mercy to all, and let justice and kindness guide you as you walk with God. This sermon will self destruct in 15 seconds.”

©Ruth Jewell, November 27, 2011

First Sunday of Advent

Posted on November 25, 2011 by a quiet walk

Isaiah 64:8 Yet, O Lord, you are our Father: we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.

November 27^th is the first Sunday in Advent, and Advent means waiting. Now that we have stuffed ourselves on good food, and reveled in the company of family and friends we will have to wait for that magical moment when we remember the Birth of Jesus. I have often wondered what God felt at the moment when woman and man were created. I have watched potters and I know there are many false starts and mistakes, did God have that problem. After a long day of trying maybe God got tired and put aside the project until that magic moment.

The Potter’s Wheel

God placed the lump of clay
Onto the wheel, and said
“What will I make today?”

Slowly the wheel turns
Picking up speed
God’s hands surround the cool slippery mass.

Slowly a shape takes place,
Maybe a vessel, for holding light ….
Water … Air … Fire …?

Something to hold love?
Something to hold compassion?
I’m tired, it will wait until tomorrow.

Ruth Jewell, ©November 12, 2011

A Story of Openings

Posted on November 9, 2011November 25, 2011 by a quiet walk

I was preparing to leave for class when I suddenly remembered I had the homily for the 8:30 am Morning Prayers, and I hadn’t written anything yet. As I stood in my office, panic setting in, I grabbed my notebook, and a book on the interpretation of scripture and ran out the door. I am fortunate, blessed even, in that I ride a bus from my home to the University of Seattle and that was all the time I had to write the homily, a 30 minute ride, but somehow a door opened for me as I rode in that day. Here is what I offered November 8^th at Morning Prayers.

A STORY OF OPENINGS

Matthew 15:21-28
The Canaanite Woman’s Faith

21 Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. ²²Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.’ ²³But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’ ²⁴He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ ²⁵But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ ²⁶He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the
children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ ²⁷She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ ²⁸Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.

This is a story opening doors not a story of how rude Jesus could be. We can compare Matthew to the other three Gospels and Paul all we want but Matthew could care less about the other four writer’s audiences. Matthew is talking to, writing to, a Jewish community and one more than likely in crisis. And, because of the makeup of his community (we could say his social analysis) we need to ask what door he is opening.

In Matthew’s community the salvation Jesus offered came first and foremost to the Jew, but something is happening in this community that causes him (or her, we don’t know the author of this Gospel), in this story, to open the door to the Gentiles. We do not know what that was, we can speculate but that is all it would be. What I find interesting is how the cracked door may speak to us, today, in the 21^st century.

So we have this woman doubly, maybe triply, taboo for Jesus, a Rabbi, to speak to in public. Rabbis didn’t speak to women, most certainly not to Gentile a woman and probably not to a married woman. But this woman, a Gentile, approaches in an attitude of prayer and Jesus relents, telling her she
has “great faith.” “Snick,” the door of salvation just opened to the “other.”

Two thousand years have passed since Matthew wrote those words and in all those years many still haven’t opened wide the door to the other. Matthew is telling us today, just as he told his community that faith without action, without social justice is an unfulfilled faith. We all have individuals we would avoid, after all Jesus was avoiding the religious authorities by going into Gentile territory. But Matthew was telling his community, and us, that Jesus and God have a plan for the “others” in our lives, just as God has one for us.

How much will it take to open wide the door? How much will it take to let the
others in not just into our presence, but into our hearts?

Ruth Jewell, ©November 8, 2011

By What Authority

Posted on September 26, 2011 by a quiet walk

I am sitting here at my desk listening to the rain fall outside and just mulling over the sermon I gave yesterday. I keep thinking on authority, what it means
for me and how so many people use and misuse that term. What I’m trying to figure out is how do I claim my own authority? What is the authority I have to claim and will I use it not for my own selfish reasons but for the good of all.

Tomorrow is my official start to my last year the School of Theology and
Ministry and so I am thinking where I’m going and what I will do. I will be 65 when I graduate next fall and for me that was an ages when I believed people retire not start a new career! I have so many questions of the God and (Hello God) sometimes I think God is just sitting up there giggling at me as She tells me ‘to just wait for the surprises I have for you.’ I love a good mystery, one I have to figure out and laugh when I get it wrong or celebrate when I get it right. But, it’s not quite so comfortable being the center figure of my own mystery. Well, I guess I will just have to wait and see how this all ends up; actually I will have to wait because God is talking!

