Words 2.4

Words Twice a Week           2.4

If you are more into listening than reading, Words Twice a Week is available, along with other good stuff, as a podcast from St Paul’s Episcopal Church.  Click here.

So last week’s challenge of writing an acrostic psalm – didn’t happen.

Some thoughts on some of the lessons for this week -

Ps 147.1-11, 20c

+ the 20c is just a concluding “Praise the Lord!”.  Well, “shout” praise to the Lord, at least in some translations.  We probably don’t do that – maybe “sing loudly”?  Does “shout” imply doing something so that others would hear and know that you are doing it?  Would this be like emailing or texting “PRAISE TO THE LORD!!! 

+ God creates (vs 1-6) and God sustains (vs 7-11).  There is a mutuality between God’s power and God’s concern.

+ God named each star, ie, has power and authority over each star.

+ vs 4-5 God “numbers” the stars and God’s understanding is beyond “measure” – apparently “numbers” and “measure” are the same (or related) words in the original Hebrew.

+ “power and weakness” – history is filled with the struggle to gain the former and avoid the latter.  The psalm gives a different vision – there is one power, and to participate in it is to admit one’s own weakness.

+ one writer suggests that “the downtrodden” probably does not refer to social or economic issues as most people of the time were content with their lot, but more likely those who had experienced some calamity(?).

Isaiah 40.21-31

+ God created/creates and God ruled/rules

+ God puts down earthly rulers.  Does God also lift them up, or at least some of them?

+ I love vs 26 in the CEV – “none of the stars are ever missing”!

+ Israel feeling/experiencing oppression or injustice.  So who might this psalm resonater well with today?  And how does it work when people who are not necessarily experiencing oppression or injustice (and may in fact be the oppressors!) lift up this psalm?  Is that a kind of inappropriate cultural appropriation?

+ vs 27 – “my way is hidden, my right is disregarded”  -  an individual lament or cultural?  Can we see beyond ourselves, beyond our particular faith group?  If your church was closing would you be able to see (and affirm) God working somewhere else?  Maybe even beyond our vision of Christianity?

+ one writer suggests it’s the question of faith vs experience.  Of course good United Methodists would recall that Wesley added the category of “Experience” to the Church of England’s understanding of Scripture, Tradition, and Reason as a program for thinking about one’s faith.  So experience is not necessarily a limiting factor to one’s faith understanding.  What experiences have built up your faith, what experiences have hindered it?

+ two songs from this lesson – of course “On eagle’s wings” and then this really nice benediction song from Paul Murakami and Handt Hanson -

   May you run and not be weary; May your heart be filled with song.

   May the love of God continue to give you hope and make you strong.

   And may you run and not be weary; May your life be filled with joy!

   And may the road you travel always lead you home.

1 Cor 9.16-23

+ Paul lists the rights and privileges he could claim in order to show how and why he forgoes them.  What rights and privileges do we forgo?  What do you have a right to that you do not take?  And why?

+ Paul proclaims free grace, not cheap grace (Bonhoeffer)  

+ Paul says he is “not anyone’s slave but a slave to everyone”.

+ Paul is the gospel’s Jr partner, to the gospel is not relativised, but Paul is.  Are there areas in which we (individual or congregation) relativize our beliefs and actions to spread the gospel?

+ one writer notes that sometimes Paul is difficult to understand, and other times too easy (for comfort!) to understand.  Which is this?

+ Paul suggests there are “legitimate ambiguities” in Christian living.  Do you notice this?  Where?

Mark 1.29-39

+ Simon’s mother-in-law!  Wait – mother-in-law?  As in mother of spouse?  The mother-in-law’s fever would have been understood as having a demonic origin, so this is still a defeat of evil forces.  Does this influence the way we think about Jesus healing today?

+ Note the mother-in-law “ministers” to him – this is more than just fixing a meal.  

+ Jesus heals first one, than many.  

+ there are three scenes, first personal, then local, then universal as Jesus goes on to somewhere else, despite the disciples suggestion that he go back to the crowd.  This is a temptation, isn’t it – to return to the safe and known, like a secure gerrymandered district(!), or like “the way we have always done it” instead of going on into the unknown.

+ the disciples say “everyone is searching for you” and Jesus says, “let’s go elsewhere”.  Two possibilities 1) if people are searching for Jesus then his job is over – they will find him; and 2) Craddock notes that usually in Mark people who are “searching” for Jesus are those who would distract or oppose him.  Have a sense for which this is?

+ the “messianic secret” still in play.  Jesus does not want to be known as just a healer or an exorcist, but as….. well, how does Jesus want to be known?  Probably just by the life that he lives.  We really have no words, terms, or concepts to fully define him.

+ this is from Fred Craddock – how Jesus managed to not be seduced by popularity: 1) alternate between public and private moments, 2) interrupt life for prayer, 3) movement towards those who have not heard, and 4) call for silence.  With regard to 2) there was a story about writer Joan Chittister observing the hours – she would slip out of meetings periodically, not to go to the bathroom, but to say the prayer.  Have you ever tried doing the liturgy of the hours?  Might be something to try for lent this year.

+ Jesus walks away from doing healings in order to “proclaim the message” elsewhere. “Preaching itself is presented as an act of the saving power of God.  If Jesus would not allow himself to become completely mired in acts of physical kindness, but insisted through the insight of prayer that proclamation was as necessary or even more necessary than doing good works, then we should heed his example and give of our time and efforts to proclamation, or at least in this world to gossiping the gospel.”  How do we “proclaim” or “gossip the gospel”?  Note that Jesus went to those who have not heard – is this different from preaching to the congregation week after week?  One of the problems is that studies show when you have been going to church for x number of years, most of your friends/acquaintances are already Christian (or in some faith community).

A prayer for the week -

Creator God,

The stars move in their courses and you never lose sight of a single one.

The young ravens cry for food and you see that they are fed.

The parched earth waits for rain, and you send it, drop by drop.

Thank you for the reassurance that you know and care for us as well.

That’s what I got for now…..

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