SPIRITUAL COMMUNION - A REFLECTION

This reflection was delivered at Christ Episcopal Church, Yankton, S.D. on July 26, 2020

THE LESSON

Romans 8:29-39*

God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun.

So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:

They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.

We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.

None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

*The Message, copyright (c) 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene Peterson, used by permission of NavPress.  All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

REFLECTION

+In Name of our Loving God+

Covid-19 has caused us to adjust not only to a new way of life but to a new way of looking at life.  It’s as if the world has been put on hold and this pandemic has given humanity a time out.  As with all time-outs, this time out contains messages and lessons to be learned.  

For instance, within a month of this pandemic, some of the most polluted rivers in the world started quickly cleaning themselves up and cities that had never seen blue skies for decades had them back again all because this pandemic hit the pause button on normal human activity. 

This time out begs the question what we should do, moving forward, once this pandemic clears?   Do we go back to the old normal, back to our same old activities or do we embrace a new normal and learn from the lessons this time out offers us?   

Religions are not exempt from this time out.  All major religions have had to adjust to this pandemic. They have had to rethink their worship practices and some of their rituals.  

Mainline Christian churches; particularly, those which are sacramentally oriented have been faced with a dilemma when it comes to the practice of Holy Communion; where touch and taste are important factors of this sacramental rite.   At the present time, it is not safe to physically share a common cup or intinct a host in wine that could risk spreading this virus.   

The need to practice safety has given us reason to pause and an opportunity to take a deeper look at this sacrament.  Some churches have developed what are considered “safe” practices of distributing Holy Communion in the familiar forms of bread and wine; as if, the signs and symbols of this sacrament are what it is all about, but doing so when it is not necessary runs the risk of not only spreading a deadly virus but also risks sending the wrong message about this sacrament.  Holy Communion is not about the means used to distribute it but about the meaning conveyed through those means. 

Spiritual communion, which we will be using today, has been around for a long time.  It has been used and is used when individuals or groups of Christians do not have access to the means of bread and wine, cannot receive the means of Communion safely, or cannot practice Holy Communion openly.  Today we will be using an abridged prayer for spiritual communion by St. Alphonsus Liguori, an 18th century Roman Catholic saint whose feast day is August 1st.  There are several prayer forms for this practice that originated in Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, and Methodist churches.  As this pandemic continues, we may find ourselves using some of these different prayers or may create one of our own.  

This morning I want to use this reflection to take a deeper look at the spiritual nature of Holy Communion.  For the past several Sundays we have been hearing about mission and messaging as found in the Gospel of Matthew.  Jesus never wrote anything down that we know of, but Jesus left a tangible and enduring message that we know as Holy Communion or the Holy Eucharist.  Jesus left his disciples an intimate love note woven into bread and wine used during his last meal with them on the evening before he was crucified as a sign of his being one with us and a symbol of his abiding presence in this world.  

Under normal circumstance, when we ingest these symbols of his body and blood, we are saying yes to what Jesus taught and are offering ourselves to become the sign and message of Christ’s love for the world.  Although we cannot use those means today, we can still say yes to what Jesus taught and we can offer ourselves to be the sign and message of Christ’s love for the world.

Holy Communion is about the deep mystery of God’s grace in which all of creation is rooted.  

Holy Communion is not a magic act. It’s a creative act.  As such, it is there for all who seek God in Christ Jesus; to encounter God in the message conveyed through the signs and symbols of bread and wine as Jesus’ body, Jesus’ blood, Jesus' life, and Jesus’ love.

The grace Holy Communion connects us to is the grace that brought the universe into being; the kenotic grace that poured out creation at its dawning; the grace that brought you and me into being. It is the grace that revealed Jesus as the Christ of God.   This is the eucharist; the feast of joy we celebrate.

Holy communion serves to reconnect us to the “intended and original shape of our lives” that God in Jesus brought to light through his life and ministry on earth. 

Holy Communion, as the term implies, is about communing; being one with Jesus; to continue his ministry in the world, to enter into his death to what always has been and like him to open ourselves to what could be in this life and what will be in the life to come.

Holy Communion is an entry into the resurrection journey of Christ’s rising body in this life; a journey towards the fullness of Christ’s glorified body in the next.  