Below is the sermon I preached last Sunday and I offer it to you, as I told my community, as an invitation to the conversation. I look forward to your comments.

BY WHAT AUTHORITY

Sermon for Queen Anne Christian Church
September 25, 2011

This scripture from the Gospel of Matthew is not only rich in meaning but difficult to open up. The questions Jesus asks the leaders of his people are difficult ones and not to dissimilar from questions we are asked as Christians or the ones we ask ourselves. I think to understand what the author of Matthew is trying to get at we need to first understand the scriptures historical context.

First of all the audience for the Gospel of Matthew was a Jewish community. There may have been a few Gentiles and converts to Judaism but essentially it was a community of Jews who would have known well their Jewish history. In addition this gospel was written following the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, so the author of Matthew is talking to a group of displaced Jews who have fled their homes in terror and are now wondering if what they had believed in has any meaning.

The actual story takes place the day after the triumphal entry into Jerusalem when on that day Jesus had cleansed the temple of the money changers, and healed the blind and the lame before escaping the hands of these very leaders now questioning him. In addition as Jesus and his disciples had entered the city on this morning he had cursed a fig tree for not producing its fruit. So we have here several miracles and events that the leaders would have seen as a test of their authority to rule.

One interesting note is how the debate between Jesus and the elders takes place. Did you notice that Jesus asked a question instead of answering the question given him? Well this was a common technique of rabbinic debate. When a rabbi was asked a question the response would often be another question. So while it might look as if Jesus is side stepping the question it is actually what the Elders and Chief Priests would have expected from a fellow Rabbi. However, Jesus is not an “ordained” rabbi; he has no official status with the religious community. Jesus is an itinerant preacher and charismatic speaker who had a loyal following, not unlike many self-proclaimed preachers on our own frontiers or even today. Yet the Chief Priests are treating him as if
he is one of their own.

We also need to understand that the Elders and Chief Priests who confront Jesus are members of the priestly aristocracy and are not “the Jews.” Rather they are compromised leaders who collaborate with the Roman Government and are under the control of the Roman Governor. So it is in the interests of the Priests and Elders to keep the status quo in place for that is where their power comes from, they had a vested interest in not rocking the boat. Therefore, whenever anyone outside their own select group showed any ability to inspire the people they would have looked at it as a serious threat to their own safety.

Mind you the Chief Priests and Elders weren’t necessarily bad people. At least some, if not most, probably felt they had no choice but to collaborate with the Roman Government if they were to protect their people. The issue here is who were the people they were protecting.

So let’s get into the story. Jesus is teaching in the temple when the Chief Priests and Elders confront him with the question, “who gave you the authority to do what you do?” On the surface this seemed like a silly question to me. After all the care of the indigent, widows, children, and strangers are mandated by God in the Hebrew Scriptures. However, this is a very serious question for these leaders because if Jesus’ authority comes from God then what does that reveal about their own authority, for they have not taken God’s charge all that seriously.

Instead of directly answering their question Jesus asks one of his own, “where did John’s authority come from?” Now this puts these guys into a real pickle for they know they are trapped. They have three ways they could answer Jesus’ question: a, agree that John’s authority came from God; b, John’s authority came from human origins; or c, they didn’t know. Recognizing the consequences of the first two they chose C, they didn’t know. This was a way to save face without actually acknowledging anything about John. But Jesus, as we soon see, is not about to let them off the hook.

Jesus’ next act is to tell one of his famous stories, and he ups the ante with this story because the Priests and Elders will be unable to side step the final question. Jesus’ story of the Two Sons is a simple one, but with deadly consequences for Jesus.

A father asks his first son to go and work in the vineyard and the son says NO, then the kid thinks better of it and goes anyway. Not knowing that his first son has gone to the vineyard the father asks his second son who says YES, but instead hangs around the house playing video games. Jesus now asks the Elders and the Chief Priests who has done the will of the father? This is not a multiple choice question, rather there is only one answer and these leaders know it. They have no option except to say the first son does the will of the father. They also recognize that Jesus is identifying them with the second son
who says they will do the will of God but don’t, they protect themselves not the people in their charge. Jesus identifies the first son with the crooks and prostitutes who originally tell God no, only to repent and live changed lives.
This is not what these learned men want to hear. They have been compromised by their own egos and a wish to survive at all cost, while the authority of the poor has grown as they begin to do the work of God.

