Singing from the Underside
1 Samuel 1:24-28, 2:1-11
Luke 1:46-56
Those who have a lot -- power, possessions, influence, education -- don't often see or appreciate life-altering shifts in the landscape. In fact, life-altering shifts can threaten the much-ness they have. Mostly for these people, life consists of consolidating and maintaining the abundance one has.
Those who are accustomed to others giving heed to their words or positions sometimes find it easy to flip-flop, to say what is merely expedient, to satisfy the whims of the moment in order to maintain their place in the establishment. Though politicians certainly come to mind as susceptible to this here-one-day-gone-the-next kind of wobbly speech, anyone in a position of influence is prone to it.
After awhile, speech flattens out. We turn off our receptors, because it begins to sound like just another day of blah blah blah, blah blah blah.
But listen to someone speak who has been empty and has now experienced fullness. Their song sounds fresh, energetic, alive . . . full of Spirit! This person has known barrenness firsthand . . . has lived most of life underneath . . . has been squashed by the Impossibles. Now she sings!!
In today's readings, watch Hannah -- long barren and childless -- dedicate her new son to God, then sing in thanks and praise.
Hear Mary sing her song from the underside, the perspective of someone who has been at the bottom of the social order (as a woman, a peasant, a virgin) and has experienced firsthand the graciousness of God. Attend to her words. Listen to her song. Nothing here is measured and predictable. These prayers are alive!!
And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me — holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; , s
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”
Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
(Luke 1:46-56, NIV)
For Reflection:
At a workshop last year, I heard Anna Carter Florence -- Professor of Preaching at Columbia Theological Seminary -- suggest we would do well in reading scripture to attend more closely to the verbs. Most of us gravitate to the nouns, to the who, what, and where of the text. The verbs though, represent the text's movement, action, and drive.
Today, attend to the verbs in Mary's song. List the verbs (brought down, lifted up, filled, sent, helped, etc.). This is not a grammar lesson, but a step into prayer. Pray with these words that describe God's action in the world.
Showing posts with label power. Show all posts
Showing posts with label power. Show all posts
Saturday, December 22, 2018
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Second Thursday of Advent - December 13, 2018
Violence and the Kingdom of God
Isaiah 41:13-20
Matthew 11:11-15
In the Gospel text today, Jesus introduces John the Baptist. We, the Gospel readers, have met John already. Now Jesus speaks to who he is.
John played a critical role in the unfolding project of God, but John's understanding of Jesus was incomplete. He imagined God's Messiah would come with fire, as an ax ready to chop down trees.
So Jesus claims that those who truly give themselves to a God-oriented life (kingdom of God) as modeled by Jesus, would have greater understanding and do more to shape the world than John . . . a wild and extreme claim.
Then, in a verse which is subject to a variety of interpretations, Jesus points out that people have been violently trying to live the kingdom-of-God-life (God-centered life) since the time of John. Perhaps the violence itself was influenced by John's fiery rhetoric, his ax-chopping-down-the-trees metaphors.
From the time of John the Baptist until now, violent people have been trying to take over the kingdom of heaven by force. (Matt. 11:12, CEV)
For a long time now people have tried to force themselves into God's Kingdom. (Matt 11:12, The Message)
From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it. (Matt. 11:12, NIV)
In his life's work and in his life's words, Jesus is clear that violence has no place in the kingdom of God. The God-centered life is not forced upon anyone and is not achieved by violence done to persons. It is not accomplished by powerfully forcing on people a set of beliefs or standards. There is no coercion in the kingdom of God.
And yet Christians all through the centuries continue to get this wrong. When Emperors Constantine and Licinius in 313 issued the Edict of Milan, they ushered in an age when the interests of the Church and the state were intricately woven together. With Christianity the favored religion, citizens of the empire were expected to be baptized, sometimes by force. The marriage of the Church to the state created an unhealthy union propelled by coercion.