Holy Communion is committing to an agreement, a new covenant, written in Jesus’ blood and etched into his wounded body; a covenant of forgiveness for all, a yes to God’s unconditional love, and embracing a new normal; that of loving and giving ourselves to one another as Christ loves us and gave himself to us as a sacrament for all. 

In this act of spiritual communion, we invite Jesus into our lives, we embrace the meaning of sharing one bread and sharing one cup, of being one with Christ and one with each other.   In the pause created by this pandemic, we gaze into the deep mystery of the grace expressed in the love note that is Holy Communion, and we ponder in this sacrament St. Paul’s conclusion that “absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.”

Amen.

Until next time, stay faithful.

Norm

WHEAT AND TARES - A REFLECTION

Delivered at Christ Episcopal Church, Yankton, S.D. on Sunday, July 19, 2020.

THE LESSON

Matthew 13:24--43 - Parable of the Wheat and Tares

+In the Name of our ever-loving God+

Jesus’ parable of the Wheat and Tares is one of his most fascinating; in that, it is a parable about the kingdom of God and a parable about judgement wedged between two other parables on the kingdom of God: the parable of the sower and the parable of sower sowing mustard seed which were the topic of last Sunday’s reflection. Jesus’ in depth explanation of this parable sheds light on all three of these seedy parables, which are all about messaging.  

Jesus’ choice of wheat and tares growing in the same field references a common problem that farmers of the time would have understood.  While wheat and tares can be differentiated to the discerning eye once both mature, at their early stages of growth, tares (a form of rye grass that Jesus is talking about) looks identical to wheat and is almost impossible to get rid of during the growing season without running the risk of ruining the entire crop.  At a time when there were no herbicides, an infestation of tares in a wheat field would have necessitated them being separated at harvest time.  In fact, the audience of Jesus’ day would have immediately understood how ridiculous it would be for a servant or hired hand to suggest pulling up the tares from the wheat before the harvest.  

An important piece of information that provides insight into this parable comes immediately before Jesus’ explanation of it. Matthew has Jesus quoting Psalm 78:2 where it says, “I will open my mouth in parables. I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”  The intent of this verse appears to point us in the direction of of the creation story itself in order to find within this parable what has been hidden since the creation of the world.  I would suggest what the Psalmist says has become hidden so well, like all the best hiding places, remains in plain sight and is recorded in the last verse of the first chapter of Genesis, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”  In this simple statement, the writers of Genesis assert a profound truth upon which the rest of scripture unfolds and upon which our history continues to unfold.   

The “Someone” who went out to sow “good seed” Jesus says is the Son of Man who spreads the good word of God’s good creation.  In turn, the “field” is the world in which it is revealed that both good and evil message have been planted.  In the creation story of Genesis this is represented by the Tree of Knowledge of Good an Evil.  

I have found it useful to hold on to God’s eternal assessment that all of creation is good as best as I can while reading scripture because, within two short chapters of this assessment, we find our biblical parents, Adam and Eve, veering off course  in the pursuit to be as knowledgeable as God by knowing good and evil. 

And what they desired they received and more.  In opting for knowing good and evil, the certainty of innocence they possessed died and they found themselves with a new ability; the ability to judge each other.  

Suddenly they couldn’t be certain about anything because they were receiving mixed messages. They couldn’t even be certain about themselves because differences appeared that were not important or obvious before. They had to hide from themselves and hide from God, and ever since then, we’ve been hiding from each other and trying to hide from God. 

The surface story presented in this parable seems to be talking about people in terms of being either good seed or bad seed.  In fact, the notion of referring to a perpetual troublemaker as “bad seed” find its roots in this parable.  But beneath the surface story, in Jesus’ explanation of this parable, Jesus explicitly talks about the causes of evil in a personified way.  He talks about the children of evil who are sown by the devil and he says (in the original Greek text and in reference to the prophecy of Daniel) that at the end of time, the Son of Man and the angels will gather together all the causes of evil and all the unlawfulness that results to be cast into the fire like the tares, where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth for these shadowy minions of evil.

“Son of the devil” was a pejorative idiom used in Jesus’s day.  [See John 8:48]  Remember he once called  Peter “Satan” [ See Matthew 16:23] and on occasion implied that the religious leaders of his day were children of the devil. [John 8:48]   In his use of these pejoratives, did Jesus really see people as the offspring of Satan or the devil?    It’s highly doubtful.  

