Daily Blog. Day 15 -- Genesis 37 - 39; Psalm 13; Matthew 13
“Listen: A sower went out to sow…”

Today we have 2 very familiar bible stories, Joseph and his unique robe; and the Parable of the Sower! Both speak to humankind’s struggle for fullness. Joseph, the favored son, learns – the hard way – to balance his God-given gifts with his own ego and perceived entitlement over his brothers. Jesus, with the Parable of the Sower, encourages us to ‘go deeper.’ 

As in Jesus’ parable the gifts given us can be lost on the path by ignoring them all together. Or, they can sprout too soon in shallow humility and cause us to be self glorified as in this initial introduction of Joseph. At other times our gifts can be choked by the cares, trials and tribulations of life as we see in Joseph’s continuing saga. But finally – hopefully – we find our depth and richness. We, like Joseph can go deeper. We can mature, grow, and live into our fullness recognizing and offering thanks for our God- given gifts. As Joseph’s story demonstrates his journey recognizes more and more that the gifts of his being are God’s. Joseph, growing into his own stewardship of the gifts bestowed upon him, becomes a great steward of God’s steadfast love and caring for himself, his own uniqueness, and all of God’s creation.

Pray that we too can recognize our own distinctiveness, overcome our shortcomings, plant ourselves in God’s richness.—and yield a hundredfold. “Let anyone with ears, listen!”

Archdeacon Tom Bruttell

Day 13
Genesis 34-36, Psalm 12, Matthew 12

So Dinah, daughter of Jacob, gets raped by this guy Shechem and then he decides he loves her and goes to his father and tells him to “get me this girl to be my wife.” (Probably left out the rape part… or maybe not.) So Shechem and his dad, Hamor, go to Dinah’s dad (the custom because women were pretty much chattle) to beg and bribe for her hand in marriage. Jacob and Dinah’s brothers were outraged but for some reason couldn’t say so outright so they make a deal they didn’t think would be considered – all the men in 

Hamor’s clan must be circumcised. And, considering the mega-goods (read: women, land, livestock, riches) they’ll receive, they do it! Sheesh. In Dinah’s brothers’ favor, though, they do eventually rescue her but then, in their rage, they murder all the men in the Hamor clan and take all their goods (including women and children). We think, ‘Will it never stop’? It’s inconceivable for us to imagine women and children AND men being treated with such abuse and yet… consider the recent news from India, around the world, and even from our own country. 

And the psalmist laments, “Help, O Lord, for there is no longer anyone who is godly…” and the reorientation from God is an assurance from within that same psalmist, “You, O Lord, will protect us; you will guard us from this generation forever.” 

And then He comes to do just that. This man Jesus comes to us, courageously feeding the hungry and healing the maimed, the blind, and the mute on the Sabbath; this Jesus who commits these sacred acts, fulfills the prophecy long foretold; this Jesus makes us all one body and calls us all to do the will of the Father no matter the generation, no matter the lament. May we heed his call and transform this world. 

The Rev. Wendy Tobias, Associate Priest, St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church

Day 12 – Genesis 31-33; Psalm 11; Matthew 11

How will the world know the Coming One?

In the reading from the Gospel of St. Matthew, appointed for today through the Bible Challenge, we encounter two of John’s disciples questioning Jesus.  Upon answering their question, He then addresses the crowd – challenging them to consider what they themselves believe about John, and thus about Him.  He warns them by presenting them with His condemnation to those who failed to hear the prophecy of the Kingdom and repent.  Finally, he concludes by exhorting the multitudes to come to Him and submit themselves to the Kingdom of God that they might find that which their souls are seeking.

Many people are confused by this question because modern translations make it seem as if the question came from the Baptist.  As such, it seems as if John the Baptist – who prophesied of the Messiah and declared himself unworthy to baptize Jesus – was confused as to the identity of the Christ.  The Church Fathers state that John sent his disciples to Jesus in order to point them to Jesus: for as the Baptist said in the Gospel of John, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”  He sent his disciples to Jesus that they might become followers of Christ.  In their skepticism (and distrust of their master, the Baptist), they pose the question.  They are then challenged to return to return to the Baptist and bear witness to Christ.

In this time of denominational decline, people are skeptical – yet seeking those who represent the Coming One.  They approach the Church and ask: “Are you those who represent the Coming One, or do we look for another?”  How can we answer – how must we answer?

