God's little helpers

“…Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6:31)

Luke 6:27-38 (Year C: Second Sunday before Lent / Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, 24^th February, 2019)

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A NOTE ABOUT TODAY’S READINGS

In addition to this coming Sunday’s Gospel reading in the Church of Ireland (Luke 8:22-35) the other readings from scripture found in the ‘paired’ Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) are as follows: Genesis 2:4-25,  Psalm 65, and  Revelation 4.  Directly parallel Gospel readings may be found in Matthew 8:28-34 and in Mark 5:1-20. 

In the liturgical cycle of the Roman Catholic Church, for this coming Sunday, the choice of readings is as follows:  1 Samuel 26:2-23, Psalm 103(102), 1 Corinthians 15:45-49, Luke 6:27-38.

For the purposes of this Blog I am going with Luke 6:27-38 (and directly parallel to Matthew 5:38-48). I can’t resist this particular reading from Luke about loving our enemies!

For readers focussed on Luke 8:22-35 see a previous blog “sent back home”

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SERMON NOTES (774 words)

Everyone needs a bit of help from one’s friends. That’s life. We are not on our own. And even if we think we are at times, there is a cloud of witnesses urging us on and watching over us as the author of the Letter to the Hebrews (12.1) says:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.

But what is the nature of this company we experience in the journey of life? Many people accompany us from birth onwards and even before. We quickly learn the rhythms of life, the tones and accents, the tunes and verses. We never stop growing and learning. It is also true that we never stop dying: dying to old habits or ways. Every day our bodies undergo change as we journey from one phase of life to the next.

In his Great, Infinite and Inscrutable Love for us (capitalisation intended!), God sends us ‘Little Helpers’. These are very special people who accompany us for some or even much of the way of life. Let’s say that they provide a service to us to help us grow in that wholeness of human be-ing (some say ‘holiness’).

You see, the Little Helpers are allowed by God to play an indispensable role in helping us to become more the sort of people God wants us to be: kind, gentle, patient, wise and long-suffering. These Little Helpers test our patience, our love and our stamina. Their role is to challenge us to love more precisely because it seems (and it is truly the case for whatever reasons best known to God) that they treat us with less than the respect, affection and loyalty that they ought to give.

This is difficult territory to be in or to describe. All too often, pious Christians and persons of good will confuse charity for compliance and submissiveness. Tragically, there were and there are persons who cooperate with others in allowing themselves to be emotionally abused or worse.

Therefore, we need to be clear and we need to be careful. The strong teaching of Jesus in today’s Gospel reading from Luke is, indeed, about loving our enemies and ‘turning the cheek’. The choice of the word ‘enemies’ is not done likely. If Jesus the Son of God and the greatest lover of all time had enemies then we might expect a few in our lives? I don’t know: I can only speak from a limited experience of life to date. That others mistreat us may be the result of bad choices or, in some cases, what might be termed ‘facilitating behaviour’ on the part of the one despised.

The point is that whatever stage or circumstances of life we find ourselves in we are there for a reason and the only thing that matters is that we love in the here and now even those who are nasty, manipulative or downright bad.

It is offered as advice that were persons working in dangerous regions of the world to be kidnapped or taken as hostages they ought to discretely and sincerely focus on their own humanity and personal stories as people with families, histories and character. It may not work but it is worth a try.

But, isn’t loving really bad people excessive and imprudent? We need to distinguish carefully between loving our enemies which means wanting and doing what is really good for them, on the one hand, and on the other, resisting and exposing bad behaviour and not allowing it to infect or damage.

We need the Holy Spirit and the support of good friends to know the difference and the nature of each situation we find ourselves in.

‘Pray for those who abuse you’ (v. 28). That’s a strong expression. Now, in case there might be any misunderstanding or misapplication of this phrase, those who abuse – whether emotionally, physically or otherwise – must be confronted and corrected publicly if necessary. But, we should still pray for them and love them because to love is to be free of that hatred that we might experience but which we do not allow to conquer or control us. Love the transgressor but not the transgression. And where some transgressions have wrecked untold misery and suffering on people the transgressor should face the full consequences of the law. The churches have a much less than glorious record in aspects of abusive human behaviour for which they now pay a high price in loss of trust and association.


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SOME IDEAS FOR INTERCESSIONS


Father of mercy we pray for:


The coming of your kingdom among us. May we know and live by the values of your justice, forgiveness and compassion…..

The nations of the world especially those torn apart by war, famine and oppression. We remember in a special way the people of Yemen at this time…

The families and friendships in which we share….

Those who cross us in life and cause suffering or rejection…. Lord of all relationships heal us

The Christian churches … that we may witness to our unity in purpose and faith…

One another….

Other named persons ….

Remembering with thanks those who have gone before us and those mourn their passing….

… praying in silence….

Loving God we entrust our prayers – spoken and unspoken – to the intercession of our redeemer, Jesus Christ who lives and moves with you in the Holy Spirit.

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A PRAYERFUL WALK THROUGH LUKE 6:27-36

Preliminaries

The teaching of Jesus runs on from the beatitudes as recounted by Luke in last Sunday’s reading. What we hear and read this Sunday is an elaboration of last Sunday’s declaration of the blessings or beatitudes. It is a very necessary elaboration because it is all too easy to ‘spiritualise’ the holy scriptures and blunt the full implications of what they say to us today. Both then and now, the idea of loving one’s enemies is not an easy one. Let’s say that is is ‘counter-cultural’ in the extreme.

v.27-30   Dealing with enemies

27 ‘But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 

‘I say to you that listen’. But, do we listen? Do we want to listen? The demands of love go beyond the common rules of justice. It surely does not sit with the mentality of the court room or parliamentary debating chamber where the aim is to knock out your opponent and score points to their detriment and one’s own advantage.

Are we take the counsel to ‘turn the other cheek’ literally? In the account of Jesus’ passion (John 18:22-23), we are not provided with any evidence that Jesus followed this literally. Rather, according to John, he verbally challenged those who struck him.

v.31 The Golden Rule

Do to others as you would have them do to you.

