Year B
Ezekiel 2:1-5
Psalm 123
2 Corinthians 12:2-10
Mark 6:1-13<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May the words of my mouth, O God, speak your truth\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most of the time\u2026 for most people\u2026 the changes we experience are slow\u2026 the growth we experience is gradual\u2026 so slow and gradual that it may seem like we’re drifting in a boat\u2026 and when we arrive\u2026 we may wonder how we got from where we were\u2026 to where we are\u2026 for example\u2026 I never could have imagined\u2026 that as a closeted teenager\u2026 who according to Ancestry DNA is 100% Ashkenazi Jew\u2026 could never have imagined that I would end up as an openly gay Episcopal priest\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some of the time\u2026 the way we move from where we were\u2026 to where we are\u2026 is determined by choices that are made for us\u2026 but most of the time\u2026 the way we move from where we were\u2026 to where we are\u2026 is determined by the choices we make\u2026 individually\u2026 but also collectively\u2026 and some of our choices require serious discernment\u2026 otherwise\u2026 we may ask ourselves later on\u2026 either with welcome\u2026 or regret\u2026 how did we end up here\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On June 6\u2026 we heard the story about how the Israelites wanted a king\u2026 so they could be like other nations\u2026 and God told Samuel to tell them\u2026 to make sure they understood\u2026 what having a king would mean for them\u2026 and their children\u2026 and their possessions\u2026 but in spite of God’s warning\u2026 they anointed Saul king at Gilgal\u2026 and God said that one day they would cry out because of the king they had chosen\u2026 and God would not answer them\u2026 not that God would not hear them\u2026 so while we can say that God ultimately saves us from ourselves\u2026 we can also say that God allows us to experience the consequences of our choices\u2026 that’s why Ezekiel was sent to the people Israel\u2026 who had been taken into exile in Babylon\u2026 who God called an impudent and stubborn nation of rebels and transgressors\u2026 God sent Ezekiel so they would know that a prophet had been among them\u2026 so they had an opportunity to learn God’s ways and repent of their own\u2026 God’s Word can be hard to hear\u2026 and because Ezekiel spoke God’s word\u2026 I wonder if they took offense at him\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because in his home town… they took offense at Jesus\u2026 they took offense at Wisdom itself\u2026 at the Word\u2026 who in the beginning was with God\u2026 and who was God\u2026 they took offense not because Jesus did or said anything offensive\u2026 but because Jesus’ very presence illuminated their darkness\u2026 highlighted where and how they missed God’s mark for them\u2026 and he was amazed at their disbelief\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the Gospel says that he went to the surrounding villages teaching\u2026 as the disciples were called to do\u2026 and Jesus sent them out\u2026 two by two\u2026 gathered in his name\u2026 in the midst of them\u2026 so the power of the Spirit would be with them\u2026 so they would not be alone in ministry\u2026 and Jesus first tells them what not to take\u2026 no bread\u2026 no bag\u2026 no money in their belts\u2026 but to take only one tunic\u2026 and sandals\u2026 and a staff\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now a staff is also known as a “scepter”\u2026 and indicates authority\u2026 for example\u2026 in the book of Esther 8:4\u2026 the queen could only approach the king\u2019s throne when he held out his royal scepter to her\u2026 in Psalm 45:6\u2026 the word scepter is used to symbolize God\u2019s rule\u2026 Your throne\u2026 O God\u2026 will last for ever and ever\u2026 a scepter of justice\u2026 will be the scepter of your kingdom\u2026 <\/em>in this verse the scepter represents the absolute and eternal supremacy of God’s justice\u2026 and a broken scepter\u2026 as referenced in Isaiah 14:5-6\u2026 represents lost authority… when it says\u2026 The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked\u2026 the scepter of rulers\u2026 who struck the people in wrath with unceasing blows\u2026 and who ruled the nations in anger<\/em>\u2026 so when scripture uses the word “scepter” as it relates to God\u2026 it is talking about God’s absolute rule over creation\u2026 God’s scepter is simply one way the Bible describes God’s authority over kings\u2026 peoples\u2026 and nations\u2026 that in spite of the chaos around us… God reigns supreme\u2026 and that God’s scepter will never be defeated\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n