Mary changed and so did JudasThroughout the year, the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ reproduces the Daily Lectionary for use by churches. These are the suggested readings for March 16th: Psalm 51:1-12; Habakkuk 3:2-13; and John 12:1-11. I would encourage you to read these short selections as part of your Lenten practice.
In today’s Gospel selection, we hear a uniquely Johannine story. It is six days before Jesus’ final Passover. He is at the home of Lazarus. Earlier in this Gospel, in another uniquely Johannine story, Jesus raises Lazarus from the tomb. As he emerges, he remains wrapped in his burial garments, which becomes important when John tells his Easter account, but that’s for another time. Lazarus is raised from the dead, but he remains mortal. He will die again eventually. He has been returned to his old life. As Jesus is but five days away from His own death (John, again uniquely, recounts that Jesus is crucified on the Day of Preparation, the day before Passover), the setting is intentional. Jesus restored Lazarus to life, but Jesus will also sacrifice His own as testimony of God’s ineffable love for us all. From that earlier story, we had learned that Lazarus has two sisters, Martha and Mary. Martha had come out to meet Jesus when He finally arrived four days after Lazarus’ death. Mary refused. She stayed at home. The text leaves the impression that she was angry or at least greatly disappointed that Jesus had not rushed to the aid of His friend Lazarus. When Jesus raises her brother from the tomb, Mary must have been overcome with guilt. It seems that her previous behaviour was behind her current extravagance. Mary’s perfume was valued at 300 denarii by Judas. A denarius would be equal to a worker’s daily wage so we’re talking about a rather expensive anointing. Jesus further credits Mary with the prophetic insight that this act prepared His body for burial. While Jesus praises her extravagance, Judas protests that rather than such a luxury the money could have been better spent on the poor. I only throw this out as a possible consideration. What if the editorial comment about Judas as a thief is shared because in John Judas is known from the start as the traitor? What then if Judas’ complaint is sincere? Throughout the Gospel, wouldn’t the poor take precedence over luxury? When Jesus accepts the act and answers Judas saying, “‘You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me,’” was this the tipping point toward Judas’ treachery? Is this John’s reminder that Jesus is more than a social activist and this too must be recognized by a follower of Jesus? Jesus’ ministry is most definitely to raise up those pushed down, the bring in those pushed out, to elevate compassion to ministry, but is this last Gospel’s story of anointing a late reminder that Jesus is still Jesus? What Jesus does is gospel, and who Jesus is is gospel. Service does not replace worship, the two complement each other. With this possibility offered, I invite you to join us as church tomorrow for our worship Service. Whoever you are, you are welcome among us. If you cannot or choose not to worship in person, send an email to randyc1897@gmail.com for the Zoom login. If you’d like, here is the link to the Southern New England Conference’s daily reading schedule: www.sneucc.org/lectionary.
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Christ at the CenterThroughout the year, the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ reproduces the Daily Lectionary for use by churches. These are the suggested readings for March 15th: Exodus 30:1-10; Psalm 51:1-12; and Hebrews 4:14 – 5:4. I would encourage you to read these short selections as part of your Lenten practice.
