Readings for October 24,2010

Joel 2:23-32 and Psalm 65 • 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 • Luke 18:9-14

Prayer: O Wellspring of salvation,
we come to you in joy,
for you have heard the prayers of the poor
and raised up the lowly.
Pour out your Spirit
on young and old alike,
that our dreams and visions may bring
justice and peace to the world.
Amen.

Joel 2:23-32

The Book of Joel: The first verse tells us that this book is by Joel "son of Penuel". We do not know who this Joel is, for he is not mentioned elsewhere in the Old Testament; however, the text does tell us something about him. First, he was a prophet. There are twelve prophetic books at the end of the Old Testament, of which Joel is one. Second, he has an appreciation of worship in the Temple. He mentions various officials, but never a king, so he probably lived after the return from exile. The earliest he could have written is then 515 BC, when the Temple was rebuilt. Sidon is mentioned. It was destroyed in 343 BC, so Joel wrote before that date. He starts by describing a locust plague and a drought, which he sees as God's punishment. The effects are catastrophic, like the day of the Lord. The people repent, and God restores their fortunes. Again God is in their midst.

He gives a highly realistic account of a plague of locusts. So great was the devastation that there were no grapes with which to make “sweet wine” (1:5) for celebrating a feast. The priests are to mourn, for no cereal offerings can be made in the Temple – all the crops have been destroyed. Even “joy withers away among the people” (1:12). This invasion, Joel says, is a foretaste of “the day of the LORD” (1:15); it is a punishment from God. The “pastures” (1:19) are as though burnt by “fire”. Blow the shofar, the ram’s horn, he says, to warn of the approach of the End! (2:1) Judah is under attack. So thick are the locusts that the sun is obscured – a sign also of the end times (2:2). The insects, like a conquering army on the move, are commanded by God. Can any survive the onslaught? (2:11) But there is still a chance: if a person repents and turns to God, perhaps God will be “gracious and merciful” (2:13).

Again Joel advises blowing the shofar (2:15): to summon the people to a fast. Put off your marriage! (2:16) Priests, intercede for the people: may God spare Judah from mockery by other nations, of being thought God-less (2:17). God does forgive; he has “pity on his people” (2:18). He returns fertility to the land, restores Judah to place of honour among nations, and destroys the locusts. “Early rain” (2:23) softened earth parched by the summer heat; it made ploughing possible; “later rain”, in April/May, provided sustenance for summer crops. Trees again bear fruit (2:24). God will “repay” (2:25) for the destruction by the locusts (“hopper ... cutter” – stages in insect development) sent by him. He is still Judah’s God, “in the midst of Israel” (2:27), the only God. Judgement Day, “the day of the LORD”, will come “afterward” (2:28), much later. He will grant his power, his “spirit”, to all Judeans, to “sons ...” and even to “slaves” (2:29). Signs (“portents”, 2:30) will warn of the coming of the Day. Then the remnant faithful to God “shall be saved” (2:32), including those “whom the LORD calls”.

For Reflection:

* In this passage there is a strong connection between the people and God and their planet.
* "I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my spirit." A beautiful and inspiring verse ,inclusive in describing who will be dreaming and giving prophecy and visioning for God - old, young, men, women, free, slaves. How can we overlook verses like this to say that there are only some who are of certain categories of people that God will call to speak and preach and lead?? Who arose that we are excluding today through whom God may speak?
* "And my people shall never again be put to shame." Shame - where is the shame in your life? Here God is lifting shame from us.

Shame
Shame has been identified as a family of feelings. We may be feeling shame when we feel:
alienated
inadequate
helpless
powerless
defenseless
weak
insecure
uncertain
shy
ineffectual
inferior
flawed
exposed
unworthy
hurt
intimidated
defeated.
rejected
dumped
rebuffed
stupid
bizarre
odd
peculiar
different

Shame is often experienced as the inner, critical voice that judges whatever we do as wrong, inferior, or worthless.

Shame is not the same as guilt.When we feel guilt, it's about something we did.
When we feel shame, it's about who we are.
When we feel guilty we need to learn that it's OK to make mistakes.
When we feel shame we need to learn that it's OK to be who we are!

Shame is about the appearance of guilt or impropriety. Its not just a question of whether you did something its whether you look like you did something.

Can shame ever be a force for good in life?