Here we have the ‘Golden Rule’ in Luke. This Rule is a common ground in all religious and ethical systems that acknowledge the inherent dignity of every living human creature. Do to others as you want them to do to you.

v.32-36   The practice of mercy

32 ‘If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Here, Jesus is presenting a new insight into the very nature of God as a person of love and therefore mercy. This God of mercy is certainly present in the ancient Hebrew scriptures (the Old Testament). However, people had lost sight of this reality to some degree trapped as they were in hundreds of regulations and ritual practices.

How often we judge others? How often we claim to know why others act and speak in a certain way? How often we group together people of a particular colour, creed or community and make claims that ‘they think this’ or ‘they are like that’ or ‘what would you expect from them?’. This is the not the way of love that Jesus has shown us. The measure of mercy that we might expect and ask is the measure of mercy that we give to others. Therein lies the deal with the Father of mercies!

V.37-38   the measure of love

37 ‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.’

And he walked away

“…But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.” (Luke 4:30)

Luke 4:21-30 (Year C: Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany / Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, 3^rd February, 2019)

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A NOTE ABOUT TODAY’S READINGS

In addition to this coming Sunday’s Gospel reading which is common to most Western Christian churches, the other readings from scripture found in the ‘paired’ Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) of the Church of Ireland for this Sunday are: Jeremiah 1:1-19,  Psalm 48, and  1 Corinthians 13:1-13.  Directly parallel Gospel readings to this particular Gospel reading from Luke may be found in Matthew 13:54-58, Mark 6:1-5 and John 4:44.

In the liturgical cycle of the Roman Catholic Church, for this coming Sunday, the choice of readings is the same as above except for the Psalm where Psalm 71(70) is used instead of 48.

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SERMON NOTES (911 words)

Last Sunday we heard how Jesus stood up in his local Synagogue and surprised everyone with an impromptu reading from the prophet Isaiah. The initial very positive reception of Jesus followed by a complete rejection by the local community reminds us, perhaps, of those regular opinion polls and election swingometers: public opinion can shift very rapidly especially in ‘marginal’ constituencies.  The history of the 20^th century continues to demonstrate this. One moment Jesus is a popular sensation; the next moment people are trying to literally kill him.  What was it that triggered such anger and so quickly?

Jesus seems to have touched a very raw nerve. It looks as if what he said and how he said cut deeply into those listening. Somehow, Jesus response to the question ‘Is not this Joseph’s son’ got in under a deep insecurity in those listening.  They had built their lives, their families, their hopes, their little statuses, their self-identity and their righteousness on particular beliefs, assumptions, codes and perceptions. Jesus seems to threaten and undermine this in his provocative series of statements imitating his audience (at least some of them): “Doctor, cure yourself!” and “Do here also in your home town the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.”

Popular acclaim turns to rage…

Jesus goes on to cite two stories from the Hebrew scriptures where two prophets, Elijah and Elisha, were sent to foreigners (respectively to a foreign widow in Sidon which lies in modern day Lebanon and, ironically for us in 2019, a foreigner from Syria who had a disease). This was much too far for super confident leading persons in the village of Nazareth.  Enough was enough for them. This would be akin, in some modern day circles, to allowing lower breeds of Christian disciples to share in our table of the eucharist because they do not share our theological system or have not signed up to a list of very selective ethical behaviours we have set for outsiders and insiders.

And to really rub it in, Jesus says: ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town.’ This hurt and suddenly the rabbinic prophet pop idol becomes public enemy number one. There follows a dramatic scene in which Luke pictures Jesus being forcibly taken to the top of the hill for the purposes of the administration of justice (no need here for Roman guards, trials and hearings – the Nazareth kangaroo court knows what it is doing). That his captors meant serious business is clear because, according to some translations of the Bible, the crowd’s plan was to ‘cast him down headlong’. In other words the plan was not for a soft landing with heads up.

And then like an episode from a James Bond film the hero – our hero – just ‘passed through the midst of them and went on his way’. Cool.

Why didn’t Jesus stay and fight? Why didn’t he argue it out with his captors? Where was Mary and all of Jesus’ brethren when all of this was happening? Couldn’t someone have done something?

The point is that Jesus was in Nazareth for a reason: to announce his mission and purpose and move on.  Clearly, he was breaking with his local community.  Apart from the call to travel further afield he had no business staying with a community that simply could not or would not accept Jesus as he really was and as he was becoming in terms of his public ministry which was starting. The die was cast and the hand had been laid to the plough (Luke 9:62) and there was no going back now. But, there is a particular point to the story of what happened in Nazareth. Jesus was indicating very clearly that he was not going to remain stuck in a relationship with his local community where there was no acceptance of the message he was relaying.  Rejection of a person is one thing; rejection of his/her message is another.

Time for Jesus to break free…

And, so, there are times when we have to move on from a particular relationship or situation. This in no way takes from the call to honour our commitments including our solemn ones. Neither is it being suggested that we flee from conflict or trouble or adversity. Rather, it means that there will be times, places, occasions and persons where for the sake of a greater good for all concerned that we walk away with our peace, our integrity and our dignity intact. This takes courage and trust. Luke does not tell us who went with Jesus when he ‘passed through the midst of them and went on his way’.  It is possible that he was not accompanied on this occasion in which case he walked alone as he walked away.  It is possible that he went away to the hills to be on his own and to pray (a very Lucan type of scenario). We don’t know. What we do know is that Jesus was not going to engage further with those folk. In any case, there was little choice because it was wholly destructive to the point of involving death.

There are times – hopefully very rare – when we have to walk away for God’s sake and everyone else’s sake. As it is written in the opening chapter of the prophet Jeremiah (1:19):

they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you.

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SOME IDEAS FOR INTERCESSIONS

Lord of Love we thank you for calling us and enabling us. You have sent us into a troubled world where you call on us to be courageous witnesses to your compassion and justice. May we be missionaries of your Life within us and among us as we pray, together, for:

• Communities riven apart by strife and war…
• A generous welcome of the victims of human trafficking, of enforced prostitution, and of violence in all of its forms..
• The people of Venezuela at this time …
• The communities in which we live and work…may we welcome and listen to each one who arrives here….
• The Christian churches … that we may move forward according to your plans and not ours…
• One another….
• Other named persons ….
• Remembering with thanks those who have gone before us….
• … praying in silence….

