"Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a poind of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 'Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?' (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, 'Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.'"
The heads of kings were anointed as part of the enthronement ceremony. Frangrant oil being a sign of empowerment to rule. The only people who had their feet anointed were the dead. I wonder if this bottle of nard is left over from the spices used to anoint brother Lazarus, whom Jesus raised a few chapters earlier. One man in Mary's life was resurrecting, one was about to be put to death. Mary seems to see and understand it all. Maybe that comes from her time spent at Jesus feet while her sister was running about taking care of the household.
As we come ever closer to the end of Lent and the celebration of the resurrection, what in you needs to die and fall away so that new life might spring forth? Anoint it and let it go.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Whose Crops? Joshua 5:9-12
The Israelites have rolled across the Jordan River with ease and entered, finally, the promised land, a land flowing with milk and honey. The first thing they do is circumcise the the males that were born during the journey through the wilderness. This is a renewal of the covenant. Then:
"The Lord said to Joshua, 'Today I have rolled away from you the disgrace of Egypt.' And so that place is called Gilgal to this day.
While the Israelites were camped in Gilgal they kept the passover in the evening on the fourteenth day of the month in the plains of Jericho. On the day after the passover, on that very day, they ate the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops of the land of Canaan that year."
Why did God choose the Jews? This is a question that Jews and Christians have pondered for centuries. We call it the "theology of election." The Hebrew scriptures do not provide a uniform answer to that question. Some passages indicate that God chose the Jews because God loved them more than any other people. Other places say the Jews were less evil than other people, so God chose them. Still, the most consistent reason given for their election is that God has a divine plan to bless the Jews so that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through them. They are an instrument of God's love.
This passage from Joshua doesn't seem to support the latter explanation. The Israelites enter the promised land and immediately begin eating the crops sown by other people. And chapter six describes the Israelite destruction of Jericho which was to include, by God's direction, the destruction of everyone but Rahab and her family. They weren't much of a blessing to those in Jericho!
These questions of election still concern Christians today as we seek to understand the current Israeli/Palestinian conflict. How do you understand election--Jewish, and for that matter, Christian (we Presbyterians have been known to say a few things about Christian election)? What kind of view of election would be helpful in the current conflict?
"The Lord said to Joshua, 'Today I have rolled away from you the disgrace of Egypt.' And so that place is called Gilgal to this day.
While the Israelites were camped in Gilgal they kept the passover in the evening on the fourteenth day of the month in the plains of Jericho. On the day after the passover, on that very day, they ate the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops of the land of Canaan that year."
Why did God choose the Jews? This is a question that Jews and Christians have pondered for centuries. We call it the "theology of election." The Hebrew scriptures do not provide a uniform answer to that question. Some passages indicate that God chose the Jews because God loved them more than any other people. Other places say the Jews were less evil than other people, so God chose them. Still, the most consistent reason given for their election is that God has a divine plan to bless the Jews so that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through them. They are an instrument of God's love.
This passage from Joshua doesn't seem to support the latter explanation. The Israelites enter the promised land and immediately begin eating the crops sown by other people. And chapter six describes the Israelite destruction of Jericho which was to include, by God's direction, the destruction of everyone but Rahab and her family. They weren't much of a blessing to those in Jericho!
These questions of election still concern Christians today as we seek to understand the current Israeli/Palestinian conflict. How do you understand election--Jewish, and for that matter, Christian (we Presbyterians have been known to say a few things about Christian election)? What kind of view of election would be helpful in the current conflict?
Thursday, March 4, 2010
You're Thirsty, Whether You Recognize it or Not
Isaiah 55:1-2
"Ho, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and you that have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
Why do you spend your money
for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat
what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food."
It's been a while since I've been to the Grand Canyon. I went as a boy and even then, I don't think we ventured down the long, dusty trail that leads to the bottom. We just stood at the rim and oohed and ahhed like the other tourists. But I am told that every so often on that trail, there are signs that say, "Stop! Drink water. You are thirsty, whether you realize it or not." Makes sense. It is the desert, after all, with very low humidity. Dehydration can catch up with you, even before you realize you are thirsty.
That's the way life is. You're strolling down the trail, taking in the beauty around you or maybe just trying to manage the difficult twists and turns on the rocky trail, and you don't even recognize your thirst until it's too late. You've lost a sense of centeredness, a sense of purpose; things seem to be spinning out of control. God seems distant.
Lent is the church's way of erecting a big sign that says, "Stop! Drink. You are thirsty whether you realize it or not."
How do you know when you are dehydrated, spiritually? What, spiritually, sates your thirst and hunger? Do you know how to get a drink?
"Ho, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and you that have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
Why do you spend your money
for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat
what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food."
It's been a while since I've been to the Grand Canyon. I went as a boy and even then, I don't think we ventured down the long, dusty trail that leads to the bottom. We just stood at the rim and oohed and ahhed like the other tourists. But I am told that every so often on that trail, there are signs that say, "Stop! Drink water. You are thirsty, whether you realize it or not." Makes sense. It is the desert, after all, with very low humidity. Dehydration can catch up with you, even before you realize you are thirsty.
That's the way life is. You're strolling down the trail, taking in the beauty around you or maybe just trying to manage the difficult twists and turns on the rocky trail, and you don't even recognize your thirst until it's too late. You've lost a sense of centeredness, a sense of purpose; things seem to be spinning out of control. God seems distant.
Lent is the church's way of erecting a big sign that says, "Stop! Drink. You are thirsty whether you realize it or not."
How do you know when you are dehydrated, spiritually? What, spiritually, sates your thirst and hunger? Do you know how to get a drink?
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