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| The blizzard (photo by Zejlko Mirkovic) |
It is the morning after the blizzard. Public transportation has
resumed. Still the snow is deep, I’m not expecting many to brave the snow and
cold, though the sun s shining, reflecting off the blanket of white.
Last night was the last night of Antigona, by Noche Flamenca. Marking
a real artistic achievement. As I told the cast, we have had a vision of making this a place where dreams come
true. And they have done that. Extra
special because of the blizzard. When I was at work yesterday, about every two
minutes, I was answering a question about whether the show was still or not.
(One call literally said because of the
gizzard..) Some angry, some excited. The idea was that the show would be
performed for whoever showed up.
And the house was about 2/3 full…
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| The show would go on.... |
The night was eerily beautiful and quiet. No buses, traffic noises. People walking ..or
skiing …up the street…pulling children on sleds..
Why was the response to the storm so dramatic? As Gary Greengraas
said yesterday, when I was a kid, we
called this winter..
In our reflections, we’ve had a dual agenda for these last few
weeks…watching Jesus learn and grow and looking at the content of our ministry.
We’ve had Jesus in the temple as a boy, Jesus getting baptized and
leaving his old life behind, Jesus at the wedding pushed by his mother to
perform a miracle. Now Jesus preaching his first sermon. That sermon will
announce his self-understanding, his job description, and in this, what the
content of our ministry must be.
He reads from the scroll of Isiaah:
"The Spirit of the
Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He
has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the
blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19to proclaim the year of
the Lord's favor."
But when you look at the original,Isaiah,
you’ll notice there’s one difference…Isiaah includes this:
and the day of vengeance of
our God;
Jesus has removed vengeance
from the equation. (Like in the Revenant,
Hugh Glass remembers the Native American saying that revenge belonged to the creator…)
Jesus Is not here to start a new religion, or messianic
revolution. This messianic era, which
he inaugurates, will be of a different nature. And as he says, it has already begun…Someone in my
clergy study group pointed out that this is Jesus’ magnificat, his version of Mary’s song which has that same declaration
and affirmation of alreadyness… perhaps
he heard it as a child…
Our ministry, which we
receive at our baptism, and the character of our community is rooted in Jesus’
job description. This is the greater good
to which our many gifts are to be used.
But there is also this…
22On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and
those members of the body that
we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are
treated with greater respect; 24whereas our
more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body,
giving the greater honor
to the inferior member, 25that there may be
no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one
another. 26If one member suffers, all
suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with
it.
That is the real
challenge…especially moving it beyond platitude to reality…
In the end, we are all in this
together….
As we discuss the passage,
Marsha shares that she feels we need to take some care here. That in our small
community, we often pay so much attention to those who may be on the margins,
of so many different kinds, that we may miss the inner needs of the quiet, the
steady, the those who are always there. (The older brothers, and sisters, as it
were….) She has a point.
Soon our quiet service is
over. Back into the snow. A quiet Sunday afternoon ahead….
SECOND READING 1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-31A
12For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the
members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13For
in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body — Jews or Greeks, slaves
or free — and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
14Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of
many. 15If the foot would say,"Because I am not a hand, I
do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the
body. 16And if the ear would say, "Because I am not an
eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part
of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the
hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell
be? 18But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each
one of them, as he chose. 19If all were a single member, where
would the body be? 20As it is, there are many members, yet one
body. 21The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of
you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of
you." 22On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are
indispensable, 23and those members of the body that we think less honorable we
clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are
treated with greater respect; 24whereas
our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the
body, giving the greater
honor to the inferior member, 25that there may be no
dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one
another. 26If one member suffers, all suffer
together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.
27Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of
it. 28And God has appointed in the church first apostles,
second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing,
forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. 29Are
all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work
miracles? 30Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in
tongues? Do all interpret? 31But strive for the greater gifts.
14Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to
Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding
country. 15He began to teach in their synagogues and was
praised by everyone.
16When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went
to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to
read, 17and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him.
He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 18"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to
bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19to
proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." 20And
he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes
of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21Then he began to
say to them, "Today
this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
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