Lord of love may we know you more and more day by day and may your grace continue to guide us and protect us today and in the coming week. We make this prayer in Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

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A PRAYERFUL WALK THROUGH LUKE 4:14-21

Preliminaries

We are back in Jesus’ home town.  This passage picks up on a story from last Sunday. Jesus stirs things up in the local synagogue by announcing from the prophet Isaiah that freedom is on its way.  In this Sunday’s reading the situation rapidly deteriorates to a point where Jesus is faced with a premature near-death encounter as the local mob (his very own village neighbours and possibly his extended family too) try to throw him ‘headlong’ from the top of the local hill top which was by a cliff.

It would be easy to dismiss the highly aggressive and hostile response of the local community where Jesus grew up as indicative of a completely different culture, times and circumstances.  But, is the story of the violent reaction to Jesus’ teaching and behaviour that out of line with the lived reality in ordinary communities, workplaces and families today? (and even churches?). Violence and exclusion can take many forms.

v. 21-22   Rejection at the very outset

Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?’

At verse 21 we pick up from where we finished off last Sunday. Having declared a gospel of liberation to the poor and those outside the circles of respectability Jesus walks into big trouble in, of all places, his home village.  The fulfilling of scripture is happening before our eyes in the story recounted but, also, in our hearing of this story again today. Like the fickle townspeople of Nazareth we may marvel at the ‘gracious words that came from his mouth’ but we must be warned that even now as Jesus begins his public ministry in his home village some of the inhabitants attempt to kill him. Rejection beginning in one’s own home village is the mark of Jesus’s ministry. Should it be any different for those of us who follow in his steps? Heavenly Father, be with us as we walk the way of your Son.

v.23-27   Jesus brings it on

He said to them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, “Doctor, cure yourself!” And you will say, “Do here also in your home town the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.”’ And he said, ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town. But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up for three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.’

It is as if Jesus seeks to provoke a confrontation with the people of his village. Having, according to Luke, won considerable acclaim and admiration, he launches into a sharp rebuke of those hearing him. There is no soft introduction. Rather, Jesus switches tone from his abrupt proclamation in the Synagogue to what seems like an abrupt and without-warning salvo to those around him. This was not according to the rules of ‘how to win friends and influence people’. Jesus knew what was in the hearts of those around him. After all, he grew up with them and knew them only too well. Perhaps, he was giving vent to a lifetime’s experience of distrust, suspicion and hypocrisy around him? Some scripture scholars speculate that the seeming abruptness in Jesus’ discourse reflects a passage of time and occurrence of two separate visits to Nazareth. It is hard to tell. We will have to take his word for it regardless of the details and timing.

A key point to be considered, here, is that the Good News is for everyone not just the select few. This is the point of Jesus’ quotation of the story of Elijah and Elisha. It underlines that salvation is as much for the foreigner as it is for the natives and the first chosen or called. This also echoes in the experience of the community (probably mostly gentile) for whom Luke wrote in the 80’s.

v.28-30   A close encounter

When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.

This was a near fatal experience for Jesus. Yet, he shook himself down and walked away – almost or actually miraculously. His time was not yet. He could have reflected on the experience in Nazareth and decided to call of his mission. Could there not be better, more efficient, less confrontational ways of spreading the Good News and influencing others? If he played his cards right, Jesus could have lived another 20 years or more preaching in some quiet place and avoiding any kingdom talk or any criticism of the religious authorities. The periodic miracle and ‘gracious words’ would have worked wonders and maintained interest. Perhaps money could have flowed in and Jesus, with his disciples, could have built a special Synagogue or Temple offering a type of charismatic Judaism out in the desert?

Jesus chose another path. He could apply to himself the words to Jeremiah:

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.

Rediscovering our baptism

“…When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” (Isaiah 43:2)

Luke 3:15-22 (Year C: Baptism of the Lord/First Sunday after the Epiphany, 13^th January, 2019)

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A NOTE ABOUT TODAY’S READINGS

In addition to this coming Sunday’s Gospel reading which is common to most Western Christian churches, the other readings from scripture found in the ‘paired’ Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) of the Church of Ireland for this Sunday are: Isaiah 43:1-7,  Psalm 29(28), and  Acts 8:14-17.  Directly parallel Gospel readings to this particular Gospel reading from Luke may be found in Matthew 3:11-17 and in Mark 1:4-11.

In the liturgical cycle of the Roman Catholic Church, for this coming Sunday, the choice of readings is the same as above except for the following: The first reading is from Isaiah 40:1-11 and the second is from Titus 2:11-14;3:4-7.

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SERMON NOTES (732 words)

Most of us cannot remember the most important day of our lives!  The day of our baptism is the day that we are sacramentally and ritually welcomed into the wider Christian family. It is a beautiful and altogether special day. Lest it might be suggested that our lives go steadily downwards thereafter it must be point out that baptism could be compared to an entrance ceremony in which we are enrolled on a lifelong course of discipleship. And on our journey we learn the most important skill in life – love.

And here is the most important life skill a young infant can learn – love. A loving home environment and wider community is rich in life-long and life-wide and life deep learning.

We are invited to love because we have been dearly loved in the first place.

That brings us to the story of Jesus in the Jordan. A voice is heard from heaven: (Luke 3:22).

‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’

That same voice would speak, again, at the Transfiguration saying (Luke 9:35):

‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’

What the God of Love said to us on the day of our baptism is what He says to each of us today and it is this:

‘This is my Son, listen to him’.

And what is that Jesus the Christ says to us today? He bids us to go out into the world and love each person one by one and moment by moment. And that starts here and in this place. No matter what our history is or how we feel right now, today is a new day; a day that will never be repeated. It is a unique opportunity to respond to the call of love.

This is the meaning of baptism – that very ancient and modern of sacraments that we need to rediscover in all its simplicity and relevance now. It is a dying to self and a meeting with the Risen Christ. The outward sign of water symbolises the cleansing power of baptism in anticipation of a life dedicated to God. We become special and gentle members of the whole Christian family.

The only way to make sense of the story of our baptism is to travel down to the Jordan with Jesus in his baptism, so to speak, and be immersed in the waters of tribulation and cleaning (the two go hand in hand if we can see it).  That takes courage. To go there in the first place is a big step. Then, to allow oneself to be immersed in the waters for a moment is an act of trust on the part of the one being submerged. 

