Isaiah 45:1-7
Proper 24 (29) - Year A
Just before this lection there is the imagery of foreign king Cyrus being labeled with hometown king David's title of "Shepherd."
In our situation, given the decisions of the last General Conference regarding voting patterns, Judicial Council makeup, and the like [crucial stepping stones for the religious right to make sweeping changes at the next General Conference] it is as bold as hearing that G*D will choose the progressive United Methodists of the Northwest to rebuild the vision of holiness throughout the land, beginning with the church.
There is no option but to laugh at our sensibilities regarding how progress is actually made. Not only does Cyrus not know G*D, neither do we. So relax. Enjoy. Light and dark, well-being and disaster -- do your best you can with what you have -- none of us know G*D but all of us can continue to grow in that direction.
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Lon (Reader) --
Aloha Wesley, progressive boat building is often ignored as the waters swirl around us all. The unspoken words are often those that reach our hearts. The truth is we may never know God 'til we push off for the last time from the shore. Until then we might trust the voices we hear in our heart and soul. Standing in the cleft of the rock is exciting and tedious, and maybe the backside is better than no side. Blessings, Lon
http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2002/october2002.html
Isaiah 45:1-7 or Exodus 33:12-23
We hear a lot about G*D's self-understood character, how G*D sees G*D. I, G*D, am going to do this and this and this and this.
Hear the beginning of an excursus on God's Character from The New Interpreter's Study Bible:
"Exod 34:6-7 has a long history. Its closest parallel is found in the Ten Commandments (Exod 20:4-6; Deut 5:8-10) in the form of a comment on the commandment against idolatry. In the Ten Commandments passages, however, the threat of judgment comes first and the promise of mercy next. In Exod 34:6-7, God's love and mercy are first recited in a catalog of divine attributes. God's mercy extends to the thousandth generation; judgment reaches to the third or fourth generation. There can be no doubt that the listing of the qualities of divine mercy is deliberate, intended to underscore how, above all else, the God of Israel is gracious and loving, forgiving and merciful, even (and perhaps especially) to repentant sinners."
This references the next chapter but seems fitting as a way of reflecting on the purpose behind all the "I" statements from G*D in these readings.
http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2005/october2005.html
Isaiah 45:1-7 or Exodus 32:12-23
Psalm 99 or Psalm 96:1-9, (10-13)
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
Matthew 22:15-22
Here's the deal G*D .... "Let me know who's with me"; "Show me your glory."
To which G*D says, "Nope." G*D claims all corners -- to make "weal and woe," to be "forgiving and avenging." There will be no bargains struck.
Here's the deal Jesus .... "Do we pay taxes?"
To which Jesus says, "Good try, but nope. Your perception that a question can be composed to both prove your own worth and to diminish your own responsibility will never come 'round right. It will fall of its own weight."
In spending so much time in trying to trap a perceived opponent, there is not sufficient time to get ourselves out of effectively colluding with the oppressors we are in bed with. In this day and age American religious find themselves battling each other and thus avoiding the realities that they are colluding with their own elected oppressors who balk not at preemptive war and keeping insurance from children and everything in between. For another look at this, check out Frank Rich's column, The 'Good Germans' Among Us.
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to set out to trap another
is the surest way to be caught
steering god the way of our ammunition
in thus getting caught
in our own attempt to trap another
we are set up for Jesus' jujitsu theology
when our trap's premise
is exposed we fly head over heels
bowing before our previous blind spot
now comes the revelation
malice's short-run effectiveness
will ever reveal its long-run fallacy