Lord, that I might see!

 

Lord, that I might see!

And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.

And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.

And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me.

And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee.

And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.

And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might see!

And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way. (Mark 10:46-52)

The first passage we translated from Greek in seminary was this one. And the imperative, urgent nature of the request of the blind beggar, Bar-Timaeus, was apparent, once you saw.

Lord, that I might see! is an accurate translation. He wasn’t deferential, he was in a hurry.

And he discarded everything to follow Jesus. Without being asked.

As we recall from the story of Saint Francis, the town square of Assisi witnessed something similar about 12 centuries later. The son of a wealthy merchant cast off the trappings of wealth right down to his skin.

[Naked as the youth in the garden running away in the night when Jesus was betrayed.]

He had no idea what would happen next, except that now he was really following Jesus.

And then the bishop covered him with his cope. After that, Francis found a discarded cloak of an under-gardener waiting for him on a trash heap. He gladly adopted it as his own, chalking a cross on the back.

[“Where have you laid him?” the women asked at the empty tomb. “For we would have his body in our care.”]

[Yes we have wandered far from Jericho, but not far from Jesus, and his encounter with those who did not see - and those who did.]

Jesus is turning toward Jerusalem. His disciples have trudged in his past all the way from north of the Sea of Galilee. Down the Jordan River they have trod, until they have arrived at the foot of the long climb, from the ancient well-town of Jericho on up to Jerusalem. 

And here at this turning point, sitting by the side of the road, is a would-be sighted man. All around him people pegged him as a beggar, blind, consigned to the rubbish heap of life. 

But he did not accept that. That was not his fate. That is not what God called him to be. That is not what God made him. God made him his own child, beloved, and a miracle.

A miracle, we know, of restored sight, but also a miracle of forgiveness, grace, and healing.

He did not hesitate. He did not quit. He did what he was not supposed to do. He cried out. And revealed the truth about the one passing by, whom he, son of Timaeus, was first to address as son of David.

What does the son of Timaeus have to do with the son of David? What do they share?

Life - the gift of life - and the redemption of body and soul in the light of the kingdom’s dawning.

For the dawn is upon them, just beyond night; just beyond the darkness of Calvary, Easter comes.

And they are ready, first for the one, and then for the other. The unimaginable other.

Perhaps it is easier to see if you have once been blind. But now, you see.

https://youtu.be/IN05jVNBs64

President Obama sings Amazing Grace (C-SPAN)

October 24th 2021

Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost

Proper 25 Year B

Lectionary 30

Jeremiah 31:7-9

Psalm 126

Hebrews 7:23-28

Mark 10:46-52

http://edgeofenclosure.org/proper25b.html

An earlier version of this essay was published as "Lord, that I might see!" in Keeping the Faith, Home + Life, Arizona Daily Star, November 14th 2021, E3.

In Thy Glory

 

Whosoever will be great among you shall be your minister; And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. (Mark 10.43b-45, KJV)

I’m going to tell you two stories, one true and one that’s just made up.

A new pastor went into his study, opened the drawer of his desk, and found three envelopes. One was marked, open first. And so he did.

The first time you get into trouble in your new congregation, this is what you do: blame the previous pastor.

It happened, and so he did. It seemed to work.

Then he got into trouble again. 

The second envelope said, open this second. So he did, and it said, “Blame the bishop.”

So he did. It seemed to work. Kind of…

The third crisis came. And so he opened the third envelope, which said, after all, open this third.

It said: “Prepare three envelopes.”

The true story is this: when a new president goes into the oval office for the first time as president, he sits down at the Resolute desk, and finds an envelope. It is addressed to him. It is a warm personal note, just for him, from his predecessor. A few words of wisdom, from one of the very few alive who knows just what he is facing on his first day in his new job.

George H. W. Bush apparently wrote a real winner, for Bill Clinton. And they became friends.

"When I walked into this office just now I felt the same sense of wonder and respect that I felt four years ago," Bush wrote. "I know you will feel that, too."

The handwritten Inauguration Day letter wished “great happiness” to Bill Clinton, who defeated Bush in a crushing 1992 re-election bid.

"When I walked into this office just now I felt the same sense of wonder and respect that I felt four years ago," Bush wrote. "I know you will feel that, too."

The outgoing president also offered encouragement and some advice for dealing with critics, saying there will be "very tough times" ahead, "made even more difficult by criticism you may not think is fair.

"I'm not a very good one to give advice; but just don't let the critics discourage you or push you off course."

