Quiz of the Day, February 2019

Quiz of the Day, February 28, 2019

Whom of the following would be regarded as the quintessential parish pastor?

a. George Herbert
b. William Laud
c. Thomas Aquinas
d. Julian of Norwich

Quiz of the Day, February 27, 2019

Which of the following is not true about gleaning?

a. it was a legal requirement of the Torah to help the poor
b. it is a law for farmers to not pick up crops that were dropped in the harvest
c. it is something that Ruth collected in the fields of Boaz
d. it was an official tithe of money for the poor

Quiz of the Day, February 26, 2019

The biblical phrase etched in Hebrew on many wedding rings, "Where you go, I will go;Where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God" was say by whom to whom?

a. Adam to Eve

b. Sarah to Abraham

c. Ruth to Boaz

d. Bathsheba to David

e. Lover to lover in Song of Solomon

f. Ruth to Naomi

Quiz of the Day, February 25, 2019

In what New Testament writing can there be found the account of the "election" of the disciple to replace Judas Iscariot?

a. Luke
b. Romans
c. 1 Corinthians
d. Acts of the Apostles

Quiz of the Day, February 24, 2019

Kant's Categorical Imperative for establishing moral behavior might be closest to what from the Bible?

a. The 10 Commandments
b. The Fruits of the Spirit
c. The Golden Rule
d. The Summary of the Law

Quiz of the Day, February 23, 2019

Where is it written that "the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil?"

a. Matthew
b. Luke
c. Romans
d. 1 Timothy

Quiz of the Day, February 22, 2019

The movie "Chariots of Fire" was a biography of whom?

a. C.S. Lewis
b. Oswald Chambers
c. Eric Liddell
d. G.K. Chesterton

Quiz of the Day, February 21, 2019

Which New Testament person made the stark comparison between the physical body and the spiritual body?

a. Peter
b. James
c. Jesus
d. Paul

Quiz of the Day, February 20, 2019

Which is not true about Frederick Douglass?

a. he was a former slave
b. he was a articulate abolitionist
c. he debated President Lincoln
d. he conferred with Presidents Lincoln and Johnson
e. he supported John Fremont over Ulysses Grant

Quiz of the Day, February 19, 2019

Whom of the following is responsible for the people of Israel to be Egypt?

a. Jacob
b. Joseph
c. the brothers of Joseph
d. some Midian slave traders

Quiz of the Day, February 18, 2019

What happened on this day, February 18th, 500 years ago?

a. Luther was born
b. Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Castle church
c. Luther died
d. Luther founded the Lutheran Church

Quiz of the Day, February 17, 2019

Which philosopher saw the Beatitudes as indicative of "slave morality" whereby noble values of triumph and fortune and will to power were overturned and slave conditions were transvalued?

a. Marx
b. Hegel
c. Feuerbach
d. Nietzsche

Quiz of the Day, February 16, 2019

Bishop Charles Quintard is associated with the founding of which Episcopal Seminary?

a. General
b. Berkeley Divinity
c. Seabury-Western
d. Sewanee
e. Nashotah
f. Virginia Theological Seminary
g. Philadelphia Divinity School

Quiz of the Day, February 15, 2019

In Anglican Missiology the letters S.P.G.F.G. are associated with whom of the following?

a. Thomas Ken
b. Thomas Bray
c. William Wilberforce\
d. John Wesley

Quiz of the Day, February 14, 2019

Which of the following is not true about Cyril and Methodius?

a. they share a feast day with Valentine
b. they were born in Moravia
c. the were asked to evangelize the Slavic peoples
d. they translated a Bible for the Slavic people
e. they were responsible for developing the Glagolitic alphabet which became the Cyrillic script

Quiz of the Day, February 13, 2019

Which bishop ordained the first African American Episcopal priest, Absalom Jones?

a. Samuel Seabury
b. Philander Chases
c. William Henry Hobart
d. William White

Quiz of the Day, February 12, 2019

Of the following, whom would be the most prolific hymn lyricist?

a. John Wesley
b. Charles Wesley
c. Fanny Crosby
d. Isaac Watt

Quiz of the Day, February 11, 2019

The beatitude "blessed are the poor," instead of "blessed are the poor in spirit," is found in which Gospel?

