Today's Scripture Readings
Isaiah 47:1-7 (NRSV)
Psalm 40 (BCP., p.640)
1 Corinthians 1:1-9 (NRSV)
John 1:29-42 (NRSV)
Blog Reflection
This past week, my Lectio Divina was very challenging. As Novices, we are reading and meditating on one verse or a few words per week, taken from The Rule of St. Benedict. The verse I meditated on this past week, said: "Do not murmur or speak evil of others." As I meditated on these words, I could not help be confronted by how much I complain, and am so careless with what I say about others. In Lectio Divina, the goal is to not make it into an intellectual exercise, but to listen to what the Holy Spirit may be saying to our hearts through the words we have read. How does the Lord change my life as the Spirit speaks to my heart through the words: "Do not murmur or speak evil of others"?
In my meditation, I was brought face to face with my own sense of self-acceptance and image in relationship to God and others around me. The Holy Spirit spoke with me, about my need to accept myself, with all my human limitations and live in humility with the knowledge and conviction that God is God, and I am not. That humility, helps me to accept that my human limitations are opportunities for growth, they are not obstacles for God's transforming grace. When I accept that, I can also accept God's merciful love. In Christ, I am forgiven and redeemed. After I have accepted that, I can celebrate who I am. In Christ, I am God's beloved, with whom God is well-pleased. Then, I can also celebrate that others are just like I am. In these words and meditations is a letting go, and receiving in faith that God has forgiven me. My response is to accept myself, accept others as forgiven, and to forgive myself and others as God's mercy in Christ has redeemed me.
Our problem as human beings, is that our self-image and acceptance is so often rooted in labels, wealth, popularity, our scholastic achievements and so forth. All of these, become a false source of how we see and accept ourselves and relate to others. In the end, all they do is lead us to a sense of a loss of self-acceptance. Our image is dependent on others. When others fail us, we tend to think that we have failed ourselves and even God. At that point, we don't need someone to abuse us, we are doing it all on our own.
In this Sunday's Gospel, we see Jesus claiming His own identity. As St. John the Baptist sees Jesus, he says: "Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." The Baptist recalls the incidents following Jesus' baptism. The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus, and a voice came and said: "This is my Beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." Jesus, receives and lives out this identity, that He was destined for in His mother's womb. His identity as God's Son, is from God and Jesus claims it, and through Him, God is revealed.
Jesus will indeed be popular, but not because he won a Golden Globe award or an Olympic gold medal. He will not be known because He stayed on every person's good side. His identity will reveal God who has come to give to all of us a new identity. Earlier in the Prologue to St. John's Gospel we read:
St. Paul later affirmed this in his letter to the Galatians.
All forms of prejudice and violence on the basis of race, religion, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, language, culture, physical/psychological or mental challenge, employment status, economic class, etc are based on labels that humankind has created to determine who is a first class citizen vs. who is 2nd class. Our identities get lost, in whether or not we can afford health care, control our own bodies, and where we live. In our efforts to advocate for ourselves or others, our self-image and acceptance are by no means based on what we can achieve. What we achieve in making the world is a noble and holy cause, but we don't do it for a better self-image. We do it, because of who we are. We are daughters and sons of God, in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Jesus told us all what we must do that can help us maintain our identity, our sense of self-image and acceptance. In His discourse at the Last Supper before He died, He told His followers:
This weekend, we are celebrating the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was a man who knew how he and other people of color were viewed by many white Americans. Segregation brought with it many atrocious laws and behaviors. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and people like Rosa Parks, refused to remain in the background and allow their identity as African Americans to determine their citizenship class in civil society. Dr. King spoke, acted and called others to organize and speak up about the injustices toward workers, African Americans and many others because of prejudice and oppression. Dr. King knew his identity as a child of God, by the grace of Jesus Christ. He was willing to put himself and even his life on the line, as a friend to many who were friendless. His actions did cost him his life forty-six years ago. Yet, his legacy, and his sacrifice continue to bear fruit in the face of racial prejudice in many places in the world.
Racism continues to be a serious problem in our time. It's another one of those labels that injures our self-image and acceptance in relationship to God and others. Anytime we decide that another person is to be addressed or treated as a second class citizen because of the color of their skin, their country of origin, their religion or any other reason that one group of people benefits at the expense of others, our identity, self-image and acceptance are in terrible jeopardy. Racism, sexism, heterosexism and the many other social diseases of our time, determine the safety of all of us. It means that we are all unhealthy, and in need of some serious medication from God to heal ourselves and one another.
This past year, we saw momentous gains for the freedom to marry for LGBT people, but we also saw the issue of racism and sexism receive serious injuries with voting rights and reproductive health care. Christ's revelation of God in His identity as God's Beloved with whom God is well-pleased must echo the love and acceptance of ourselves and each other if there is to be healing and reconciliation on these and many other important issues facing the Church and society.
I think the words of another hymn are most important to our prayer as I conclude the reflection in this blog post.
Prayers
Isaiah 47:1-7 (NRSV)
Listen to me, O coastlands,
pay attention, you peoples from far away!
The LORD called me before I was born,
while I was in my mother's womb he named me.
He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow,
in his quiver he hid me away.
And he said to me, "You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified."
But I said, "I have labored in vain,
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my cause is with the LORD,
and my reward with my God."
And now the LORD says,
who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him,
and that Israel might be gathered to him,
for I am honored in the sight of the LORD,
and my God has become my strength--
he says,
"It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to restore the survivors of Israel;
I will give you as a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth."
Thus says the LORD,
the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,
to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations,
the slave of rulers,
"Kings shall see and stand up,
princes, and they shall prostrate themselves,
because of the LORD, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."