“Your success now is our country’s success. I am rooting hard for you,” Bush concluded.

Here’s how it’s done in America.⁣ ⁣ This is the gracious letter George H.W. Bush left for Bill in the Oval Office on the day of Bill's inauguration.⁣ ⁣ "Your success now is our country's success," President Bush wrote. "I am rooting hard for you."⁣ ⁣ Since the very beginning, American presidents have accepted the will of the people and participated in a peaceful transfer of power. That's what makes our democracy so unique, and so enduring.

A post shared by Hillary Clinton (@hillaryclinton) on Nov 10, 2020 at 7:51am PST

https://www.today.com/news/george-bush-s-letter-bill-clinton-lesson-dignity-respect-t104168

The second story, as you can guess, is the true one. The other? I hope not.

Is there a third story? No.

Jesus got no notes, no envelopes, when he embarked on his mission. He went to the synagogue, opened the scroll that was handed to him, and read, 

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

   because the Lord has anointed me;

he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,

   to bind up the broken-hearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives,

   and release to the prisoners;

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour,

   and the day of vengeance of our God;

   to comfort all who mourn;

to provide for those who mourn in Zion—

   to give them a garland instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

   the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

   the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.

(Isaiah 61:1-3)

To proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners.

And so he did.

He became, took on himself, that role of the servant, and gave himself for the liberation of many.

That liberation, that release, that healing, had already taken many forms by the time he got to this place in the journey, when two disciples ask him for the places of chief honor ‘one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory’. In thy glory.

Oh, but those places have already been appointed. And you know when he was in his glory.

And you know who they were. Maybe not by name, but you can almost see them. There they are, on his right and his left, and believe it or not, that is a picture of him in his glory.

On the cross.

His life a ransom for many. 

And liberty has been proclaimed, and those in bondage have been set free. 

And they continue to be.

And it is our job to help. To be among those who ‘will be great’ by being the servant of all.

How does that play out in real time? In our lives, we are unlikely to be the victims of midnight betrayals or crack-of-dawn trials, before the authorities of our own nation, or an occupying power; though soon some among us may be those who can say, just so. Refugees. Asylum seekers. Illegal aliens, desperate for a home.

We may all be that, when it comes to our sins, our hidden bondage, our unknown prisons.

Our need for healing.

And thanks be to God, there is a God, who sent his Son, Son of Man, Son of God, Son of David, to shower his mercy upon us and show us the way to be free. Not alone but all of us.

And of all things, an everyday ritual in public schools, a promise spoken aloud by children, leads the way.

‘The original Pledge of Allegiance was written by Francis Bellamy. It was first given wide publicity through the official program of the National Public Schools Celebration of Columbus Day which was printed in The Youth’s Companion of September 8, 1892, and at the same time sent out in leaflet form to schools throughout the country.

‘School children first recited the Pledge of Allegiance this way: “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.”’

https://www.legion.org/flag/questions-answers/91112/who-wrote-pledge-allegiance

https://www.ushistory.org/documents/pledge.htm (accessed October 16, 2021).

One nation, indivisible. 

And here comes the kicker:

With liberty and justice for all.

That’s our job, to make it happen.

Not just the ones who ‘would be great’ - or ‘the chiefest’ among us - but all of us.

Under God.

We can do that.

Amen. May it be so, Lord, may it be so.

And so look upon the ministers who serve inside your church, your servants among us, that they and we are that all.

Blessed be God, whose power working in us, can do more than we could ask or imagine.

Ask the disciples! They know. They found out. Those two guys, who seem so silly in this story, did indeed drink of his cup, and were baptized with his baptism: they went on to do more than they could ever have imagined, in the grace and in the power and to the glory of God.

Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely

more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from

generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus

for ever and ever. Amen.   (Ephesians 3:20,21).

JRL+

Oct 16, 2021 5:06 PM

The Upwardly Mobile Man

Almighty and ever-living God, increase in us your gift of faith, that, forsaking what lies behind and reaching out to what lies ahead, we may follow the way of your commandments and receive the crown of everlasting joy. (ELW)

THE UPWARDLY MOBILE MAN

The Rich Man asks how to inherit eternal life. Jesus replies, You lack one thing. Go sell all you have ... and come follow me.

Let nothing hinder you from following the way of love.

True security lies not behind with worldly things but ahead with the kingdom.

Rich young rulers of the world unite! You have nothing to lose but ...everything.

