The Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone;
I will make him a helper as his partner…the rib that he had taken from the man
he made into a woman…Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and
flesh of my flesh…” [Genesis 2:18, 22a, 23a)
O Lord our Governor,
how exalted is your name in all the world! Out of the mouths of infants and
children your majesty is praised above the heavens. [Psalm
8:1-2]
[Jesus]
is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and
he sustains all things by his powerful word. [Hebrews 1:3a]
“Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is
to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever
does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” [Mark 10:14-15]
This week’s readings begin with part of the
second story of Creation in book of Genesis. Here, God is seeking to create a fitting partner for the original
human. There is an interesting piece of interpretation that happens here that
has a tremendous effect on how “we” understand. Without a Ph.D program’s worth
of work, the basics are that in the Hebrew Bible, the word adam is often
gender-inclusive and in the case of referring to a particular person, scholars
still debate whether the word is androgynous or male. Context plays an important
part in how the stories are told. Modern Hebrew has about 30,000-35,000 words. Biblical
Hebrew and Biblical Greek have far fewer. Modern English, however, has over a
million words by many estimates so it’s much easier for translators, interpreters,
and editors to choose what words fit their sense of very ancient oral traditions written
into only slightly less ancient written languages and translated into modern
languages millennia later. The first Genesis story of Creation
speaks of God creating male and female at the same time [Genesis 1:27],
while this passage is about God creating the man first and then bringing
the woman from the man’s rib as a helper and partner and essentially in both
stories, God entrusted all of Creation to them. As we read from a more modern perspective,
it’s easy to see how male dominance has been interpreted and used and yet, it
is interesting to note that the very end of this passage in a man leaves his father
and his mother to cling to his wife
is not the norm of the ancient world, nor indeed of many cultures in our
current world. Perhaps we’re invited to read something differently here than we
thought we understood.
This Psalm is a thanksgiving for our own
place in Creation and gives some of the first expressions of gratitude to infants
and children. We humans are but a little lower than angels and are given mastery
of the works of God’s hands. What faith God has in us! What are we
doing with it?
There’s a lot to be said about the Letter to
the Hebrews, firstly it is more sermon than letter and is unlikely to have been
written by Paul. Stylistically alone it doesn’t fit. We are given the instruction to pay more attention to what God is telling us through all God
has done and especially through Jesus ~ who is the reflection of God's
glory and the exact imprint of God's very being. And secondly, we’re
missing an important part, that is Hebrews 2:1-4, so I invite you to read the appointed
pieces and add in those verses. This passage in Hebrews picks quite a bit from this week’s Psalm
giving us more information about Jesus who, earlier in the passage is a Son, the heir of
all things and through whom the world was created and later described as the
pioneer of their salvation. It was written for early Christians
who were facing shaming, hostility, and perhaps persecution from their
neighbors which is still happening in many places around this
world. It would do well for us to realize that the Jewish people of that
time were having difficulty understanding those who would turn to Jesus, just
as today, there are Christians turning against Christians who are interpreting the
teachings of the Hebrew Testament, the Gospels and the Epistles differently
from one another.
And we come to Mark with a heavy lesson about divorce, known in
some circles today as a clobber passage, given the modern state of
marriage and the frequency of divorce. As with all tests of Jesus by the
Pharisees, it is intended as a trap. There is much to discover about procedure versus criteria for divorce in ancient times as well as moving forward into Greco-Roman times and later. This small passage may be better considered as descriptive rather than prescriptive. The
Church today admonishes that Marriage must not be undertaken unadvisedly or
lightly. And yet marriages fail for many reasons. Suddenly, we move into Jesus being indignant, perhaps grumpy from another round
with the Pharisees, because the children being brought to
him are being held back. He tells the disciples to let the children come
forward and be welcomed fully and completely to be blessed. He is telling
us to feel the peace and security of a child beloved
of a parent, whether or not that is our lived experience, so that we
may receive the kingdom of God as a little child.
And for me, this is the primary lesson of this Gospel passage: Let us
seek to find and hold the ability to love unconditionally as does a child. When
we actively and consciously pursue the love and presence of God, through Jesus
and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we will more easily accept and work through
all that life provides. Whatever the tests may be, the difficult and the easy,
whatever the twists and turns in the trials of faith, God is as faithful to us
as the Parent in The Children’s Hour. Let us be as faithful, loving
children to our God, and pause often in the day’s occupations, not only between
the dark and the daylight, but especially often between the daylight and the
dark in each and every day, until we enter into the eternal Light of new life
in Christ, and are kept forever and a day.
Between the dark and the daylight,
When the night is beginning to lower,
Comes a pause in the day's occupations,
That is known as the Children's Hour.
And there will I keep you forever,
Yes, forever and a day,
Till the walls shall crumble to ruin,
And moulder in dust away!*
*~ The
Children’s Hour, 1st and last stanzas, from the poem by American poet
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1807-1882, published in the September 1860 Edition
of The Atlantic magazine. To read the rest of this poem click
on: The Children's Hour
LET
US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ Creator of
Heaven and Earth, as from out of the ground You formed every animal of the
field and every bird of the air, so also You created humankind, that each of us
might partner with one another for caring, sharing, and helping all to thrive. Grant us the fresh sight and new spirit of
children, to re-awaken us to the wonder of every mortal being, every species,
and this precious Earth, our temporal home.
O Lord,
our God
RESPONSE: We exalt
Your Name by our every thought and act
~
Creator of Heaven and Earth, release all who govern
on this Earth, in this Nation, and in this Community, from any hardness of
heart or evil intent, that through actions of integrity, equity, and
generosity, they may find their own moral substance in the well-being of all
Your people. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
O
Lord our God
We
exalt Your Name by our every thought and act
~
Creator of Heaven and Earth, give rest and hope to
those wearied by coping with persistent illness, homelessness, hunger, or
addiction, and reinvigorate those who provide them with care. We now
join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions
O
Lord our God
We
exalt Your Name by our every thought and act
~
Creator of Heaven and Earth, as Jesus tasted suffering and death for everyone, our
loved ones are now crowned with honor and glory in Your eternal kingdom. We
pray especially for…add
your own petitions
O
Lord our God
We
exalt Your Name by our every thought and act
~
Creator of Heaven and Earth, we pause
in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions,
petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions
O
Lord our God
We
exalt Your Name by our every thought and act
~
Creator of Heaven and Earth, bestow extra grace
upon our anointed leaders in this congregation and everywhere in Your Church,
as they proclaim Your powerful Word, and walk with us on our journey to redemption
through Christ. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
O
Lord our God
We
exalt Your Name by our every thought and act
The Celebrant adds: O God for Whom and through
Whom all things exist, kindle and strengthen us to accept all tests and trials
of temporal life, remaining faith-filled, thankful, and purified of
sin. We ask with a child-like heart through Christ Jesus, the Imprint of
Your Being; and the Holy Spirit, as Sanctifier; who together with You, are One
God, eternal, infinite, limitless. Amen.
