Lent 5: Worship

 As we are nearing the end of Lent, we hear the story of Mary anointing Jesus’ feet. We cannot physically touch and anoint Jesus. However, as the collect for Sunday, notes we can remember that among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found. We keep our hearts on Jesus in our prayer and service. Then like Mary and Martha, we do worship and anoint Jesus.

The Gospel (John 12:1-8) tells us of Mary’s extravagant gesture of love. We hear that Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. This is not only an expensive gift, but a very intimate action. The cost was likely around a year’s wages (300 denarii) at the time. Mary’s act of wiping Jesus’ feet with her hair could even have been considered wanton by those in the room. (Certainly, Judas finds it offensive.)

In our worship, are we willing to be extravagant and even wanton? Sometimes, we err on the side of decorum rather than doing something simple like lifting holy hands in prayer. (1 Timothy 2:8) Mary’s action gives us permission to offer all of ourselves to God when we pray and serve. In this image of Mary anointing Jesus (from Bing images), we see her anointing and adoring the roughest and dirtiest part of her Lord.

 

In my book, Sacred Story: Yours, Mine, Ours, I focus on the earlier incident where Mary and Martha meet and minister to Jesus. (Luke 10:38-42) Although Mary is often pointed to as the paragon of faith by sitting at Jesus’ feet, “each of these women was an apostle in her own right. Each used her gifts in the service of God.” I note, “Mary and Martha demonstrate that there is more than one way to offer God’s love. Some of us may share love in active pursuits like teaching and housework. Others may be more comfortable with prayer or song. The important thing is to serve in love... [Mary and Martha] responded in different ways to Jesus. We are inheritors of their inspiration to pray and to serve.”

Do (or how do) Mary and Martha, in their differing responses to Jesus, encourage you in your life and ministry to pray and serve?

I offer this prayer from the Rev. Leslie Scoopmire, in closing: “Blessed Teacher, may we sit at your feet and be transformed to follow your Way. May we seek to serve others with gratitude. Unite within us the desire to learn and the willingness to serve like Mary and Martha in their work for the kingdom of God. Give us Martha hands and Mary hearts, opening our minds and spirits to serve you and be guided by you. Let us proclaim your glory in words and actions. Make us your hands and your loving wisdom in the world. Amen”

Lent 4: Repentence

 We are continuing our journey through Lent looking at the Sunday readings, and how we can relate them to stories of Biblical women and our lives. Repentance is a big topic in Lent. The story of the Prodigal Son from the Gospel this week, promises that God will always welcome us home when we return. Rahab and Mary of Magdala, though maligned through the centuries also teach us about unconditional love.

The collect for this Fourth Sunday of Lent, echoes the theme as well. Jesus, as the true bread, gives life and love to the world. Through him, we are then to give that same grace to others. Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. We pray that we may live in him, and be like him in our lives.

Jesus tells the story of the Prodigal Son after the Pharisees complained about Jesus hanging out with ‘sinners.’ The definition of ‘sinner’ to the Pharisees was pretty much anyone who didn’t practice religion exactly ‘right’—by their definition. Sadly, the same thing can be said of each of us today. We often categorize someone as ‘bad’ or ‘sinner’ simply because they don’t act like we think they should, or they hold a different belief system. It is very easy to point fingers, and hard to really try to understand a different viewpoint or life-style.

The parable tells of a young man who asks for his inheritance and then squandered his property in dissolute living. He eventually returns home. His father, who has been hoping for the return, greets him with gifts and a feast. We see that his older brother is not so generous. He pouts, and became angry and refused to go in. Even when his father tries to explain, he seems to remain obstinate. Jesus was symbolically pointing to the Pharisees as the elder son who refuses to accept his brother’s repentance and insists on his own way.

The question is equally applicable to us today. Like the Pharisees, and elder son, we want to be the special and ‘proper’ and ‘right’ one. Even in the scriptural witness, we find that women (and men) are looked down on and discounted. We see that in Rahab and Mary of Magdala, both named as prostitutes for being outside the norm.

As I note in my book Sacred Story: Yours, Mine, Ours, “despite their witness and action, both Rahab and Mary of Magdala are slandered and disparaged. Over the centuries, their reputations and lives have been ignored or rewritten by those in power.”

K.J. Ramsey affirms, “This is what I know: the betrayal of another cannot take your belovedness away. Darkness cannot steal your inheritance. Evil cannot revoke your anointing. The Kingdom of God is here. This is still your Father’s world. Beautiful and brutal things will happen to you and those you love. But do not be afraid. God never leaves us without a witness or a name.” [The Lord is My Courage: Stepping Through the Shadows of Fear to the Voice of Love (Zondervan, 2022)]

In The Weight of Glory, CS Lewis says, “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal…it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, and exploit…Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses...in him also Christ vere latitat—the glorifier and the glorified, Glory Himself, is truly hidden.” In my book, I noted, “Seeing each other as bearers of God and co-workers with us, could change our perceptions and judgments. I wonder what difference it would make in my life, in your life, in the world, if we were conscious of the Christ hidden in each of us. If we, like Rahab and Mary, were truly willing to cast our lot with God, a Beloved Community might be birthed.”