Jesus walked into the Jordan in solidarity with all of us seeking healing, renewal and life. He didn’t need to do this. In fact, God didn’t need to send Jesus in the first place. However, this God of ours is a God-who-is-love and cannot help himself loving and making himself one with what he has created.

Going along with a sound and established religious ritual is indeed a good thing to do. But, doing so with faith, conviction and prayer in the presence of God is what makes the difference.  This is why Christian baptism – a much neglected and overlooked sacrament – should be so central to the mission of all that we do as Christians.  Think of it – what happens in baptism is the most crucial outward sign of a gift that is ours over all that comes before and all that comes after.  Anybody can be baptised once and for all where there is faith and intention. Baptism is the one sacrament that can – legitimately – be administered by anyone lay or ordained. And it is the one sacrament that is seen to be shared by all disciples of Christ whatever the petty squabbles over other sacraments which in many cases turns out to be a squabble over words and human philosophy.

We are made into living members of his Body when ‘water is poured over us’ in baptism and when ‘bread and wine is freely given to us’ in the Eucharist.  From there flows the grace and energy of discipleship day by day, year by year until we meet the Lord Jesus fully face to face at our death which is only are final rebirth to everlasting life.

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SOME IDEAS FOR INTERCESSIONS

Loving Father you sent us your Son Jesus in the Holy Spirit to transform our world.

Recalling the baptism of Your son in the river Jordan we yearn to hear, once again, your Word in the depths of our hearts. At this time of joy for the birth of your Son let us be open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit as we pray for:

The Earth and all its peoples….

Our own country…

The communities in which we live and work…

Christian churches across the world and in this locality…

Our parish/community/congregation…

For those preparing for baptism in the coming months…. (named?)

One another….

Named persons ….

Remembering with thanks those who have gone before us….

… praying in silence….

Loving Father accept these, our prayers, in the name of Jesus our saviour born that all may be truly free.

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FURTHER NOTES ON THE GOSPEL OF THE DAY

Preliminaries

In the liturgy we jump from the birth of Jesus forward to the time when he began his ministry soon after his baptism in the river Jordan. The theology behind this story is well captured in the concluding verses of that hymn sometimes used in liturgies, Down by the Jordan:

Here in the Church, we are baptized and filled with God's Spirit.

Freed and forgiven, we're welcomed with joy! Can you hear it?This is God's sign! This is how God says, "You're mine!"Let's take the good news and share it!

Luke relates many incidents in Jesus’ life when he prayed alone or in public. In this sketch we see a crowd pressing in on the prophet John eager to hear his answer to the questions being asked.  Jesus was beginning to make his mark in the region but John was still the leading prophet who challenged people far and wide with a message of repentance. The symbolism of going down into the water and re-emerging is a powerful one for death and re-birth.

Water carries a power and healing that is captured in many religious rituals and practices. In the Christian sacrament – not to be confused with the baptism of John found in the gospels – we go down with Christ to be raised up again.

For an adult undergoing ‘full immersion’ it can be a shock especially if the water is icy cold as it is in the baths in Lourdes in southern France by the waters of the river Gave.

How does our baptism connect with the baptism that Jesus – surprisingly – underwent in the river Jordan?  A baptism by John is a sign of something greater to come. It holds the meaning of repentance, cleansing and renewal. However, the baptism brought by Jesus will see a transformation in the Holy Spirit that will have a lasting effect on individuals and communities. It will build on John’s baptism and the prophecies of old but usher in a new life and reality for those who will taste of the Holy Spirit. Once marked there is no going back. Even if people walk away from their baptismal vows at some stage in their lives (is there anyone who doesn’t?) we have, each of us, been marked out by God’s love in this founding sacrament and this love will never leave us.

We may note that whereas Mark said Jesus was baptised by John, Matthew says that Jesus presented himself for baptism (and there was something of a tussle before John agreed to baptise his cousin) while Luke does not specifically say who baptised Jesus. Finally, John makes no mention of the baptism of the Lord in his gospel. Could it be that the entire episode probably presented challenges for the early Christian community for which the evangelists wrote and from which they came and among whom some disciples were still coming to terms with the story of how John gave way to Jesus?

v. 15-18   John proclaims the Good News of the coming of the Messiah

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’ So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people. 

John prepares a way for Jesus. The baptism of John is a very different type of baptism. Luke makes this clear. John declares that he baptises with water but the one who comes after him will baptise with the Holy Spirit and with ‘fire’. Fire is often associated with the Holy Spirit. Moreover, fire is a sign of the purifying impact of God who is all powerful. The Spirit burns up and sorts out what is good from what is evil.

v. 19-20    A sign of contradiction and suffering

 But Herod the ruler, who had been rebuked by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the evil things that Herod had done, added to them all by shutting up John in prison.

Throughout the scriptures times of great joy and expectation are followed by times of trial, persecution and suffering. As it was then so it is now and will be until we find ourselves in the final victory of God’s Kingdom. In the choice of readings, these verses are usually omitted for this Sunday. Somehow, they interrupt the flow of the story leading up to the baptism of Jesus. Yet, it is important to restate that the signal for Jesus’ very public entry into ministry was not only his baptism by John but the execution of the latter. This must have had a devastating impact on Jesus. Not only did he lose a close cousin and ally but he knew, even then, what awaited him. And we may surmise that one way or another out baptism is not complete until we have shared the cup of the Lord.

v. 21-22    The Baptism of Jesus

Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’

In verse 22 the role of Jesus as Messiah, King, Prophet, Suffering Servant and unique Son come together. We meet the fulfilment of the role of the suffering servant in Isaiah 42:1:

Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.

In the face of our beloved – Voltus Christi we can also see our own humanity – ‘those of the adoptive son revealed in our baptism’ as Saint Augustine of Hippo once wrote.

ENDS

with an alien people clutching their gods

“…they were overwhelmed with joy” (Luke 2:10)

Matthew 2:1-12 (Year C: The Epiphany, January, 2019)

.. There was a Birth, certainly
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.