In today’s Exodus passage, we read of the altar of incense that was located in the Tabernacle in front of the Holy of Holies. The fragrant smoke that wafted upwards symbolized the heavenly clouds that surrounded Yahweh in all glory. A curtain separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Tabernacle sanctuary. In holy isolation, was the Ark of the Covenant that held the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. On top of the Ark was what was called the mercy seat. This represented the throne of Yahweh on earth. God was Israel’s ruler. Israel was an unapologetic theocracy. The Ark was the unique place where heaven and earth touched. It was, as we read today, “Where I [Yahweh] will meet you.” The Tabernacle was a movable sanctuary since these were the years of Israel’s Exodus wanderings. This is why there are the details of the rings and poles. These were necessary to transport the Ark without ever touching it. The holiness of God would not abide the profane touch of a human hand. The holiness of God was protected as best could be arranged by coverings of gold. And this movable sanctuary was always located at the center of the people of God. The twelve tribes of Israel would be arranged three to each of the cardinal directions around the Tabernacle. The technical term for this is that Israel was an amphictonic league, that is its tribes were arranged around a religious shrine at center. Even if those at the fringes of the settlement could not see the Tabernacle, they could see the rising smoke of the altar of incense. It was a constant reminder that Yahweh abided among them. This reassuring presence is repeated in the New Testament through the abiding presence of the glorified Christ. The Epistle to the Hebrews is written by an unknown author, but it is accepted generally that it was written to a community of Jewish-Christians who were wavering in their new faith. Hebrews’ purpose is to reassure them by speaking of their Christian faith in terms reminiscent of their previous Jewish faith. As such, Jesus is our heavenly high priest, and in the entirety of the New Testament Jesus is the only Christian priest. The reimagined tabernacle is now a heavenly one, but Jesus the heavenly high priest never sets aside His full humanity, which means Jesus is forever able “to sympathize with our weaknesses.” Jesus remains as us, as one “who in every respect has been tested as we are.” This natural connection lets “us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” As God remained at the center of Israel and the rising smoke of the altar of incense let all know of this, so Jesus abides within and among us, and Lent is the sacred season to focus on this more intently. Let us, therefore, approach with boldness a faith that holds Jesus at the center of our lives. If you’d like, here is the link to the Southern New England Conference’s daily reading schedule: www.sneucc.org/lectionary. π-Day and Waiting for GodThroughout the year, the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ reproduces the Daily Lectionary for use by churches. These are the suggested readings for March 14th: Psalm 51:1-12; Isaiah 30:15-18; and Hebrews 4:1-13. I would encourage you to read these short selections as part of your Lenten practice.
Today is π-day because the first three digits of defining the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter is 3.14 and today is March 14th, often abbreviated as 3/14. We need to wait another 91 years for those exceptional π-days when this calendar coincidence extends to the next two digits. This will occur on March 14, 2115, which can be abbreviated as 3/14/15. I’ll let you know how it goes. So far π has been calculated to nearly 63 trillion digits and yet the sequence continues without any discovered repetition or pattern. Π is an irrational number. It is beyond a precise definition. It is an extremely close approximation at 63 trillion digits, but it could go another 63 trillion and still not be exactly defined. The straight line of the diameter and the curve of the circle cannot be reconciled. Their ratio can only be approximated. A circle can be cut into smaller and smaller straight-line segments, even 63 trillion of them, but even with such precision, the smallest straight line cannot capture the curve of a circle. And thus by definition it is incalculable. Some believe that mathematics exists within us and that the objects of mathematics are our creation. Other mathematicians theorize that mathematics exists outside of us and are discovered. Either way, an irrational number such as π that is based on something as pedestrian as a circle and its diameter help us to imagine the profound mysteries that can surround us unnoticed in the ordinary. Religion can be imagined in similar fashion. Something as ordinary as walking into a church can lead to unnoticed mysteries. Our sanctuary will be open from noon until 3PM on Good Friday. I love those hours in a quiet church on the day Jesus died. There is something special about a sacred space. A clergy friend mentioned recently the power of being prayed for. She spoke of the fact that as a clergy person she prays regularly for others and at worship, but that it was amazing to be prayed for herself. The ordinary and the extraordinary as one. The Bible sits, I would wager, in each of our homes, and yet who reads it? The author of Hebrews today exclaims, “Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” The Bible shares the still-speaking Word of God. The mystery of such a thing is not locked into the printed words, but is released through them. God did not only speak in the past tense. God continues to speak, but that ordinary book unopened on the shelf helps us to hear. Faith like an irrational number such as π must be revealed. It takes time and effort, patience and desire. Lent asks us if we are willing to look that intently. The prophet Isaiah writes for us today, “Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you … blessed are all those who wait for him.” I once went on a college retreat to a Trappist monastery in Spencer, MA. Trappists are monks who take a vow of silence. When they speak, it is intentional. One Trappist monk spoke to our group over four decades ago. What he said has remained with me ever since: “Learn to waste time with God.” God waits for us and blessed are those who wait for God. If you’d like, here is the link to the Southern New England Conference’s daily reading schedule: www.sneucc.org/lectionary. Where was Jesus from? Oh, that's right. It doesn't matter.Throughout the year, the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ reproduces the Daily Lectionary for use by churches. These are the suggested readings for March 13th: Psalm 107:1-16; Isaiah 60:15-22; and John 8:12-20. I would encourage you to read these short selections as part of your Lenten practice.
