Today's Scripture Readings
Jeremiah 31:31-34 (NRSV)
Hebrews 5:5-10 (NRSV)
John 12:20-33 (NRSV)
Blog Reflection
All of the readings for this Sunday, give me some shivers. All of the readings become useful by those who want to suggest Christianity as a religion of anti-Semitism and/or supercessionism. Even the reading from Jeremiah is often thought to be referring to Jesus as the "new covenant." After all, Jesus said that the Cup of Salvation is "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood" (see Luke 22:20) while instituting the Eucharist.
The people that Jeremiah was writing to and/or about were in exile. They were believed to be in Babylon because they had broken the God's covenant. Their land of origin had been plundered, and they were taken away to live in a land where they were captives. The Prophet is delivering God's message that God wants to write a new covenant into their hearts. God wants there to be a marriage with God's people, so that God's law is not just a matter of being observed because it is required. God is wanting there to be this relationship of love, where by God's people respond because of a love they have received as God's holy people. "They shall be my people and I will be their God." A relationship with God, that is kept because God is their Savior.
Do we understand that our relationships with each other are reflective of our relationship with God?
This is something that St. Benedict knew about. In writing the Rule of St. Benedict, he lays out a way of life to be lived by those who pray and work together as a community. To be concerned about the others with whom we share our lives. Benedict sees the relationship between time spent alone in the desert and with others in the market place. The time we spend with God in silence and solitude, must reflect our attitudes towards others, especially those who are different from ourselves. As God receives us in mercy and love, so should we accept others.
Jesus was born and lived in a culture that observed the Law of Moses, and, he sought to take that relationship to a new level. It was more than about following the rules and/or dictating rituals and the like. It now needed to be taken to those who were marginalized and stereotyped as unacceptable or unlovable. Jesus assumed the role of a Priest when he offered himself in obedience to his Father's will, by dying on the Cross for the sins of all. As Christians move towards Holy Week, Good Friday and Easter Day, we celebrate Christ as our Paschal Sacrifice.
Jesus is aware that his time has come in the reading from John. It appears at least from this reading that the time has not yet come when the message of Jesus reaches out to the Gentiles. Could that be why they are left out of the rest of the story? Jesus explains that it is by his death that he will be lifted up and will draw all people to himself. Unless he undergoes his passion and death, the message that he proclaims will remain such for only a selected group of people. The story of Jesus indeed has gone far because of his death and resurrection, proclaimed by the Apostles and their successors down through the ages. There is a reason why the Gospel continues to be heard in every generation.
The act of Jesus giving up his life is an example for all who would follow him, of what being a Christian means. The Christian life is not one of being in love with wealth or power. It is a life lived from the point of self-giving in service to others in hospitality and reconciliation.
St. Benedict recognizes this in Chapter 53 of the Rule, with regards to The Reception of Guests. Guests are to be received as Christ himself. They are to receive the kiss of peace and prayed with. The abbot with the entire community are to wash their feet. After which, they recite the verse: "God, we have received your mercy in the midst of your temple" (Psalm 48: 7). They are to be told what the Rule is, where they are allowed to go, and places where they are not allowed. Only one of the Monks is assigned to care for the needs of the guests. All of the other brothers are to speak only for a few moments, and then explain to a talkative guest that they are not allowed to talk to the guests, because the care for the guests needs are to be handled only by the Guest Master.
Among the many things a disciple of Jesus Christ must do as part of "giving up your life" is to see in those who are different than ourselves the very image of God. When we allow our hearts and behaviors to be ruled by prejudice and negatively stereotyping of others, we participate in the love of our life in this world. In other words, we become participants in a world that seeks to divide rather than unite. A world that justifies a 17 year old Trayvon Martin being shot because "he was wearing a hoodie", as an excuse for racism. A society that wants to excuse Christianists, who beat LGBT people while they recite Leviticus 20: 13. When we hold on to and feed bias, we might be tempted to join others in targeting Muslims and Jewish people, Native Americans, Immigrants and those without medical insurance as political play chips in elections. Facilities like Planned Parenthood and other facilities that offer reproductive health care to women, become the focus of gun violence and lose funding because of suspicions that are most likely false.
If our Church and society are to be healed of the attitudes of discrimination and glorified brutality, then Christians must lead the way, by calling for justice, inclusion and equality for all people. Christians must seek to welcome individuals of diverse groups of people, and provide ways of reconciliation through education and taking opportunities to learn about those who live in our communities, churches and schools. We need to speak up on behalf of the poor, the disenfranchised and those who are oppressed because of injustice. We must be willing to give of ourselves for the benefit of others.
During these last days of Lent, leading into Holy Week, let us take some time during this upcoming week to be quiet before our God. The readings throughout the week will get darker and will have a lot more tension. But, we will also see that Jesus will face them, by loving them, while at the same time, not letting them get him off track. Jesus knows is death is pending. He is willing to face it all on our behalf. His words and his life will call on us to follow his example in the Gospel stories of our own lives.
Prayers
Jeremiah 31:31-34 (NRSV)
The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt-- a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, "Know the LORD," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
Hebrews 5:5-10 (NRSV)
Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him,
as he says also in another place,
- "You are my Son,
- today I have begotten you";
In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
- "You are a priest forever,
- according to the order of Melchizedek."
