Zephaniah 3:14-20
Advent 3 - Year C
Easter Vigil - Years A, B, C
I like verse 19, a part of the conclusion of every prophetic utterance - a word of hope. So what hope are you holding out or are you just carping. It is so easy for prophets to start and stop with the "woe be unto you" perspective. If we don't have a word of hope we are pseudo-prophets.
Verse 19 does continue the woes to the oppressors.
Verse 19 also speaks shifting the focus of the lame and outcast (Israel/Jerusalem) from shame to praise. In verse 20 this hope become a picture of home. (just one little letter away from where we are - from the dream of hope to the experience of home)
Rejoice lame Jerusalem. Rejoice outcast Israel. Rejoice any who experience lameness and being cast out. You've clicked your heels together many more than three times. Now we are coming to, to find our home again for the first time.
http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2003/december2003.html
Once and future kings are intriguing mythical creatures.
15b - The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more.
16 - On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear. O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak.
What day is "that day" if it is not "that day" already?
You shall fear disaster no more! or it shall be "said", do not fear. These suggest two different experiences of renewal or resurrection from fear unless we are back to a new creation being "said" into existence. Either way there is an external pull or push which leads us to a different response than our usual one of knee-jerk fear, of fight or flight. That would make us different creatures.
This passage is very G*D active. Can you imagine being exulted over with loud singing? I must admit that brings images of being conquered or a coercive courting. If G*D the cost of having disaster removed from us would be our free-will, how many would take it? (Look at that in terms of the popularity and power of "security" measures.)
Learning a "no fear" response to disaster is one thing and to have disasters removed from our response-ability is quite another.
If it is all the same, I'll focus on G*D being in our midst rather than our being in G*D's midst. This sense of journeying together through high times and low is more attractive than being protected beyond my participation.
- - -
sing, sing sing
sing imprisoned ones
prisons become museums
sing o release me
sing my darling warrior
destroy another world
sing we are a pair
sing sender of clowns
already you're here
sing over rainbows
sing dreamers of home
lift your hands
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2006_12_01_archive.html
The word of a prophet moves from damning to joy. One tendency is to separate these into two different states - G*D's disappointment and punishment; G*D's satisfaction and renewal. Another way to approach this is to note that both are present in every present. This competition seems to be within G*D as well as between G*D and creation/creatures.
For this moment, though, presume that you have an equal choice between organizing your time, energy, and resources toward not being condemned or being cared for.
To begin, can you imagine them being equally balanced so it is your choice as to which you will live out of? Which do you think/feel will bring the biggest bang for your investment of time, energy, and resources? Then, go that way.
I expect that most of us don't experience these as equal choices. Our predilection is to try to figure out methods to escape a wrath to come or to blithely follow our bliss. Whether these biases come from nature or nurture, there seems to be a leaning one way or the other. It is too easy to name this pessimism or optimism as the distinction probably runs back into the temptations of the gods or G*D to wrestle with disappointment and satisfaction, punishment and renewal.
Since this is football season, I can remember back to when many players were both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. I, myself, played end both ways. These days it is exceptional to find someone able to play both offense and defense. So, if G*D's disappointment and punishment are what energize you to live better, stay on the defensive side of the ball, protecting your goal. If G*D's satisfaction and renewal are what energize you, stay on the offensive team, pushing toward your goal. (Yes, "goal" here is the same line.)
At this point in Zephaniah's report, we are encouraged to consider going on the offensive and see what that means for our time, energy, and resources, even in the midst of all the potential disappointments floating around and ready to engage us. See, G*D is for you; who and what are you for?
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2009_12_01_archive.html
“Judgments removed here! Get your judgments removed here!” This would be a winner of a marketing campaign. Zephaniah is one testimonial for this way of wrongs being set right, whether they were initiated by you or against you. Our imaginary fears based on gleeful judgment could then be set aside.
Yes, this is supposable. Who wouldn’t want their shame to be turned into praise and renown?
Well, it turns out that there is no business like denial business. We seem to prefer continuing to be judged and to judge ourselves most harshly. Relying on external judgment turns out to preferable to taking responsibility for the consequences of not changing the present. Likewise, having been socialized into a niceness that cannot be lived up to every hour of our day has made us guilt addicts.
It may be that we have had our eye on the wrong prize. Having fortunes restored is not a large enough vision to pursue. Rather there is a more compelling picture available when we deal with being in the midst of our story and knowing that we are not alone [17a]. Before we know it we are in medias res of a story with no beginning. The outcome is not any more certain but the journey is less lonely.
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2012/12/zephaniah-314-20.html
Judgment removed.
With it gone, enemies are, what, also removed?
With judgment no longer on the table, what happens to the enemy known as myself?
Now, perhaps, “fortune” can be rediscovered. Creed and culture have defined meaning for so long, it will be a new birth to look again for “fortune”—Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin fortuna; akin to Latin fort-, fors chance, luck, and perhaps to ferre to carry — more at bear.
There are no straight lines with this sort of fortune. We are to deal with what comes our way as best we can at the time. This means bearing much that can’t be sorted out or understood.
There is no final measure to some absolute good fortune or relative to anyone else. If chance and luck and bearing up are what lies ahead, it will be important to have folks to share with. To share their fortune and to share mine with them. From each according to their fortune and to each according to their lack thereof. In time this won’t balance but it will suit us to a fair-thee-well.
That misspelling may be one step too far but this far into a vigil brings enough disorientation to finally be silly, grin at it, and let it be. The vigil is not clarifying, excusing, explaining, or bringing a final meaning. Judgment removed.
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2014/04/zephaniah-314-20-vigil.html