"Tradition!" - the heart of the matter...

Scripture:Song of Solomon 2:8-13 and Psalm 45:1-2, 6-9  Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9 and Psalm 15  • James 1:17-27  • Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

"Tradition!" exclaims Tevye, the Jewish Russian with three daughters in Fiddler on the Roof, as his daughters, one by one, seek to marry those they love, instead of being matched to their mates according to tradition. 

This week's scripture from the passage in Deuteronomy, to the Psalms, to the passage in James, and Mark's gospel all take into account obedience to the law and commandments. James and Jesus both tell us we abandon the commandments if we are mere hearers and not doers of the word, or follow tradition "with our lips" without honoring God's word in our hearts.

Our traditions, and beautiful prayers and litany in the Book of Common Prayer are treasures. They move me, guide me and keep me in sync with the presence of God's love in my life every day. Reading the Daily Office and prayers has become an indispensable part of my day and evening. Once, when I saw it as a task and obligation to read them, it became a drudgery, a weight. When I stopped to listen, to let go of being in control and let God's words speak to me, to correct me, to show me my errors and lovingly forgive me, these words became "a light to my path," and life became lighter. Things which worried and bothered me, were lifted from me - "Come you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Now I need God's word, and to pray, like I need food and drink. 

Read all three of our authors to see how we can honor our traditions from the heart - how we can live in truth, and not with hypocrisy. And read the passage from James carefully. I was surprised to find several practical points to keep us from living a lie, and to live out our faith with authenticity and integrity.

See Ragan Sutterfield's "Preparing for the Gift," "It's all about the heart" from PreacherRhetorica, and "Pharisees Are Us," by The Rev. John Ortberg.

"How about some good "compani" Italian bread?"

Scripture: 1 Kings 8:(1,6,10-11), 22-30, 41-43 and Psalm 84  Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18 and Psalm 34:15-22  • 

Ephesians 6:10-20  • John 6:56-69

We have been studying "the bread of life," "bread of heaven" sayings of Jesus in John's gospel. This week The Rev. Dr. Joseph S. Pagano, in "The Bread of Life," gives us further insight into the life - eternal and abundant - given to us by Christ, using the analogy of sturdy Italian bread. "We see something of this bread-like virtue in our word “companion,” which literally means someone with whom bread is shared: com, meaning “with,” and pani, meaning “bread.” Acom-panion is someone with whom we break bread. And when we break bread with someone, we are in communion with them." Read about the transformative power of the Holy Eucharist in the life of Diana the cupbearer. In one of our communion prayers we say, “Deliver us from the presumption of coming to this table for solace only, and not for strength; for pardon only, and not for renewal. Let the grace of this Holy Communion make us one body, one spirit in Christ, that we may worthily serve the world in his name.” We share the bread of life so that we may be strengthened and renewed to go forth into the word with a message of life and love. In small and large ways, sharing in the bread of life, sharing in Christ’s love, transforms us and our world.

Fr. Rick Morley, in "the bloody truth," contrasts Jesus' invitation to eat his flesh and drink his blood with the law of Leviticus 17:14 "For the life of every creature—its blood is its life; therefore I have said to the people of Israel: You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood; whoever eats it shall be cut off." What is Jesus doing here? Why? See the comments of Anthony B. Robinson.

Jesus' provocative words... the Body and the Blood

Scripture: 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14 and Psalm 111  • Proverbs 9:1-6 and Psalm 34:9-14  

• Ephesians 5:15-20  • John 6:51-58

Continuing the "I am the bread of life," sayings of Jesus from John's gospel, this week Jesus tells religious authorities: "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink."

Both Fr. Rick Morley in "eucharistic bombshells – a reflection on John 6:51-58, " and The Rev. Larry Patten in "I Am The Living Croissant” search Jesus' words, and the context in which they are spoken, as well as their significance for us today. Both believe Jesus' comments were provocative, and uttered with the purpose of awakening us to the freedom of living out the honest truth of God's love for us, and for our neighbors - this is living the abundant life - not the superficial prosperity, feel good so called "gospel" we see and hear so much about today. Jesus radically calls us out to live and love unconditionally and sacrificially, and in so doing we shall see the glory of God.

“O taste and see that the Lord is good.”