2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18
Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus, together known as the Pastoral Epistles, are markedly different in vocabulary and literary style from epistles we know to be Paul's. They also present a more institutionalized church. For these reasons, most scholars believe that the Pastorals were written a generation or so later than the letters we are sure are Pauline. 2 Timothy is the most personal of the Pastorals: most of it is directed specifically to Timothy. From the Book of Acts, we know that Timothy was from Lystra in Asia Minor, and was the son of a Greek father and a Jewish mother who had become a Christian. He accompanied Paul on his travels.

For Reflection:
* "poured out as a libation" - we are poured out as an offering - we can live our lives in a way that pours our self out to others and to God. But if we don't pour ourselves out?In our culture we get what is ours. Pouring ourselves out for others is not a cultural ideal. The paradox of faith is that by giving we receive.
* "fought the good fight . . . finished the race." This is a popular funeral text, and with good reason. There is a sense of fatigue, here, in some ways, tiredness at the journey of life, but also accomplishment - a life well-lived in God's hands.What other images or metaphors speak to you of a life well lived?

Luke 18:9-14

Luke has presented Jesus telling a parable about a judge and a widow. Even the uncaring judge listens to a petition, eventually; when Christ comes again, he will hear and answer the prayers of the faithful with due alacrity. Now Jesus tells a parable to “some” who take a legalistic approach to Judaism: “they were righteous”, pious. Pharisees kept the Law scrupulously - both written and aural, so they must be acceptable to God! (The unwritten law formed a protective shell round Mosaic law, reducing the chances of ever erring to the point of transgressing the real law.) Like the Pharisee in the story, they were fastidious in their observation of ritual practices: they fasted on Mondays and Thursdays, and tithed (v. 12): they were seen to be religious. But their pride in keeping the Law led them into self-righteousness (“trusted in themselves”, v. 9), self-importance, and arrogance (“regarded others with contempt”). On the other hand, tax collectors were despised for collaborating with the Roman occupiers. At this point, Jesus’ hearers would be cheering for the Pharisee, especially since most were followers of the Pharisaic party. The tax collector admits he is a sinner (v. 13), repents (“beating his breast”) and seeks God’s mercy. In v. 14, Jesus explains the example story: the tax collector goes home “justified”, accepted by God, acquitted in God’s court of justice, for he has recognized his need for God’s mercy – but not the Pharisee. In the kingdom, roles will be reversed: God receives those who turn to him and implore his mercy; he rejects those who parade their supposed virtues. We should receive the Kingdom as a child does (v. 17).

For Reflection:The Pharisee and tax collector both come to God to pray - one thanking God that he is not like the other or others, who he deems inferior, but the tax collector simply praying for God's mercy. It is easy for us to say that we would never be like the Pharisee, and look down on him. But actually, we are just like him - only maybe not how we think. Before we judge the Pharisee too much, maybe we can look at him a little differently. Is he actually trying to prove himself before God - thinking he must earn God's love? At first, we see him as arrogant and full of himself, but at second read, we see him as many of us - trying hard to do what's right, but never really trusting that God's grace can be so free and easy as promised. We think eventually we will have to 'pay up' with our good deeds to get a share in God's grace. Where the tax collector gets it right is this: he knows he needs God's mercy, and he asks for it. And God gives it. Amazing grace.

Do you ever feel that you have to earn God's favour? Do you feel worthy of God's love? Or shame for being who you are? Prevenient grace. How hard is it to believe that God's love is unconditional, and God's favour free?

Readings for October 17, 2010

Our image today is a heart. In reality, it is a heart made of many pieces, a heart broken and then mended for new purpose. Our readings today celebrate the persistent love of God and the challenge of responding with persistent hope.

Opening Prayer:
O Holy One, Open our hearts, that we might receive your Spirit of Compassion. Encourage us, when we are faint in our heartbeat of faith. Empower us, when our courage runs dry. Raise us up that we might see beyond our obstacles. And when we hear your word, give us faith to move mountains, In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen

READ Jeremiah 31:27-34

Our reading is part of the "Book of Consolation" Jeremiah 30:1-31:40, where the context is utter destruction, but already God, through Jeremiah, invites the people to have hope.

