Third Sunday in Lent: Occupy breakfast

3/11

Jamie has brought more candles to bring more light.

We gather. Begin. John reads the ten commandments. We do Psalm 19 people’s mike style. It ends with oh let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in thy sight O lord...I ask if anyone recognizes that. Of course, I say that every Sunday before the sermon. But then Kamini says, Bob Marley, and I say, that’s right and sing it his style. (Well, kind of...)

And after Samantha reads the Epistle, we sing How Beautiful the March of Days...Lily reads the gospel, Jesus throwing out the money changers, in Spanish, I in English. 

We’re talking about a Covenant again. This time God’s covenant on Sinai. And the  Ten Commandments.. God to Moses at Sinai. In Hebrew, it’s words, sayings, matters. In Greek, decalogue, ten words.....In Jewish tradition, these commandments only were  written directly by God’s finger....The universal basis of all morality...and no penalties listed...The other 613 mitzvot were for the children of Israel, not anyone else. 

And by the way, who remembers Charlton Heston?

So OK.,..scorecard time. I’m not asking for any public answers here. How many have you broken? A number of my former Catholics remember their first communion. The commandments and their first confession. Pretty heavy memories.

Which is the first?

I tell the congregation that there are at least three different ways to number. In the Jewish tradition, I am the Lord your God is the first word. ..Or it could be have no other gods before me...I think that everything  else follows that, everything  else is a variation, amplification, about about honoring something other than God...

Which leads me to Jesus in the temple...what was he doing there? Which commandment inspired him? According to Barbara Lundblad, he was disrupting religious routines...(and religious leaders too...) or maybe it was about Jesus and a  strange piety...

What was it that annoyed him...what is it that we need to worry about?  what changes frighten us, do we need to make?

Was Jesus part of the black block of his day? A great conversation ensues, Hope speaking of righteous anger, Jamie saying that you can never be sure enough to unleash that level of violence.

And if you talk about destruction,

Don’t you know that you can count me out (in)

Lennon-Mc Cartney, Revolution

It remains a question in the air. 

Our occupiers invite us upstairs for breakfast. Bacon, eggs, quiche, apple crisp. It's amazing what can be done with a convection oven, a microwave and a hotplate.  I look at the tables. The conversations. The warmth. I see the lives that have been changed. This is exactly what I want. This is community. 

Breakfast table

Leila, Arcadia and Jamie

Amy and Nirka

Later, the Session meets. Sekou has had a fender bender. But he can’t locate his license, is concerned about the police. So I go to be with him. Later we meet together. Talk bout the idea of the Freedom Church. And when we talk about Sanctuary and Jane, it’s Samantha who comes thorugh, says that she never wants anyone to feel unwelcome in our church. That we need to get our two groups together.  Work on the relationship. And she’s interested in creating all Sa thrift shop. We find candidates for the session. And deacons. We will have an annual meeting. It’s been a long day. Time to go home.