Hebrews 10:11-14, (15-18), 19-25
Proper 28 (33) - Year B
Lucky Jesus, he gets to sit down by Daddy Abba and wait for all things to come to him. If you've got eternity there is time for enemies to turn into footstools (although that is a bit close to the use of human skin for lampshades that happened all too often). When you're a man with a plan that is foreordained to come to pass you can afford to wait the rascals out.
For you and me that waiting game doesn't quite cut it. We don't have eternity even though we do better when we think we do. Mostly we need to get up off whatever is holding us back and be proactive in turning enemies into friends.
Waiting through eternity for someone to morph or reincarnate into a stool seems like too small a goal.
If we are going to take advantage of the moment we have it will be important for us to "consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds" through a vehicle called "encouragement."
So, what's it going to be today? Sit back and wait for "them" to come round to "our" way of thinking? intentionally encourage ourselves and our foes to be better?
Choose well, for our beginning has an ending.
http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2003/november2003.html
Hebrews 10:11-25
1 Samuel 1:4-20 or Daniel 12:1-3
1 Samuel 2:1-10 or Psalm 16
Mark 13:1-8
Look! What a large Enemy!
It will take a trebuchet to do in this large an enemy. One smooth river stone or five stand no chance
Look! What a large Temple!
Nothing could ever bring down such stability. No number of armies with the biggest siege engines could prevail here.
What fantasies we conjure as we face fears and attempt to continue our present course. In both cases we exaggerate our situations. We are at one and the same time too weak and too strong.
Take a second and third look. G*D as rock is an interesting image. G*D enlarges on the way from sling to forehead, becoming irresistible. G*D reduces so temple walls can be stepped over and be no barrier, becoming approachable. G*D as rock is no static image, but is as transformable as any Living reality.
- - -
lead me astray
please
from solid falsehoods
told with volume enough
to fool all the people all the timelies that grow
rumor so seemingly so
plausible to irresistible
small lie masquerading
as big truthlead me astray
from popular memes
so believable everywhere
and all too repeated
in sanctuary spacehaving connected with god
our least fears
are projected large
upon innocent
children and strangersof all sadness
this grieves most
unquestioning
big lies hold sway
in holy spaceresolution
a willingness
to be provoked
to love
not lie
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.html
It is verse 18 that offers a better approach to sacrifice than a mega- or metasacrifice. If forgiveness operates, sacrifice becomes moot.
Using this approach we might then work toward a priesthood of all based on forgiveness. In this way we would affirm that every priest, day after day, offers, again and again, forgiveness of both form and content. It is not that forgiveness takes away sin, but it does obviate the need to continue repeating it or substitute sacrifice (formalized forgiveness without its presence) for it.
If forgiveness applies to the privileged of G*D, the predestined, who's to say that G*D has not privileged or predestined everyone. For the moment presume Arminius did better in this particular than other followers of Calvin. Now we can jump to the Wesleyan renewal movement with its practices and social structures that would help individuals attend to preparing to greet 'the Day' as an occasion of joy, rather than sorrow. [last sentence modified from The Wesley Study Bible]
Good news - forgiveness is available. We don't have to go through some sacrificial system, but can jump right to being proactive in being a forgiver who thus provokes love and good deeds. This is evangelistic enough to spend time together encouraging and being encouraged. Hmmm, forgiveness as a church growth (root-deepening) principle.
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2009_11_01_archive.html
What a huge stone is repetition. Sisyphus knew all about this. And yet this story is not the end of the story, but a beginning of new insight that doing the same thing over again expecting a different outcome just won’t cut it.
So how do we resolve a Gordian Knot of Sisyphean fate?
Pay attention to our current heart, our lived experience. It is through our flesh that our spirit will be freed. This experience is our hope - our resolution that we will not repeat intermediary responses but provoke new love, new deeds of common good.
May you be a Jesus to those in your life who play priest over others.
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2012/11/hebrews-1011-14-15-18-19-25.html