The portrayal of evil as the evil one or the devil is description of an affective phantom that does not have the ability to create living beings only the ability to have an influence on human behavior.  The only children of the devil is the evil that is brought about by devil’s deceptions and lies.  In fact, scripture describes the devil as a liar and the father of lies [John 8:44].   Jesus’ use of this pejorative term, “Children of evil” was to awaken his audience and religious leaders to the fact that, in in their certainty about their personal righteousness, they were blind to the righteousness that was standing before them.

Jesus’ explanation of this parable, underscores what we discussed last Sunday, that you cannot tell the condition of the another person’s worthiness simply by what one sees or hears.  In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns us not to judge; not to fall into the trap of seeing everything in terms of good and evil as our biblical parents did.  [See Matthew 7:1]

Human history is a tragic story of judging one another as to who’s good and bad.  We have fought wars based on such judgements.   Christians have engaged in persecutions and genocide based on a sense of another person’s value or worthiness by the virtue of their culture or appearances.  We have destroyed much of creation based on deception that considers only the short-term benefit without considering the long-term evil that can result.

The question this parable raises is why do we persist in the ridiculous behavior of tearing up each other and our world based on mixed messaging that casts evil as good and good as evil?  Jesus once asked, “Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? [Matthew 7:3]  Why do we seek the mercy of God, but so often arrogantly refrain from showing mercy to others?

Yet, underneath the surface story of our tragic history resides this hidden truth that in eyes of God, in the judgement of our merciful God, all is good, including us.  The good news is that, in the end, all the causes of evil will come to an end and what is hidden from our eyes today will once again be revealed in the fullness of the ever-evolving Kingdom  of God that we are a part of.

* * * * * * * * * * 

Ever-loving God, open our eyes to see beyond the surface reality we created in our pursuit to judge each other as good or evil. Protect us from the mixed messages that bombarde us daily, and help us to maintain by faith, through hope, and in love, the goodness you see in us and all of creation.

Amen.

Until next time, stay faithful.

Norm

THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER - A REFLECTION

This reflection was delivered at Christ Episcopal Church in Yankton, South Dakota on July 21, 2020

Matthew 13:1-9,18-23

Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!”

“Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.

+In the Name of our Life-giving God+

The Parable of the Sower is found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke with very little variance in their telling.  In all three, the seed is linked to what Matthew identifies as “word of the kingdom.”  

In this parable, Jesus is talking about something rather specific when referring to the word of the Kingdom; that it is at hand, that it is very near to us, and that it is all around us.  In this sense word of the kingdom is about awakening us to its existence, awakening us to its rule.

How this seed, this word, is thrown about rather flagrantly reminds me of today’s messaging, texting, or twittering. 

Generally, in Jesus’ parables one can readily identify with various characters or situations within the parable.  The only specific character portrayed in this parable is that of the sower, the one sending the message, the person who has the word of the Kingdom and is throwing it out there; much the same way people who post things on social media throw things out there without knowing, or for that matter, without caring who is on the receiving end of that message. 

Before going further, let us consider the word about the kingdom. Another word that is used and preferred by some biblical scholars is to speak of this kingdom as the realm (the rule) of God; which is not about a conquest of the things and people, but rather a conversion of the individual’s heart; a transfiguration of it that sees the importance of loving one’s enemy, of loving one’s neighbor, and of loving one’s self.  

The one rule or law in God’s kingdom is that we love one another.  This seed contains a desire to actively love by addressing the needs of others; particularly, the poor, the homeless, the rejected, and the outcast.  That is the potential contained in this seeded word.  

 

Big things come in small packages, as the saying goes.  Further along in Matthew 13, Jesus likens the Kingdom to a mustard seed that is being sown.  What is interesting about his choice of the mustard seed is that the middle eastern variety of mustard has a seed considered to be one of the smallest in the world, but which can grow into a tree or a large rambling bush. 

When we hear Kingdom we think big, but when Jesus talks about the Kingdom he starts with the very small, with a mustard seed.  Seeds are about potential. Every seed contains a power, an inherent will, and a cosmic desire to grow exponentially.  But for seed to grow, the conditions must be right, and this is where Jesus’ parable of the sower literally gets down to earth and starts talking about the soil of the soul; the core of one’s life, the place where the seed of God’s Kingdom has the best chance to release its potential and take root in a person’s life.  