John 12:20-33 (NRSV)
Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
"Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say-- `Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.
Blog Reflection
All of the readings for this Sunday, give me some shivers. All of the readings become useful by those who want to suggest Christianity as a religion of anti-Semitism and/or supercessionism. Even the reading from Jeremiah is often thought to be referring to Jesus as the "new covenant." After all, Jesus said that the Cup of Salvation is "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood" (see Luke 22:20) while instituting the Eucharist.
The people that Jeremiah was writing to and/or about were in exile. They were believed to be in Babylon because they had broken the God's covenant. Their land of origin had been plundered, and they were taken away to live in a land where they were captives. The Prophet is delivering God's message that God wants to write a new covenant into their hearts. God wants there to be a marriage with God's people, so that God's law is not just a matter of being observed because it is required. God is wanting there to be this relationship of love, where by God's people respond because of a love they have received as God's holy people. "They shall be my people and I will be their God." A relationship with God, that is kept because God is their Savior.
Do we understand that our relationships with each other are reflective of our relationship with God?
This is something that St. Benedict knew about. In writing the Rule of St. Benedict, he lays out a way of life to be lived by those who pray and work together as a community. To be concerned about the others with whom we share our lives. Benedict sees the relationship between time spent alone in the desert and with others in the market place. The time we spend with God in silence and solitude, must reflect our attitudes towards others, especially those who are different from ourselves. As God receives us in mercy and love, so should we accept others.
Jesus was born and lived in a culture that observed the Law of Moses, and, he sought to take that relationship to a new level. It was more than about following the rules and/or dictating rituals and the like. It now needed to be taken to those who were marginalized and stereotyped as unacceptable or unlovable. Jesus assumed the role of a Priest when he offered himself in obedience to his Father's will, by dying on the Cross for the sins of all. As Christians move towards Holy Week, Good Friday and Easter Day, we celebrate Christ as our Paschal Sacrifice.
Jesus is aware that his time has come in the reading from John. It appears at least from this reading that the time has not yet come when the message of Jesus reaches out to the Gentiles. Could that be why they are left out of the rest of the story? Jesus explains that it is by his death that he will be lifted up and will draw all people to himself. Unless he undergoes his passion and death, the message that he proclaims will remain such for only a selected group of people. The story of Jesus indeed has gone far because of his death and resurrection, proclaimed by the Apostles and their successors down through the ages. There is a reason why the Gospel continues to be heard in every generation.
The act of Jesus giving up his life is an example for all who would follow him, of what being a Christian means. The Christian life is not one of being in love with wealth or power. It is a life lived from the point of self-giving in service to others in hospitality and reconciliation.
St. Benedict recognizes this in Chapter 53 of the Rule, with regards to The Reception of Guests. Guests are to be received as Christ himself. They are to receive the kiss of peace and prayed with. The abbot with the entire community are to wash their feet. After which, they recite the verse: "God, we have received your mercy in the midst of your temple" (Psalm 48: 7). They are to be told what the Rule is, where they are allowed to go, and places where they are not allowed. Only one of the Monks is assigned to care for the needs of the guests. All of the other brothers are to speak only for a few moments, and then explain to a talkative guest that they are not allowed to talk to the guests, because the care for the guests needs are to be handled only by the Guest Master.
Among the many things a disciple of Jesus Christ must do as part of "giving up your life" is to see in those who are different than ourselves the very image of God. When we allow our hearts and behaviors to be ruled by prejudice and negatively stereotyping of others, we participate in the love of our life in this world. In other words, we become participants in a world that seeks to divide rather than unite. A world that justifies a 17 year old Trayvon Martin being shot because "he was wearing a hoodie", as an excuse for racism. A society that wants to excuse Christianists, who beat LGBT people while they recite Leviticus 20: 13. When we hold on to and feed bias, we might be tempted to join others in targeting Muslims and Jewish people, Native Americans, Immigrants and those without medical insurance as political play chips in elections. Facilities like Planned Parenthood and other facilities that offer reproductive health care to women, become the focus of gun violence and lose funding because of suspicions that are most likely false.
If our Church and society are to be healed of the attitudes of discrimination and glorified brutality, then Christians must lead the way, by calling for justice, inclusion and equality for all people. Christians must seek to welcome individuals of diverse groups of people, and provide ways of reconciliation through education and taking opportunities to learn about those who live in our communities, churches and schools. We need to speak up on behalf of the poor, the disenfranchised and those who are oppressed because of injustice. We must be willing to give of ourselves for the benefit of others.
During these last days of Lent, leading into Holy Week, let us take some time during this upcoming week to be quiet before our God. The readings throughout the week will get darker and will have a lot more tension. But, we will also see that Jesus will face them, by loving them, while at the same time, not letting them get him off track. Jesus knows is death is pending. He is willing to face it all on our behalf. His words and his life will call on us to follow his example in the Gospel stories of our own lives.
Prayers
Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly
wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to
love what you command and desire what you promise; that,
among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts
may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Fifth Sunday in Lent, Book of Common Prayer, p. 219).
Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have
made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and
make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily
lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness,
may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission
and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen. (Ash Wednesday, Book of Common Prayer, p. 217).
Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so
move every human heart [and especially the hearts of the
people of this land], that barriers which divide us may
crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our
divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for Social Justice, Book of Common Prayer, p. 823).
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