We are confronted by Jesus’ answer, and we must ask ourselves: “By our witness, do the blind see and the lame walk?  Have those deemed unclean been cleansed…do the deaf hear?  Are the spiritually, emotionally, socially dead raised up and have the poor had the true good news preached to them?”

It’s no wonder the masses don’t find in us an authentic witness…it’s no wonder they “look for another.”

And as they walk away from the Church, our Lord compels us to ask: “What do we go into the wilderness to see?  What do we go into the Concrete Jungle everyday to see?”

Truly, beloved, the living out there is hard!  And amidst this violence, the Kingdom itself breaks through “violently” (Matt. 11:12, 10:34).  We, therefore, ought act with force against the powers that assault the people of God, “exerting all earnestness and desire to enter the reality of the Kingdom.  For this martyrs shed their blood, making their confession of faith, being ‘made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men’ (1 Cor. 4:9).  The Kingdom of Heaven belongs not to the sleeping or lazy.  Rather, the violent take it by force.”  May we be diligent in our fight to usher in the Kingdom of God that His children might recognize the Coming One!  Amen!

The Reverend Jabriel S. Ballentine
Assistant Rector, St. Thomas Episcopal Parish

Bible Challenge – Day 11

Genesis 28-30; Psalm 10; Matthew 10

Submitted by: The Reverend Clelia P. Garrity, LCS

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” (Matthew 10:34)

Harsh words from Jesus; words far different than the joyful proclamations made by the angels, shepherds and wise men who, in the birth stories, prophesied the arrival of good will and peace among men. No peaceful prophesies here as Jesus speaks of swords and makes ominous promises to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother. Jesus does not give us any slack in this passage from Matthew. He calls a spade a spade. He says, “Whoever loves father, son or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 10:37-39)  

What are we to make of this tough love stance in which Jesus focuses on one’s love of others in comparison to one’s devotion to Jesus himself.  In this passage, Jesus asserts that he must be preeminent. He calls us to go to the limit of shame, suffering, and death as we make him “Lord of all.”  Jesus calls us to make him the primary object of our love and devotion (vv. 37–38). Jesus is the source of true life (v. 39). Jesus is the one received when we, as his emissaries, are received (vv. 40–42). It’s all about Jesus! It’s not about us…

Carrying the sword is no easy task. It takes courage and endurance. It can be lonely and frightening work. Paul describes it well in Ephesians when he writes, “Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil…Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” (Ephesians 6:11-17)

Those of us who profess Christianity have no easy task today as we face a world filled with the challenges of war, terrorism, massacre, and poverty. We are often tempted, as the psalmist to cry out, “Why O Lord do you stand off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?…Rise up, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand; do not forget the oppressed.”
Jesus responds by challenging us. He insists that we follow him to the cross and beyond if we are to be saved. We gain courage to undertake this task from remembering what God said to Jacob in Genesis, “I am with you and will keep you wherever you go…” (Genesis 28:15); and that Jesus counseled, “…and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10:22)
God’s love can indeed be tough love…but it is a love that promises to be with us always. It is a love not available anywhere else in this earthly kingdom, or beyond.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

With all the cooking and eating in the Genesis chapters today, it seems that I should be providing my favorite lentil stew and venison recipes.  However, Matthew today gives a compelling recipe for spiritual health.  I'm not certain whose original "recipe" it is, but someone once said that the recipe for joy is found in prioritizing proper relationships, based on the acronym J-O-Y:  Jesus,Others, You:  

JESUS calls new people, fresh people.  He doesn't wait until they've got it all right before he calls them into relationship.  He puts "new wine into new wineskins."  It's like God using Jacob despite his failings.  Jacob, seemingly deceitful from before he was born, grabs at his twin brother Esau's heel as if he wants to pull him back into the womb so he can be the firstborn.  Similarly, Matthew, in the midst of his questionable occupation as tax collector, is called by Jesus.  How often am I putting God off, thinking that I'm not ready or worthy yet?

OTHERS' faith can be the impetus for our own healing.  Just like Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, and she conceived, Jesus heals the paralytic, not because of his faith, but because of the faith of the people carrying him.  Likewise, the daughter of the synagogue leader is healed because of his faith in Jesus.  How much credence am I giving to the effectiveness of intercessory prayer?  How much value are we attaching  to its ministry in our parish?  (Thank you Daughters of the King and Brothers Andrew -- we need you!)  How are we celebrating the miracles of healing that God is accomplishing in our midst through the prayers of others?  We add to our prayer lists at the first sniffle of a cold.  Are we adding to our "miracles of healing" thanksgiving as often?