Today’s Gospel passage continues a theme that John begins at 7:1. Jesus has gone up to Jerusalem for the Festival of Booths or Tabernacles, which is known today as Succoth. It was originally an autumn harvest festival. The people would live in temporary shelters as the work of the harvest took place. Eventually, an historical interpretation of the festival would be added. The temporary abodes, sukkot, symbolized the nomadic dwellings of the people during the 40 years of the Exodus wanderings. Between the beginning of the account at 7:1 and where we pick up today at 8:12, there is an interruption. The pericope of the woman caught in adultery is inserted by a later editor into the Johannine text. We spoke about this extensively at our Bible study group, not only the text per se, but also the editing. This was from a time before the Gospel became the unalterable sacred text that we recognize. An unknown editor changed the Gospel, added a story that was not part of the Johannine tradition. This was our discussion in Bible study. I raise it now because today’s Gospel passage, originally, was not preceded by John 8:11, but by John 7:52. If we look back at those verses, we read of disputes between people who are tending toward belief in Jesus as the Messiah and others who reject the notion. The particular reason at this point is that Jesus is from Nazareth in Galilee, while the expectation was that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem. (7:40-43) When the chief priests and the Pharisees enter the debate, they also insist “that no prophet is to arise from Galilee.” (7:52) Remember that John has no Christmas story. There is no Bethlehem in John until it is mentioned in the questioning remarks of the doubters. Jesus is from Galilee (“‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’” John 1:46). This is the discussion that leads into 8:12. This is the discussion that leads Jesus to state, “‘… my testimony is valid because I know where I have come from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.’” (8:14) For the Johannine Jesus, the place of physical birth is unimportant. What is of consequence is the eternal nature of Jesus, and thus the Gospel’s prologue: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” (1:1-2) Jesus complains that His accusers “judge by human standards.” (8:15) The reader might expect this to be followed by, “But I judge by God’s standards.” Instead, Jesus offers the contrast that “I judge no one.” (8:15) In John, the religious leaders are judged because they judge without seeing the full picture. Jesus, who does see the full picture and who should then be in a position to judge, chooses not to judge. As a Lenten reading, this draws our thoughts away from thinking of the cross in terms of judgment. Rather, the cross continues Jesus’ revelation, “‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’” (8:12) Jesus is the light of a better way and we are to follow that light. This means, in part, that as religious people we choose not to live by judgment, but by light. Too often religious people think it their privilege to judge others. Jesus, however, offers the example that if we are the light in a dark world, people will follow. Ours is not to condemn, but to model a better way as we abide in these temporary abodes on our way to God’s eternity. If you’d like, here is the link to the Southern New England Conference’s daily reading schedule: www.sneucc.org/lectionary. Threw the baby away with the bath waterThroughout the year, the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ reproduces the Daily Lectionary for use by churches. These are the suggested readings for March 12th: Numbers 20:1-13; Psalm 107:1-16; and 1 Corinthians 10:6-13. I would encourage you to read these short selections as part of your Lenten practice.