a. Matthew
b. Mark
c. Luke
d. John

Quiz of the Day, February 10, 2019

How many wings did Isaiah's seraphs have?

a. two
b. four
c. six
d. eight
e. none

Quiz of the Day, February 9, 2019

Where is it reported that Jesus walked on water?

a. Sea of Galilee
b. Lake Tiberius
c. Lake of Gennesaret
d. Sea of Chinnereth
e. all of the above

Quiz of the Day, February 8, 2019

Which prophet understood God to call God's house, a "house of prayer for all people?"

a. Isaiah
b. Jeremiah
c. Hosea
d. Amos
e. Nehemiah

Quiz of the Day, February 7, 2019

The story of Cornelius the Centurion is found in which New Testament book?

a. Luke
b. John
c. Acts of the Apostles
d. Matthew

Quiz of the Day, February 6, 2019

The "Sanctus" of the Mass comes from the "Holy, Holy, Holy" song of the heavenly beings recognizing the ineffability of God's presence.  Which two books of the Bible include this hymn phrase?

a. Isaiah and Ezekiel
b. Daniel and Revelation
c. Isaiah and Daniel
d. Revelation and Isaiah

 Quiz of Day, February 5, 2019

What pre-Revolutionary man was persecuted by Archbishop William Laud and came to the American colonies and eventually advocated and coined the phrase, a "wall of separation" between the church and the state?

a. John Wesley
b. Roger Williams
c. William Penn
d. Jonathan Edwards

Quiz of the Day, February 4, 2019

Whom of the following was the apostle to Scandinavia?

a. Boniface
b. Wilfrid
c. Willibrord
d. Anskar

Quiz of the Day, February 3, 2019

What does "glossolalia" refer to?

a. gift of the spirit mentioned by Paul
b. speaking in tongues
c. language of angels
d. all of the above

Quiz of the Day, February 2, 2019

Which of the following is not associated with the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple?

a. Candlemas
b. 40 days after the birth of Jesus
c. Ritual purification rite for Mary
d. Zechariah's Song
e. Nunc Dimittis
f. Performing the rite of the redemption of the firstborn son

Quiz of the Day, Feburary 1, 2019

St. Bride is a reference to who or what?

a. Brigid of Ireland
b. the church as the Bride of Christ
c. Blessed Virgin Mary as the Bride of God
d. the sanctimony of marriage

Translating the Beatitudes to the Non-Oppressed

7 Epiphany C  February 24, 2019 

Genesis 45:3-11, 15  Psalm 37:1-12, 41-42

1 Corinthians 15:35-38,42-50  Luke 6:27-38  

Lectionary Link

We in America have attained fascination with the martial arts.  They are exotic and foreign practices from Asia.  The practice of them seem to promote self-discipline, respect for authority and others, and knowing that martial arts is really about never having to really use them in practice; it is the practice of restraint to be used only for self-defense.

Surely the ancient martial arts had the context of preparing warriors for actual battle of both an offensive and defensive sort.  Martial arts would be training for battle and when battle did not exist, it would be the practice of readiness for battle.  But when war was not happening, they would be sporting events to foster the competitive edge.

It is likely that most members of the armed forces training to go to battle today learn some martial arts.  But for most of us it the romanticized Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Mr. Miyagi, waxing on and waxing off for entertainment and good recreational exercise.  But the martial arts for us, are mainly dislodged from the original contexts of preparation for battle, and thankfully so.

We could also say that for us, thankfully, the beatitudes of the Gospels are dislodged from the conditions which generated them.

The conditions of freedom can result in quite a variety of experiences.  Some of them are not so pleasant.  But what about people who have lived for long time in slavery?  What about people who have lived for a long time with their country occupied?   What if you are a member of a minority religion in an Empire that requires you to worship the Emperor as a god, and your religion doesn't allow you to do this?  If you live under sustained conditions of oppression and lack of social, economic and religious freedom, you still have to live.  Much of the Bible was written by people who had sustained misfortune and lack of the social freedoms that we have and take for granted.

What do people of the Bible have to say to us to don't live in oppression?  Can we ever say that we can identify significantly with their circumstances?

