Today's Scripture Readings
Matthew 11: 16-19 (NRSV)
Blog Reflection
The Gospel for today's Advent reflection seems a bit harsh. It is no way near as harsh as the Gospel from the Daily Office taken from Matthew 23: 27-39 where Jesus is constantly saying "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisess, hypocrites!"
The Pharisees in Matthew 11: 16-19 are more or less being told that they are party poopers. John the Baptist was calling for repentance and the Pharisees suggested he was of the devil. Jesus accepts and invitation to sup with the Pharisees which he gladly accepts, and Jesus is negatively labeled for enjoying himself at dinner.
There is a lot going on in our nation, church and world. The constant arguing between the Congress and the President about extending unemployment benefits and extending the payroll tax cut. The Christian Anti-Defamation League suggesting that President Obama is not a Christian because he is so supportive of LGBT equality, and his Pastor. The Republican Presidential nomination process being so dehumanizing towards women, children and the poor. The contention between the conservative and liberal sides of the Church over the ordination of women, LGBT people, same-sex marriage rites, and whether we are more Catholic or Protestant. All of these are examples of the extremes that are going on.
Anglicanism is understood as the via media. The middle way between Catholic Worship & Prayer on one side, and dynamic Christian spirituality and our progressive approach to social justice on the other. The via media is suppose to help us avoid extremes of one kind or another. It allows individuals of varying beliefs and theological opinions to find a home. You can take your place in the Anglican and Episcopal tradition and find Anglo-Catholic thinkers and others who can rival any Baptist or Pentecostal church in the southern States. Some where in the broad spectrum of what it means to be Anglican and/or Episcopalian is a place for you.
Even still there are dangers in the via media that can be overlooked. The middle way can become a place of apathy. A middle place from which we will not go in one direction or another can cause us to become much too comfortable with not moving to care for the poor, the marginalized or raise our concerns about laws and practices that protect and "make friends with oppression." For Christians the middle way can become an excuse to avoid prayer and worship with God by ourselves or in the company of others so as to help us grow in the knowledge and love of God beyond where we currently are.
Jesus finds himself in that middle way in our Gospel. He is sitting and supping with those who really do not have his best interests at heart. Jesus is fully aware of their motives. Yet, Jesus is choosing to remain there in constant communion with God and others around him. Jesus finds himself between melancholy and excessive joy. In that middle space, those with whom Jesus is sharing his time with are never happy. Unless of course, they can succeed in destroying Jesus' reputation that helps them maintain their prestige and place among other people.
Whether we find ourselves in places of sadness, gloom and depression or we find ourselves celebrating and enjoying ourselves by eating, drinking and being merry, Jesus sups among us.
As we go through this Season of Advent to prepare for the coming of Christ at the end of time, while preparing to celebrate his coming at Christmas, we are preparing in that sense of all ready, but not yet. God has already revealed God's Self in Christ in Salvation History. Yet the future of Christ's return in Glory is not yet fully realized. When we receive Christ by faith in the Eucharist as Christ's Body the Church, we are celebrating that Jesus is among us in and through each other in the mystery of the Sacrament.
The presence of Jesus that we remember, wait for and receive in the Sacrament of Holy Communion is present and calling us to reach out to him in prayer and worship. Jesus is also calling us to do more than sit in that via media and become too comfortable with not doing our part to "not make peace with oppression."
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer (LGBTQ) people, along with individuals of different skin colors, cultural heritages, races, emotional/psychological/physical challenges, genders, languages, economic statuses, employment statuses, educational backgrounds, immigration statuses and many others, are those who face constant oppression socially, religiously and politically.
We continue to live in a time when the rich and powerful are calling all the shots, while those who can only dream of keeping a studio apartment for themselves and their families hopes and prays for local assistance to be able to keep their home.
As followers of Jesus Christ we must never take the position of further hurting the message of the Gospel to care for those less fortunate than ourselves by saying things like: "Well, they got themselves in the situation they are in, just let them suffer, if they are not going to work". If we read the Gospel accounts of Jesus' encounter with those who were marginalized and stigmatized by society, we will find that Jesus' harshest words were for those who felt like they should do nothing. How then can we sit in the "middle way" and justify ourselves for doing nothing?
Regardless of what we chose to do, God is with us in Christ. That is what Emmanuel (see Matthew 1: 23) was all about. Despite the messes we find ourselves in, and no matter how challenging it can be for us to follow and/or understand the Gospel, Jesus promises to be with us "always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28: 20).
Let us be very careful however, that we remember that the Jesus who is with us no matter what, is also present in the hungry, the thirsty, the LGBTQ person, the prisoner, the naked and those without medical care or the income to provide the basic necessities of life. Jesus reminds us that whenever we do something for the "least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me." (Matthew 25: 40).
Prayers
Matthew 11: 16-19 (NRSV)
‘But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market-places and calling to one another,
“We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not mourn.”
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.’
Blog Reflection
The Gospel for today's Advent reflection seems a bit harsh. It is no way near as harsh as the Gospel from the Daily Office taken from Matthew 23: 27-39 where Jesus is constantly saying "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisess, hypocrites!"