Have you heard about the Pandora report? About world leaders who have offshored their wealth so as to limit their tax liabilities? Upwardly mobile men.

 

Here in our Gospel is the story of the man who kept all the commandments but went away sorrowing when Jesus called on him to sell his property, distribute the proceeds to the poor, and then come follow Jesus. Who by the way was on the road to Jerusalem, the road to the passion - and to resurrection. But this man, on hearing Jesus' invitation, went away in sorrow, "for he had many possessions." He had at first felt affirmed, happy and confirmed, in that he was able to assure Jesus that he had kept the commandments from his youth. A clue might have been when Jesus asked him, why do you call me good? Only God is good. Which led to Jesus saying, later, for mortals it is impossible to enter the kingdom of heaven, but with God all things are possible. 

The disciples who ask Jesus to explain everything also want his reassurance, that they will be okay, in fact rewarded, for giving up what they had to follow him.

His reply to them is practically a quotation from the last chapters of the book of Job, when that man, who had remained righteous, despite losing everything, was restored to health and received new family and possessions. 

Sure, these disciples have received a new family, in that they have been adopted into God's family, as brother and sister and mother, as they follow his commandments. 

And perhaps they will receive possessions of replacement value. 

But the point is not what they had, in the past: Jesus is calling his disciples to look ahead, and to move forward, to enter God's kingdom and act in the certain knowledge that his reign is real.

That is going to take some faith, and it is going to require some action.

The disciples are caught between two options and cannot keep them both open. 

On the one hand Jesus calls on them to receive the kingdom as a little child would.

On the other they feel the pull to do something to inherit eternal life. 

What do you do to inherit? 

An inheritance is a gift. Unearned merit is a contradiction in terms. 

The desire to do - to ensure - to make certain - to clinch the deal.

The man who had many possessions could, looking back, say he had kept all the rules.

Except one: Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven and all these things shall be added unto you.

In other words, follow Jesus. 

Then the rest will fall into its proper place, its right relationship.

Seeking assurance the commandment-compliant man comes to Jesus and instead of a sure thing - confirming his status, or giving him more! - he gets a mystery, a challenge, an opportunity.

There is one more thing to do. Be free of all that holds you back. Discard all hindrances. Turn away from what is now only an obstacle.

And come along. To the Temple to hear the teaching, to watch the confrontations with the powers that be, to witness death and death defeated.

That is what is left to do.

And then the reality of the kingdom will become real to you.

***

Remember the parable of the sower? Remember the seed that grew up amid the thorns?

These are the ones who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing. (Mark 4:18-19)

Jesus represents the coming of God’s rule. And so he calls: leave everything behind, and come follow Jesus, be his disciple. . . .  

Be as a little child, Jesus exhorts. Leave status and power over others behind. Abandon power, discard defence. For his power is perfected in our weakness. 

DOWNWARD MOBILITY, Henri Nouwen called it. Abandon overt piety and all prestige. Seek oneness with the downtrodden, the differently abled, the foreign, the domestic abused and forgotten. 

FRANCIS got naked before the Bishop, and all the people in the town plaza of Assisi, when his father demanded back “all you have had from me” - and he obeyed literally. 

Radical sacrifice. That is what the Apostles were called to.

Generous hospitality: that is what the Disciples, the early Christians, practiced. 

Can we give up something? 

An example:

overconsumption 

How do we ourselves over-consume at the impoverishment of others unseen? Do we make others poor?

But where will it lead? Where will the road of discipleship, following the way of Jesus, lead? TO THE CROSS.

RENUNCIATION (Philippians 2:5-8)

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

who, though he was in the form of God,

   did not regard equality with God

   as something to be exploited,

but emptied himself,

   taking the form of a slave,

   being born in human likeness.

And being found in human form,

   he humbled himself

   and became obedient to the point of death—

   even death on a cross.

What would it mean for us to give up wealth, power, prestige, the ability to ‘get things done’ - privilege of nationality, race, color, sex, gender identity, age; to hold nothing back, and put first the kingdom of God?

What are we moving away from? What are we moving toward? And where is our security? In upward mobility, or the radical dependence on God that is faith - and hope?

So teach us to number our days 

that we may apply our hearts to wisdom. 

(Psalm 90:12)

Thy Word commands our flesh to dust,
“Return, ye sons of men”:
All nations rose from earth at first,
And turn to earth again.

Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly, forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the op’ning day.

O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home.