I believe that the beatitudes of Jesus represent a sort of spiritual martial arts that was forced upon oppressed people.  The people to whom Jesus came needed a spiritual martial arts both to survive and to live with enjoyment.  Why do you think that the beatitudes were important to reformers like Gandhi and to Martin Luther King, Jr.?  They represent a way to resist and maintain a cause for justice and at the same time live in such a winsome way that you might attract people to join you because of your extreme kindness, the extreme kindness of forgiveness, the extreme kindness of a non-retaliatory way of living.

In our prayers we pray for safety of all, so we pray that the conditions which require the beatitude way of life never occurs.  We'd rather live without enemies, without abuse, without someone who would strike us on the cheek, or without bullies who would take our coats and steal our goods.

The beatitude spiritual martial arts were a special way for oppressed people to live, and we do not want the conditions of oppression in the first place.

When people are oppressed, certainly they have the option of open revolt and retaliation.  But people end up being killed or imprisoned.  The other option is to learn how to fly under the radar and that is where the beatitude style of living comes in.  How can I live in such a super winsome way that even my oppressors cannot help but be impressed and stumped and ask: "Where does this person get the interior strength to love one's enemy, to do good to those who hate, to bless those who curse, to pray for those who abuse, to refuse to retaliate when someone strikes?"

I would suggest to you that we in the land of the free and home of the brave should reject the conditions which required the beatitudes as a way of life.  The entire purpose of laws is to keep people safe, to respect the rights and dignity of everyone.  So, we need to reject the conditions of oppression and injustice which required the early followers of Jesus to have to live such super kind lives just to survive.

But ponder this:  What if we were to transpose a beatitude lifestyle to our time and place when we do not experience the same conditions of oppression?  How do we live without allowing ourselves to even have someone whom we would designate as an enemy?  What if we found no reason and no one to hate?  What if we are fortune enough to not have people who hate us, how much easier it would be to be good to people who are just mildly irritating to us?    What if we could adopt only the language of blessing and never have a reason to curse others?  What if we prayed equally for those with whom we agree and those with whom we disagree?  What if we learn the deft language art of turning our linguistic cheeks and offer verbal roses to those who might want to be argumentative or angry?

You and I do not live in the same conditions which required the radical lifestyle of the spiritual martial arts of the beatitudes for survival and maintenance of dignity.  So how do we live?  We should live to make sure that we are never consciously or indirectly on the side of the forces of oppression, suppression or mistreatment of any people.

We should honor the people who lived with such grace and forgiveness in the times of supreme oppression and we should work to eradicate every form of oppression and injustice.

Remember today, we are the equivalent of the favored people of the Roman Empire; we have the power and wealth.  How can we translate the beatitude lifestyle of oppressed people to be our lifestyle as people of privilege and power?

We can be thankful that the ideals and laws of our country calls us to honor the dignity of all people. 

The challenge for you and me today is to translate the spiritual martial arts of the beatitudes which derived among oppressed people into our lives as those who would live such kind lives as to bring the loving regard of Christ to all people in this world.  Amen.

Sunday School, February 24, 2019 7 Epiphany C

Sunday School, February 24, 2019  7 Epiphany C

Themes

Our country is sometimes called the “melting pot.”   Why, because we are a country made up of people who have come here from many other places in the world, people who look different and who have spoken different languages and have different religions and belong to different Christian churches.

Why do we like our country?  Because we have this great ideal.  We want to grow toward life, liberty and happiness and justice for all. 

Jesus started this great ideal a long time ago.  He said to love our enemies.  He said we should treat other people in the same way that we want them to treat us.

The early church was a new community of people learning how to live together in love.  Jews, Gentiles from all parts of the Roman Empire, rich and poor people, all were learning how to love each other and live together.

How do we learn to live together in love?  We learn to forgive each other.  We to practice pay back. 

When someone does something to hurt us, one of the first responses is to want to “pay them back.”

Did you ever watch a football game or hockey game and see a player get angry and hit another player?  And the player who got hit, hits back.  And the referee calls a penalty on the person who hit back.  Why?  The referee did not see the first hit.  The referee only saw the  pay back and so the second player received a penalty.  And it is not fair, but it shows that if we always want to “pay back” people who hurt us, then we usually get in more trouble than the person who hurt us.