And so by instructing the disciples to take a staff with them\u2026 Jesus is bestowing God’s royal authority on them\u2026 affirming that the only thing they need to bring into each village with them\u2026 and take out with them\u2026 is the authority Jesus gives them\u2026 so they can cast out demons\u2026 and anoint and cure the sick\u2026 so they can restore some order to the encroaching chaos and disbelief\u2026 and by instructing them to shake the dust off their feet\u2026 Jesus may also be telling them to leave behind even the finest particles\u2026 of the places which reject God’s justice\u2026 so they don’t carry that rejection with them\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Gospel is hard\u2026 it’s a challenge to apply Jesus’ 1st century truths and values\u2026 indeed\u2026 God’s eternal truths and values onto 21st century realities\u2026 it’s difficult to peel away the peculiarities of our social and economic and political realities\u2026 so that we can see God’s eternal Word more clearly\u2026 in every time and place and circumstance\u2026 but that is what we are called to do\u2026 and both the individual\u2026 and the corporate choices we make\u2026 require some deep discernment\u2026 and in every generation we must ask some hard questions\u2026 do we see God’s justice being done for all people\u2026 are the sick being healed\u2026 the thirsty being slaked\u2026 the hungry being fed\u2026 the naked being clothed\u2026 and when state legislatures promote laws which make it more difficult for eligible voters to vote\u2026 so it becomes easier for some elected officials to stay in power\u2026 do we think that’s God’s will being done\u2026 is that power being made perfect in weakness\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Entropy is defined as a gradual decline into disorder\u2026 it can be like being set adrift in a boat\u2026 and at some point\u2026 we’ll look around\u2026 and see where we are\u2026 and wonder how we got there\u2026 but God created order out of chaos\u2026 and we’ve been given the scepter of authority to restore that order where and when it is lost\u2026 and so we must be honest with ourselves\u2026 are we a rebellious nation\u2026 impudent and stubborn\u2026 and if we are\u2026 we must do what’s needed to undo that\u2026 you see\u2026 God will allow us to reap what we have sown\u2026 but God’s scepter will never be defeated\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n And as Amanda Gorman recited at January’s presidential inauguration\u2026 we’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace\u2026 and the norms and notions of what just is\u2026 isn’t always just-ice\u2026 somehow we’ve weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken\u2026 but simply unfinished\u2026 and yes\u2026 we are far from polished\u2026 far from pristine\u2026 but that doesn’t mean we are striving to form a union that is perfect\u2026 we are striving to forge a union with purpose\u2026 to compose a country committed to all cultures\u2026 colors\u2026 characters\u2026 and conditions of man<\/em>\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Holy God\u2026 help us to make these bones live\u2026 and enflesh them\u2026 and embody these words\u2026 Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Year B Ezekiel 2:1-5 Psalm 123 2 Corinthians 12:2-10 Mark 6:1-13 May the words of my mouth, O God, speak your truth\u2026 Most of the time\u2026 for most people\u2026 the changes we experience are slow\u2026 the growth we experience is gradual\u2026 so slow and gradual that it may seem like we’re drifting in a boat\u2026 and when we arrive\u2026 we may wonder how we got from where we were\u2026 to where we are\u2026 for example\u2026 I never could have imagined\u2026 that as a closeted teenager\u2026 who according to Ancestry DNA is 100% Ashkenazi Jew\u2026 could never have imagined that I would end up as an openly gay Episcopal priest\u2026 Some of the time\u2026 the way we move from where we were\u2026 to where we are\u2026 is determined by choices that are made for us\u2026 but most of the time\u2026 the way we move from where we were\u2026 to where we are\u2026 is determined by the choices we make\u2026 individually\u2026 but also collectively\u2026 and some of our choices require serious discernment\u2026 otherwise\u2026 we may ask ourselves later on\u2026 either with welcome\u2026 or regret\u2026 how did we end up here\u2026 On June 6\u2026 we heard the story about how the Israelites wanted a king\u2026 so they could be like other nations\u2026 and God told Samuel to tell them\u2026 to make sure they understood\u2026 what having a king would mean for them\u2026 and their children\u2026 and their possessions\u2026 but in spite of God’s