(Isaac Watts. O God, Our Help in Ages Past. 1719)

https://library.timelesstruths.org/music/O_God_Our_Help_in_Ages_Past/

Oct. 9 (6 pm) and Oct. 10 (8 am and 10:30 am):  Amos 5:6-7, 10-15; PS 90:12-17; Hebrews 4:12-16; Mark 10:17-31

Christ the King Episcopal Church, Tucson (https://ctktucson.org/)

https://www.facebook.com/ctktucson/live/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb7AB4NIZv3kMlk9r0yBmGw/videos?view=57

Amos 5:6-7,10-15

Psalm 90:12-17

Hebrews 4:12-16

Mark 10:17-31

Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

BProper 23

http://edgeofenclosure.org/proper23b.html

Sources and Resources - Fall 2021

The Oxford Self-Pronouncing Bible. The Holy Bible, Authorized King James Version, With Chain References. Oxford: Oxford University Press, n.d.

The New Testament and Book of Psalms. Authorized King James Version. Cleveland: World. n.d.

***

For Creation Sunday (October 3rd 2021): Online resources from the creation care council of the Episcopal diocese of Arizona. (https://creation.azdiocese.org/)

* * *

Benjamin J. Segal, A New Psalm: The Psalms as Literature (Jerusalem: Gefen, 2013). 

J. Clinton McCann, Jr. A Theological Introduction to the Book of Psalms: The Psalms as Torah (Nashville: Abingdon, 1993). 

J. Clinton McCann, Jr. Psalms. in Keck, Leander E. ed. New Interpreter's Bible, vol. IV: 1 & 2 Maccabees, Introduction to Hebrew Poetry, Job, Psalms.

James L. Mays, Psalms. Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Westminster John Knox Press. 1994.

James L. Mays. The Lord Reigns - A Theological Handbook to the Psalms. Westminster John Knox Press. 1994.

Nicholas Thomas (Tom) Wright, Luke for Everyone. 2nd ed. (London: SPCK, 2004). 

The Jewish Study Bible. Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, eds. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004). 

The Anchor Bible. Vol 28-28A. The Gospel According to Luke. Introduction, Translation, and Notes by Joseph A. Fitzmyer, S.J. (New York: Doubleday, 1981, 1985).

The New Oxford Annotated Bible. MIchael D. Coogan, ed. (New York: Oxford University Press). 3rd ed. 2001., 4th ed. 2010.

The Oxford Bible Commentary. John Barton and John Muddiman, eds. (New York: Oxford University, 2001).

Fred B. Craddock. Luke. Interpretation, a Bible commentary for teaching and preaching. (Louisville: John Knox Press, 1990).

Keith F. Nickel, Preaching the Gospel of Luke: Proclaiming God’s Royal Rule. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2000).

Sharon H. Ringe. Luke. Westminster BIble Companion. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1995.

Thomas W. Walker. Luke. Interpretation Bible Studies. (Louisville: Geneva Press, 2001).

YEAR B RCL

David Adam. Traces of Glory: Prayers for the church year, Year B. (London: SPCK, 1999).

Herbert O’Driscoll. The Word Today. Reflections on the Readings of the Revised Common Lectionary. Year B, Volume 3. 2001. (Toronto: Anglican Book Centre).

Arthur J. Dewey. The Word in Time: A Gospel Commentary for Sundays and Major Feast Days (Complete Three-Year Cycle). Rev. ed. (New Berlin, Wisc.: Liturgical Publications. 1990).

Ched Myers. Binding the Strong Man: A Political Reading of Mark’s Story of Jesus. (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1988).

Nicholas Thomas (Tom) Wright. Mark for Everyone. (London: SPCK, 2001; 2nd ed., 2004). 

Marie Noonan Sabin. The Gospel According to Mark. New Collegeville Bible Commentary, New Testament; vol. 2. (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2006).

Feasting on the Word. Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary. David L. Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor, eds. (Louisville KY: Westminster John Knox Press.) Year B, Volume 4. 2009.

***

David Adam. Tides and Seasons: Modern prayers in the Celtic tradition. (London: Triangle/SPCK, 1989).

David Adam. The Rhythm of Life: Celtic Daily Prayer. (London: Triangle/SPCK, 1996).

Living by the Word. The Christian Century. <https://www.christiancentury.org/column/living-by-the-word>

Aland, Kurt, et al., eds., The Greek New Testament. Third Edition, 1975. United Bible Societies.

Richardson, Alan, ed., A Theological Word Book of the Bible. New York: Macmillan, 1950.