Sunday, June 9, 2013 (full size gallery)
Certainly an unusual Sunday! The day was unsettled in weather – overcast, humid with the sun peaking through. The first day lilies bloomed over the week. Interesting enough closer to the river they are out but just starting in the graveyard closer to the church. The bees were out enjoying the clover in the graveyard.
Affirming our Faith, our basic study of the Episcopal Church, was in its third part. John Wall and Suzanne drove up and joined us. Father John said he is writing an Old Testament book. Today’s study concluded the study of the Eucharist and today involved conceptions of God.
Prior to Christian Ed, Cookie showed us the framed photographic collection of St. Peter’s priests, a Vestry project. Many churches can’t approximate the number of pictures of historic priests that we have. It is appropriate to display them.
Another valuable contribution this week was the progress on the Parish Bathroom. Rob Dobson and his crew is making progress, including the flooring and walls.
We had 41 in the service. We celebrated Tucker’s birthday and Mike and Marilyn’s 42 wedding anniversary. Bill was our Lay Eucharistic Visitor to those unable to make our service.
Last week we offered a prayer for rain for Johnny. We may have done too good a job with multiple inches of rain. This week it was an offer of thanksgiving for rain.
The readings this week dealt with widows with sons who had just died (Kings and Luke). The main difference is that Elijah asked for the restoration while Jesus just did it without the request of the widow. This shows the further progress of phrophecy. The psalm stands alone as brilliant praise for God; it also coordinates with today’s readings, as v.4 touches the issue of what happens when our "breath departs." We also have v.7 in which we are assured that God watches over "the orphan and the widow"
You can read Catherine’s sermons here with the readings.
After the service, 17 of us ventured to Ruby Tuesdays in Fredericksburg. 20% of our bill will be donated to FredCamp the work camp for youth and adults in early July. It was also a good time for fellowship and to say thanks for all who contribute to our life together. Using cards we did a shout out to FredCamp. Catherine and Becky will be cooking lunch for the workers near to the Church in the first week of July during FredCamp
Events coming coming up include "Noah" a production of Sight and Sound Theatre in Lancaster. We need 55 to go. Reservations are due the 16th. If you want to go to the Region One dinner the last day is June 21st. The ECW is working on a St. Peter’s calendar and a ice cream social for Bowling Green Health Center in a week. The Bishop will be here at 2pm on June 23.
The meeting of Jesus followers who had just witnessed the healing of the Centurion’s slave June 2) and the funeral procession coming out of the city for a widow’s son (this week) provides an interesting meeting. Life vs. death is the obvious thought.
Luke’s story is modeled on the raising of the widow’s son at Zarephath by Elijah in 1 Kings 17:8-34 which we also read today.
Last week, in Luke the centurion was rewarded for his faith. In this week’s healing, recounted only in Luke, there is no mention of faith at all. Alyce McKenzie Professor of Preaching and Worship at Perkins School of Theology write that we encounter twenty-two healings in Luke’s gospel.
The role of faith is mentioned in only five of those healing. In a couple of cases, Jesus heals in surroundings where faith seems to be in short supply. He calms the sea in the face of the disciples’ panic (8:22-25). He raises Jairus’ daughter amid the jeers of friends and family (8:53).
Last week it was faith that motivated Jesus but this week it is compassion is the key word. And that’s part of moving through Ordinary Time, understanding the depths of Jesus teaching in different situations.
This week recalls the role of women in Jesus time. She is vulnerable without husband to care for her or child to help with her work. She would be pegged for a marginal existence and thus open for exploitation. Jesus brings life to her as well as the boy.
Jesus "sees" the grieving widow and "has compassion on her." Anticipation heightens for the reader as Jesus says to her, "Do not weep." Then he comes forward and touches the bier while the bearers stand still. Finally, he speaks and the young man sits up.
Jesus makes the decision to intervene. When we are confronted with people in pain it is difficult to intervene. Simone Weil wrote, “Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” We tend to retreat to what ever we were doing before encountering this situation. We avoid it.
A recent NY Times article by Jonathan Foer this week dealt with the author’s confrontation with a girl crying in concluding a cell phone conversation that he overhead.
Foer concludes: "We live in a world made up more of story than stuff. We are creatures of memory more than reminders, of love more than likes. Being attentive to the needs of others might not be the point of life, but it is the work of life. It can be messy, and painful, and almost impossibly difficult. But it is not something we give. It is what we get in exchange for having to die."
Suzanne Guthrie finds significant meaning in gospel in the touching of the bier. Suzanne has witnessed her own sadness recently as two of her grandchildren lived only a short time after their births.
She writes "In the story after this one, John the Baptist sends a message from prison. His friends ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” Jesus responds, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.” (7:22)
"Jesus spoke to John through allusions to texts from the prophet Isaiah. By doing so, he is saying that the kingdom is upon them, that something is happening now: the reign of righteousness, of peace, healing, justice, transcendence – is at hand. Something undermines the hopelessness of the human condition, and here are signs that something new lies just beneath the surface of what appears to be reality. (Can you not perceive it? Is. 43:19) This new thing- whatever it is – will emerge silently – like the resurrection – so deep in the night that Mary arrives on Easter morning – while it was still dark – to find the tomb empty.
"Here’s my favorite line in the story of the widow of Nain: “And the bearers stood still” (vs.14). My heart stands still. In this great darkness I make room for the Holy to pass through the midst of death like the flaming torch and smoke passing through Abraham’s sacrifice. Like Abraham, I drive away the birds of prey while waiting in a darkness deeper than time. This is where I perceive the new thing, here, in this empty space.
"And the bearers stood still.
"In prayer, I stand still. I give myself to that secret newly emerging from the darkness"
For Lance Ousley from the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia Washington what is emerging is abundance from scarcity:
"After the son is raised from the dead the text says the crowds responds, "A great prophet has risen among us!" While the crowd was talking about Jesus, there is a double entendre presented. The son whom Jesus raised from the dead no doubt would have become a prophetic voice sharing the good news of what Jesus did for him. We, too, are raised from death of a worldly perspective of the scarcity of life. And so we are raised up to be prophets stewarding the abundance of life of has given us helping to restore life to all people in the world."