warning\u2026 they anointed Saul king at Gilgal\u2026 and God said that one day they would cry out because of the king they had chosen\u2026 and God would not answer them\u2026 not that God would not hear them\u2026 so while we can say that God ultimately saves us from ourselves\u2026 we can also say that God allows us to experience the consequences of our choices\u2026 that’s why Ezekiel was sent to the people Israel\u2026 who had been taken into exile in Babylon\u2026 who God called an impudent and stubborn nation of rebels and transgressors\u2026 God sent Ezekiel so they would know that a prophet had been among them\u2026 so they had an opportunity to learn God’s ways and repent of their own\u2026 God’s Word can be hard to hear\u2026 and because Ezekiel spoke God’s word\u2026 I wonder if they took offense at him\u2026 Because in his home town… they took offense at Jesus\u2026 they took offense at Wisdom itself\u2026 at the Word\u2026 who in the beginning was with God\u2026 and who was God\u2026 they took offense not because Jesus did or said anything offensive\u2026 but because Jesus’ very presence illuminated their darkness\u2026 highlighted where and how they missed God’s mark for them\u2026 and he was amazed at their disbelief\u2026 And the Gospel says that he went to the surrounding villages teaching\u2026 as the disciples were called to do\u2026 and Jesus sent them out\u2026 two by two\u2026 gathered in his name\u2026 in the midst of them\u2026 so the power of the Spirit would be with them\u2026 so they would not be alone in ministry\u2026 and Jesus first tells them what not to take\u2026 no bread\u2026 no bag\u2026 no money in their belts\u2026 but to take only one tunic\u2026 and sandals\u2026 and a staff\u2026 Now a staff is also known as a “scepter”\u2026 and indicates authority\u2026 for example\u2026 in the book of Esther 8:4\u2026 the queen could only approach the king\u2019s throne when he held out his royal scepter to her\u2026 in Psalm 45:6\u2026 the word scepter is used to symbolize God\u2019s rule\u2026 Your throne\u2026 O God\u2026 will last for ever and ever\u2026 a scepter of justice\u2026 will be the scepter of your kingdom\u2026 in this verse the scepter represents the absolute and eternal supremacy of God’s justice\u2026 and a broken scepter\u2026 as referenced in Isaiah 14:5-6\u2026 represents lost authority… when it says\u2026 The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked\u2026 the scepter of rulers\u2026 who struck the people in wrath with unceasing blows\u2026 and who ruled the nations in anger\u2026 so when scripture uses the word “scepter” as it relates to God\u2026 it is talking about God’s absolute rule over creation\u2026 God’s scepter is simply one way the Bible describes God’s authority over kings\u2026 peoples\u2026 and nations\u2026 that in spite of the chaos around us… God reigns supreme\u2026 and that God’s scepter will never be defeated\u2026 And so by instructing the disciples to take a staff with them\u2026 Jesus is bestowing God’s royal authority on them\u2026 affirming that the only thing they need to bring into each village with them\u2026 and take out with them\u2026 is the authority Jesus gives them\u2026 so they can cast out demons\u2026 and anoint and cure the sick\u2026 so they can restore some order to the encroaching chaos and disbelief\u2026 and by instructing them to shake the dust off their feet\u2026 Jesus may also be telling them to leave behind even the finest particles\u2026 of the places which reject God’s justice\u2026 so they don’t carry that rejection with them\u2026 The Gospel is hard\u2026 it’s a challenge to apply Jesus’ 1st century truths and values\u2026 indeed\u2026 God’s eternal truths and values onto 21st century realities\u2026 it’s difficult to peel away the peculiarities of our social and economic and political realities\u2026 so that we can see God’s eternal Word more clearly\u2026 in every time and place and circumstance\u2026 but that is what we are called to do\u2026 and both the individual\u2026 and the corporate choices we make\u2026 require some deep discernment\u2026 and in every generation we must ask some hard questions\u2026 do we see God’s justice being done for all people\u2026 are the sick being healed\u2026 the thirsty being slaked\u2026 the hungry being fed\u2026 the naked being clothed\u2026 and when state legislatures promote laws which make it more difficult for eligible voters to vote\u2026 so it becomes easier for some elected officials to stay in power\u2026 do we think that’s God’s will being done\u2026 is that power being made perfect in weakness\u2026 Entropy is defined as a gradual decline into disorder\u2026 it can be like being set adrift 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