1 John 4:7 pleads, Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God. Like the father in the parable, our response to each other needs to be grace and acceptance not pouting or pointing fingers because not everyone is just like us.

What difference would it make if you saw everyone as filled with God’s glory and equally beloved?

Lent 3: Call

 God calls each of us. Perhaps not always in the dramatic way Moses heard God in the bush, as in our reading this Sunday. Sometimes, like Photini and Deborah it is simply in the way we live and witness. The collect for the Third Sunday of Lent from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer says, Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The prayer reminds us that we cannot help ourselves. When we think we are in charge or in control, it is a mirage formed by our own hubris and pride. Let’s think about Moses for a minute. We meet him in the Old Testament/Hebrew Scripture reading (Exodus 3:1-15) while keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro. That is a long way from his status as a Prince of Egypt. Remember in the early chapters of Exodus we hear how he was saved from Pharoah’s edict to kill all male children, by Pharoah’s own daughter. He was raised as royalty and only learned his true heritage as a young man. Then in defense of a fellow Hebrew he killed an Egyptian and fled for his life. Now he is a humble shepherd.

God doesn’t look at the lack of power, though. He sees Moses, a man gifted with abilities learned in his years at court and knowledge of the wilderness gained as a shepherd. God knows Moses is the man to confront Pharoah and bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.  

Moses is not convinced and argues with God. God doesn’t give up and tells him to inform the Israelites ‘I AM has sent me to you…The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’

In my book Sacred Story: Yours, Mine, Ours, we meet Photini (aka the Samaritan Woman) and Deborah, an Old Testament judge. What do they have in common? They are leaders, unexpected leaders, and strong leaders. Like the prayer at the beginning, they knew they had no power in ourselves to help ourselves. “Deborah in the Old Testament and Photini in the New Testament are bold witnesses to the work of God. They show how God can act mightily in any life. Deborah was a judge of Israel, and Photini was the first to proclaim Jesus’ Messiahship to her town of Sychar.” I think this image of a proud, confident woman could represent either Deborah or Photini.

In my book, I note, “Deborah and Photini recognized that a greater good could come from trusting God. Our personal actions for the ‘good of all,’ often start out small. Deborah was simply offering advice under a palm tree. Photini was just going to the well for water. These women were doing their daily tasks. Then God acted in their lives. When God acts with and in us, the mustard seed of our life and work becomes a mighty tree.”

Moses didn’t think he could free the Israelites from the power of Pharoah. Deborah may have doubted that she could lead an army and Photini wasn’t expecting to meet the Messiah at the well. Yet, God used each of these people to move the Kingdom of God closer. I remind readers, “Our Sacred Stories carry encounters with the Living God like the men and women in the Bible. Like them, our witness deepens our faith and inspires our walk with God.” It is rarely in the big, newsworthy moments that change happens. It is in the small, day-to-day encounters where justice, mercy, and love are shared.

What small actions have you seen, in your life or others, which God use to bring about change?

Lent 2: Covenent

 Today we jump to the Hebrew Scripture/Old Testament reading to consider how we Covenant with God in our lives and actions as we look at the story of Abram in Genesis. Mary and Elizabeth in the New Testament offer inspiration of ways we say “Yes” to the seemingly impossible plans of God.

This week’s collect (prayer) from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer says, O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. It acknowledges that we do fall away from God’s ways. The prayer reminds us that in the “unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ,” we are brought back to relationship with God.

In the Hebrew Scripture reading for this Second Sunday of Lent (Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18) Abram has a vision where God affirms the covenant of relationship with Abram. God assures him that, though he is currently childless, he will have descendants as many as stars in the heavens. Abram believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness. How many of us would be able to believe in thousands of descendants when all the physical appearances say the opposite? However, God keeps the promise through decades and centuries until Christ and even to us, now.

In my book, Sacred Story: Yours, Mine, Ours, I look at the stories of Mary of Nazareth and Elizabeth as women who can teach us about saying “Yes” to God’s (seemingly) impossible actions. I note, “Saying ‘yes’ to God means risking being changed…the two women say “Yes” to God’s action. Elizabeth prefers to keep her pregnancy a secret. Mary, on the other hand, wants to share what happened and hurries off to the only person who might understand. They each accept the risk of saying ‘yes’ to God’s work”

In the book, I invite readers to join with “Mary and Elizabeth [living] the reality of being, and birthing, hope…If we look deep within our story, we may very well find times when we heard and said ‘yes’ to speaking God’s word in our lives and actions.”

Despite the thousands of years between Abram and the women, God is faithful. Elizabeth’s child will proclaim the coming of the one who fulfills the covenant with Abram. Mary carries in her womb the One who IS the fulfillment. As noted in the Epistle to the Galatians (3:27-29), all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise. We ourselves are the fulfillment of the promise and covenant!

