Today's Scripture Readings
Zechariah 9:9-12 (NRSV)
Psalm 145 (BCP., p.802).
Romans 7:15-25a (NRSV)
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 (NRSV)
Blog Reflection
I join the many who have voiced their concern about the Hobby Lobby ruling at the Supreme Court on Monday, June 30th. The ruling by itself was an egregious one against women and contrary to what real religious liberty is about. Religious liberty is not a matter of one particular religious group's position being able to define our laws and regulations for the rest of us. It is about the opportunity to make a choice about what we will or will not believe and/or practice with regards to our own religious beliefs without undue coercion or adherence on behalf of the State. In all of the instances where the freedom to marry has been made legal for same-gender couples for example, there has also been granted an exemption that allows for any religious institution or house of worship to decide not to bless a same-gender relationship. The same right however, does not, nor should it extend to a public business just because the owners are of a particular religious persuasion on the matter. A business that serves the whole public, must serve everyone in the public.
This decision by the Supreme Court has opened the doors for uncontrolled abuses in the name of religion. While rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the United States has gained significant ground; a series of decisions by the Supreme Court regarding corporations being defined as persons in the Citizens United case and a few more since then, the gutting of the Voting Rights Act and now this one, has taken racial equality and the equal treatment of women under the law backwards.
As I have been reflecting on this matter this week, I think the biggest issue I have with it is that this is being pursued by a group of people, that honestly believe that this is what Jesus Christ would want. An imposed set of laws that continue to denigrate women and other racial minorities in ways that increase bias on their behalf. Given our Scripture readings this weekend, I find it very difficult to believe that this is what Jesus would want.
I won't attempt to break down all of the Scripture readings for today, but I will synthesize them a bit for us. It is the 4th of July weekend, and I think we have all had our ears filled with news, opinions and more about the Hobby Lobby ruling. Yet, I want us to meditate a bit on another view of Jesus than those who may be celebrating this ruling.
Jesus did not come to represent any one particular group of people. He came as God's perfect revelation of God's Self. Jesus came to bring about the Reign of God for all people, in particular those who had been brushed to the side. His desire to draw everyone closer to God went to the point of entering Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, and eventually to His agonizing death on the Cross. He came that way to announce a new era of God's reign that wasn't about scapegoating, violence, weaponry or the need to dominate anyone. Jesus came as God's human face to connect us to God through a relationship with one another. A relationship that is full of ups and downs. A way of living together despite our many differences and understandings of the world around us. All Jesus did and calls us to do is to love one another as He loves each of us. (See John 15:12-17).
One of the many reasons why I am so attracted to The Rule of St. Benedict is because of what is written in Chapter 4: The Tools of Good Works verse 21: "the love of Christ must come before all else." And later in the famous Chapter 53: The Reception of Guests, Benedict writes: "All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for he himself will say: I was a stranger and you welcomed me" (Matt 25:35).
It is true what St. Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, that our nature is such that we do what we do not want to, and do not do what we know we should. It is in our human nature to give ourselves over to what we know is not the best for us, and do what is leaning on the worst side. However, the story does not end there. In chapter 8:1 of Romans we read that "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." The victory won for us by the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ is such, that we no longer need to held captive to sin, but have the freedom of children adopted by God through Christ (See Ephesians 1:3-14).
Jesus invites all of us to come to Him so that we may find our rest in Him. We are not bound by attitudes and behaviors of prejudice, cruel rhetoric and judgmental thinking. In Christ Jesus we have all been made free women and men to pursue the goal of "overcoming all these things through the One who has loved us. (See Romans 8:37). And, because Christ has loved us, we must be willing to open our eyes, minds and hearts to show reverence and respect for the dignity of every human person, welcoming Christ in them.
The Hobby Lobby decision this week is a disaster in terms of what being a Christian really means. It suggests demeaning and stereotyping women who decide to use contraception including in cases where it protects them from more than an unwanted pregnancy. A woman is no less of a Christian if she uses contraception, nor is she more of a Christian because she does not. A man is not less of a Christian if he uses a condom to protect himself from HIV or other STD's, or from impregnating a woman accidentally. A man is not more of a Christian because he is married to a woman and with her has seven children, etc. Whether individuals practice or do not practice certain things, does not, nor should it mean, that we deprive them of their dignity as human beings just because. The greatest evil in the Hobby Lobby decision is that it gives Christians the license to make value judgments on each other, when we have had more than enough of that.
As we move forward, may our prayers and work be for the good of all individuals without prejudice or undue harm. May our Lord Jesus help us to make room in our hearts for His presence as He comes to us in all persons. May we honor and reverence the presence of Christ in others.
Amen.
Prayers
Zechariah 9:9-12 (NRSV)
- Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
- Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
- Lo, your king comes to you;
- triumphant and victorious is he,
- humble and riding on a donkey,
- on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
- He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
- and the war horse from Jerusalem;
- and the battle bow shall be cut off,
- and he shall command peace to the nations;
- his dominion shall be from sea to sea,
- and from the River to the ends of the earth.
- As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
- I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
- Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
- today I declare that I will restore to you double.
Psalm 145 (BCP., p.802).
Romans 7:15-25a (NRSV)
I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.