As we encountered this past Saturday, the people of Israel complain again during their time in the arid Sinai of a lack of water. They turn against Moses and Aaron for liberating them from the verdant flood plains of Egypt’s Nile River. It is written in Numbers: “‘Would that we had died when our kindred died before the Lord! Why have you brought the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here? Why have you brought us up out of Egypt, to bring us to this wretched place? It is no place for grain, or figs, or vines, or pomegranates; and there is no water to drink.’” However, this is more than a complaint about the inhospitable conditions of the Exodus. They have forgotten the Promised Land. The people blame Moses and Aaron for bringing them to a place in which they cannot settle down and establish themselves. Their references to fields of grain and orchards of figs, vines and pomegranates are based on the false belief that this arid place is where the journey ends. They have assumed that where they are is where they are supposed to be. They have abandoned hope in God’s Promised Land. We need some background here. In Numbers 13, a small party was sent to reconnoiter the Promised Land. They return bearing news of a land that “flows with milk and honey” (13:27), but also of formidable inhabitants who cannot be displaced. As punishment for their lack of trust, Yahweh vows that the Exodus generation will perish in the wilderness and that their children will be the ones to enter the Promised Land (Read Numbers 14). It appears as if this willful generation rejects this divine decree, that they must wait for fulfillment in the generation of their children. This is why in today’s passage they complain about the impossibility of long-term settlements in the wilderness. This is not merely an uprising based on physical hardship. This is a societal, psychological and spiritual rejection of hope and trust in God’s promise. They can see no further than themselves. They blame God for where they are and give God no credit for where they are going. Moses and Aaron, in this passage, are also judged less than faithful. They speak directly with Yahweh at the Tent of Meeting where water is promised by God. Numbers relates what follows: “‘Listen, you rebels, shall we bring water for you out of this rock?’ Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff.” We can fill in this story a bit more. Moses proclaims that waters shall flow as he strikes the rock, but nothing happens, at least immediately. The people must have seen this as a failure, and Moses and Aaron seem to have agreed with them. So Moses strikes the rock a second time because he doubted God, and now water flows abundantly. When immediate gratification does not occur, Moses and Aaron lost trust in God. It is at the waters of Meribah, the waters of Quarrel, that the people and their leaders demonstrate a lack of conviction in God’s promise. This prevented them from being the ones God could usher into the Promised Land. Numbers shares a God of miracles, but even such an awesome God cannot act without a people who trust and who hope. There is a profound warning here about confusing where we are with where we are going, where we are supposed to be, where God promises us we will be. Lent is a time to think and meditate upon the journey and the destination. What are we doing in our lives to bring us forward to the Promise? If you’d like, here is the link to the Southern New England Conference’s daily reading schedule: www.sneucc.org/lectionary. The reality of failure and the power of hopeThroughout the year, the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ reproduces the Daily Lectionary for use by churches. These are the suggested readings for March 11th: Exodus 15:22-27; Psalm 107:1-16; and Hebrews 3:1-6. I would encourage you to read these short selections as part of your Lenten practice.
As I have written before, I appreciate the honesty behind the New Testament accounts of Jesus’ authentic human nature, I likewise appreciate the honesty I hear in the telling of Israel’s backstory, an example of which we read today in the Exodus passage. If you are not bound by any sense of truthfulness, you can tell a story anyway you wish. You can say things that are obviously false, but that’s not to say they can’t be believed. People can choose to be credulous. People can choose to believe what they want regardless of reality’s objections. It would have been easy for the writers of the Hebrew Scriptures to share stories that were only complimentary and optimistic. Take, for example, the comparison between the Book of Joshua and the Book of Judges. Both share accounts of Israel’s emergence in the land of Canaan. Joshua offers a rather idealistic story of consistent military success. Then you encounter Judges and you wonder if both books are talking about the same history. Judges is far more balanced in its presentation. Accounts both favourable and unfavourable are recorded. Israel’s conquest of Canaan was not steady and assured. Joshua definitely has its merits, but to study the history of the conquest, Judges has more to offer because it is not afraid to tell of victories and defeats. Likewise, when the Exodus story is told without the constraint of avoiding anything that may be negative, its message resonates more powerfully because of its authenticity. The people of Israel wandering through the arid Sinai complain about the lack of potable