So what is the meaning of the words “by what authority” for me, us, today? How do I, we, respond to the story of the Two Sons, who do you identify with? How do I, we, respond to Jesus’ question? Most of all, how do I, we, interpret this story in such a way that does justice to the author of Matthew, but still has meaning for all of us in the 21^stcentury? These are important questions because I need to be honest and recognize I’m not the audience the author of Matthew was writing to. However, I think I can draw some insight from the story despite the fact that I live in a world 21 centuries beyond the authors Jewish community.

If I examine this event in the context of the whole Gospel of Matthew I recognize that the author of Matthew, more so than the remaining 3 gospel writers, is trying to call his Jewish community back to the original Mosaic Covenant with God in the context of Jesus’ teachings. That Mosaic covenant called for caring for the widow, the orphan and stranger, to share from abundance graciously given, not just material wealth, but from spiritual wealth, compassion, mercy and justice. In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus is calling for a way of living where all have “enough” to live whole and healthy
lives, and that all give out of their grace given abundance to those who, for
whatever reason, are in need. In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus repeatedly tells his followers that the Kingdom of God is here, all we have to do is live in to it.
It is not a Kingdom that will come in some future date but now, all the reader of Matthew has to do is “see and listen” and they will see the Kingdom before them. I’m not sure what it meant to our First Century reader to “live out” the teachings of Jesus and I am struggling with what that would look like for me.

I recognize and sympathize with the Elders and Chief Priests as they wrestle with this question because it is just as much an issue for me as it was for them. After all I live a comfortable life, and while my family was never rich, nor am I rich now, I never went hungry, or without clothes or shelter. Despite what I might say I have lived a privileged life and I would guess that most of us in this room have lived such privileged lives as well, it’s not bad, it’s just who we are.

But if I am honest with myself I can sometimes identify with the second son. And, while I don’t believe I’ve ever been intentionally cruel or unjust, I know that at times I too have not been as kind and merciful as I like. All of us have had our moments of brokenness and despair, times when we’ve turned away from God and said NO, or, I am going to take care of just me and leave it at that, our moments of survival. That is part of being Human, but it is what we do with our lives after such moments that matters.

In the story of the two sons Jesus wanted the Chief Priests and Elders to identify with one of the characters. He wanted them to see, listen and repent. He wanted them to recognize their covenantal duty to all of the Jewish people not just the rich and powerful. In 5 days these same men would prosecute him and it would cost him his life on this world, this was a last ditch effort to get the leaders to see their role in the abuse heaped upon those who have no power. It obviously did not work.

But what about me, all of us in this room, what does it mean to live our lives as Jesus taught, to see and hear the Kingdom of God. How do we look at our 21^st
century lives and say ‘I want to act like Jesus?’ Does it mean I have to give up modern conveniences’, or modern technology? I don’t think so, I think if I accept the challenge Jesus gave to the elders and Priests as doing the will of God, then that means I need to respond to those God cares for the most. If I live my life as if I have “enough” I will have enough, and If I give out of my grace filled abundance, I will always have grace filled abundance, but so will
everyone else. Jesus tells me not to worry about what I will eat or wear, that will be taken care of. My survival is assured simply by giving to those who are in need.

What gifts did the elders and priests have: they had money and goods, but they also had compassion and mercy all of which they horded in order to maintain their life style. I must admit I do that myself, I might be trying to change but I haven’t quite given up something’s, … such as books. Now, I don’t believe I have to give up everything. I, we all, have special possessions that link me, all of us, to the past and lead us into the future; Jesus isn’t calling any of us to give away everything. Rather, I believe that Jesus is calling all of us to be generous with what we have and to remember that while we are fond of some special possessions they are not to become our idols, our stuff isn’t supposed to own us.

Last year I interned at the Chief Seattle Club, a day shelter for Urban Native Americans, and I learned so much about what is important in life. Community, family and friends top the list for Native Americans. Those who frequented the Club were the ones that even those in their own culture often didn’t want to acknowledge: the chemical and substance abuser, the sexual offender, the unskilled, the murderer, the mentally ill, and those who just wanted to be left alone to live as their ancestors did. Yet in this place I found an abundance of spirit. I found graciousness in that they welcomed me into their midst and accepted me as one on a journey. These are the people we all rush past on street, the dirty, the smelly and the strung out and I was honored that they called me friend.