So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 (NRSV)
Jesus said to the crowd, "To what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, `He has a demon'; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, `Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds."
- `We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
- we wailed, and you did not mourn.'
At that time Jesus said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
Blog Reflection
I join the many who have voiced their concern about the Hobby Lobby ruling at the Supreme Court on Monday, June 30th. The ruling by itself was an egregious one against women and contrary to what real religious liberty is about. Religious liberty is not a matter of one particular religious group's position being able to define our laws and regulations for the rest of us. It is about the opportunity to make a choice about what we will or will not believe and/or practice with regards to our own religious beliefs without undue coercion or adherence on behalf of the State. In all of the instances where the freedom to marry has been made legal for same-gender couples for example, there has also been granted an exemption that allows for any religious institution or house of worship to decide not to bless a same-gender relationship. The same right however, does not, nor should it extend to a public business just because the owners are of a particular religious persuasion on the matter. A business that serves the whole public, must serve everyone in the public.
This decision by the Supreme Court has opened the doors for uncontrolled abuses in the name of religion. While rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the United States has gained significant ground; a series of decisions by the Supreme Court regarding corporations being defined as persons in the Citizens United case and a few more since then, the gutting of the Voting Rights Act and now this one, has taken racial equality and the equal treatment of women under the law backwards.
As I have been reflecting on this matter this week, I think the biggest issue I have with it is that this is being pursued by a group of people, that honestly believe that this is what Jesus Christ would want. An imposed set of laws that continue to denigrate women and other racial minorities in ways that increase bias on their behalf. Given our Scripture readings this weekend, I find it very difficult to believe that this is what Jesus would want.
I won't attempt to break down all of the Scripture readings for today, but I will synthesize them a bit for us. It is the 4th of July weekend, and I think we have all had our ears filled with news, opinions and more about the Hobby Lobby ruling. Yet, I want us to meditate a bit on another view of Jesus than those who may be celebrating this ruling.
Jesus did not come to represent any one particular group of people. He came as God's perfect revelation of God's Self. Jesus came to bring about the Reign of God for all people, in particular those who had been brushed to the side. His desire to draw everyone closer to God went to the point of entering Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, and eventually to His agonizing death on the Cross. He came that way to announce a new era of God's reign that wasn't about scapegoating, violence, weaponry or the need to dominate anyone. Jesus came as God's human face to connect us to God through a relationship with one another. A relationship that is full of ups and downs. A way of living together despite our many differences and understandings of the world around us. All Jesus did and calls us to do is to love one another as He loves each of us. (See John 15:12-17).
One of the many reasons why I am so attracted to The Rule of St. Benedict is because of what is written in Chapter 4: The Tools of Good Works verse 21: "the love of Christ must come before all else." And later in the famous Chapter 53: The Reception of Guests, Benedict writes: "All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for he himself will say: I was a stranger and you welcomed me" (Matt 25:35).
It is true what St. Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, that our nature is such that we do what we do not want to, and do not do what we know we should. It is in our human nature to give ourselves over to what we know is not the best for us, and do what is leaning on the worst side. However, the story does not end there. In chapter 8:1 of Romans we read that "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." The victory won for us by the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ is such, that we no longer need to held captive to sin, but have the freedom of children adopted by God through Christ (See Ephesians 1:3-14).
Jesus invites all of us to come to Him so that we may find our rest in Him. We are not bound by attitudes and behaviors of prejudice, cruel rhetoric and judgmental thinking. In Christ Jesus we have all been made free women and men to pursue the goal of "overcoming all these things through the One who has loved us. (See Romans 8:37). And, because Christ has loved us, we must be willing to open our eyes, minds and hearts to show reverence and respect for the dignity of every human person, welcoming Christ in them.
The Hobby Lobby decision this week is a disaster in terms of what being a Christian really means. It suggests demeaning and stereotyping women who decide to use contraception including in cases where it protects them from more than an unwanted pregnancy. A woman is no less of a Christian if she uses contraception, nor is she more of a Christian because she does not. A man is not less of a Christian if he uses a condom to protect himself from HIV or other STD's, or from impregnating a woman accidentally. A man is not more of a Christian because he is married to a woman and with her has seven children, etc. Whether individuals practice or do not practice certain things, does not, nor should it mean, that we deprive them of their dignity as human beings just because. The greatest evil in the Hobby Lobby decision is that it gives Christians the license to make value judgments on each other, when we have had more than enough of that.
As we move forward, may our prayers and work be for the good of all individuals without prejudice or undue harm. May our Lord Jesus help us to make room in our hearts for His presence as He comes to us in all persons. May we honor and reverence the presence of Christ in others.
Amen.
Prayers
O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments
by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your
Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole
heart, and united to one another with pure affection; through
Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Proper 9, Book of Common Prayer, p.230).
Almighty God, who created us in your image: Grant us
grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace
with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom,
help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our
communities and among the nations, to the glory of your holy
Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p.260).
Lord God Almighty, you have made all the peoples of the
earth for your glory, to serve you in freedom and in peace:
Give to the people of our country a zeal for justice and the
strength of forbearance, that we may use our liberty in
accordance with your gracious will; through Jesus Christ our
Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p.258)
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