“The days are surely coming” - it sounds like more of Jeremiah's usual forecast of doom and judgement is on its way. But Jeremiah wants the people of God to know that future hope is as sure as the past judgement. He uses the metaphor of “seeding” new life that is universal, not exclusive to Jews or even to humanity. He also mentions both Northern and Southern kingdoms reunified under God. Who really destroyed Jerusalem? For Jeremiah it was the powerful who made unfaithful choices. The whole passage rephrases Jeremiah 1:1-10, the prophecy of doom.

Verse 31 is the only place in Hebrew Scripture to use “new covenant”. In Jeremiah’s view the “new covenant” is a re-issuing of the first, the one offered to Noah, Abraham and David. In verse 32 "not like the old one" refers to the Mosaic covenent based on commandments. The new covenant is sheer unconditional promise, it is internal not external. God promises to remember sin no more – "forgive and forget. "

Question for Reflection:

How do you feel about "forgive and forget"? Is it possible for you? Do you believe it is possible for God?

READ 2 Timothy 3:10-13/14-4:5, 6-8

CONTEXT -
Pseudo“Paul”, the author, is continuing to encourage Pseudo“Timothy”, a pastor, not to lose faith even in times of suffering. Was the pastor wavering? The author tells him to remember Paul’s suffering, and yet how much Paul accomplished. This is done by remembering his roots, his own early learning, faith and from “whom” (in the plural) he first learned it. The "sacred writings" was a phrase used for the law and the prophets, but interpreted “through” faith in Jesus Christ – the two must go hand-in-hand. The author warns that "itching ears" will lead to distortions of scripture. It must be inspired by the Spirit both in the writing and in the reading!

Question for Reflection:

What are the "itching ears" doing with scripture in our time?

READ Luke 18:1-8
A story unique to Luke’s gospel, this is a parable of Jesus remembered and then framed to teach a lesson about prayer. "That they would not lose heart" - for Luke, this is about the same persecution that “2 Timothy” faced.

Our present faith is connected to future hope – if we believe, then we are persistent in trying to make things happen. Jesus' listeners needed to believe that justice was possible, even when the unjust had all the power. Luke's readers needed to know that God was listening to their prayers for help.

Question for Reflection:

In what situations do you need to be more persistent? In what ways do you think your faith community needs more persistence?

Closing Prayer:

Psalm 119: 97-104, from Everyday Psalms by James Taylor, 2005 Wood Lake Books.

In the maze of modern life,

it helps to have clear directions.

A clear vision of how things ought to be

gives great advantage.

I don't have to balance this against that.

I don't have to choose the lesser of two evils.

You give me a goal.

The world is changing so fast,

the wisdom of old age isn't always applicable;

But your wisdom is.

Our ways are not always your ways,

nor is our wisdom your wisdom.

You have taught me how to discern the difference.

And what a difference that makes!

You help me to see more clearly;

with your guidance, I can grope my way through. Amen

Readings for October 10, 2010: Thanksgiving

Deuteronomy 26:1-11 • Philippians 4:4-9 • John 6:25-35
Prayer: God,in your Son Jesus Christ you richly bless us with all that we need, bread from the earth and the bread of heaven,which gives life to the world. Grant us one thing more:grateful hearts to sing your praise, in this world and the world to come. Amen.




Harvest Thanksgiving; A Global tradition : Given the differences in climate and crops around the world, harvest festivals can be found at various times throughout the world. Harvests festivals typically feature feasting, both family and public, with foods that are drawn from crops that come to maturity around the time of the festival. Ample food and freedom from the necessity to work in the fields are two central features of harvest festivals: eating, merriment, contests, music and romance are common features of harvest festivals around the world.
Harvest festivals around the world:

• Chuseok: Korea
  
• Crop Over: Barbados
• Dongmaeng: KoreaNiiname-sai,
  
• Shinjo-sai: Japan
• Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia Argentina
• Mehregan (October 2): Iran, Ancient Persia
• Mid-Autumn Festival: China, Vietnam
• Pongal: India
• Annual Harvest Festival of Prosser, Washington, celebrated on the 4th full weekend in September
• Solung: falls between June and July for nine days. T
• he Adi (also Abor) is a major collective tribe living in the Himalayan hills of Arunachal Pradesh
• Sukkot: Jewish harvest festival lasting eight days in the fall, in which time is spent in tabernacles or booths
• Hasyl toýy:Turkmenistan - the holiday on the last Sunday in November
• .Ikore: celebrated by the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria
• Khuado Pawi: celebrated by the Chin tribe of India, Burma and recently in the USA and many other parts of the world.