Jesus presents a series of scenarios for us to consider, both from the perspective of the messenger and from the perspective of the recipient of the message.  As mentioned earlier, the messenger’s job is to spread this word-seed; to get it out there.  In agricultural terms of today, the idea is not to waste seed like corn, soy beans, or wheat but to target its deployment for the best yield.  

When it comes to spreading the word-seed on the field of humanity, however, one can’t tell what type of condition it is going to land on. When it comes to us humans, one can’t tell the condition of another person’s soul by what one sees or hears.  The only thing you can do as the messenger is throw this word-seed out there freely and flagrantly.  

A large part of this parable has Jesus describing the various conditions in which the word-seed is received.  In his explanation of this parable, one cannot help but hear an implicit question Jesus poses to his disciples as to whether any of these conditions are applicable to them, and by extension, to us.  

Where do I fit in on the spectrum of receptivity?  

Am I clueless with regard to what I have received in the word-seed? 

 Do I get it?  Do I even care? 

 

Am I one of those who likes good news; am happy to receive it, but find it wiped out by everything that is going on around me?  

Am I the one who get the message but then gets distracted by my own problems and all things that glitter, or am I the type that nurtures the message, find  that it has taken root in my being, has become a part of who I am and feel motivated to share it?   

Am I seeing this word-seed produce results in my life and in the lives of those around me?  

If we want to become sowers of this word-seed, we must nurture it in ourselves, let it take root in our lives; constantly nurture it through study of Scripture and water it with prayer. 

There is a practical side to what Jesus is talking about when it comes to the kingdom of God being compared to seed.  When we take this word-seed in, it grows inside us; and as it grows, we grow; and as it begins to bloom, we begin to bloom, and when this seed ripens, we become full of seed; so much so, that we cannot contain it and find ourselves taking on the role of the sower.  

When we begin to see the love of God take shape in ourselves, a love that embraces our understanding of self; as in, being truly concerned with our personal wellbeing, embracing our personal hurts, embracing the wrongs we personally do so that we can learn from them, grow from them, and forgive them, then we have ripened to a state where we are capable of embracing everyone else we meet in the same way.  It sometimes takes a great deal of personal manure to turn ourselves into a healthy plant, but once a person starts to bloom; this caring love of self easily transfers to others, as we find ourselves loving that which God loves.  

In the bloom of God’s love we have the capability to draw others to God.  The end result of blooming is the production of seed and this seed can be taken up by others, and spread by the currents of life swirling around this role we undertake as a labor of love, dispersing this transformative word-seed to hungry world.

An important observation with regard to Jesus’ parables of the kingdom is that God takes the edge off of job performance. 

We live in a world that is obsessed by measurements.  The more you make, the better off you are.  That is not how God measures productivity or success. The work of the sower is only to spread whatever seed that God produces in our being,  because the seed is God’s, and in any one seed is the full potential of God’s kingdom.

Grant then, O gracious Father, that the seed Jesus cast upon the upon the world, takes root in our lives and produces abundant fruit so that your kingdom is realized in every person that it falls upon.  Through the same Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

* * * * * * * * * * 

Until next time, stay faithful,

Norm

MATTHEW 11 - A REFLECTION

This reflection is taken from the Sunday Devotions that prepare for the Christ Episcopal Church, Yankton, SD.  

REFLECTION

by

Norm Wright

+  In the Name of our Brother, Jesus +

Today’s lesson is the entire chapter of Matthew 11in order to give us the full context in which the assigned Gospel reading for this Sunday is set.  This chapter serves as a followup to Matthew 10 which we have been looking at for the past two Sundays.  In this chapter, John the Baptizer’s disciples approach Jesus to ask, on behalf of John, if he is the Messiah.  Instead of answering them directly, Jesus tells them to look at what he is doing and discern for themselves if his deeds live up to the job description of who they are waiting for.  

After describing John the Baptizer as a reed shaken in the wind and questioning why people went into the wilderness to see him, Jesus compares John to Elijah, the prophetic figure whose return is believed to herald the coming of the Messiah.  That’s the biggest clue Jesus gives without coming right out and saying, “I am He.  I’m the one John and you are looking for.” 