water. This faces the reality of people in the desert. Even with all of the direct manifestations of God, the people still worried. It is brave for a people to include this in the story of their own creation. It combines the reality of being the Chosen People with the reality that they did not always live up to the calling. Israel is far from unique in this matter. As I said, I appreciate the authenticity of not whitewashing the biblical text. The story of faith is not a dictator’s propaganda. It is the complicated story of imperfect human beings trying to live into God’s perfection. In Hebrews, it is said we are “holy partners in a heavenly calling.” That’s us Christians. Do you see heaven on earth around you? We are partners in a heavenly calling that has not yet been realized. Isn’t that not unlike what happens by the waters of Marah in the Exodus passage? Before we tar and feather our Hebrew ancestors, we need to look at ourselves. However, I don’t think God expects perfection of us. I think faith in God opens us up to perfectibility. Faith allows us to believe we can be better, and that belief encourages and strengthens us to act accordingly. This was what we talked about on Saturday with the theology of recapitulation. It is a similar theme that Hebrews presents when we read, “We are [God’s] house if we hold firm the confidence and the pride that belong to hope.” Hope is a mighty power. We can tell whitewashed stories of perfection, but that keeps our attention attuned to the failure that we are not perfect. Hope gives us the fuel to actually make things better. I’d like to close with a necessary addendum because of the rise of antisemitism in our society. People, most often people who call themselves Christians, will isolate stories such as today’s Exodus passage and use them to vilify the Jews, that they were an unfaithful and stiff-necked people and that they are and always will be. However, as I wrote above, the Hebrews text highlights our stumbling progress toward perfection. Any aspersion we cast upon the Jews is one we must face. The Jewish people are our religious forebears. Jesus and the earliest Christians were Jews. And most of the book that we call the Holy Bible is from the Jews. May we push back on this rising tide of hatred and prejudice, especially as Christians. If you’d like, here is the link to the Southern New England Conference’s daily reading schedule: www.sneucc.org/lectionary. Anticipating Jesus' uncomfortable lightThroughout the year, the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ reproduces the Daily Lectionary for use by churches. These are the suggested readings for March 9th: Numbers 20:22-29; Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22; and John 3:1-13. I would encourage you to read these short selections as part of your Lenten practice.
In the passage from Numbers, we read of the death of Aaron. Aaron was Moses’ brother and Israel’s first priest. Both Moses and Aaron belong to the tribe of Levi. When the people of Israel thought that Moses had died on the top of Mount Sinai, Aaron took upon himself the task of reassuring them by creating a graven image, maybe something to help the people better envision the unseen God. Aaron created the idol as a symbol of Yahweh, but it was still sacrilegious. Aaron told the people, “‘Tomorrow shall be a festival to Yahweh,’” (Exodus 32:5) but Yahweh warns, “‘Your people, whom you [Moses] brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely …’” (32:7) Did you notice that Yahweh does not say “My people.” Rather, it is “Your people”? They have deserted God and broken the covenant before the covenant was even shared with them. This is symbolized only a few verses later: “As soon as [Moses] came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’ anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets from his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.” (32:19) Maybe it was because Aaron saw the golden calf as a representation of Yahweh while the others saw it as an idol of a new god, but for some reason Aaron survived the blood-letting that followed. The tribe of Levi gathered around Moses and they were sanctioned to seek vengeance against the other tribes for having abandoned God. They were ordered to “‘kill your brother, your friend, and your neighbor.’” And 3,000 were murdered that day at the base of Mount Sinai. It is from this act of religious slaughter that the tribe of Levi is set aside “‘for the service of the Lord.’” (32:29) Aaron’s descendants are the priests and the tribe of Levi are the ones charged with the care of Yahweh’s sanctuaries. Into this religious culture, we then read, “Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp. He called it the Tent of Meeting.” (Exodus 33:7) The Tabernacle, the sanctuary that would be the cultic base of Israel, was Aaron’s domain. This would be the place of ritual and liturgy and priests, and it existed at the center of the people’s gathering. The Tent of Meeting, the place of prophecy, stood outside of camp and separated from the sanctuary. With the passage of generations, as we see in the biblical text, this separation was erased. Prophecy and cult came together under one roof, that of the sanctuary. As the story began, prophecy had its own legitimacy as a vehicle of God’s revelation. Eventually, however, the tension between the unregulated prophetic voice was too much to bear by the established cult, and the cult domesticated