 Reflection for Monday, September 30 or Day 267
Jeremiah 5; Psalm 69; II Peter 2
If you were a “seeker,” one who is asking questions, searching for meaning, looking for purpose…what would you think of the Christian religion if you read today’s passages from the Bible? Depressing is a word that comes to mind! Not a lot of joy, hope or encouragement, and precious little guidance to face the future. One has to wonder in praying one of the Prayer Book collects that says, “ Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning…” What can we learn from these verses? Perhaps the first thing to learn is that the Bible is primarily a collection of writings of the people of God reflecting on their encounters with the Divine. It is written retrospectively: something happened, and someone thought about it and then wrote about it. In the New Testament, this happens relatively soon (within 200 years), but it takes much longer in the Old Testament.
Lamentations mourns over the desolation of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, and its liturgical poetry bemoans the destruction of the city and prays for God to restore it. Psalm 69 seems to be a post-exilic lament as well, cursing enemies and entreating God’s favor. The Second Letter of Peter cautions against false prophets who would distort the Gospel message and lead believers astray during a difficult growing time for the Church. All three readings contain elements of suffering for the sake of the Kingdom.
I am wondering how Christians in Pakistan would read these passages this week. The message of Scripture is a little more poignant for those who are under persecution and have witnessed destruction and desolation in their lives. My hunch is that the words are much more real for those who are just starting to recover from the tragedies of the past weeks. With the psalmist, let us pray, “You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay.”
Doug McCaleb
Trinity Cathedral Miami
 Saturday, September 28, 2013 Lamentations 3-4, Psalm 68, II Peter 1
In the original Hebrew, the first four chapters of Lamentations is an acrostic. The fifth chapter is not acrostic but it does have 22 verses, the same as the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. For fun, today’s reflection will also be an acrostic. Each observation about the reading begins will a letter of the name of the book.
Laments Over Jerusalem
Lamentations is a book of mournful poetry over the state and destruction of the city of Jerusalem.
Alphabetically Acrostic.
The acrostic nature of Lamentations follows the Hebrew alphabet in alphabetical order.
Messianic Foreshadowing
The Messiah, the Christ suffers much on the Cross. The verses in chapter three point to One that also suffers for the people.
Elegy Limping Meter
A mournful 3:2 meter is very prevalent in the original Hebrew and can even be heard in some of the English translations
Name of the Book in Hebrew is How!
The fist word of Lamentation is How!, as in how can this happen?. This first word also gives the book its name in Hebrew.
Trust in God, Even in the Hard, Bad Times
One theme of the book is to trust in God even when things are not going well. Lamentations encourages us to rely on God even in the midsts of destruction.
Agony of the People
The pain and suffering of the people is forefront in this book.
Timing is 586 B.C.E.
Lamentations is thought to have been written right after the destruction of the city of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.
I
The third chapter is written in the first person singular, I.
On fasting days this text is often read.
On the Jewish faith it is read on the Ninth of Av, a day to commemorate the destruction of the temple. Christians often read this text during Holy week.
Need for Repentance.
Lamentations encourages the reader to be repentant.
Sins
In Lamentations, it is the sins of the people which bring on God's inflicting of pain and destruction.
Keep Reading!
Spencer Potter
 September 26, 2013 or Day 263
Jeremiah 52!; Psalm 66; 1 Peter 4
Yeah. We have finally finished Jeremiah. Is anyone else relieved? I don’t mind telling you, I am. I couldn’t help but wonder what it would have been like had we had a little matriarchal influence in a Jesus Christ kind of way six centuries earlier. Bob Pritchard, historian, great teacher and priest at Virginia Theological Seminary, said in chapel one day when I was there as a seminarian, “Some texts in the Hebrew scripture make us want to run to the gospel”. Yet, I must admit, God may be saying, “Not so fast. Let’s just take a minute and try to see things from Jeremiah’s point of view now that we’re finally at the end of that book”. Throughout all, we were warned of what befalls humankind when we turn away from our Creator, our guide, our source of light and life and love. Our prophet Jeremiah gave fair warning to be steadfast in following God. And few listened. Would that they would have known about Jesus Christ.
Thank God, we do know about Jesus, about the Holy Spirit, about our triune God. And, because we know, we realize our Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, is closer than breath and is the one in whom ‘we live and move and have our being’. It goes beyond gratitude. It brings one to tears. “Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds among mortals” the psalmist declares. “Blessed be God because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me”. How can we help, then, but to see God in one another? This isn’t some pie-in-the-sky-bye-and-bye-Pollyanna perspective. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ and one in which we are called to uphold and declare. May we pray for the grace to shut out anything that would take our eyes from that vision. “…though they had been judged in the flesh as everyone is judged, they might live in the spirit as God does.”
Wendy Tobias
St. Joseph’s, Boynton Beach
 "It was in this way long ago that holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves by accepting the authority of their husbands."
Well this is certainly NOT the most popular reading for our very progressive, forward leaning denomination. The problem with reading the while bible is that we have to read even the parts of the bible that trouble us and acknowledge that there is Truth to be found in them (and that is Truth with a Capital T).