Family members are close and share many nice things, but family members still often fight with each other.  Why?  Because we still have disagreements. 

Jesus said that we have to learn how to live with each other and learn how to be different and how to disagree without being disagreeable or hurtful.

Why should I forgive other people?  Well, I will find out that I am not perfect and that I will need to be forgiven by others too.  So, we need to obey Jesus and adopt forgiveness as the rule of our community.

Why do the rules of Jesus seem difficult?  Because it is difficult to live with people who are different from us.  But it is very important that we value our relationships with each other, because we all need other people.

The rules of Jesus seem difficult because living in a community can sometimes be very difficult.  This is why we need God and we need to ask God for forgiveness and then we need to forgive each other.

Jesus Christ came to say that God belongs to everyone.  And if God belongs to everyone, everyone needs to learn how to live together, even if people seem to be so different as to be called enemies.   We still have to share this life with other people, even those who are different from us so Jesus founded a way to live together and this way of living together became called the church or a fellowship.

The church is a group of different people learning to live together and practice forgiveness because we have been called by Jesus to live a life of forgiveness.

Sermon

The story of Joseph is a story of forgiveness.  Joseph had many brothers.  His father was named Jacob.  The brothers of Joseph were jealous of Joseph because they thought their dad Jacob favored Joseph.  Jacob gave a special rainbow-colored coat to Joseph.  Joseph was a dreamer and he used to kind of brag in front of his brothers about his dreams.  His brothers became angry and to get rid of him, they sold him into slavery and took his coat and put some animal blood on it and showed the coat to their dad and they said that a wild animal had killed Joseph.  Jacob thought Joseph was dead and he was sad.  But Joseph went to Egypt as a slave, but he was so clever he became the chief minister for the Pharaoh.  When a bad drought came, the brothers of Joseph came to Egypt to get food and supplies, and Joseph saw them but they did not recognize Joseph because he had grown up and he looked like an Egyptian.  When the brothers of Joseph discovered who Joseph was, they thought that Joseph would punish them for selling him into slavery.  But Joseph forgave them.  He said God had helped him to become successful so that he could help his brothers and his father Jacob survive a very hard time of drought.

Forgiveness is never easy.  That is why we ask God to help us forgive.  And we believe that forgiveness helps heal relationships.  Forgiveness is like a band aid on wound.  Forgiveness is what heals hurt in our families and our communities.

Amen.

  

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

February 24, 2019 The Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany

Gathering Songs: I Have Decided to Follow Jesus, Jesus Bids Us Shine, Spirit of the Living God,

May the Lord

Liturgist: Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

People: And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and for ever.  Amen.

Liturgist:  Oh God, Our hearts are open to you.

And you know us and we can hide nothing from you.

Prepare our hearts and our minds to love you and worship you.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Song: I Have Decided to Follow Jesus (All the Best Songs for Kids #130)

I have decided to follow Jesus, (3x) No turning back, no turning back.

The world behind me, the cross before me (3x) No turning back, no turning back.

Though none go with me, still I will follow (3x) No turning back, no turning back.

Will you decide now, to follow Jesus? (3x) No turning back, no turning back.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

O Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing: Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Litany of Praise: Chant: Alleluia

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia

O God, you have made yourself known to us!  Alleluia

O God, you have provided us with us a Savior!  Alleluia

O God, you have given us a Christian family!  Alleluia

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia

O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead!  Alleluia

Liturgist: A reading from Genesis.

Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?" But his brothers could not answer him because they were so upset to see him. Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life from famine. So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, 'Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. I will provide for you there, since there are five more years of famine to come, so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.'" And Joseph kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 37

1          Do not fret yourself because of evildoers; * do not be jealous of those who do wrong.

2          For they shall soon wither like the grass, * and like the green grass fade away.

3          Put your trust in the Lord and do good; * dwell in the land and feed on its riches.

4          Take delight in the Lord, * and he shall give you your heart's desire.

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

Litanist:

For the good earth, for our food and clothing. Thanks be to God!

