The passage from Isaiah is familiar to many people
who’ve never been to a church or read a bible, at least from the phrasing of
beating swords into plowshares (or ploughshares for British-English spellers)
and spears into pruning hooks…and some may know the rhyming phrase of neither
shall they learn war any more. A plow may be more recognized by inner city
dwellers who’ve never strayed far from the streets. A pruning hook is simply a
hand-held plant trimmer. What I find particularly fascinating is that if you
look at Micah 4:1-3, it is nearly identical to that of the person writing as “First”
Isaiah, son of Amoz. Scholars have no way of knowing who wrote it first
as Micah and this Isaiah were contemporaries. Further, it may have been a
locally-known oracle, not necessarily a person but perhaps a wise or
inspirational saying without a clear notion of its origin. It is an uplifting hopeful thought that
many will come to the mountain… that God may teach us God’s ways…
Dr. Gafney tells us that the word teach in this piece from Isaiah and in
the Psalm verses 12 and 18, is the root for Torah, the first 5 books of
the Bible which is generally more of a teaching tool than a set of laws. But let
us catch the first phrase again of Isaiah again: And it will be in the
coming days… How long are these days likely to be coming? We’re still waiting.
Psalm 119, if you have not noticed, is the
longest psalm, stretching for 176 verses. I marvel at those silent, except for
liturgy/prayer services, monastic communities that recite the full psalter from
memory over a week or so. This excerpt is self-explanatory and as with many of
the psalms, relatable as a personal prayer. Dr. Gafney also reminds us that slavery
is ubiquitous in the Bible. There were a variety of types of enslavement in
the ancient world as well as in the more recent times from medieval to American
slavery that began to be documented in and around the year 1619. Dr. Gafney
says, also, that for some it was identification with someone more powerful than
they as a means of self-abasement and common in the psalms as in
verse 17 identifying as a slave of God.
First Peter is relating to a community, a family, yet in this case,
not by blood but a community of grace through faith and hope through Christ, an
eternal life by our new birth into God’s own family. Even as grass withers,
the word of the Living God abides forever.
This account in Luke of Jesus healing Peter’s mother-in-law has parallels with slight variations in Mark
1: 29-31, and Matthew 8:14-15. As part of the religious ministry of Jesus, Dr.
Gafney explains, acts of service and hospitality extends beyond the
healing itself. She also expresses a need for us to take care not to find reading
about such healings difficult for our own lives and times where many are sick
and perhaps with little hope. The Gospel promise isn’t one to be construed as a
promise for a full and healthy life, but rather, that our faith and our hope in
God in Christ with the Holy Spirit transcends earthly illness and death.
All in all, in hearing and reading through
these texts, we discover that God is made present in each passage through the
word whether it is from the prophet’s nudge to metaphorically ascend
God’s mountain in our own life, or through meditating on the words of the psalm,
perhaps in 1st Peter’s view of life eternal by being born again
into a divine family, and Jesus preaching and healing in Luke’s Gospel. The
arrangements of these mere letters into words, phrases, and sentences encompass
the living and enduring word of God. They are as the very breath of God
in Christ with the Holy Spirit that can give an empty or wounded soul or heart
the hope to move through another hour, another day. I’m suddenly reminded of
the hymn by Breathe on Me.** [see below]
Breathe well,
breathe often, breathe in the peace and breathe out what isn’t.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ HOLY ONE of SINAI, fill our
souls, our hearts, and our minds with longing to ascend your mountain daily through
our prayer. Teach us all how to proclaim the Good News of your realm, and to
walk in your paths by our words and works. Grant us individual selflessness and
communal caring, with your love always on our lips.
Blessed AGELESS ONE
Response: Through Christ, our Faith and our Hope are in You
~ HOLY ONE OF SINAI, as you decide justly for many peoples,
guide especially all who lead the nations of this world, this country, and this
community to paths of peace. May they, and we, beat the swords and spears of our
collective words and actions into plowshares and pruning hooks for safe and
affordable housing and healthcare, healthful and plentiful nutrition,
responsible care for our planet, and true justice and mercy for all of Your Creation
and its humanity. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Blessed AGELESS ONE
Through Christ, our Faith and our Hope are in You
~ HOLY ONE OF SINAI, relieve the pain of those who suffer from
chronic illness, anxiety, or depression, and refresh all who provide care and
comfort. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need… add
your own petitions
Blessed AGELESS ONE
Through Christ, our Faith and our Hope are in You
~ HOLY ONE OF SINAI, lift the
heavy weight from all who mourn, as those who have now left us in this life,
rejoice and dance in Your everlasting light. We pray
especially for: add your own petitions
Blessed AGELESS ONE
Through Christ, our Faith and our Hope are in You
~ HOLY ONE OF SINAI, we pause in
this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions,
petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently…add your own petitions
Blessed AGELESS ONE
Through Christ, our Faith and our Hope are in You
~ HOLY ONE OF SINAI, we give
You thanks and praise for all who are anointed to guide our lives and souls in
Your Church, opening the paths to understanding and living Your Word, and
journeying with us toward the fulfillment of Your purpose. We pray
especially for: add your own petitions
Blessed
AGELESS ONE
Through
Christ, our Faith and our Hope are in You
The Celebrant adds: O God of Jacob, of the line of
Rebekah, we are loved by you as your own children raised together, yet across
time and space. May we love persistently with pure hearts, through your living
and enduring Word in the teaching,
preaching, and physical and spiritual healing of Christ. We ask through the
name of Jesus, our Salvation; and the Holy Spirit, our soul-spark of Wisdom;
who together with You are our One, Holy,
and Ever-Living God, from the Beginning, Now, and Forever. Amen.
*Readings for our Parish in this Year C are from The Rev.
Dr. Wilda [Wil] Gafney, Womanist biblical scholar, and the Right Rev. Sam B. Hulsey
Professor of Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas. She is
the author of A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church Yr C,
and others in her series, and translator of its biblical selections. I
definitely commend her book for the complete readings, to Clergy and Laity, for
her Text Notes, and “Preaching Prompts” whether or not you will use them in
your Liturgies/Services/Preaching. There is much to learn from her work to
inform every facet of our lives in Christ. To learn more about her and
her work, see her website: https://www.wilgafney.com/
**Breathe on Me Breath of God: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmkzSjs9eAw
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