2 Samuel 7:1-14a
Proper 11 (16) - Year B
Apparently GOD doesn't experience being over-the-hill. Ain't no son-o-mine gonna build me a house and settle me down. I'll do the building here!
This business of housing is an intriguing one as it comes in both physical and the metaphoric man-sion-ifestations. If we free-associated that just a bit to man-scion we could have a good playtime.
Mansions have their heir-itage. Are you an ark-of-the-covenant as you wander around? Do you carry the presence of G*D with you? Why would you consider limiting that to a poustinia or a sanctuary? G*D's space has many mansions and ours only one. And we think we can constrain the multitude of G*D into one way?
May we hear G*D speaking to us through the gathered community - you are the house of G*D - as you build your life you weave the presence of G*D into the life/house of others. May you be well-built. May others notice. May they soon be surprised to find themselves part of the house of G*D.
Here are some community houses of the presence/justice of G*D:
Metropolitan Organizing Strategy Enabling Strength (MOSES)
The JEREMIAH Project
Northeast Organization Allied for Hope (NOAH)
Residents United Through Hope (RUTH)
The Ezekiel Project
Interfaith Strategy for Advocacy and Action in the Community (ISAAC)
Aurora Area Religious Organized Network (AARON)
Joliet Area Churches Organized Body (JACOB)
Hope Offered Through Shared Ecumenical Action (HOSEA)
Milwaukee Innercity Congregations Allied for Hope (MICAH)
Equality, Solidarity, Truth, Hope, Empowerment, Reform (ESTHER)
Justice Overcoming Borders (JOB)
Do you know of one that follows NATHAN in telling truth to power?
http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2003/july2003.html
"Come away beloved/disciples," has a different feel when said by Solomon than by Jesus.
Jesus was an active prophet, not a poetic one. Particularly in Mark do we have an agenda-driven presentation speeding on.
When Jesus invites us to a deserted place it is only deserted inasmuch as he is not currently there, not that it is a desolation. A part of his teaching is to be active where you are in such a manner that such activity can be sustained for we are always dealing with desert-ion.
Sometimes we enter desolate territory only to find it wasn't, isn't, wont be. Sometimes we find such desolation visiting our routine life. Whether visiting or being visited, opportunity for "making whole" is available.
Our choice is to view desolate places as our life's joy or an impingement upon our possibilities.
- - -
a deserted place
is never so
when it is soughtdesolation has a life
and rhythm of its own
not to be presumed upontransforming strange aliens
into intimate family friends
hostility to peaceout of such journey
comes healing aplenty
for every unbidden dark valleya desired desolate place
teems with expectation
and vast need
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2007_07_01_archive.html
Again a rest that is not a rest. See, give folks a rest and they gather enough energy to engage beyond their pay grade. David pauses long enough to consider locating G*D.
Nathan, at the end of a busy day, goes along. But after a night’s rest Nathan clearly sees things differently. There will be no temple-building.
Seems some folks do their best work when engaged to the hilt and others after sufficient time away to reflect on a longer view.
This brings us to an awareness of our own processes. Do your best insights come in the midst of a large task at hand that is taking all you have? Do they arrive during breaks?
To know this is to have power doubled. You can use your own rhythm to your benefit.
Generally it might be said that insights come while off the clock. Then a whole variety of subtleties can interact and reveal a new way. Of course this presumes you have been on the clock well enough to have an experience base to parse a new idea.
May you know what is yours and what is for the next generation. This humility will energize your work of this day.
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2012/07/2-samuel-71-16.html