Canadian Thanksgiving: There are three traditions behind our Canadian Thanksgiving Day.
1) Long ago, before the first Europeans arrived in North America, the farmers in Europe held celebrations at harvest time. To give thanks for their good fortune and the abundance of food, the farm workers filled a curved goat's horn with fruit and grain. This symbol was called a cornucopia or horn of plenty. When they came to Canada they brought this tradition with them.

2)In the year 1578, the English navigator Martin Frobisher held a formal ceremony, in what is now called Newfoundland, to give thanks for surviving the long journey. He was later knighted and had an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean in northern Canada named after him - Frobisher Bay. Other settlers arrived and continued these ceremonies.

3)The third came in the year 1621, in what is now the United States, when the Pilgrims celebrated their harvest in the New World. The Pilgrims were English colonists who had founded a permanent European settlement at Plymouth Massachusetts. By the 1750's, this joyous celebration was brought to Nova Scotia by American settlers from the south.

At the same time, French settlers, having crossed the ocean and arrived in Canada with explorer Samuel de Champlain, also held huge feasts of thanks. They even formed "The Order of Good Cheer" and gladly shared their food with their Indian neighbours.

After the Seven Year's War ended in 1763, the citizens of Halifax held a special day of Thanksgiving.

The Americans who remained faithful to the government in England were known as Loyalists. At the time of the American revolution, they moved to Canada and spread the Thanksgiving celebration to other parts of the country. many of the new English settlers from Great Britain were also used to having a harvest celebration in their churches every autumn.

Eventually in 1879, Parliament declared November 6th a day of Thanksgiving and a national holiday. Over the years many dates were used for Thanksgiving, the most popular was the 3rd Monday in October. After World War I, both Armistice Day and Thanksgiving were celebrated on the Monday of the week in which November 11th occurred. Ten years later, in 1931, the two days became separate holidays and Armistice Day was renamed Remembrance Day. Finally, on January 31st, 1957, Parliament proclaimed....


"A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed... to be observed on the second Monday in October."

A reflection to begin: What are you thankful for today? Take a few minutes and make a list of all that you are grateful for...

After you have made your list consider how making the list made you feel?



Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Deuteronomy is a book of instruction, or Torah. It is the fifth book of the Bible. Moses speaks on God's behalf, with authority, to the assembled people of Israel, as they prepare to enter the Promised Land.

The book seems to be Moses’ final speech to the Israelites before they cross into the Promised Land; however closer inspection shows that Deuteronomy is more than this; it is a reinterpretation of the Exodus legal tradition for a later generation, who now live a settled life. Exodus reads only: “The choicest [best] of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God.” Our passage expands on this.

The commandment here is detailed and specific: the first fruits are to be taken in a “basket” to “the priest who is in office”, to a central location. Earlier, there were several shrines to God but now there is only one – at Jerusalem. Here the giving is linked to Israelite history: God swore to Abraham to give the Promised Land to Israel. Jacob, the “wandering Aramean”, and his children moved to Egypt in a time of famine. There they multiplied, were oppressed and enslaved. When they prayed to God to help them, he used his power to free them.

No longer are they wandering semi-nomads; now they live in a prosperous “land flowing with milk and honey”. In thanks for God’s gift of both the land and abundant crops, Israelites are to give produce to God; in recognition of his sovereignty over the land, they are to prostrate themselves before him. God’s gifts are cause for celebration by Israelites and foreigners who live in Palestine.

Questions for reflection:

• What specific traditions and practices are part of your thanksgiving celebrations? What are our collective rituals and practices of Thanksgiving?
  
• If we are grateful for our blessings, how does that get expressed?
• Do we live in a land of promise, a prosperous land? Do we give thanks for that or take it for granted?
• How do we include the outsider, the alien in our thanksgiving?
  

Philippians 4:4-9
Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, a prosperous Roman colony in northern Greece, from prison. We do not know whether this imprisonment was in Ephesus or in Rome. It appears that he was held under house arrest. It is possible that the epistle is actually made up of three letters. It contains many personal references, exhorts members of the Philippian church to live the Christian life and to good ethical conduct, introduces Timothy and Epaphroditus as his representatives, and warns against both extreme conservatives and liberals. Lastly, he thanks the Philippian community for their material support.