So what exactly do we learn from Peter? Well it is certainly easy to say 'but, but, but! Peter also says Wives should show consideration to their husbands! See 1st Century Progress!' That may be true, but I'm not sure that quite does it for us. If I were to say that to my wife, for example… it would not turn out well. Nevertheless, Peter did offer this lesson for a reason. But rather than consider what he said, let us consider instead why he said it. What could possibly make Peter want to say that wives should be subservient to their husbands… and worse to compare the relationship of husband and wife to master and slave! Perhaps…. perhaps, there is something so wrong in this community, something so broken in the marital relationships, indeed in all relationships that Peter is seeking to restore order to that community as best as he can. Witness the continuation of the lesson "Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart and a humble mind."
Is it possible that Peter found himself surrounded by a culture of division? Where there was little sympathy for any who was not like Me? Where love was little more than a buzzword and where tenderness, humility and unity are non existent?
Perhaps Peter lived in a time not unlike ours?
I would suggest, quite humbly then, that our response is neither to embrace Peter's instructions nor to reject this as outdated, but rather to consider how alike our two worlds might be. To contemplate what, if we aren't going to preach like Peter, what we are going to say to our community that is in desperate need of sympathy, humility, tenderness and above all, Love. How are we going to speak to the husbands and wives, the masters and the slaves and get them to open themselves up to God's love? And above all to get them to accept that, in the words of the Psalm "to [God] all flesh shall come, when deeds of iniquity overwhelm us, you forgive our transgressions. Happy are those whom you choose and bring near to live in your courts." How can we bring more people into God's Courts?
--Grey Maggiano
 Reflection, Day 261
Jeremiah 48-49; Psalm 64; 1 Peter 2
Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;
preserve my life from the dread enemy.
Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
from the scheming of evildoers, who whet their
tongues like swords, who aim bitter words like
arrows, shooting from ambush at the blameless;
they shoot suddenly and without fear. They hold fast
to their evil purpose; they talk of laying snares secretly,
thinking, “Who can see us? Who can search out our crimes?
We have thought out a cunningly conceived plot.”
For the human heart and mind are deep.
(Psalm 64:1-6)
The first verses of Psalm 64 seem particularly relevant in these
days of character assassination, political upheaval, mass murder, and terrorist
activities that cause the slaughter of innocent men women and children
throughout the world.
The chaotic and disastrous political events leading to the
destruction of Jerusalem are frighteningly paralleled by today’s events in the
Mideast and in the increasingly uncontrollable gun violence in
America.
Jeremiah viewed the events of his day to be a direct result of
divine anger at Israel’s continued apostasy. The prophet cries out, “Accursed
is the one who is slack in doing the work of the
Lord.”
The Psalmist assures us that “God
will shoot his arrow”at those who seek to destroy his Kingdom through greed
and violence – “…He will bring them to
ruin.”
1 Peter 2 advises us to “Rid ourselves of all malice and all
guile…to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the
soul.”
How is God perceiving today’s world’s events? Do we like the
Moabites and the other tribes have a second chance? Will God “…afterward
restore our fortunes?”
Will we, who are going astray like sheep “return
to the shepherd and guardian of our
souls?”
May we keep all those who died this week in the wake of violence
and terrorism in our prayers. May we seek, through prayer and peaceful dialogue,
to put an end to the chaotic destruction of our world. May we,
“…like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk – and by it may we know
salvation.”
Rev. Clelia P. Garrity, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
 Monday, September 23, 2013 Day 260 – Jeremiah 46-47, Psalm 63, I Peter 1
Greetings from Holy Island in Northumbria, England. One of my traditions at pilgrimage sites is to arise early before the dawn to experience the sunrise. It was especially brilliant here behind Lindisfarne Castle this morning, but there is a patient waiting game required for the experience. It amazes me that there is always an increasing color as the sun approaches the horizon, but it always transforms into a “colorlessness,” immediately before the sun appears above the horizon. If I had never seen a sunrise before, the temptation would be to stop watching the sky when the colorlessness appeared. One would think, “Oh well, the show is over, time to move on…” Yet, if one stays focused on the scene, out of the colorlessness does the glory of the sunrise appear.
The importance of that focus is emphasized in 1 Peter, which we begin reading today. A short introduction to this letter that is full of insight is provided by scholar William Barclay. A link to it is here: http://www.religion-online.org/showchapter.asp?title=1112&C=1174. In the first line of that intro, Barclay states, “The pervading characteristic of the First Letter of Peter is its tremendous sense of the obligation which the work of Christ has laid upon the Christian.” Obligation? That sounds a little scary to me. I don’t like to be obligated to do anything. Yet, it is this focus, this discipline, that will enable us to experience the profound blessings not just in eternity, but now. 1 Peter 1: 3-12 is one run-on sentence in the Greek, which sets the stage for why we are obligated.
To follow through on the aforementioned image, we have seen the sunrise before. We, therefore, should be willing to stay focused. As Peter states, “Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance (1 Peter 1: 13-14).” Similarly, in Psalm 63:8 we pray, “My soul clings to you, because I know from the past that “your right hand upholds me.”
