Feast of the Epiphany 7 January 2018

Matthew 2:1-12        In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

`And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

who is to shepherd my people Israel.’"

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Reflection      Is it not interesting that King Herod the Great, renowned for his colossal building projects, for expanding the Second Temple in Jerusalem, developing  a commercial seaport in Caesarea, establishing two mighty fortresses and a wealthy aristocracy, is it not interesting that when he hears that strangers, foreigners from the East are looking for a “child who has been born king of the Jews,” he and his chief priests and the Jewish people of Jerusalem are frightened? These are the people who have long awaited the coming of their messiah. Why are they not, like the Gentile wise men, “overwhelmed with joy” and led to worship and pay homage to this Jewish child? Why are they afraid?

Perhaps it is because in their heart of hearts they know the ground on which they stand is shaky. In the depths of their hearts they know the truth, that the messiah, Jesus, is a threat to the privilege and position they enjoy as a result of their misuse of power. Knowing, either consciously or unconsciously, that their power is rooted in self interest and delivered with brutality, Herod and friends can see the handwriting on the wall. Jesus, the messiah, is a challenge to their privilege and position thus they are afraid.

When my father groaned, “Young lady…” I knew I was in trouble and quaked in fear. I have no recollection of how I transgressed this particular time, but his apprisal rings in me clear as a bell. “As long as you do what you know is right and tell the truth, you will have no reason to be afraid.” Though I frequently did not agree with my father, this bit of counsel has informed my life and leads me to speculate that Herod and his cronies must not be doing what they know in their heart of hearts is right. They must not be telling the truth, not even to themselves, or they would not be afraid.

In his Christmas Eve meditation Richard Rohr wrote,“Both love and power are the necessary building blocks of God’s peaceful kingdom on earth. Love utterly redefines the nature of power. Power without love is mere brutality (even in the church), and love without power is only … sentimentality… The Gospel in its fullness holds power and love together, creating new hope and healing for the world.”*

The Feast of the Epiphany celebrates the revelation of God incarnate in humankind, exemplified by Jesus throughout his ministry. In contrast to Herod, Jesus is led by the Spirit of Truth in his heart. He favors the least, the lost and the lonely, raises up the humble, empowers the meek, includes the marginalized, frees the oppressed and welcomes foreigners. Jesus holds “power and love together creating new hope and healing for the world.” 

We are capable of doing likewise because the Spirit of Truth lives within us and when, like the wise men we allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit of Truth, we will exercise power with love and there is every chance we too will be “overwhelmed with joy.”  We will not be afraid. 

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* https://cac.org/breach-menders-2017-12-24/

Gospel text for Sunday 12 November 2017

Matthew 25:1-13        Jesus said, “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” 

Reflection       Jesus wants us to understand what the kingdom of heaven is like. Apparently his words are not crystal clear as for two thousand years theologians have never agreed regarding the definition of the kingdom of heaven; from the early church expectation that the kingdom would manifest any day to the purely eschatological or wait until the apocalyptic end of time theory, some have identified the kingdom with the visible church and others have insisted it is purely in the realm of grace. Some claim the kingdom is the ideal society characterized by freedom, justice and truth and, in the face of conflict, war and economic crisis others maintain the kingdom is on hold for a happily ever after death experience. 

I wonder if the kingdom of heaven is a state of consciousness paired with readiness to act? Jesus’ first reference to the kingdom of heaven is, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Mat 3.2) Repent means turn around, change our mind and change the way we live to reveal the truth that the kingdom of heaven is actually here, right now, “at hand.” When we accept Jesus’ statement as true, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand,” we are awakened to see what we could not see before, the eyes of our hearts are opened and hopefully we are compelled to act accordingly. 

The kingdom of heaven has always been “at hand,” hiding in plain sight. It is not something outside ourselves that we can find, purchase or borrow from others. It is not delayed payment for a life of obedience. The kingdom of heaven is the light that shines from the center of each one of us.  As we turn around and direct our attention inward the light of our self awareness and our God awareness grows, each igniting the other. Which brings us to the issue of lamp oil.

Many of us really do not like the part of Jesus parable where “the foolish (bridesmaids) said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise replied, ‘No!” We recoil, accuse Jesus of encouraging self-interest and greed. But what if Jesus is using lamp oil as a metaphor for human consciousness? 

Each one of us is responsible for turning around (repenting), looking inside and cultivating our own consciousness. We cannot borrow or draw upon someone else’s consciousness. Each of us must listen to Jesus’ teaching, choose to believe it, allow it to transform our minds and behavior, and in so doing the oil for our lamps, our consciousness, becomes a deep reservoir from which we draw light even in the midst of our darkest night.

The kingdom of heaven is fulfilled when each us remembers that we do not take a single breath but that God is drawing that breath through us, that we live every minute of every day as the revelation of God with us. When our oil lamps are full all people see God’s light glowing through us. They see it as we put our faith in God's generosity rather than our own. They see it in our calm assurance that all is well regardless of the fickle tides of time or circumstance.  They see it as we stretch to give away our blessings in thanksgiving to God from whom all blessings come. We are the kingdom of heaven, either bridesmaids in waiting or bridesmaids in fact. 

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