prophecy so that it stood for whatever the cult endorsed. The prophetic books are often of those voices that break this agreement, but the establishment will always seek to coopt the enthusiasm of prophecy. And this is not limited to the Old Testament people of Israel. Jesus is a prophetic voice. The established cult could not control Him. And during Lent we concentrate on what the repercussions are. Tomorrow at church we pick-up where today’s Gospel leaves off. I will be preaching on the idea of Jesus’ unpleasant light, that the light came into the world and we thought it uncomfortable. Do we continue to silence or to at least domesticate the radical prophecy that is Jesus and the gospel? I invite you to come and join us as we ask this question tomorrow. Whoever you are, you are welcome at worship with us. If you cannot make it in person, please send an email to randyc1897@gmail.com and I will send you the Zoom login. If you’d like, here is the link to the Southern New England Conference’s daily reading schedule: www.sneucc.org/lectionary. Adam reversedThroughout the year, the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ reproduces the Daily Lectionary for use by churches. These are the suggested readings for March 8th: Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22; Daniel 12:5-13; and Ephesians 1:7-14. I would encourage you to read these short selections as part of your Lenten practice.
On this Lenten Friday, the lectionary leads us to one of the most hope-filled biblical passages about the cross in all the New Testament. Ephesians 1:10 is the basis for the theology called Recapitulation. The biblical myth of Adam’s fall postulates that God’s creation began perfectly good and holy, and then Eve and Adam fell prey to the temptation of “you will be like God.” (Genesis 3:5) This is the idea that is found at the base of all sinfulness, that we are in a position to replace the Divine. It is the epitome of hubris. As humanity’s mythical first parents, their sin and its consequent punishment are passed on through all generations. We suffer the limitations of the human condition and the separation of no longer proverbially walking with God in Eden’s paradise (Genesis 3:8) because of Adam’s fall. Ephesians is a New Testament writing that scholars term Deutero-Pauline. This means that it was composed by someone within the Pauline orbit of churches, and that it was highly influenced by Paul’s authentic writings (Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians and Philemon). However, it is a second (Deutero) telling of Paul’s first writings. Its date of composition is after Paul’s lifetime. In Romans 5:12-21, Paul sets forth his theology that Jesus is the second Adam. Whereas Adam brought sin and thus death into the world, Jesus reverses the consequences of Adam’s fall: “For just as by the one man’s [Adam’s] disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s [Jesus’] obedience the many will be made righteous.” (5:19) Jesus’ obedience culminates at the cross. The unknown author of Ephesians picks-up this thought in today’s passage. Adam’s single offense has ongoing effect, but as Paul writes in Romans, Jesus’ single offering of the cross has even greater effect. Jesus clears the way for humanity and creation to return to the perfection of our original creation. Ephesians carries this thought forward: “With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” The Greek word for “to gather up” (ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι) was translated into the Vulgate’s Latin as “to recapitulate,” and thus the theological terminology based on this passage. The early Christian writer Justin Martyr saw in this passage the revealed promise that in the fullness of time Jesus’ perfect sacrifice, God’s perfect sacrifice, would of necessity be fulfilled. In Christ crucified, God will “gather up all things.” Justin could not fathom that God’s will could be left unfulfilled or even partially fulfilled. Jesus’ cross grants us “redemption” and “the forgiveness of our trespasses,” and this means all of us. Therefore, even if it requires the “fullness of time,” the finite nature of the human transgression must cede to the infinite nature of the divine redemption. God’s will to “gather up all things” cannot be thwarted by our trying to play God (Genesis 3:5). We will all see eventually the blessing of life with God. The original perfection will be restored. We will walk with God in paradise (Genesis 3:8). The cross in Paul, Deutero-Pauline Ephesians, and the early Christian writers such as Justin Martyr saw the cross in a positive light. This does not deny the cruel reality of Jesus’ suffering and death, but the result of that perfect sacrifice on Golgotha is the perfection of salvation in Christ. The cross is the beginning of boundless hope. On this Lenten Friday, may we think and pray with this idea of the hope that Jesus makes real when He loves us enough to endure the cross. If you’d like, here is the link to the Southern New England Conference’s daily reading schedule: www.sneucc.org/lectionary. Noah and NukesThroughout the year, the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ reproduces the Daily Lectionary for use by churches. These are the suggested readings for March 7th: Genesis 9:8-17; Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22; and Ephesians 1:3-6. I would encourage you to read these short selections as part of your Lenten practice.
