In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house
will be the highest of all —
the most important place on earth.
It will be raised above the other hills,
and people from all over the world will stream there to worship.
People from many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of Jacob’s God.
There he will teach us his ways,
and we will walk in his paths.”
For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion;
his word will go out from Jerusalem.
The Lord will mediate between peoples
and will settle disputes between strong nations far away.
They will hammer their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will no longer fight against nation,
nor train for war anymore.
Everyone will live in peace and prosperity,
enjoying their own grapevines and fig trees,
for there will be nothing to fear.
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies
has made this promise!
Though the nations around us follow their idols,
we will follow the Lord our God forever and ever.
I am going to do something a little different this year: I’m going to try to do one post a day during Advent. Each day, using a scripture passage from the lectionary I will write, draw or create something — click on the image to enlarge it — that reflect something of that reading back to me.
Mark 13:24-37
“At that time, after the anguish of those days,
the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with great power and glory. And he will send out his angels to gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.
“Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near.In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that his return is very near, right at the door.I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene before all these things take place.Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.
“However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.And since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert!
“The coming of the Son of Man can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. When he left home, he gave each of his slaves instructions about the work they were to do, and he told the gatekeeper to watch for his return.You, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know when the master of the household will return—in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak.Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning.I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!”
Jesus and the Samaritan woman. A miniature from the 12th-century Jruchi Gospels II MSS from Georgia
Last Sunday Barb showed us how the way that we see something may not be the only way to see it.
The most widely held view of the unnamed woman Jesus met at Jacob’s well in John 4, is that she was ostracized (she came alone, at noonday to the well), that she was a prostitute at worst or “loose” woman at best (having married 5 times and now living without the sanctity of marriage). And somehow these characteristics makes it easier for us to skip through the story, quickly getting to the part where she “repents” and so does everybody else.
Really? Of what does she repent?
Thanks be to God, this is not the only way to see this woman.
There can be question about the time of day. Ancient texts read, “It was the sixth hour,” but starting from what time? Some interpretation put the time at 6:00 pm instead of noon. Perhaps this is why Jesus was so tired that he wanted to sit and rest while the disciples went for food.
And we are given no clue why this woman came to the well alone. Perhaps she was unable to get away earlier in the day. Perhaps she had need of more water, so went out a second time in the day. And, something I could never figure out – if she was ostracized by the townfolk, how is it that when she came back with the story of having met the Messiah they so readily followed her back to meet him? Do we so readily believe the people we look down on?
As for having been married 5 times, while some suggest that is absurd, so she must be a loose woman, others have given possible reasons why/how this might have happened. Most interesting to me is that after throwing out this fact without a word of condemnation neither Jesus nor the woman revisit the question of marriage, men or sexuality. I read nothing after this exchange that suggests this woman repented of sexual sin. Indeed, the conversation now takes on a very intellectual/theological tone.
This woman is courageous – not just for walking to the well alone and engaging in conversation with a foreign man, she asks questions. Questions about religion. The kind of thing that burns within you when you don’t know where to find an answer.
Jesus answers. Jesus engages this Samaritan woman against all cultural norms. He sees beyond the obvious. He gets to the depth of her heart and answers her longing — how can I worship God rightly?
Listen how Eugene Peterson, in The Message, interprets Jesus’ answer: “…Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.” (Emphasis mine.)
Both the woman and Jesus had one of those incredible, intimate conversations that leave you amazed and your spirit filled. The woman returns to town, leaving her water jug behind, to share what she has just learned with all her household, her family, her neighbours. And Jesus tells his disciples that he has no need for food right now for he has been filled.
Why does this character resonate with me? I want to have her kind of courage, that kind of curiosity, the chutzpah to ask the questions, the openness to hear and understand the answers, and the willingness to share what I’ve learned.
“…Don’t it always seem to go
You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone…”
Joni Mitchell, Big Yellow Taxi
So often, we who are able-bodied totally ignore the blessing that strong healthy bodies are. This was brought forcefully home to me again this week as I struggle with my unique allergy.
Gingerich family, 1965
Starting back in the summer I was ten, in fact just after this family picture was taken, I first experienced the rash and painful blisters on my hands. A visit to the doctor brought a diagnosis of poison ivy. And perhaps it was. But every year after that it would happen again. How could I always get into poison ivy when none of my ever siblings did?
Finally, the summer Simon was one year old, before heading out on vacation, I visited a doctor again. Our family doctor was away so I saw another young doctor. He decided it was athlete’s foot and scrapped my hands, nearly sending me through the roof, and irritating my hands further. By the next day the blisters left no spaces between my fingers. I couldn’t dress myself, feed myself, do anything that required the use of my hands. And what can you do without using your hands? The next evening I sat at a picnic table at our campsite and awkwardly holding a sterilized razer blade opened the bubbles to relieve the pressure.
As we were now near Windsor, Ontario, on our way to Peoria, Illinois, we stopped at an emergency clinic. Thankfully the doctor there was a little wiser than the previous one. He told me immediately that it was dyshidrotic eczema, gave me pills that dried up the blisters within two days, and encouraged me to see an allergist when I got home. Thankfully, because of this man, we all were able to enjoy the rest of our trip.
I did see an allergist. There I was told a number of grasses and weeds that I am allergic to, and told that they could not test for all so there are likely more. I was also told that because it appears on my palms and soles it is likely not contact dermatitis, but coming from the inside out, the pollens that I inhale. Since that time I am usually well able to keep the symptom under control with antihistamines and hydrocortisone creme.
Until this year. I’m experiencing the worst outbreak I’ve had since discovering what plagues me. The antihistamines are not working well. I got a new prescription for a stronger creme. My hands hurt long before any blisters form; it feels like the very bones are aching. And once the blisters start to form my hands feel like pins and needles jabbing. Very unpleasant! And though worse than I’ve had for many years, the condition isn’t nearly as bad as it can be.
So once again I am reminded of how essential my hands are, how many things I need them for, how wonderful and how fragile is this body of mine.
Everyone will live in peace and prosperity,