For our families and friends. Thanks be to God!

For the talents and gifts that you have given to us. Thanks be to God!

For this day of worship. Thanks be to God!

For health and for a good night’s sleep. Thanks be to God!

For work and for play. Thanks be to God!

For teaching and for learning. Thanks be to God!

For the happy events of our lives. Thanks be to God!

For the celebration of the birthdays and anniversaries of our friends and parish family.

   Thanks be to God!

Liturgist:         The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus said, "I say to you, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you. Love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you."

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon

Children’s Creed

We did not make ourselves, so we believe that God the Father is the maker of the world.

Since God is so great and we are so small,

We believe God came into our world and was born as Jesus, son of the Virgin Mary.

We need God’s help and we believe that God saved us  

     by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We believe that God is present with us now as the Holy Spirit.

We believe that we are baptized into God’s family the Church where everyone is welcome.

We believe that Christ is kind and fair.

We believe that we have a future in knowing Jesus Christ.

And since we all must die, we believe that God will preserve us forever.  Amen.

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy.

For fighting and war to cease in our world. Christ, have mercy.

For peace on earth and good will towards all. Christ, have mercy.

For the safety of all who travel. Christ, have mercy.

For jobs for all who need them. Christ, have mercy.

For care of those who are growing old. Christ, have mercy.

For the safety, health and nutrition of all the children in our world. Christ, have mercy.

For the well-being of our families and friends. Christ, have mercy.

For the good health of those we know to be ill. Christ, have mercy.

For the remembrance of those who have died. Christ, have mercy.

For the forgiveness of all our sins. Christ, have mercy.

Youth Liturgist:          The Peace of the Lord be always with you.

People:                       And also with you.

Song during the preparation of the Altar and the receiving of an offering

Offertory Hymn: Jesus Bids Us Shine, (The Christian Children Songbook, #132)

Jesus bids us shine with a clear, pure light, Like a little candle burning in the night; In this world of darkness, we must shine, You in your small corner and I in mine.

Jesus bids us shine first of all for Him, Well he sees and knows it if our light is dim; He looks down from heaven, sees us shine.  You in your small corner and I in mine.

Jesus bids us shine as we work for Him, bring those that wander from the paths of sin; He will ever help us if we shine, You in your small corner and I in mine.

Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below.

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Prologue to the Eucharist

Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, for to them belong the kingdom of heaven.”

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

Baptism is a celebration of birth into the family of God.

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

The Holy Eucharist is the special meal that Jesus gave to his friends to keep us together as the family of Christ.

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

It is very good and right to give thanks, because God made us, Jesus redeemed us and the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts.  Therefore, with Angels and Archangels and all of the world that we see and don’t see, we forever sing this hymn of praise:

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of Power and Might.  Heav’n and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 

Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

All may gather around the altar

Our grateful praise we offer to you God, our Creator;

You have made us in your image

And you gave us many men and women of faith to help us to live by faith:

Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachael.

And then you gave us your Son, Jesus, born of Mary, nurtured by Joseph

And he called us to be sons and daughters of God.

Your Son called us to live better lives and he gave us this Holy Meal so that when we eat

  the bread and drink the wine, we can know that the Presence of Christ is as near to us as  

  this food and drink that becomes a part of us.

The Prayer continues with these words

And so, Father, we bring you these gifts of bread and wine. Bless and sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord. Bless and sanctify us by your Holy Spirit so that we may love God and our neighbor.

On the night when Jesus was betrayed, he took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to his friends, and said, "Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me."

After supper, Jesus took the cup of wine, gave thanks, and said, "Drink this, all of you. This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me."

Father, we now celebrate the memorial of your Son. When we eat this holy Meal of Bread and Wine, we are telling the entire world about the life, death and resurrection of Christ and that his presence will be with us in our future.

Let this holy meal keep us together as friends who share a special relationship because of your Son Jesus Christ.  May we forever live with praise to God to whom we belong as sons and daughters.

By Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory

 is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN.

And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we now sing,

Our Father: (Renew # 180, West Indian Lord’s Prayer)

Our Father who art in heaven:  Hallowed be thy name.

Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done: Hallowed be thy name.