Geology made the news this week, which doesn’t happen all that often. A vote was taken by an official body that rejected the creation of designating a new geological era. The geologists who lost the vote argued that the human impact on a global scale is so significant and pervasive that it deserves to be recognized as a new geological era. They were arguing for the naming of the Anthropocene Era with a start date of 1950 based on the worldwide markers of the remnants of nuclear testing in the atmosphere. As I mentioned, the proposal failed. We continue to live during the Holocene Era, which began with the retreat of the last ice age about 11,000 years ago. This period of a relatively stable climate has allowed for human civilization to develop, and with this a loose sort of collective memory begins to form. It’s interesting that in the four and a half billion-year history of our planet, geologists record five mass extinctions. The most complete of all of them was about 250 million years ago and it ended the Paleozoic Era as unimaginably large and long-lived volcanoes changed the climate. Almost 90% of all species died at that time. Much more famous is the extinction that brought the Mesozoic Era to its demise. This is the end of the dinosaurs as an asteroid plunged into the earth around the Yucatan Peninsula. Obviously, we have no memories of such things. Humans and dinosaurs are separated by some 60 million years, my apologies to fans of the Flintstones. Evidence is found in what lies within the earth as consequences of these events, not memories. However, the rise of human civilization allows for story-telling to be remembered, and to be shared. One of those stories comes from the 4,000-year-old Mesopotamian Gilgamesh Epic. Therein we can read of Utnapishtim who boarded his family and animals on an ark as the angry god Ea flooded creation. The Noah story comes along later and picks-up and shares much of the plot. There is no geological record of a universal flood during the Holocene Era. However, as the climate warmed, as glaciers retreated, as ice-dams gave way, shorelines could change dramatically. Entire communities of peoples could be forced to evacuate coastline settlements as waters rose above their usual boundaries. Such a locally destructive cataclysm could be told in all honesty as a world-changing event. The power of myth is not based on its factuality, but on its message. Did George Washington cut down a cherry tree? Probably not, but the message of truthfulness remains. The Noah myth may well be based on some ancient shared memory of cataclysmic flooding, but today’s message is of God’s life-affirming statement of covenant: “‘As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark.’” The Noah covenant is the first in the Bible and it speaks to us of God’s respect for all life, not only human life. There have been five mass extinctions in earth’s history. Somehow life has clawed back, but never the same. Mammals had a chance to become dominant once the dinosaurs went extinct. No lifeform is exempt from cataclysmic extinction. Humans have been around for say five million years. Seems like a long time, like we are destined to be at the top of the food chain forever, but the dinosaurs were around for almost 200 million years and now they’re gone. The Bible holds up for us today the revelation of a life-affirming God. Life borders on the miraculous. It is blessed by a divine covenant. Life is sacred. I see this truth even in the death of Christ. The cross does not glorify death. It glorifies Jesus’ devotion to the value of life, all life, even the lives of His executioners. Jesus even prays for them. All life matters. Jesus would rather die than profane the sanctity of all life. With this said, I don’t know if you’ll be able to read the article or not, but the New York Times is running a series on “The risk of nuclear conflict is rising.” (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/03/04/opinion/nuclear-war-prevention.html?campaign_id=2&emc=edit_th_20240304&instance_id=116751&nl=todaysheadlines®i_id=54596592&segment_id=159857&user_id=217c057fdd20aad15e30baf2520d4e00 ) Nuclear war is becoming more tactical where once it was called Mutual Assured Destruction, MAD. The Times writes, “Nuclear war is often described as unimaginable. In fact, it’s not