YOU cannot reach out to Jesus without the value of your life being affirmed, because "You have not forsaken those who seek you (Psalm 9: 10b)." How many quacks had taken advantage of the hemorrhaging woman over those twelve years before Jesus treated her interruption as if she was the most important person on earth?  How many people had tried to convince the two men that they were blind, or the demoniac that he was mute, because of sin in their lives before Jesus acknowledged their faith and healed them?  Am I attaching enough importance to healing as a true evangelism ministry?  (Thank you Order of Saint Luke and Stephen's Ministers -- we need you!)  Is there enough margin in my schedule to prioritize those striving to just touch the cloak and be healed?

May we continue to go out with J-O-Y as laborers into his harvest.
The Rev. Marty 

The 8th chapter of Matthew is filled with stories of Jesus healing, faith,  and calming the storms of our lives. At first glance, one might simplistically  ask why don’t we still see such healings, faith stories, and calming of our  storms, especially given an especially virulent flu season and so many areas of  violence throughout the world. A deeper view, however, lightens our hearts as we  view the landscape of healings, faith and calming of storms that are part of  every person’s and congregation’s experience. Our common lives are filled with  stories of physical healings through the care of compassionate medical  professionals along with medicines and procedures that have been given to us  through the decades of devoted researches. Healings in relationships are mostly  invisible since few want to reveal their secret brokenness that has been healed but they are there none the less. And faith…there are so many stories to tell 
that it is a wonder that we don’t take more time to tell them.

Frank Laubach was a missionary in the Philippines in the 1930’s. He was separated from his family by 700 miles when his son died from a tropical illness.  He was in deep despair when God came to him during his daily visit to the mountains for prayer, Bible readings, and meditation. It was at his lowest point that he was inspired to once again turn to the people of his 
mission field and encouraged to teach them to read.  That may not sound like a “stilling of the waters” event for this tiny, remote village but this was what God knew was needed. By learning how to read, the people were able to read the Bible and begin the exploration of the mysteries of God and life. As Laubach wrote, "Your prison is also your paint box from which all the beauty you know is pouring."Laubach’s work of “teaching adults to read” in the Philippines eventually spread throughout the world and has been effective in teaching millions how to read. The Laubach Literary Instruction program still exists and continues to carry out the simple answer to Laubach’s desperate prayer. Now I  wouldn’t want anyone to think that the Bible Challenge year will produce another Frank Laubach…but then again…why not!

Archdeacon Bryan Hobbs

The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is a devastating one.  The evil practiced in the  city reached the ears of God and two angels are sent to verify and destroy.  No one will be left, not a babe in  arms, not an old mother.  All will be gone.  It is as though God is  responding to the call of the psalmist, “Rise up, O Lord, in your  anger.”

What is the evil?  Historically, people have said it was homosexuality.   After all, the men of the town want to rape the angels.   Lot, horrified and horrifyingly, offers his virgin daughters in the place  of the visitors.   

We live in a time of sexual terror.   Gangs of men rape a woman on a bus in India.   Rape is a weapon of war.   The gift of sex changed into the rage of a person; wounding, degrading,  humiliating. 
 
In Matthew we hear that we are not to judge, so that we may not be judged.  Perhaps is in  our deciding which violence, which rape, which evil is worse that we find  ourselves judged as well.  There is  no good rape.  There is no violence  which is better against a woman rather than a boy; a child over an elder; a man over a girl.

As we read these texts may they speak to our violence, to our rage, to the ways we have dishonored the guests in our lives.   Then may we act to make this world safer for all  souls.

The Rev. Cori Olson, Priest in Charge, St. Luke the Physician, Miami, FL

Genesis 16-18, Psalm 6, Matthew 6

In the Old Testament, we read of God’s engagement with humanity.  Sometimes it is in response to our complaints and laments.  More often it is part of God’s initiative to make our story his, and his story ours.  In other words, we are called into a covenantal relationship with God.  This is not a contract based on rights and responsibilities as we in 21st Century America use the term.  No, this is a commitment to cherish the other and to work for the other’s benefit.  As such, a covenantal relationship invites all the more engagement, including Abraham’s give-and-take with the Lord.  This and all conversation with God is prayer. 