(from The Journey of the Magi by T.S. Eliot)

‘Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you’. (Isaiah 60:1)

‘The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it’. (John 1:5)

These two verses seem very appropriate for all of us at the start of 2019 even if it might seem that our world is sunk in darkness and this darkness has conquered the light for a time in the middle of our Northern winter. 

This coming Sunday marks the feast of the ‘epiphany’. This word comes from the Greek word, theophaneia, meaning the appearance of God to human beings. 

The story of the first ‘eiphany’ is rich in symbolism and we need to hear and read it in this light without trying to fill in all the gaps. Let’s go with the flow and the larger story which the author of the gospel of Matthew is trying to convey. This requires some imagination on our part.

The journey of the wise ones (the magi as they are called) was not without danger and toil. To make a journey in such circumstances took incredible stamina, hope and trust that something was worth travelling for to see and behold.  As in today’s world, there is much danger and threat from power brokers who play with people’s lives and practice deceit and oppression. The pilgrims from the east had to use discretion, courage and perseverance to circumvent Herodian scheming.

Astrology was a popular pastime in ancient times (and is still today among the gullible) and provides a focus for people in search of meaning, assurance and progress through life’s ways. The star that guided, pulled and filled the wise pilgrims was of another kind. It was like an inner star or magnetic force that led strangers over 100s of kilometers of barren desert to a humble place where they found something that exceeded their expectations. They were not just surprised by joy but they were ‘overwhelmed’ with joy, according to Matthew (verse 10). We may note that they travelled not alone but together. On coming to a place of rest where the star shone they joined Joseph, Mary and Jesus.  Where two or three are gathered there was the messiah of Israel among them. 

On a lighter note, some have commented that ‘three wise women’ would have asked for directions, arrived on time, helped deliver the baby, cleaned the stable, made a casserole, and brought practical gifts!  To be fair to the magi we don’t know if they were all men, how many there were and what exactly they did during their stay! The important point is that they made the difficult journey, found what they were looking for and returned safely.  To put it this way:

1. They sought love;
2. They realised that they were loved;
3. They remained in grace-given love; and
4. They found love.

Three ‘stars’, not one, guided them….

1. The star within of love seeking love
2. The star over and beyond their immediate situation and place
3. The star at the end of their journey in Bethlehem.

4.      It was when these three ‘stars’ aligned that the pilgrims were ‘overwhelmed with joy’ (verse 10). The alignment of stars took, in all likelihood, years, trial, error, re-trial and more years.  But, they got there and it didn’t finish there.  Their discovery took them back to where they came to continue their quest. How many stories were told and lives touched by the witness of their journey when they got back home? The magi could make of their own the words of David in  Psalm 63:1-4:

O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.

Or, they might have anticipated the declaration of Saint Augustine of Hippo centuries after the manifestation of God:

Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. Saint Augustine Confessions, 10.27

And we journey on through life in search of meaning, renewed life and connection.  Like the magi we need to pay attention to the stars within and without that guide us. We can find it deep within if we live a more disciplined life of attention and practice based on compassion. ‘Mindfulness’ may seem like a gimmick word or cliché but it remains a key challenge. After all, Mary ‘treasured all these things’ in her heart many times in those early years of Jesus’ time.

Following our inner spark takes discipline and practice. It does not suggest a flight from reality or duty. Rather, it beckons us to become more focussed on what we are doing and experiencing now. It might be as simple as paying attention to eating, walking, waiting for a bus, conversation, non-verbal cues, pain, joy and hope.  A new year’s resolution is born!

The story of the epiphany is a story of hope. Let this new calendar year be one of hope and a new beginning for each one of us. Even if we might feel that we are ‘with an alien people clutching their gods’ as T.S. Eliot wrote, we can take courage from the following truth that is as true today as 2,000 years ago and will still be true in years to come when 2019 will be a distant memory:

‘The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it’. (John 1:5)

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In addition to this coming Sunday’s Gospel reading which is common to most Western Christian churches, the other readings from scripture found in the ‘paired’ Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) of the Church of Ireland for this Sunday are: Isaiah 60:1-6;  Psalm 72:1-14; and  Ephesians 3:1-12.  These readings, including the Gospel from St Matthew, are also used in the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church.

Readers may find just some of the following resources and links of use:

https://www.biblegateway.com/

A good online bible in many languages and versions. For the purposes of this blog, I usually stick with the New Revised Standard Version (Anglicised). However, I often switch to the Grail Psalter for the psalms due to my fondness for, and familiarity with, it.

http://www.openbible.info/labs/cross-references/

A very convenient and quick cross reference for biblical verses.

http://sites.utoronto.ca/religion/synopsis/meta-6gv.htm

This is the best online source for direct comparison of Gospels and New Testament passages.

http://www.ocarm.org/en/calendar-date

A useful biblical commentary from the Carmelites. It follows the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar.

http://biblehub.com/commentaries

A solid and comprehensive biblical commentary from classical Reformed sources. It has good explanations of underlying Greek text.

https://cmelimerick.blogspot.com/

This is an excellent source by Rev Patrick Comerford adapted for Church of Ireland uses which contains, among other things, suggested hymns for the Sunday or feast day (always useful when panicking the night before a service!)

https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dsb/luke.html

It is hard to beat the great classic of William Barclay’s commentaries. This particular link is to Luke’s Gospel which provides for most Sundays of Year C.  Commentaries on Mark, Matthew and John are also available.

https://www.workingpreacher.org/

(A good online US Lutheran source with lots of concise sermon ideas for the weary preacher!)

http://www.textweek.com/

This is a week by week guide packed with useful resources.

The above are just a few sources that I draw on from time to time. The choice is yours. But, let’s remember that the best source is the Holy Spirit working through tradition, reason and lived experience! If you know of other good online sources let me know.