Done on earth as it is in heaven: Hallowed be thy name.

Give us this day our daily bread: Hallowed be thy name.

And forgive us all our debts: Hallowed be thy name.

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

Thine is the kingdom, power, and glory: Hallowed be thy name.

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Breaking of the Bread

Celebrant:       Alleluia! Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:           Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration

Communion Hymn: Spirit of the Living God, (Renew # 90)

Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.

Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me. Spirit of the living God fall afresh on me.

Spirit of the living God move among us all; Spirit of the living God, make us one in love.

Humble, caring, selfless, sharing; Spirit of the living God, fill our lives with love.

Post-Communion Prayer

Everlasting God, we have gathered for the meal that Jesus asked us to keep;

We have remembered his words of blessing on the bread and the wine.

And His Presence has been known to us.

We have remembered that we are sons and daughters of God

    and brothers and sisters in Christ.

Send us forth now into our everyday lives remembering that the blessing in the

     remembering that the blessing in the bread and wine spreads into each time,

place and person in our lives,

As we are ever blessed by you, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Closing Song: May the Lord (Sung to the tune of Edelweiss)

May the Lord, Mighty God, Bless and keep you forever,

Grant you peace, perfect peace, Courage in every endeavor. 

Lift up your eyes and seek His face, Trust His grace forever. 

May the Lord, Mighty God Bless and keep you for ever.

Dismissal:   

Liturgist: Let us go forth in the Name of Christ. 

People: Thanks be to God! 

Unhypocritical Beatitude Believers

6 Epiphany C, February 17, 2019
Jeremiah 17:5-10  Psalm 1
1 Corinthians 15:12-20 Luke 6:17-26

Lectionary Link

Today we have read one of the versions of what are called the beatitudes.  There are two versions found in the New Testament, one in the Gospel of Matthew and one in the Gospel.  The beatitude sayings in Matthew are part of what is called the Sermon on the Mount.  The beatitude sayings in the Gospel of Luke are within a Sermon on the Plains, not on the Mount.  There are significant differences between the beatitudes in Matthew and Luke.  For example, the Matthew version begins with "Blessed are the poor in spirit..." and the Lucan version is, "Blessed are the poor......" full stop,  What happened to "poor in spirit?" How does one explain the differences?  Two different speeches in different places with different audiences?  Or, are the Gospel writers using words of Jesus to two different early church situations?  The poor in spirit crowd probably had more money than the blessed are the poor crowd.  One can see how actual economic condition of the listening audience would effect how the words of Jesus were recalled.

To further understand the beatitudes, one should understand the liturgy of the synagogue.  There were prayers of benedictions and curses, yes curses.  Benedictions "or good words about" are the blessings or beatitudes.  The Birkat haMinim were "curses" which wished that "heretics" be blotted out of the book of life.  These liturgical forms of curses are used to date the separation of Christians from the synagogue.  After the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem, the re-gathered parties of Judaism in Jamnia added a curse against the followers of Jesus.  This would mean that a follower of Jesus would not stay in the synagogue to offer a curse against oneself, so when the curse appeared in the liturgy, one assumes a pronounced separation of synagogue and Jesus Movement.

One can see in the beatitudes this form of curse in the phrase "Woe to you...."  So even in the words of Jesus the liturgical formula of "blessings and curses" are maintained.

Today, you and I may be uncomfortable with making curses a part of our liturgy, though we certainly moved the curses of our ill wishes "outside" of the church in the way that we express displeasure for people who significantly disagree with our "correct" view of things.  Fortunately we don't have the guile to associate some of our small views with God's official view.  We still bless and curse in our practice, but we take the scatological stuff outside of the church.

I would like to further state that the beatitudes have been mostly misunderstood or misapplied in the long history of reading these words of Jesus.  Why would I say this?

How many of us would say that poverty, hunger, mourning, being hated, defamed and persecuted are states of blessed fortune?  I can't wait until I'm poor, hungry, weeping, hated, defamed and persecuted because then I will really be lucky.  What kind of thinking would this be?  To wish for states of discomfort might be called unhealthy masochism.  Why would anyone of a sound mind do this?

