Living in coronavirusworld 182: Many are called

 

10/5

In the Garden

As our International Sanctuary Declaration work group gathers, we learn that the Presbyterian Church (USA) has decided to withdraw support from the Community of Living Faith Traditions at Stony Point. A few years ago, the PCUSA essentially left Stony Point in its own hands. Part of the innovative work done by Stony Point  had been the Community, three intentional communities, Jewish, Christian and Muslim, living their  own distinct lives in their ow tradition but interacting and collaborating on joint projects  of study, celebration and action. Joni delegations had been sent to Standing Rock, Ferguson, the US-Mexico Border and the Poor People’s Campaign.  The virus  has been devastating for Stony Point  with no income from seminars, retreats ,etc.  Forty of forty nine employees had to be let go. In what feels like a draconian response, the denomination has offered to come back in as long as it  can make Stony Point the flagship in its ‘‘Matthew 25” congregations project. At the cost of cutting the Community loose. Apparently to advance the Presbyterian brand. To me nothing sounds more retrograde. Eliminating an interfaith communal effort after eleven years seems to me the very antithesis of Matthew 25. I want to say if your Matthew 25 program requires cutting off assistance to an interfaith effort, I don’t want any part of it. Those of us in the world of urban ministry live our lives with our interfaith neighbors more Ethan we do as “presbyteries.” Our daily loves are interfaith. Stony Point was a living experiment of what that looks like at the next level. Living the future,       

As we go around the circle, the Trump administration has declared its intent to reduce next years ’s admitted refugees to 15000, down from the 100000 level when they took over. In Germany, the Bavarian  Benedictine abbess is still awaiting trial on her harboring of refugees charges. Sea Watch 4 is finding  it impossible to find safe harbor for the refugees they pick up from the Mediterranean. Canada is considering reopening its US border. Germany is seeking to “abolish” all detention camps. And work continues  to be done on the Alarm  Phone controversy over a system created  to alert those who operated  rescue ships when refugees are sited in the water.  Globally, the whole  situation of refugees in coronavirus world continues to deteriorate.

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The Conservatory Garden fountain

fall....

Emergency!

I decide to walk through Central Park. Leaves are beginning to fall. A duo of trombones is rehearsing on the hill above the Conservatory Garden filling the garden with  their mellow sounds.  All of a sudden, there arrive six emergency vehicles with no clear reason why. 

Tonight our Bible Study focuses  on Matthew 22: 14. A “wedding banquet” parable. Invitations  ares sent out . Excuses made. Servants beaten. And killed. (Again.) Punishments  imposed  and a city destroyed. New invitations extended to the highways and byways to “good and bad” both. Then a strange dramatic moment where  one of these last minute invitees who unprepared comes in from the street and gets pounced on for not having a proper robe. (“How dare you come in here with it a proper mask?”) I wonder, why not just get the guy a robe? Instead he’s cast out into the outer darkness where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. Concussion: many are called bit few are chosen. Sigh.

On first reading, AmberLee feels a connection with the movie “Ready Player One.”

Marsha sees it as a Seth Roganesque romcom. 

Leila says, Wow, they really don’t like this guy. 

Marsha sees the rejection of the reachout. That feelings of rejection that are almost primordial, paradigmatic. A mean girls template.

Russ is focussed on the Secret Service guys who accompanied the President in his Covid joy ride. Yes they promised to take a bullet for the President, not from the President. 

The story is also in Luke 14: 16-24 and Thomas 64 which makes the source a Q text. In Luke and Thomas, it’s just a dinner. Matthew ups the social ante by making  it a “wedding feast.” It also also concurs with the metaphor of Jesus as a groom, church a bride.  Only Matthew has the “robeless guest” drama. To figure out Matthew’s  message, we need to look at these unique touches. In Matthew, these are the 3rd and 4th confrontation  parables.  He’s also the only one who calls the host a “king.” In line with his emphasis on the “kingdom of God.” Again, the original invitees are the Israelites, the servants  the prophets. And later Christian  apsostles. His is the only one where the servants get killed, a clear martyrdom image. And the king’s revenge a clear reference to the destruction of the temple. 

And again, we’ve got a dangerous supercessionist, replacement scenario. Martin Luther said this parable was proof of why throughout the world the Jews were the most uprooted, displaced and deposed.

Commentator David Lose calls this an “ugly” parable and that we cannot get anywhere with it until we admit its ugliness. Forget the eons of excuses made by Christian commentators, you can’t                change the ugliness. Jesus  not only rejects those who turn down the invitation  they get blamed for the destruction of the Temple.  Lose sees here a call to reject a bully God. Calls to mind how LGBTQUIA+ people have been rejected by their church, how many have committed suicide. The third leading cause of death for youth.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

We need to adopt a hermeneutic of interpreting scripture by scripture, or better, the person of Jesus as we have come to know him. Who doesn’t seem to be present here in his usual accepting and welcoming, “come as you are” mode.. Lose calls on us to see the story in  the context of the fall of the temple and the low point of internecine struggle between Christians and synagogue Jews  to be the inheritors of the ancestral faith of their people. Coming from the deep pain of a sundered community.

Perhaps Matthew’s point is in this new community, you have to go all the way. If you come in, you’ve got to be ready. As AmberLee points out “as to the day or the hour, none shall know.” Like Advent with its “people get ready” theme’

Russ calls on us once again to figure out who we are. And where we’re headed. 

Many are called, few are chosen…