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Further reading: notes and questions, verse by verse

Preliminaries

There is something of a mystery about the story of the visit by the magi to Bethlehem – literally the House of Bread in Hebrew. They came from the ‘East’. Whatever its historical origins, the story has captured the imagination of generations as a type of climax for the story of Christ’s birth (and yet, Christmastide is not over until the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple on 2 February). The story of the visit is unique – among the Gospels – to Matthew. It draws attention to the appearance of God’s love in a troubled and divided world – a love that draws all peoples to God-who-is-love.  That all are called no matter who they are and where they come from is a theme in all the Gospels. It may very well be that Matthew wanted to draw particular attention to the way that the ‘gentiles’ – those outside the specially chosen Jewish people – are called to see and experience the amazing love that has been born into this world.

v. 1-2:  The quest

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ 

The passage opens up in Jerusalem. However, the journey starts in the heart. It is there that our desire to meet the Other is born.  We must go out from ourselves towards the Other in others.

In the story, we are given a time (the reign of Herod and a specific place, Bethlehem). In this case, the ones seeing the child-king came from the East where the sun rises and where wisdom flows. East meets west, however, not in Jerusalem but in a little known place in the hills.

v.3-6    Kings are shaken

When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.  They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: “And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.”

The prophecy is taken directly from Micah 5:2. Herod is ‘frightened’ because for him power is everything. Anything or anyone who challenges his power is a threat and must be extinguished.  The priests and scribes make excellent interpreters of the scripture but know not its meaning in their day. When the one who was foretold came they missed the opportunity. Are we blind too?

v.7-12    Overwhelming joy

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared.  Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’  When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was.  When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.  On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

The story recounts a symbolic giving of ‘gold, frankincense and myrrh’.  There is a parallel, here, to Psalm 72:10-11 (NRSVA):

May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles render him tribute, may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts.  May all kings fall down before him, all nations give him service.

But, this Psalm goes on immediately to say (verses 12-14):

For he delivers the needy when they call, the poor and those who have no helper.  He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. From oppression and violence he redeems their life; and precious is their blood in his sight.

Ancient interpreters of this text see, here, a symbol of Christ’s royalty, priesthood and death. The origin of the gifts of ‘gold, frankincense and myrrh’ might suggest a possible geographical source of what is today Saudi Arabia. Who knows? It doesn’t matter. The Magi came from afar and they were not members of the ‘In-group’.  Matthew is trying to tell us that those ‘far away’ from the promised and chosen people are invited in to see, to believe and to worship.  The barriers between Jew and Gentile were already crumbling in the second chapter of the first book of the Christian New Testament.

Growing up in faith

“…But they did not understand what he said to them” (Luke 2:50)

Luke 2:41-52 (Year C: The First Sunday of Christmas/The Holy Family, 30th December, 2018)

This is a story about a family, custom and tradition, festival and gathering. It is a story of a journey back home.  A child goes missing, Worried parents.  Do the cousins know where he is?  Worry... Hell for a time.  Found him. Amazement, relief and anger for a while.  This story has all the hallmarks of one told by Mary to Luke. “O I remember the time he was 12. It was unbelievably difficult for me and Joseph.  We were beside ourselves. All the extended family searched for three days in Jerusalem. There were 10,000s of pilgrims from different parts of the world there like us. Much of the time we could not understand passers-by and they could not understand us.  Some of them thought we were in the city to buy and sell our son!  When we did eventually find him there were words….  He was cheeky and said something about his ‘Father’. I didn’t understand then but I do now. I only wish Joseph were still alive today to understand what happened then. Neither of us could understand what was going on. He was so worried and it had an impact on him for the rest of his life.  But, we gradually began to understand more and more over many years that this child was very special not in a way that all children are special.  The temple officials, theologians and priests even suggested that our son might have a special calling in the Temple given his precociousness and wisdom. But, Jesus had different ideas.”

Dealing with incomprehension was Jesus’s lot in the Temple and it was Mary and Joseph’s lot with the neighbours and cousins ever since Mary was found to be pregnant while not yet with Joseph.

Images of the ‘holy family’ abounded and still abound in religious imagery, poetry and liturgy. Mary, a spotless mother with a Northern European look about her, Joseph carrying a staff or a flower everywhere he goes and Jesus a meek, mild and obedient child as it says in some Christmas hymn. In truth we know very little about Jesus and his family. What little we know is set in the context of Jesus’s ministry, mission and saving power. Family background together with the selection of events uniquely recounted in the first two chapters of Luke and in the first chapter of Matthew is hugely significant for what was to come afterwards and what was foretold according to later Christian faith and understanding of ancient Jewish history and prophecy. Everything fits, somehow, into a story that makes sense of the story of  wandering nomads in the desert escaping captivity and seeking out a promised land somewhere. Jesus, Mary and Joseph are in that story as they were on the move while seeking refuge in Africa.  How ironic – this Christmas time – that God did not prioritise Europe!. God placed his only son in the Middle East and then Africa among a pilgrim people and a family literally ‘on-the-run’.

We can only image what stresses, tensions and challenges such a way of life entailed for this holy family. It is not the plastic image we so often see and hear about. It is a very flesh and blood and very human family.  The latter-day emphasis on celibacy, other-worldliness and Euro-centric culture and power games may have robbed the story Luke is trying to tell of its vigour and surprise.  Luke was recounting (probably with the help of Mary) a real story about a real family in a real political mess that was and is the ‘Near East’ (note my language here reflects a Euro-centric world view).  Some twelve years later we revisit the family as it undergoes the trauma of losing Jesus for a few days only to find him ‘at his Father’s business’ as some English-language translations have it. Was trauma ever far from the lives of Mary and Joseph?  The little we know suggests that life was a roller coaster of trauma from a potential row over how Mary became pregnant in the first place to fleeing in terror from state terrorists in the ego of Herod Antipas all the way up to Jesus’s crucifixion and the growth of a subversive religious movement that would see Judaism split (but not by intention) and Rome compromised in the fullness of time.  And, at the age of 12, we have another trauma-story.

Some films like ‘Saving Private Ryan’ labour the point that ‘war is hell’.  The story behind Luke and the other gospels is quite different. Yes, war is hell and life can be ‘hell’ at times for some people but over and beyond this ‘hell’ there is a new life and new hope that is born in families and communities across the world.  Organisations like churches need to become more family-like at a local level to provide space for people to rediscover the good news about 21^st century whole-some families.

In addition to this coming Sunday’s Gospel reading which is common to most Christian churches, the other readings from scripture found in the ‘paired’ Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) of the Church of Ireland for this Sunday are: 1 Samuel 2:18-26  Psalm 148; and  Colossians 3:12-17.  .