Psalm 40 (BCP., p.640)
1 Corinthians 1:1-9 (NRSV)
Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind-- just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you-- so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
John saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, "Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, `After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.' I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel." And John testified, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, `He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God."
The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, "Look, here is the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which translated means Teacher), "where are you staying?" He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated Anointed). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter).
Blog Reflection
This past week, my Lectio Divina was very challenging. As Novices, we are reading and meditating on one verse or a few words per week, taken from The Rule of St. Benedict. The verse I meditated on this past week, said: "Do not murmur or speak evil of others." As I meditated on these words, I could not help be confronted by how much I complain, and am so careless with what I say about others. In Lectio Divina, the goal is to not make it into an intellectual exercise, but to listen to what the Holy Spirit may be saying to our hearts through the words we have read. How does the Lord change my life as the Spirit speaks to my heart through the words: "Do not murmur or speak evil of others"?
In my meditation, I was brought face to face with my own sense of self-acceptance and image in relationship to God and others around me. The Holy Spirit spoke with me, about my need to accept myself, with all my human limitations and live in humility with the knowledge and conviction that God is God, and I am not. That humility, helps me to accept that my human limitations are opportunities for growth, they are not obstacles for God's transforming grace. When I accept that, I can also accept God's merciful love. In Christ, I am forgiven and redeemed. After I have accepted that, I can celebrate who I am. In Christ, I am God's beloved, with whom God is well-pleased. Then, I can also celebrate that others are just like I am. In these words and meditations is a letting go, and receiving in faith that God has forgiven me. My response is to accept myself, accept others as forgiven, and to forgive myself and others as God's mercy in Christ has redeemed me.
Our problem as human beings, is that our self-image and acceptance is so often rooted in labels, wealth, popularity, our scholastic achievements and so forth. All of these, become a false source of how we see and accept ourselves and relate to others. In the end, all they do is lead us to a sense of a loss of self-acceptance. Our image is dependent on others. When others fail us, we tend to think that we have failed ourselves and even God. At that point, we don't need someone to abuse us, we are doing it all on our own.
In this Sunday's Gospel, we see Jesus claiming His own identity. As St. John the Baptist sees Jesus, he says: "Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." The Baptist recalls the incidents following Jesus' baptism. The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus, and a voice came and said: "This is my Beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." Jesus, receives and lives out this identity, that He was destined for in His mother's womb. His identity as God's Son, is from God and Jesus claims it, and through Him, God is revealed.
Jesus will indeed be popular, but not because he won a Golden Globe award or an Olympic gold medal. He will not be known because He stayed on every person's good side. His identity will reveal God who has come to give to all of us a new identity. Earlier in the Prologue to St. John's Gospel we read:
But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12,13).
St. Paul later affirmed this in his letter to the Galatians.
There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28).
All forms of prejudice and violence on the basis of race, religion, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, language, culture, physical/psychological or mental challenge, employment status, economic class, etc are based on labels that humankind has created to determine who is a first class citizen vs. who is 2nd class. Our identities get lost, in whether or not we can afford health care, control our own bodies, and where we live. In our efforts to advocate for ourselves or others, our self-image and acceptance are by no means based on what we can achieve. What we achieve in making the world is a noble and holy cause, but we don't do it for a better self-image. We do it, because of who we are. We are daughters and sons of God, in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Jesus told us all what we must do that can help us maintain our identity, our sense of self-image and acceptance. In His discourse at the Last Supper before He died, He told His followers:
I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5).A really great hymn sums this up very well.
When Christ was lifted from the earth,
his arms stretched out above
though every culture, every birth,
to draw an answering love.
Still east and west his love extends
and always, near or far,
he calls and claims us as his friends
and loves us as we are.
Where generation, class, or race
divide us to our shame,
he sees not labels but a face,
a person, and a name.
Thus freely loved, though fully known,
may I in Christ be free,
to welcome and accept his own
as Christ accepted me. (Hymnal #603).
Racism continues to be a serious problem in our time. It's another one of those labels that injures our self-image and acceptance in relationship to God and others. Anytime we decide that another person is to be addressed or treated as a second class citizen because of the color of their skin, their country of origin, their religion or any other reason that one group of people benefits at the expense of others, our identity, self-image and acceptance are in terrible jeopardy. Racism, sexism, heterosexism and the many other social diseases of our time, determine the safety of all of us. It means that we are all unhealthy, and in need of some serious medication from God to heal ourselves and one another.
This past year, we saw momentous gains for the freedom to marry for LGBT people, but we also saw the issue of racism and sexism receive serious injuries with voting rights and reproductive health care. Christ's revelation of God in His identity as God's Beloved with whom God is well-pleased must echo the love and acceptance of ourselves and each other if there is to be healing and reconciliation on these and many other important issues facing the Church and society.
I think the words of another hymn are most important to our prayer as I conclude the reflection in this blog post.
Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love,Amen.
show us how to serve
the neighbors we have from you. (Hymnal 1982 #602).
Prayers
Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light
of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word
and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ's
glory, that he may be known, worshiped, and obeyed to the
ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with
you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and
for ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p. 215)
Almighty God, by the hand of Moses your servant you
led your people out of slavery, and mad them free at last:
Grant that your Church, following the example of your
prophet Martin Luther King, may resist oppression in the
name of your love, and may secure for all your children the
blessed liberty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
forever. Amen. (Holy Women, Holy Men; Celebrating the Saints, p.307).
O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us
through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole
human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which
infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us;
unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and
confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in
your good time, all nations and races may serve you in
harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p.815).
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