Our Hebrew [Old] Testament reading highlights the God-inspired prophetic
gifts of Zechariah in his foretelling of the king who is humble and
riding on a donkey in a hymn of praise. This Zechariah, aka Zacharias, is
the eleventh of the twelve Minor Prophets so named for their shorter
books. He lived in the 6th century BCE [Before the Common Era, or BC
in the Christian parlance of Before Christ] and he is not the Zechariah
mentioned as the father of John the Baptist in the Christian [New] Testament.
The Psalmist presents us with a comforting and
hope-filled description of God as slow to anger and abounding in steadfast
love. Quite a contrast from what many of us think about the angry vengeful
God some of us were exposed to as children in catechism class or Sunday School
that made us shudder and sometimes worry. Biblical scholar Walter Bruggemann, in his book Praying the Psalms, explains categories of the psalms that
meet us where we are and give us the words to pray out loud in anger, in fear,
or even where we long to be. I particularly like his description of cathartic
psalms, the ones we can scream out loud as relief when frustrated and that hurt
no one. Psalm 145 for this week,
however, is for me the perfect peace-filled comforter to pull over our heads in
difficult times or just when our souls need a blessing-filled cuddle.
And then we move to Paul in an essay of
self-revealing angst that always speaks to me with the stark reminder of all that
is happening now has been happening all along. We may tune it out, believe or
at least hope we are more self-aware and better at life, yet we all succumb to the us vs them mind game more
often than we are willing to admit to ourselves. It may be in a hidden
desire for a sense of personal superiority or of belonging to the “correct”
group. There can be an almost addicting need for a sense of acceptance within a
given community ~ if you are not one of or with us in all we
think, say, or do, then you are one of or with them, painting with
the broad brush of no exceptions. Further, if you are one of them
you can't be one of us ~ THEM have demons, are gluttons
and drunkards, the wrong race or nationality, bad political beliefs and activities,
a very wrong sexual orientation and/or gender identity. THEM are, and associate
with, all who are unacceptable to US. Is any part of the TV or online news too
close for comfort and self-awareness?
It
is so easy, familiar, and self-comforting to get caught up in the want of
knowing unequivocally who is right and who is wrong. That has
never been more crystal clear than right here and right now. Paul brings our
humanity front and center: deep down I know I don't want to say or do some of
the things I say or do but I do the very thing I hate. When I
catch myself, I resolve to be better and improve my reactions and responses in
everyday living. Then, unaware, I fall back into the “I'm better than fill
in name of person or group” mode and act accordingly,
whereupon ~ eventually ~ I realize, I have failed, again, to be
who and what I want to be.
Jesus, in
turn, offers us His easy yoke, to guide us and teach us. The burden is
light, he says, but the pull back to the familiar behaviors ~ even
those we don't want ~ is quick and often unconscious. They are easier than
making conscious changes, which can take on the risk of being ostracized
from our “us” as one of "them."
In the
language of addiction treatment, we are sinners in recovery. The tendency to
fall back is always strongest at the start of healing. But the farther we move
ahead of it, the easier to resist, especially in a learning, supportive community
of those who acknowledge unhealthy thoughts and behaviors and strive to
overcome them; and when a fall occurs, the easy yoke of Christ will carry us
together.
There is a
yoke on each of us and each come with a clear choice. One binds us to the faults
great and small that we know are within us, that bruise and chafe our hearts
and damage our souls. The other is the Yoke of Christ, not free of pain or
trials or even fear, but the loads and burdens of this short life ~ much of it
self-inflicted ~ are lightened, less wearisome, healing, and hopeful. We are
always one in, of, and with Him. With His yoke, we are always one together doing His
work in His field, together, with time for rest and replenishment.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ O Lord,
Gracious and Merciful, awaken us to our self-imposed bindings of our familiar
sins that distract us from hearing and acting upon Your truth. Rescue our
hearts to recover our eagerness to accept Your easy yoke of learning and
redemption.
O
Christ, our
Savior
RESPONSE:
We rest our souls in You
~ O Lord, Gracious
and Merciful, burden and enflame the souls the leaders of our World, our
Nation, and our Community with a heavy yoke of desire to turn to the good they
are capable of doing, to gather the strength to avoid the evils of power, and use their vision to see into the
eyes and hearts of those for whom they legislate and those they
themselves
love. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
O Christ, our Savior
We rest our souls in You
~ O Lord, Gracious
and Merciful, soothe the pain and suffering of those depleted by illness,
injury, or depression, and comfort those who give them care. We now
join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own
petitions
O Christ, our Savior
We rest our souls in You
~ O Lord, Gracious
and Merciful, we commend, with our love, all who have been released from this
life into the glorious reception of everlasting life with You. We pray
especially for… add your own petitions
O Christ, our Savior
We rest our souls in You
~ O Lord, Gracious
and Merciful, we pause in this moment to offer You our other
heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions
O Christ, our Savior
We rest our souls in You
~ O Lord, Gracious
and Merciful, for all who lead us in Your Church as a visible sign of Your
Yoke, we ask continual renewing of the Spirit and the constant replenishment of
joy in life and ministry. Let us be mutual companions on this journey of our
souls, caring and carrying in turn. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
O Christ, our Savior
We
rest our souls in You
The Celebrant adds: O God of our Souls and our Humanity, help us to
come as children to listen and learn, to hear and to grow. Fill us with the
desire to recognize and repent of our sins great and small, and to be held
captive only by Your love and grace. We ask this through our Most Holy Jesus,
and Your Glorious Spirit, who live and reign with You, as One God forever and
ever. Amen.
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