As inheritors of the ancient promise of God, we are invited to respond and enter a relationship with God and God’s people. We are invited to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8) That looks different for each of us, God loves the diversity of responses to enact God’s work and dream.

Where have you heard that invitation to covenant like Abram, Mary, and Elizabeth to say ‘Yes’ to God’s promise for your life and our world? 

Are you willing to believe that your life can bear fruit ‘as many as the stars in heaven,’ despite whatever current appearances are?

Lent 1: Temptations

During Lent, I'll be using the lectionary readings for each Sunday and selected chapters from my book Sacred Story: Yours, Mine Ours. I'll offer ways the stories of these Bible women relate to  the Lent themes. The faith of these women may guide us in ways to live our lives as "repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in."  (Isaiah 58:12)

On this first Sunday of Lent, we consider how our woundedness can lead us into temptations. We will look at Leah and Rachel in the Old Testament as images of how wounds can make us act unwisely and how Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness can give us hope and inspiration for living more whole lives.

The prayer (collect) in the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer encapsulates the truth that we are all tempted and weak and reminds us who is really in control. Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

In the Gospel for Sunday, (Luke 4:1-13) we hear of Jesus temptation in the wilderness after his baptism. The devil suggests changing stones to bread, offers the kingdoms of the world, and urges Jesus to leap off the temple to see if God will catch him. Those may not be temptations you or I will encounter. However, we do often wish we could change situations, be notable, or get amazing recognition for the things we do.

The story of Rachel and Leah, beginning in Genesis 29 shows us how we can be tempted to manipulate things to further our own agenda or to benefit us. Laban, father of Rachel and Leah, tricks his nephew Jacob into marrying both daughters to have free labor for over 14 years. The sisters themselves enter a competition of numbers of sons that results in much hard feeling between the women and their sons. Jacob manipulates the family by telling his wives that God wants them to return to Canaan as depicted in this painting by Pieter Potter (1638).

As I note in my book, Sacred Story: Yours, Mine, Ours, “Rachel and Leah are two sisters whose family heritage and individual self-image impacted how they responded to the challenges in their lives. Rachel became a defensive woman who doubted that she was loved. Leah struggled to believe she was lovable and spent her life competing for the elusive love of her husband. Their identities, like ours, were formed by the diverse parts of their life history. Every family has secrets and expectations. Sometimes these are healthy, and sometimes they are destructive. Recognizing the impact of our family story on our Sacred Story can change how we respond to one another. When we realize that we are all wounded and broken, we can be more compassionate.”

Recognizing how the wounds of our lives impact our responses to the temptations we face can help us take a more healthy path. Just imagine how different the relationship between Leah and Rachel could have been if Leah had been willing to acknowledge that she felt hurt because she believed Jacob loved the ‘prettier’ younger sister more. Rachel doubted she was loved, too, because of the emphasis on the cultural measurement of bearing children. It might have been different if the sisters were able to share their fears and doubts.

Like us, though, everyone in the story reacted based on their woundedness rather than working for the good of the whole. It is so easy to want to protect what is ‘ours’ that we can slip into temptations that benefit no one. We can ignore someone’s pain because they might demand something from us. We can refuse to see each other as children of God because we disagree. We can, and do, all fall into temptation.

Jesus response to Satan in the wilderness showed a dependence on God that is lacking from the woundedness of Rachel and Leah and Jacob’s (and our) lives. Jesus points out ‘one does not live by bread alone.’ He reminds the Tempter that we are to ‘worship the Lord your God and serve only him’ and that we should not ‘put the Lord your God to the test.’

Jesus points beyond himself to God. Rachel and Leah point fingers at each other in blame. I find myself responding in fear and anger when I feel out of control. Jesus offers the way of Life—looking to God and acknowledging that God is in control. The prayer this Sunday asks, let each one find you mighty to save. Indeed it is only God who can save us from our temptations and from our woundedness that gives room for temptations to get under our skin.  

May we find time this week to consider some of the wounds that make us vulnerable to temptations.

See you in Lent

 I'm taking Epiphany as a sabbatical from posting to the blog. 

See you in March for thoughts on the themes of Lent through the eyes of women of the Bible. You can join the Zoom study, or just read my thoughts here.  

Based on Cindy's book Sacred Story, Yours, Mine, Ours we'll explore the themes of Lent in our lives and through the eyes of women of the Bible. Thursday evenings at 6:30PM, on Zoom, starting March 6-April 10.

Temptation (Leah and Rachel: Wounds we Carry)
Covenant (Mary and Elizabeth: Saying Yes)
Call (Photini and Deborah: Unsung Leadership)
Repentence (Rahab and Magdalene: Misjudged and Maligned)
Worship (Mary and Martha: Prayer and Service)
Change (Ruth and Naomi: Exiles and Refugees)
Email Cindy for the link.

Christmas 2024

 

and may 2025 be full of joy.

See you in the New Year.