Paul began the conclusion to the letter back in Chapter 3 verse 1 . After a digression – to warn against heresy and self-indulgence and to urge devotion to Christ – he tries to finish the letter, but certain concerns intrude. It seems that “Euodia” and “Syntyche”, two workers for Christ, differ in their understanding of what the way of Christ is, and that this is causing disunity in the Philippian community. We do not know to whom Paul refers as his “loyal companion but whoever this is he is asked to be instrumental in achieving reconciliation.

Verse 4 is the conventional Greek salutation (like our goodbye) but here Paul means “rejoice” literally. May you behave towards others as you should (“gentleness”, v. 5). Paul expects the Second Coming soon: “The Lord is near.”

Then: rather than worrying on their own, the Philippians should ask God to help them, through prayer, both in prayers of “supplication” (petition) and of “thanksgiving”. God’s “peace” will protect them against their own failings and external threats. It “surpasses all understanding” either by being beyond the grasp of the human mind or by achieving more than we can conceive. In v. 8, Paul advises members of the community to live according to an ethical standard.

Questions for reflection:

• In our society do we think about the good things or the bad? What does the media focus on? If you were to experience the world only through the media what would you be missing? Does the media accurately portray the world you live in?
  
• How does looking at the bad stuff make us feel?
  
• How does counting our blessings feel?
• Paul calls us to think about the good, the noble, the beautiful. What would living this way accomplish?
  

John 6:25-35
Jesus’ miraculous provision of food to the crowd has recalled, for John, the gift of manna to the people of Israel in the desert. The crowd has taken Jesus for a political messiah who will free them from Roman occupation. John continues to pursue the question: Who is Jesus? Is he divine?

Jesus and the disciples have escaped the crowds, but only for a while. Rather than tell them of his walking on water (which they would misunderstand), he does not answer them. He tells them that they are seeking him not because they understand the spiritual meaning of the food, but for another free meal (v. 26). He says: raise your sights above material things, to eternal ones, to what I, “the Son of Man will give you” (v. 27). The Father has shown me to be authentic (“seal”). I will give you nourishment for ever. But they have only grasped that the food is miraculous, a work of God, so they ask: how can we do such miracles? (v. 28) Jesus answers: only one work of God (v. 29) is essential: to trust in me. Again, they misunderstand; they ask: what proof will you give us? (v. 30). Moses gave us manna from heaven in the wilderness (v. 31); you have only given us earthly food. We expect the Messiah to give us manna again. In v. 32, Jesus tries to clear up the misunderstandings: it was God, not Moses who gave you manna; the Father gives bread now; and manna met physical needs but “true bread” is more than that. Then v. 33: Jesus himself is the true bread, the “bread of God”: he “comes ... from heaven and gives life ...”. They still do not grasp that he is the bread, Finally, he says: I am the sustenance of life itself, of very existence, for those who trust in me; I will fill their every need.

Questions for reflection:
True story. A child drew a picture of a fish in her classroom. A brown rectangle. A fish stick. This was the only "fish she had ever seen.

• Who gives us bread? Where does our food come from? Do we forget where our groceries come from? Are we disconnected from the earth and from the cycles of seedtime and harvest?
• What is your spiritual bread? Where do you find it? Where does it come from?
• What miracles surround us? What everyday miracles do we take for granted?

Thanksgiving Thoughts to Ponder...

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice. ~Meister Eckhart

Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action. ~W.J. Cameron

Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day. ~Robert Caspar Lintner

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
For flowers that bloom about our feet;
For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet;
For song of bird, and hum of bee;
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee!
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

The unthankful heart... discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings! ~Henry Ward Beecher

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. ~Thornton Wilder

On Thanksgiving Day we acknowledge our dependence. ~William Jennings Bryan

Thanksgiving is possible only for those who take time to remember; no one can give thanks who has a short memory. ~Author Unknown

If I have enjoyed the hospitality of the Host of this universe, Who daily spreads a table in my sight, surely I cannot do less than acknowledge my dependence. ~G.A. Johnston Ross

God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank you?" ~William A. Ward