Scripture: 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33 and Psalm 130  • 1 Kings 19:4-8 and Psalm 34:1-8  • Ephesians 4:25-5:2  • John 6:35, 41-51

We study again Jesus telling us he is the bread of life. Last week he told us we need bread to eat to nourish our bodies, and bread for our souls, which never leaves us hungry. This week Jesus tells his detractors and complainers, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." 

What is it to eat of the bread of heaven? How does it affect our lives? It can break down barriers, egos, and all that separates us from the love of God, and who he calls us to be. 

Peter Woods tells us; "For you to have earthly bread requires the sweat of your brow. That’s your creature curse carried from Adam. Yet foreshadowed by the manna of the wilderness and now fully revealed in Jesus; the bread of life is offered to all who are hungry enough to trust that five barley loaves and two fish can feed a multitude. There is nothing to achieve or to do. Which means you cannot decide or designate who gets some and who doesn’t. You are not the baker nor the distributor. You are just another hungry pilgrim on the hillside or in the wilderness."  See his "What beggars know about bread."

Jim Ogden, in "Where's God when we're in trouble?" takes us through the gamut of human despair and joy, as David, after his sin and  learning of the death of his rebellious son, cries "Absalom, my Absalom, would only I had died instead of you." Elijah despairs after he summoned God's power in the  great victory over the prophets of Baal, fearing for his life, and wanting to die. God's angel bade him eat of bread provided by God for his long journey. Jesus is the bread of life, sent form heaven. Always present. He asks when do we look for God, or what do we ask of God? Ogden says "The reading from Ephesians puts it right on the bottom shelf.  What we need in our times of trouble is love embodied in everyday acts of truth and kindness.  Do we need to be recalled to the simple values of human relationship?  Living them is not always as simple as speaking them, but maybe we need to give it a try. 

Tell the truth, don’t steal, work hard, don’t talk trash about other people (how about don’t talk trash at all), don’t be bitter and angry and contentious, be kind, forgive—and the list goes on. (See especially Ephesians 4:25, 28-29, 31-32)  Doing these things will not save us.  No one will live them to perfection.  They remind us, however, of where to look for God and how to live through times of trouble.  Pay attention to the relationships around us.  God is there, and we are to “be imitators of God.” (Ephesians 5:1).

"The Bread of Heaven"

Scripture: 

2 Samuel 11:26 - 12:13a and Psalm 51:1-12  • 

 

Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15 and Psalm 78:23-29  • 

Ephesians 4:1-16  • 

 

John 6:24-35

Last week we studied the feeding of 5,000 from the account in John's gospel, and people begin to ask just who this Jesus is. We discussed God's power. This week we learn more about the transformative power of God in the presence of Jesus, who tells us he is the bread of life. Jesus teaches us, and feeds us what we need, not necessarily what we want, and we are transformed if only we have ears to hear, and hearts open to his message and love.


Dianne Bergant, in "Bread of Heaven," tells us: "Jesus makes a bold claim today: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger.” Paul insists that acceptance of Jesus as the real source of our life and the very nourishment of our spirits effects a total transformation in us. We are no longer content to live with full bellies but empty minds. We put aside our old selves steeped in ignorance and self-interest, and we put on a new self, created in Christ’s image. Having fed on the bread from heaven, we are mysteriously transformed into it. The spirit of our minds has been renewed. We have learned Christ; we are nourished by his teaching. As a result, we launch out into a way of living that witnesses to our new understanding, our new life."


Christopher Burkett, in "The Ultimate Restorative," says: "Common stuff of living and God through Jesus takes them and transforms them into the  new things of his kingdom. Bread of life indeed! Like any good craftsman, God takes ordinary things and shapes them into something wonderful. He is not jealous with his skill. He shares it. He takes, he blesses, he breaks, he gives. And he is generous enough to call us his body that through us his action might be known in the world. Bread and wine are taken off the tables of our daily lives and put into Jesus' hands to be transformed into what he meant all things to be – a direct means of contact between humankind and God." - We are joined and reconciled with God in the presence of Christ in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist.

An offertory invitation by John Westerhoff:

Sisters and brothers, I invite you to bring your lives in their 
brokenness and incompleteness and lay them in bread and wine on Christ's table, 
a sacrifice holy and acceptable to God; that in this holy Eucharist God might 
take your life, transform it, and give it back to you made whole, infused with 
the life of Christ, that you might go forth to love and serve in his name.