In the liturgical cycle of the Roman Catholic Church, for this coming Sunday, the choice of Gospel and second reading is the same. The following alternative readings may be used: 1 Samuel 1:20-28 and Psalm 84(83).

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Further reading: notes and questions, verse by verse

Preliminaries

In passage from the second chapter of Saint Luke’s gospel we fast forward some 12 years from nativity to Jesus as a child growing in ‘wisdom’ and ‘favour with God and men’ according to some translations.

v. 41-42:  A normal Jewish family

Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. 

Rather like many Christian families across the world who make a pilgrimage or journey to weekly prayer, the family of Jesus followed the customs and traditions of the Jewish people living relatively near Jerusalem: they paid an annual pilgrimage visit there. The point to note is that they were no different to most or many Jewish families of the time. Jews in that part of the world were, typically, obliged to make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem at least once a year for the Passover.  The Temple would continue to play a significant part in the very Jewish life of Jesus. It was here that he was circumcised and presented after his birth. It is here where he was found among the ‘teachers’ of the Law by Mary and Joseph. It was here that he sparked a riot many years later such was his indignation at the way that his Father’s house had been turned into a market place. The public Jesus would be in Jerusalem for significant festivals including the Passover as well as the Dedication of the Temple or ‘Tabernacles’ or ‘Booths’ (John 10:22 and John 7:14) or the Festival of Weeks which became the occasion of the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

A related and important point is that they went to Jerusalem to pray, to meet up and to celebrate together.

There is a detail that might be missed for modern-day Christian readers of this passage. It concerns the traditional age at which a boy comes of age (13). At 12 years of age, Jesus was about to pass from childhood to adulthood. However, he was not yet ready for the ministry that was to come.The Bat Mitzvah was and is an important moment of transition for a boy in the Jewish community. It signals a point of arrival when the child takes a greater responsibility for his or her’s action and faith. Here, we may see a link to the Christian sacrament of confirmation which happens to be part of a rite of passage from childhood even if, sadly, it is often a ‘passing out’ parade for young teenagers who depart from ‘religious practice’ even when they had been partaking in such practice for a time.

v. 43-45:   The extended family

When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travellers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. 

Some may doubt or even reject the historicity of this passage. Without clear evidence to the contrary I am inclined to the view that it was the clear memories of Mary as she recounted her story to Luke. 

In that place and at that time it was normal for a child of 12 years of age to be minded by the ‘whole’ extended family. Such was the trust and the normality of this that Mary and Joseph could leave Jerusalem without worrying and shouting out ‘Jesus hurry up we need to leave, where are you?’. The ‘relatives and friends’ of Jesus’s family were, likely, moving north together.  Quite likely, the much of the village of Nazareth had been together in Jerusalem and were now moving north. In all, the journey for Jesus’s family would have been around 150Km across rough terrain and roads. It might have taken a good few days to complete assuming that a reasonably direct route was taken. Perhaps, they were somewhere in the region of Shechem when they alarm was first raised: ‘Where is Jesus?!’. We may imagine the panic and tension of discovering that Jesus was missing. Was he abducted, alive, injured or just wandering off? What could have brought this about? Why would something like this be allowed to happen? Was there a mysterious link with those prophecies and events of 12 years previous? Mary’s heart was troubled to say the least. And Joseph must have been beside himself.

v. 46-50   Jesus found in the Temple

After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.  And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.  When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, ‘Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.’  He said to them, ‘Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’ But they did not understand what he said to them.  Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them.

The family drama ends in the Temple after ‘three days’ (and three nights).  Are there hints, here, of Jesus who would become the new Temple in his Risen Body on the third day? Just as the infancy narrative, in Luke, ends in the Temple, the Gospels would culminate in the Temple following the death of Jesus in Jerusalem (outside the Temple) and as he would gather together all believers and those waiting for belief.

The response of Jesus to his parents seems out of place with what was to follow: ‘he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them’.  It looks as if Jesus was finding his own identity and place as he continued to grow into adulthood. He was an ordinary person who was a member of what was, then, an ordinary first century Jewish family in Palestine. Yet, he was not ordinary: he had a Father who was and is above all and of whom Jesus is, uniquely, a Son.

Here, we hear of a young boy growing in knowledge and understanding questioning and drawing conclusions as he stays in conversation among the ‘teachers’ of the Law.  He needed to make this his own. And so it should be then as well as now. Everyone including those ‘coming of age’ need to own what it is that is proposed to them. Each generation must ‘re-receive’ the faith – remaining faithful to the core as Jesus was but digesting and applying it for one’s own.

In the drama of losing and finding Jesus again and in hearing his declaration that he must be about his Father’s business’ (or ‘in my Father’s house as many translations have it), we read that Mary and Joseph ‘did not understand what he said to them’. Like us, they had to grow in understanding and trust. All was not revealed in one go and Jesus was not always clear. We have to work things out.

The curious implication of the very next sentence, ‘Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them’ is that we learn that Jesus, the Son of God, would continue to be obedient to Joseph. Yet, this is the last Gospel reference to Joseph. Had he died by the time Jesus commenced his public ministry? It seems so.

v. 51    A mother’s heart

His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

This is one of those unique Lucan gems in which the heart of Mary is mentioned. The other places are a little earlier after the birth of Jesus in Luke 2:19 and in Luke 2:35.

v. 52    The divine-human paradox

And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favour.

What is puzzling and unfathomable to us is possible to God. A child grows into an adult and this child is God in the midst of us. God chooses to become a child for us. Let’s think about that. This growing in humanity is for us: to grow in loving, to grow in sensitivity, in understanding, tact, genuine charm and depth.

Reboot

‘…stand up and raise your heads.’ (Luke 21:28)

                                                   The fig tree is budding

Luke 21:25-36 (Year C: The First Sunday of Advent, 2^nd December, 2018)

None of us knows what lies ahead. But of three things we can be certain:

• Ageing
• Illness
• Death

The questions of when and how are beyond our knowing. The question of why must be approached through a humble mind and open heart. The question of what might lie beyond the horizons of this small world and life is for God alone to show us in his time and in his way.