This misunderstanding caused the philosopher Nietzsche to call the beatitudes the "slave" morality.  How did what is normal get turn upside down.  Wealth, having enough to eat, happiness, public regard and respect are what is normal.  How can someone call the opposite the new normal?  In the Roman Empire, Christians were a minority and therefore liable to miss out on the rights of those in Roman society.  So, do Christians make peace with their suffering by declaring that suffering is the new normal?  Nietzsche criticized this as a dishonesty about what is normal.  This is like the boy who comes into classes and accidentally trips and falls, and when the entire class laughs at him, he replies, "I meant to fall so that I could cause you to laugh; I was in control all of the time."  Nietzsche called this the transvaluation of values; he said that the slave values were declared by Christians to be the preferred values.  But is this dishonest?  How many Christians actually adopt the beatitudes as their preferred values?

The beatitudes became a bit more complicated when Christianity took over the Roman Empire and became associated with dominating economic class of society.  How could triumphant and wealthy Christians legitimately adopt the beatitudes as the true values of their lives?  We can see how the monastic movement developed as a reaction against Christianity's compromise with the wealthy class in power.  Monks and nuns voluntarily chose poverty and spartan conditions to be the true Christians who upheld the beatitudes in a more literal way.  When wealthy Christian nations practiced colonization and slavery, those who were enslaved had the conditions of the beatitude forces upon them just like the conditions that had been forced upon the early Christians.  When Christians introduced the Christian faith to slaves and colonized people, what did slaves and colonized people want?  Not poverty, no persecution, or bias or prejudice or hunger; they wanted freedom and the right to life, liberty and happiness.  Once again, it became rather hypocritical for Christians in power to try to sell the beatitude slave morality on oppressed people as those ordained by God and Christ.

So where does that leave you and me today in our understanding of the beatitudes today.  How do we who prefer comfort and ease, honestly adapt the beatitudes as our honest rule of life?  Are you and I complete beatitude hypocrites today?

I would suggest another insight into the beatitudes which is not hypocritical or dishonest and it has more to do with the transformation and abundant life program which characterized the early Christian New Testament mystics.

I would like to illustrate this with some poignant examples.  Have you ever found your self moody and a bit depressed but then be confronted with a person with really bad circumstances and they are cheerfully blissful.  And you stopped in your track and immediately rebuked by one's own petty and moody self-involvement.  It like the saying, "I complained about having no shoes until I saw a man who had no feet."  You see pictures of children in refugee camps smiling and laughing, and you say, "I'll have what they're having, without all of the suffering."  You see people who suffer from drastic impairments, or parents with handicapped children and you see them cheerful and happy and you wonder, "how do they do it?"    How can they have such empowering contentment given the obvious challenges of their situation?

The mysticism of the early Spirit filled church was about the experience of abundant life also known as a highly conformable contentment.  How does one attain or live from the state of inner contentment, no matter what happens within the freedom of the conditions of what can happen to anyone.  This, I believe, is the essence of the beatitudes.  It is not a masochistic, abnormal wishing for deprivation and bad fortune; it is attaining to an inner state of contentment which allows one who live with grace, hope and faith in any situation.

The secret of Christian mysticism is to find and know the state of contentment that adjusts to no matter what we are facing.

St. Paul who experienced lots of suffering but also some comfortable hospitality wrote, "I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me."

Jesus offers the mystical state of spiritual contentment to those who suffer and to those who do not.  Because the state of contentment is offered to all, it does not mean that we should cease to eradicate suffering, oppression and illness in our world.  We should not be people who say, "Since you can experience the state of spiritual contentment in dire circumstances, then I do not need to work for justice or the end of poverty."  This kind of religious thinking is what made Karl Marx call religion the opiate of people.  "You can tolerate your poverty now because, you'll have streets of gold in the heavenly Jerusalem."

Attaining spiritual contentment should inspire us and give us the strength and empathy to work for the best possible conditions for as many people as possible.

Today, let the beatitudes invite us to honesty.  Let us ask God for the blessed state of contentment even while we know that we will not be exempt from a range of good and bad things happening to us.  But in the grace of the contentment of the abundant life of Christ, let us endlessly work to bring good news to others in this world.  Amen.