Lectionary Reflections June 26 "Welcoming"

Lectionary Reflections    June 26, 2011

Genesis 22:1-14 or Jeremiah 28:5-9

Psalm 13 or Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18

Romans 6:12-23

Matthew 10:40-42
Jesus said, "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple– truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward."

Some years ago we had a conversation in our church about how we could be more welcoming to all sisters and brothers in Christ.  We made a commitment that our church would be “welcoming”, which was understood as including those with same-sex orientation.  This was not a hypothetical situation for us, because two of our most active members at the time were a female couple.  Through them I learned a bit about being at the margins of society and the church, including the pain and economic injustice for them of not being able to be married (as of yesterday, this has changed in New York!).  But just when we were patting ourselves on the back for being so very progressive and inclusive, one of them said “you know, I actually think that was fairly easy to do.  It’s also been fairly easy for us to hear from those of other religious traditions.  We’ve welcomed Muslims from Iraq and Bhuddists from Tibet to share with us.  It would be a lot harder to include a fundamentalist or right-wing Christian.”  She spoke the truth.  And that really made me wince. 

When Jesus speaks of “these little ones” in the gospels, it is about the church or the disciples.   With the raging of the “culture wars” dividing our society, this gospel calls to offer even small kindnesses to all of “these little ones” of whom we are a part, even “fundamentalists”, “evangelicals” and “right-wing Christians”.  I don’t quite know how to do this.  I don’t have much wisdom or cool stories of unity to share, but I would love to hear yours!

John+

Like Real Life

Lectionary Relections for Easter 7 A

Acts 1:6-14

Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35

1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11

John 17:1-11

Like Real Life

This past Thursday night we were treated to the annual Ithaca Festival “parade”.  I put parade in quotes because this is not your typical marching- band-and-pretty- float parade.  It is a celebration of the eclectic and the whacky, with what seems like every club and group in this town represented.  I found myself cheering wildly as the folks from Green Springs Natural Cemetery rolled by.  Green Springs offers an ecological alternative to your normal chemical-filled and wastefully expensive burial or energy intensive greenhouse-gas-belching cremation.   They have a beautiful space on a lovely country hill where folks return to the clay in simple pine and cloth.   Their exhibition featured someone lounging in a long wooden crate on wheels, draped with green foliage and signs reading “Think Outside the Box! ” and “Way to Go!”. 

An ecological burial is certainly something to cheer about.  But I think I was mainly cheering their unabashed acknowledgment  of human mortality.  Almost every day this past week death has reminded me of how very fragile life is, and how easy it is for me and an entire society to deny that. 

³And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

 What strikes me about  today’s Gospel reading are the words “eternal life” and the meaning provided for that phrase.  In the original Greek it is aionios zoe, which could also be rendered  something like “life within the coming age”.  As it is used here, “eternal life” does not mean human immortality.  It does not seem to address or explain what happens after our biological life has ended.  The meaning of “eternal life” as a life after biological death is so deeply ingrained in my head that it is hard to shake out. But the Gospel here is talking about eternal life, or real life, as a relationship.  It is a continuing to be knowing God and the Sent One.  Maybe something like a way of living, starting right here and now.

John+

PS - I am a total hack when it comes to the Greek.  I’m sure someone reading this has a more solid background of study and knowledge and could provide additional comment on aionios zoe and additional resources for study and understanding.  Please comment!

Have you seen this Greek Bible help?

 http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/NTpdf/joh17.pdf