During this Advent season the Church invites us to watch and pray. The lines of Luke read as follows:

Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, like a trap

This is hardly compatible with the ‘festive’ season of frenetic shopping, partying and Ho Ho!  But, the truth is that much of this Northern Hemisphere mid-winter Ho Ho is about sub-consciously putting away some of our all-year winter demons. What are they? They concern our worries – our very real worries about:

• Getting old (eventually)
• Facing ill-health of mind or body now or in the future
• Having lost or possibly losing income or employment in the future (it happens to people who retire for example)
• Relationships past or present where wounds may run deep
• Facing some external dangers to body, mind or person (not untypical for many millions of people across the globe).

And, the list is not exhaustive ....

We find distraction in sundry indulgences from substance attachment to constant affirmation-seeking on social media to projects that demand our all and we wonder why we are still missing something. But, in the midst of all this clamour and un-ease (or should we say dis-ease?) we are reminded of what Jesus said according to verse 28 of Luke:

stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.’

When faced with uncertainty and, perhaps, a load of concerns and worries, we do well to:

• Stay calmly grounded in the here and now
• Remain steadfast in love because this is the only thing that matters
• Keep moving forward towards some goal or destination no matter how dim it seems.

Staying calm meanings trusting that God has a plan for this world and our lives in it just as He did for the Prophet Jeremiah 6 centuries before the birth of Christ.

Remaining steadfast means living our lives to the full in the here and now that we may ‘increase and abound in love for one another’ (1 Thessalonians 3:12). The best way to prepare for death is to live life to the full now and to live it well so that we leave a good memory and example and find our well-being in this thought.

As Chiara Lubich of the Focolare movement once said:

Precisely because we do not know the day nor the hour of His coming, we can concentrate more easily on living one day at a time, on the troubles of today, on what Providence offers to us now.  Some time ago I spontaneously uttered this prayer to God.  - Jesus, make me always speak as if it were the last word I say. Make me always act as if it were the last action I take. Make me always suffer as if it were the last suffering I had to offer you. Make me always pray as if it were the last opportunity I have here on earth to converse with you

580 words (above)

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Further reading: notes and questions, verse by verse

Preliminaries

This is the first Sunday in the new liturgical or Church calendar year. On this blog page I follow the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) used in the Church of Ireland as well as in many other Christian churches. The cycle of readings may be found here.  Typically, the Gospel reading is the same, each Sunday, whether you are using the RCL or the cycle used in the Roman Catholic Church. The first and second reading (Old and New Testament, respectively) sometimes vary as does the appointed Psalm of the day. To complicate (or enrich?) matters, the Church of Ireland offers a cycle of reading according to ‘continuous’ or ‘paired’ cycle. I prefer to follow the latter, on this site, as it pairs thematically the first reading (from the Old Testament) and the Gospel. In addition, I follow the ‘principal service’ of the day rather than the ‘second service’ (the latter being typically used for an evening service).

This Sunday’s reading is from Luke 21:25-36.  Throughout this coming year (from December 2018 to 30^th November 2019), the Gospel reading is usually from the Gospel of Saint Luke. As many readers of this blog are from the Roman Catholic tradition, I signal any differences in readings that may occur between Cycles.  On this Sunday, the choice of other readings is not the same as between the RCL and that used in the Roman Catholic Church.  The RCL readings in addition to the Gospel are: Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25(24):1-9; and 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13.  Directly parallel Gospel readings to this particular Gospel reading from Luke may be found in Matthew 24:43-44 and in Matthew 6:25-34.

In the liturgical cycle of the Roman Catholic Church, for this coming Sunday, the choice of readings is as follows: Jeremiah 33:14-16 and 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 plus two additional verses in 1 Thessalonians 4:1-2. The Gospel is from Luke 21:25-28,34-36.

12:25-28:  The coming of the Son of Man

‘There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in a cloud” with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.’

There are strong echoes, here, of the prophecies of Isaiah (13:10), Joel (2:30-31), Daniel (12:1)and Ezechiel (32:7-8).  Could some of this be a warning about impending environmental disaster for humanity in the 21^st Century?!

The context in which Luke writes for his community in the 80’s is fraught. Disaster, war, insurrection, destruction and the gathering of an intense persecution of the disciples of Jesus is underway. It has salience then as it does now for us as a community and, also, as individuals faced with ageing, death and resurrection. In the here and now we must be of good courage and ‘stand up and raise’ our heads because our ‘redemption is drawing near’. This passage which follows a somewhat apocalyptic series of warnings and predictions leads us into the next and final phase of Jesus’s earthly ministry in the days or weeks before his passion. The early disciples wait and watch for ‘signs’ of God’s coming reign. It is a time of terror and it is a time of great hope and expectation. As often is the case in the drama of human and personal history: it is the worst of times and it is the best of times.

Our ‘redemption’ (apolytrōsis) is near at hand. This ‘redemption’ literally means a ‘buying back’ and is rooted in Old Testament ideas. It can also be found in many of the letters of St Paul. However, only in the gospels does the word appear here in Luke.

12:29-33    The Lesson of the Fig Tree

Then he told them a parable: ‘Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

Luke inserts this parable to reinforce the narrative. Jesus points – as he typically does – to growth and ‘signs’ in nature about the listeners. The fig tree in Palestine is as dead a looking plant as you can get. Yet, it bursts into life in the spring. Very likely, the saying of Jesus coincides with spring time before the Passover.

The saying ‘my words will not pass away’ gives us comfort and reassurance today just as it did nearly 2,000 years ago. It says to us that Jesus is every bit as alive and relevant today as then and the final victory is God’s even if we might be tempted to think that nearly everything is lost in this corrupt society in which we live.

12:34-36          Exhortation to Watch

‘Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.’

Timely for this time of year, we are reminded to be Mind-full, Prayer-full and Ready.  Only trusting and praying can open us to a gift of serenity and calm in the face of whatever confronts us in life and in the world.

The Lord loves those who hate evil; he guards the lives of his faithful; he rescues them from And what can we do right now in this time of darkness as the fig trees are withered? We may take courage from the words of the Psalmist (97:10-12):

The Lord loves those who hate evil; he guards the lives of his faithful; he rescues them from the hand of the wicked. Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!