In the Matthew of the New Testament, Jesus gives us the quintessential prayer to “Our Father.”  Moreover, we are assured later in Matthew 6 that God knows and will provide for our needs.  “Therefore do not worry.”  Instead, we are to faithfully pursue our covenantal relationship with God:  striving “first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

The Rev. Mark Andrew Jones, BSG
Priest-in-Charge
St. Nicholas Episcopal Church
Pompano Beach

Day 5 – Genesis 13-15; Psalm 5; Matthew 5

Matthew 5:    Attitude.    Be-attitude.    Beatitude.

Attitude:  I picture Jesus sitting on the side of the mountain, surrounded by disciples, eager to hear what has become Jesus’ most famous sermon – the sermon-on-the-mount – the first of five significant discourses we’ll read in Matthew.   I picture Jesus, with attitude, leaning in toward his friends, his students, eagerly encouraging them to be different, to have attitude.  I hear Jesus saying, be real.  There are times when we are all poor in spirit, in mourning and meek.  We are still inheritors of the kingdom and the earth.  So we hunger and thirst for righteousness; we are called to be merciful, pure in heart, to be peacemakers.  

Be attitude:  Jesus says, These are not the ancient days, but… “Do not think I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.”  The stakes are high.  You must take on the attitude and actions of a merciful person, act as a peacemaker.  When we do that today - sometimes this world still scorns and beats us back.  

Beatitude:  You have likely heard this section of Matthew 5 called “the beatitudes”  These are eight blessings statements eagerly taught by Jesus, blessings in spite of scorn, blessings because we are beaten back by the world around us.  Jesus teaches with respect for the law and the prophets, yet fulfilling the law and the prophets in a way that draws us forward even today.  The word ‘beatitude’ comes from the Latin name for this section of scripture – Beatitudines  - in the Latin Vulgate (4th century translation of the Bible into Latin – see St. Jerome).  In Latin, the word means be happy, fortunate, blissful.  

Attitude.    Be-attitude.    Beatitude.   Be real, be blessed, be blissful, be salt, be the light of the world today.  

The Very Reverend Kathleen P. Gannon is Curate at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Delray Beach, FL and Dean of the South Palm Beach Deanery in the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida.  

Day 4 – Genesis 10 – 12; Ps. 4; Matthew 4


Genesis 10, a genealogy does not make the most exciting reading in the Old  Testament and can easily be skimmed.  This particular genealogy is placed  in Genesis in the wake of the Flood Narrative to explain the peopling of the 
whole earth by the remnant family of Noah following the flood in obedience to  the divine directive, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Gen  9:1).   Israel’s narrative continues, for the moment, to have 
universal humankind in focus.  In chapter 12, this will change as one  person, Abraham, becomes  the focus, not only of the narrative, but of  God’s call and divine activity.
 Before Abraham, however, Genesis 11  presents  another crisis in the human and God relationship.  You might  have thought that humankind would have learned its lesson following the wrath of 
the flood.  Not so. (Have we ever learned?)  Human pretensions to  divine status are a constant temptation and a consistent theme of the biblical  narrative.   The story of Babel is one entry in this theme.  

The Babel story is undoubtedly very ancient, likely predating Israel’s 
theological evolution to strict monotheism, which is why in verse 7, Yahweh 
says, “Let us…”   The story was originally an “etiology” (a story to 
explain origins, e.g., of customs, places or practices).  In this case, the 
etiology is about the origins of different languages.  But the Babel story 
has been shaped by Israel to go beyond this and to portray the seemingly 
unlimited bounds of human ambition and resistance to God.  The question of 
“languages” is the vehicle for this particular portrayal.   

Biblical scholar, Walter Brueggemann has written, “The text encourages 
reflection upon language as a peculiarly important human activity.  It 
raises important questions about how we speak and how we listen and 
answer.  It asks about the quality of human communication and the function 
of language.  The faithful community exists (among other things) to 
maintain a faithful universe of discourse against the languages around us which 
may coerce, deceive, manipulate or mystify…”  (Brueggemann, Walter – 
Interpretation – A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching:  Genesis – 
Atlanta:  John Knox Press, 1982, 102).   
In our society 
today, polarized as it so often is, when so many seem to speak across one 
another and not to listen to or hear the other, this story of Babel has 
considerable relevance. 

The Rev. Canon William H. Stokes
Rector, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Delray Beach, FL