The Pharisees in Matthew 11: 16-19 are more or less being told that they are party poopers. John the Baptist was calling for repentance and the Pharisees suggested he was of the devil. Jesus accepts and invitation to sup with the Pharisees which he gladly accepts, and Jesus is negatively labeled for enjoying himself at dinner.
There is a lot going on in our nation, church and world. The constant arguing between the Congress and the President about extending unemployment benefits and extending the payroll tax cut. The Christian Anti-Defamation League suggesting that President Obama is not a Christian because he is so supportive of LGBT equality, and his Pastor. The Republican Presidential nomination process being so dehumanizing towards women, children and the poor. The contention between the conservative and liberal sides of the Church over the ordination of women, LGBT people, same-sex marriage rites, and whether we are more Catholic or Protestant. All of these are examples of the extremes that are going on.
Anglicanism is understood as the via media. The middle way between Catholic Worship & Prayer on one side, and dynamic Christian spirituality and our progressive approach to social justice on the other. The via media is suppose to help us avoid extremes of one kind or another. It allows individuals of varying beliefs and theological opinions to find a home. You can take your place in the Anglican and Episcopal tradition and find Anglo-Catholic thinkers and others who can rival any Baptist or Pentecostal church in the southern States. Some where in the broad spectrum of what it means to be Anglican and/or Episcopalian is a place for you.
Even still there are dangers in the via media that can be overlooked. The middle way can become a place of apathy. A middle place from which we will not go in one direction or another can cause us to become much too comfortable with not moving to care for the poor, the marginalized or raise our concerns about laws and practices that protect and "make friends with oppression." For Christians the middle way can become an excuse to avoid prayer and worship with God by ourselves or in the company of others so as to help us grow in the knowledge and love of God beyond where we currently are.
Jesus finds himself in that middle way in our Gospel. He is sitting and supping with those who really do not have his best interests at heart. Jesus is fully aware of their motives. Yet, Jesus is choosing to remain there in constant communion with God and others around him. Jesus finds himself between melancholy and excessive joy. In that middle space, those with whom Jesus is sharing his time with are never happy. Unless of course, they can succeed in destroying Jesus' reputation that helps them maintain their prestige and place among other people.
Whether we find ourselves in places of sadness, gloom and depression or we find ourselves celebrating and enjoying ourselves by eating, drinking and being merry, Jesus sups among us.
As we go through this Season of Advent to prepare for the coming of Christ at the end of time, while preparing to celebrate his coming at Christmas, we are preparing in that sense of all ready, but not yet. God has already revealed God's Self in Christ in Salvation History. Yet the future of Christ's return in Glory is not yet fully realized. When we receive Christ by faith in the Eucharist as Christ's Body the Church, we are celebrating that Jesus is among us in and through each other in the mystery of the Sacrament.
The presence of Jesus that we remember, wait for and receive in the Sacrament of Holy Communion is present and calling us to reach out to him in prayer and worship. Jesus is also calling us to do more than sit in that via media and become too comfortable with not doing our part to "not make peace with oppression."
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer (LGBTQ) people, along with individuals of different skin colors, cultural heritages, races, emotional/psychological/physical challenges, genders, languages, economic statuses, employment statuses, educational backgrounds, immigration statuses and many others, are those who face constant oppression socially, religiously and politically.
We continue to live in a time when the rich and powerful are calling all the shots, while those who can only dream of keeping a studio apartment for themselves and their families hopes and prays for local assistance to be able to keep their home.
As followers of Jesus Christ we must never take the position of further hurting the message of the Gospel to care for those less fortunate than ourselves by saying things like: "Well, they got themselves in the situation they are in, just let them suffer, if they are not going to work". If we read the Gospel accounts of Jesus' encounter with those who were marginalized and stigmatized by society, we will find that Jesus' harshest words were for those who felt like they should do nothing. How then can we sit in the "middle way" and justify ourselves for doing nothing?
Regardless of what we chose to do, God is with us in Christ. That is what Emmanuel (see Matthew 1: 23) was all about. Despite the messes we find ourselves in, and no matter how challenging it can be for us to follow and/or understand the Gospel, Jesus promises to be with us "always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28: 20).
Let us be very careful however, that we remember that the Jesus who is with us no matter what, is also present in the hungry, the thirsty, the LGBTQ person, the prisoner, the naked and those without medical care or the income to provide the basic necessities of life. Jesus reminds us that whenever we do something for the "least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me." (Matthew 25: 40).
Prayers
Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Second Sunday of Advent, Book of Common Prayer, page 211).
Lord Jesus Christ, by your death you took away the sting of death: Grant to us your servants so to follow in faith where you have led the way, that we may at length fall asleep peacefully in you and wake up in your likeness; for your tender mercies' sake. Amen. (Evening Prayer Collect for Fridays, Book of Common Prayer, page 123).
Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. (Prayer for Mission, Book of Common Prayer, page 100).
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