Our own times are no stranger to that kind of compulsion. A friend -- and "research assistant" -- shared a blog with me Monday, the 50th anniversary of Thomas Merton's death, which remembered Merton warning that the marriage of religious fundamentalism and American nationalism would produce "the greatest orgy of idolatry the world has ever seen." (http://www.matthewfox.org/blog/on-the-50th-anniversary-of-thomas-mertons-death#)
Advent reminds us that God's ways are radically different from the ways of the world (and even the Church). The kingdom of God among us does not come in force and violence, but as a vulnerable child born to parents who were outside society's power structure.
For Reflection:
Have you ever used violence, excessive power or force, or compulsion to accomplish what you thought were noble ends?
Reflect on your experience in light of this Advent text.
Isaiah 41:13-20
Matthew 11:11-15
In the Gospel text today, Jesus introduces John the Baptist. We, the Gospel readers, have met John already. Now Jesus speaks to who he is.
John played a critical role in the unfolding project of God, but John's understanding of Jesus was incomplete. He imagined God's Messiah would come with fire, as an ax ready to chop down trees.
So Jesus claims that those who truly give themselves to a God-oriented life (kingdom of God) as modeled by Jesus, would have greater understanding and do more to shape the world than John . . . a wild and extreme claim.
Then, in a verse which is subject to a variety of interpretations, Jesus points out that people have been violently trying to live the kingdom-of-God-life (God-centered life) since the time of John. Perhaps the violence itself was influenced by John's fiery rhetoric, his ax-chopping-down-the-trees metaphors.
From the time of John the Baptist until now, violent people have been trying to take over the kingdom of heaven by force. (Matt. 11:12, CEV)
For a long time now people have tried to force themselves into God's Kingdom. (Matt 11:12, The Message)
From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it. (Matt. 11:12, NIV)
In his life's work and in his life's words, Jesus is clear that violence has no place in the kingdom of God. The God-centered life is not forced upon anyone and is not achieved by violence done to persons. It is not accomplished by powerfully forcing on people a set of beliefs or standards. There is no coercion in the kingdom of God.
And yet Christians all through the centuries continue to get this wrong. When Emperors Constantine and Licinius in 313 issued the Edict of Milan, they ushered in an age when the interests of the Church and the state were intricately woven together. With Christianity the favored religion, citizens of the empire were expected to be baptized, sometimes by force. The marriage of the Church to the state created an unhealthy union propelled by coercion.
Our own times are no stranger to that kind of compulsion. A friend -- and "research assistant" -- shared a blog with me Monday, the 50th anniversary of Thomas Merton's death, which remembered Merton warning that the marriage of religious fundamentalism and American nationalism would produce "the greatest orgy of idolatry the world has ever seen." (http://www.matthewfox.org/blog/on-the-50th-anniversary-of-thomas-mertons-death#)
Advent reminds us that God's ways are radically different from the ways of the world (and even the Church). The kingdom of God among us does not come in force and violence, but as a vulnerable child born to parents who were outside society's power structure.
For Reflection:
Have you ever used violence, excessive power or force, or compulsion to accomplish what you thought were noble ends?
Reflect on your experience in light of this Advent text.
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Herod: The Inner Landscape that Wreaks Havoc
You have to summon some courage if you dare to seek out and find the Herod within you, especially in light of the actual Herod’s horrendous actions. He was so threatened by the birth of a new “king” that he put to death all the male children of the region who would have been born around the time of Jesus’s birth, just to make sure he had no challenge to his throne. (Historians remind us that he also put to death many others during his rule, include several sons who Herod viewed as threats to his throne.)
While his actions are deplorable – and don’t parallel the extent to which most persons would go – they are driven by Herod’s interior state, by his inner landscape. And it is Herod’s interior state that we’ll likely find not all that different from our own.