One of the curious aspects of Jesus’ ministry, as recorded in the Synoptic Gospels, is his reluctance to say, “I am the Messiah.”  Why didn’t he just come out and say it?   Instead Jesus, as was his manner, follows their question with a rhetorical question of his own, “To what will I compare this generation?”   

In other words, Jesus basically turns their question back on them and those who are in the audience, “Who are you?  What are you up to? Are you really ready for the Messiah?  Will you be able to recognize him if he shows up and is standing in front of you?  What exactly are you looking for in the Messiah?”

Jesus’ description of his generation is easy to apply to every generation that followed, including our own.  He compares his generation to a group of children calling out to other children to dance to their tune, play their game, be good sports and mimic what they do, to be happy with what makes them happy, and to whine with them when things don’t go their way.  In essence, Jesus is saying they are not mature enough to see the Messiah; that they are looking for a messiah who fits their idea of a messiah, a messiah who will play their games and vindicate their attitudes, their beliefs, and their behavior. 

Jesus points out that when he approaches those considered lost causes by their religious standards and doesn’t play that game, he is told in any number of ways by any number of people; especially, by religious leaders,  “You don’t get to eat and drink with those considered to be unrighteous; especially, those known to profit from unfair taxing practices and adulterers. You don’t get to party hardy with the likes of them and expect respectable religious people to respect you.  You don’t get to go about on the Sabbath snacking your way through fields on the grain, and you definitely don’t go about healing the chronically ill on the Sabbath, no matter how much they need a cure.  It’s just not on.  Poor form Jesus!  Only a gluttonous, intoxicated wastrel does things like that.”

John the Baptizer didn’t fare much better as a dour, no frills, unkempt, wild-man on a locust and honey diet who delighted in dunking people as way of opening their eyes to God’s emerging realm. He not only looked like a demon, he acted like he was possessed by one.  Neither Jesus or John lived up to their idea of an Elijah or a messianic figure.  

They didn’t want a prophet who kept telling them to stop playing around and turn around or a messiah who actually addressed personal needs like poverty and illness; much less, take the time to satisfy the spiritual hunger of those who found themselves caught up into systems they didn’t have the strength to break away from, or a messiah who would forgive people they didn’t want forgiven; people they’d rather hate, rather stone, and rather go to war with.

At the end of Jesus’ comments on his generation and the type of treatment he was getting,  he says, “Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”  In Luke’s telling of this same story (Luke 7:35) Jesus says, Wisdom is vindicated by her children.”  In other words, Jesus is saying don’t succumb to group think that results in playing games that serve no purpose.  Get “woke” to what’s going on around you and do something about it!  

The metrics of the Gospel is based on a resurrection paradigm; on how well people are raised up in this life.  In particular, the teachings of Jesus instructs us to examine how well we are at raising people from poverty; how well we are at practicing restorative justice, how well we are at  releasing those imprisoned by injustice and stigmatization, how well we are at feeding the hungry, and how well we are at healing those suffering from mental, physical, and spiritual illnesses.  

Jesus was and is not concerned with right form but with right practice. What is perhaps the greatest sin of our current generation is that we have more knowledge than ever before, a greater sense of commonality and interconnectedness than ever before, and greater ability to address the metrics of the Gospels than at any other time in our history, but as yet, we have not demonstrated a collective will to enact redemption, to enact resurrection, and to realize what Jesus meant by the Kingdom or the Realm of God in the here and now. 

We are prone to give lip service to the idea of the Kingdom of God being at hand and ask for it to come quickly at times, but then demonstrate, through our lack of action, a preference to keep it at arms length.  At times, we pray for God’s will to be done as if we do not have the ability to do God’s will and forget that prayer is meant to activate us into participating with what we pray for.  

Jesus final statement, “Come to me all you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest” is treated more often than not like a rest stop; as place to stay put, but Jesus doesn’t let us rest there.  He says to take his yoke, his job, and his burden upon us and realize the Gospel message; to be like him, gentle and humble of heart because in doing these things the soul finds its true rest.  

* * * * * * * * * * 

Jesus, loving brother, awaken us to the restlessness that stirs within our souls that we may find true rest. Ease your yoke upon us and grant us the lightness of your burden that the Realm of God is realized in our doing.  Amen.