I became close with one gentleman in particular who lived on the street by his own choosing, and carried his entire life on his back, yet he went every day to the home of a handicapped lady to cook her meals and make sure she made it to the doctor’s office. One day he told me a story of sitting on the grass at Seattle U and watching a soccer game when the wind came and circled around him. He felt that somehow he was being watched over and that this breath from the Great Spirit was to remind him he wasn’t alone. Was he perfect, no, but his spirit was moving in the right direction, in him I saw the Kingdom of God, kind, gentle, giving, working for the other. It makes me wonder if people see the Kingdom of God in me.

Laurie and I talked about what authority means, and I said, I didn’t know what authority I have to preach from this pulpit. Laurie reminded me that preaching isn’t what I’m to do, but rather to invite you into the conversation. So I’m inviting you into my conversation of what it means to live out the teachings of Jesus, what does that look like for you, and how are you wrestling with all of the questions Jesus asks? None of us can figure this out by ourselves. How you view the Kingdom of God maybe, and probably is, different from mine and that’s Ok. We all have different visions, we will all live out these teachings in our own way, the idea is that we make the effort. Don’t be like the Elders and the Chief Priests who cop out and do nothing. Nor would I want any of you to identify with the second son, rather even if you’ve said no, go anyway into the vineyard. While the company you keep may be a bit smelly and dirty, their hearts shine with the light of God.

“What are you seeking?”

Posted on August 15, 2011August 15, 2011 by a quiet walk

Genesis 37:15 He [Joseph] came to Shechem, and a man found him wandering in the fields; the man asked him, “What are you seeking?”

The Search

I searched along a dusty road
Not knowing what I’d find.
I met a farmer, old and gray
And asked him if he knew.
He raised his head and spoke through age,
“Look to your heart and you will find what it is you’re seeking.”

I searched along a highway.
Tall buildings hiding what I looked for.
I saw a man who taught in schools of ivy
And asked him if he knew.
He turned and looked through eyes dark and deep,
“Look to your mind and you will find what it is you’re seeking.”

I wandered on, puzzled as to meaning.
Heart or mind? Just what was I seeking!

I searched along a gentle stream
In the middle of a meadow
“Both heart and mind”, a voice called out,
A voice both young and old
I turned to see a man of years
Yet one that was not worn.
“Give from your heart love and hope,
With knowledge and understanding.
For in giving to others you will find
That which you are seeking.”

I wrote this at time when I was doing a lot soul searching and not quite sure what I’d find. I never once thought my journey would last quite so long or take me to places I couldn’t have imagined. Since this poem was written I’ve passed through some dark tunnels only to come out into the sunlight.

At the time I thought I would never survive and that my journey was taking an awfully long time to complete, so long that I even considered shortening it. But now as I look back my time in the dark was really quite brief, and while the challenges seemed overwhelming at the moment, the perspective of time and space has given me a new place from which to view my past. I remembered this poem as I listened to the sermon last Sunday (August 14, 2011) given by Pastor Laurie. She highlighted this verse from Genesis where an old man asks Joseph what he was seeking and then Laurie asks us what we were seeking.

In fact we all are seeking for something and each of us believe our journeys are so unique that no one will ever understand them. I think in reality all our journeys have many similarities and if we were to share them we just might find what we are searching for in the first place, and a whole lot quicker. My journey continues and it is unique for who I am, but as I listen to others who are willing to share their journeys similarities that lead me to answers to questions I’ve asked and new questions that open new doors. Doors that are leading into rooms and onto paths I never would have foreseen in a million years in 1980! I have also discovered my journey is not as unique as I thought which is really quite comforting.

It is the last two lines of the poem that I now find the most interesting, isn’t that what Jesus taught? Giving from the heart, loving and caring for my neighbor, isn’t that the Gospel message Jesus worked so hard and died for. Over the last couple of years I’ve begun to question just how much I give from my heart, how much more can I give and how do invite others to do the same. These are questions I can’t answer and maybe never will. There are so many questions, so many doors to open within my heart and in the hearts of others. Will I, will we, ever be able to open them all?