These are a few words I’ve used to describe Herod, not to reduce him, but in order to help me find where he lives within me:
threatened
fearful
insecure
privileged
powerful
in control (of himself and his world)
scared
managing (situations, taking them into his own hands)
scheming
manipulative
unsatisfied
ego-threatened
maintaining (his own kingdom)
small (but wants to be big)
Once I name some of the qualities that drove Herod, I can easily find him within me, because these states also describe my life on a regular basis.
I’m very familiar with having my position or my status threatened . . .
I can be consumed by fear, whether that fear relates to my health, to my job, or to a national election . . .
I control and manipulate those around me, including those closest to me, in order to arrange my world the way I think it should be . . .
I try to move heaven and earth to maintain what I have, even if it means someone else has less . . .
I often strive to be big when I feel dissatisfied with being small . . .
I can scheme and plot my own self-interest to the detriment and harm of those in the world, perhaps not to the extent of Herod; nonetheless, I can do actual damage in my world, and even be oblivious to the harm I perpetuate.
The words I listed above are dividing words. They separate. They set us against others. For example, I realize that when I feel threatened or fearful, anger usually lives just beneath the surface of my consciousness. I respond sharply, even profanely, to those who stumble unknowingly across my emotional landmines. Love and mercy become distant, unreachable goals. Retribution and hatred follow my anger.
And I realize in those moments that I don’t have to take a life literally – as Herod did – in order to do major harm to others.
For Reflection:
Look at the list of words above again. With which of the words do you seem to be most familiar? If you notice 3 or 4 words that describe your interior from time to time, take them out one word at a time. For each one, spend a few moments thinking about times in recent days when you have experienced that word.
As that way of being was living and active within you, what did it feel like to be you?
Were there particular behaviors that arose . . . an argument with someone else, an angry rant whispered under your breath, or a physical reaction?
As you explore these things, do so without judgement; rather, the goal is to notice and become more aware of what lives within you, not to condemn yourself over it.
While his actions are deplorable – and don’t parallel the extent to which most persons would go – they are driven by Herod’s interior state, by his inner landscape. And it is Herod’s interior state that we’ll likely find not all that different from our own.
These are a few words I’ve used to describe Herod, not to reduce him, but in order to help me find where he lives within me:
threatened
fearful
insecure
privileged
powerful
in control (of himself and his world)
scared
managing (situations, taking them into his own hands)
scheming
manipulative
unsatisfied
ego-threatened
maintaining (his own kingdom)
small (but wants to be big)
Once I name some of the qualities that drove Herod, I can easily find him within me, because these states also describe my life on a regular basis.
I’m very familiar with having my position or my status threatened . . .
I can be consumed by fear, whether that fear relates to my health, to my job, or to a national election . . .
I control and manipulate those around me, including those closest to me, in order to arrange my world the way I think it should be . . .
I try to move heaven and earth to maintain what I have, even if it means someone else has less . . .
I often strive to be big when I feel dissatisfied with being small . . .
I can scheme and plot my own self-interest to the detriment and harm of those in the world, perhaps not to the extent of Herod; nonetheless, I can do actual damage in my world, and even be oblivious to the harm I perpetuate.
The words I listed above are dividing words. They separate. They set us against others. For example, I realize that when I feel threatened or fearful, anger usually lives just beneath the surface of my consciousness. I respond sharply, even profanely, to those who stumble unknowingly across my emotional landmines. Love and mercy become distant, unreachable goals. Retribution and hatred follow my anger.
And I realize in those moments that I don’t have to take a life literally – as Herod did – in order to do major harm to others.
For Reflection:
Look at the list of words above again. With which of the words do you seem to be most familiar? If you notice 3 or 4 words that describe your interior from time to time, take them out one word at a time. For each one, spend a few moments thinking about times in recent days when you have experienced that word.
As that way of being was living and active within you, what did it feel like to be you?
Were there particular behaviors that arose . . . an argument with someone else, an angry rant whispered under your breath, or a physical reaction?
As you explore these things, do so without judgement; rather, the goal is to notice and become more aware of what lives within you, not to condemn yourself over it.
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