imagined enough.” It is a scary and depressing article, but the topic cannot be ignored, especially by people of faith who trust in God whose first covenant is life-affirming across the board. May we live into that covenant before we bring on ourselves the possibility of the Sixth Mass Extinction. If you’d like, here is the link to the Southern New England Conference’s daily reading schedule: www.sneucc.org/lectionary. Faith bought off by political favoursThroughout the year, the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ reproduces the Daily Lectionary for use by churches. These are the suggested readings for March 6th: Psalm 84; Ezra 6:1-16; and Acts 15:36-41. I would encourage you to read these short selections as part of your Lenten practice.
Ezra tells us today about the Persian kings Cyrus and Darius who allowed for the restoration of the Jerusalem Temple. They offered money and platitudes to the defeated people of Israel. This was a wise investment. Before the Persian Empire, the Babylonians and Assyrians had a practice of deporting and repopulating conquered lands. This kept the defeated nations off balance and ill prepared to offer organized resistance to the empires. Persia conquered Babylon in 539 BC. To garner good will among their inherited subjects, the Persians allowed for those in exile to return to their native lands. This did not mean that they were free of Persian rule, that they could become nation states once again. With the case of the Jews and Jerusalem, we read today of Darius’ decree: “‘Now you, Tattenai, governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and you, their associates, the envoys in the province Beyond the River, keep away; let the work on this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its site.’” There are still no nations of Israel or Judah. These have been erased from the political map, their names replaced by a province called Beyond the River. The Jerusalem Temple is restored. Sacrifices resume. However, the people remain subjugated and disenfranchised. They once were under the thumb of Egypt’s Pharaoh and now under the control of Persia’s king. Their Passover liberation has been denuded. But Darius bought their good will by giving them their Temple building. In this arrangement, Yahweh cannot act as Israel’s king, their leader and their guide. Yahweh is confined within the Temple building. But Darius bought the people’s acceptance of their servitude by giving them the Temple building: “The people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.” For the cost of this building, the Persians ruled over the People of God until Alexander the Great defeated them some two centuries later. There may be a lesson here for people of faith to be wary of courting political favours. Politicians may offer gifts to appease that are not all that dissimilar to the Persian’s gift of the Jerusalem Temple, and the religious can be blinded to greater issues of the faith. Less than a week before the Roman empire that defeated the Greeks who had defeated the Persians who had defeated the Babylonians executed Jesus, Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan write of Palm Sunday. (The Last Week, chap 1) Pontius Pilate marches into Jerusalem prior to the Passover from the west with powerful symbols of imperial power and theology. From the east, Jesus enters riding on a donkey down from the Mount of Olives: “Jesus’ procession deliberately countered what was happening on the other side of the city. Pilate’s procession embodied the power, glory and violence of the empire that ruled the world. Jesus’ procession embodied an alternative vision, the kingdom of God.” (p. 4) Lent is a reminder of the humbleness of our crucified Saviour. Jesus persuades by His example and teaching. Power is the antithesis of gospel. To force religious beliefs on others who do not accept them is to disavow Jesus and the persuasive example of a sincerely lived faith. To court political favours to enforce some strange conception of moral choice is not to walk into Jerusalem with Jesus from the east, but to be captivated by the pomp and glory of the show to the west. If you’d like, here is the link to the Southern New England Conference’s daily reading schedule: www.sneucc.org/lectionary. |
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