Deceptive Scriptures

Posted on August 8, 2011August 8, 2011 by a quiet walk

Lectionary
for July 24, 2011: Genesis 29:15-28

Jacob Marries Laban’s Daughters

15 Then Laban said to Jacob, ‘Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?’¹⁶Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.¹⁷Leah’s eyes were lovely,^* and Rachel was graceful and beautiful.¹⁸Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, ‘I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.’¹⁹Laban said, ‘It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.’²⁰So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.

21 Then Jacob said to Laban, ‘Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.’²²So Laban gathered together all the people of the place, and made a feast.²³But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her.²⁴(Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid.)²⁵When morning came, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, ‘What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?’²⁶Laban said, ‘This is not done in
our country—giving the younger before the firstborn.²⁷Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me for another seven years.’²⁸Jacob did so, and completed her week; then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife.

When our pastor on July 24 read this scripture I was struck by the deception that Laban plays on Jacob and it started me thinking about all of the deception found in scripture. There is Abraham’s pretending that Sarah is his sister instead of his wife and get’s the host kings in trouble with God (Sarah must have been one hot 100 year old woman for this to happen, but, that’s another issue altogether). And of course son Isaac has to imitate good old dad with his wife. Then of course there’s God who deceives Abraham into taking his son up to the mountain to be the blood sacrifice then just blows it off saying, just joking, didn’t think you take me up on it. And, don’t forget Jacob deceiving his father into giving him the birth right and all of this is only in Genesis. I’m not going to catalog all of the deceptions our religious fathers and mothers used.

As I have pondered this revelation that my faith is founded on deception I have to also accept that the Jewish and Islamic traditions are also based on deception andAs I look at other world religions deception is common to all of them. Over the past couple of weeks I have been struggling with what that means for my own faith. When I did a Google search on Deception in Scriptures I find lots of stuff; about half of it is from conservatives who seem to find the deceptions somehow honorable, one fourth is from those who say the recording of the deceptions are the reasons God doesn’t really exist and the remaining fourth use the deceptions to defend their claims that their sister religions are false.

However, I keep thinking I am missing something here and I’m supposed to learn some kind of lesson from all of all this deception. If I look at the first story of the Creation in Genesis we see no deception what so ever and everyone seems to ignore that. God creates the universe and everything in it, and then creates man and woman. God tells the two of them everything was created for them so go for it, just take care of this world and we’re good. No trees you aren’t supposed to touch, no snakes in the grass, no original sin, nothing deceptive, just pretty much straight forward and simple. This is a believable story and I like it! God finds her creation good, including man and woman and trusts them to take care of things. God was only asking that we be responsible
partners with him. So what happened in chapter 2 were Adam and Eve switched at birth? Somehow we lost our ability to find the good in each other, and, for several thousand years our lives were lived by finding only the bad in each other.

What strikes me is the 4 Gospels of the New Testament seem to reflect the first chapter of Genesis in that Jesus teaches the message that God finds his creation good and all that is necessary for us to see it is do what the first Adam and Eve were supposed to do and that is take care of each other and the planet and we’re good with God. But, yet again this message gets set aside and we end up finding only the bad side of each other and everything quickly goes downhill. Why is it that we can’t accept the message God gives when she say’s that creation Is good? Whenever someone points this out and calls us to return to the message of Genesis 1 we as a people manage to wipe them out, I just don’t understand.

I am wondering does anyone else find this odd about us humans, are we so simple minded that we can’t seem to learn what God has been trying to teach us all these years. Have the gods of greed and ego so taken us by the throat that we can’t recognize the teachings of God, Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha or any of the other innumerable messengers sent to us. Are we really that stupid?

I’d like to think that in the second creation story when Eve went and ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Bad that she was trying to become what God wanted of her and Adam. But, after eating it she and Adam blow it by not taking responsibility for what they did. Are we now trying to learn to be responsible partners with God because if we so we aren’t doing a good job of it? We have the tools to repair this relationship, given to us over and over again by so many messengers all we have to do is learn, so why is it so hard? I have no answers to these questions and I really don’t know if I have it right or not and I don’t expect anyone else to have the answers either. I put this out here for conversation only, surely we can come up with better questions than those who only condemn other traditions and those who make the statement “that my faith is the right one and everyone else is wrong.”

As you can see I have been wrestling with this issue for a couple of weeks before I put this out there. So if anyone else has something to say I have an open mind. However, please be respectful of others opinions because I’m not sure any of us has the “right” answer.