In the times when our life’s pilgrimage seems colorless and full of trials, it is helpful to remember the sunrise. So hang in there, disciples! The Son is about to appear in glory, and the new birth, unfading and imperishable inheritance will be ours – not just in heaven, but also today.
Cheers,
Marty Zlatic
For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him.
In today reading from Jeremiah, we read about people who have forgotten the God for whom their soul waits. They have worshipped the Queen of Heaven. The worship which seems primarily a religion of women is, at least according to those women, supported by their husbands who knew what they were doing. Times are hard, and clearly something needs to be done. They are waiting for salvation from this Queen of Heaven. Jeremiah warns it will not come.
James speaks to people who have a different God. They have put their trust not in God, nor in the Queen of Heaven, but in wealth. They have practiced what we would call “wage theft”. James warns these will not protect you either.
Where do we look today? Honestly, in the same places as the people of 2600 years ago or 2000 years ago. Many around us look for more powerful gods; perhaps ones that require from us what we are more willing to give. We look for protection in the things of the earth, in wealth, in military might, or in distraction. Perhaps we are looking just to ourselves for our salvation and happiness.
From Jeremiah and James, the answer is different. From where shall the salvation come that so many long for? It comes from God. When will it come? Be patient. How shall we endure in the mean time? Worship God. Do not forget the God of your ancestors. Pray. Sing. Confess. Care for others.
May the God of Peace and Love guide your hearts and minds today and may you find true riches in God’s service.
Jeremiah 42-43; Psalm 61; James 4
A Reflection on Jeremiah & James
I am confused! Was Jeremiah 42 and 43 the headline in last week’s Miami Herald or was it the other way around? Last week it was President Obama seeking the advice of his counselors in response to a very critical issue in the Middle East with the descendants of the same characters present in Jeremiah 42. And 2700 years before, it is military and political leaders of Judah seeking similar advice of the prophet Jeremiah. Talk about déjà vu! The glory of the Bible is that it reveals the innermost workings of human nature with uncanny accuracy, especially when it comes to the political and military history of the Middle East. Modern day history seems to be a continuous “repeat” of ancient history that is on a repeating cycle with, unfortunately, exactly the same results…disaster.
In response to the imminent threat, Jeremiah is asked by the surviving leaders to, “Pray that the Lord our God will show us the way we should go and what we should do.” (Jer. 42:3) Sound familiar? Jeremiah does exactly as requested and waits. After 10 days, the Lord spoke to Jeremiah and he relayed God’s message as requested: “…I will pray to the Lord our God, just as you asked and whatever he says, I will tell you.” (vs 4)
Now here is where the rub comes in and human nature tends to reveal the tension that we all face when faced with a crisis. Jeremiah tells them exactly what they do not want to hear. The historical setting is quite fascinating and worthy of further examination but for our reflection here, we are mostly interested in the universal human response that has a tendency to get us into trouble time and again. Jeremiah did share the word of the Lord as asked but did not give them the answer they wanted. What they really wanted to do was escape into Egypt and thus avoid further conflict and suffering. Their fear preconditioned them the hear God’s response in such a way that they thought would avoid further stress. But, God does not call us to be happy, content, and at rest with what we want but with what He believes is best for us. In this case, God was asking for “faith”, “trust”, and “confidence” in Him. Sadly, they chose otherwise!
Experience with God answering prayer over a lifetime of ministry has taught me this principle when faced with life’s hard decisions; “What appears to be the easy route is often the harder one and what appears to be the harder route is often the easier one…long-term.” Faith is examining the significant elements to the best of our ability but then relying on God to speak to us following a time of prayer. The answers are often amazing and not quite what we expect.
Years ago I was the rector of a tiny church of 70 souls that was praying about building a new church facility. We examined the project only to speculate that our dream worship center was way beyond our ability. Since we were blessed with a wonderful cadre of prayer partners, we began a 7 day 24 hour prayer vigil in the church. Everyone who was able signed up for an hour spot…most took many 1 hour prayer periods.
On Wednesday night I agreed to fill many of the one hour slots and was determined to stay in the church until I heard from the Lord. Yes, that may appear to be presumptuous, arrogant, naïve and even silly but I desperately needed a word from God before moving in one direction or another. So…I prayed for hours and waited and prayed some more and listened. When I least expected it, He spoke. He said, “I will build my church!” It wasn’t gas or fatigue or delusion but THE Word of God…”I will build my church!” Wow…my heart leapt with joy and my spirit was put at rest. Move forward because God is going to provide the funding to build His church, well, at least that is how I interpreted His word. Silly me!
History has shown that what I heard was absolutely true, well sort of. He did build his church from an average Sunday gathering of about 70 to over 500 souls…oh, and he also build a building in which to worship which was the focus of the prayer vigil. What He meant and what I heard were two entirely different things. I prayed for a church building and God gave us more souls than we could have ever imagined. And the interesting thing is that He didn’t actually build the church or at least in the manner in which I interpreted His word. I though He meant that HE was going to build His church by providing adequate funding. What He said was, “I will build my church!” He was true to his word and built His church not through miraculous financial gifts but through the talents, efforts, and sacrifices of the multitude. We never got a large financial gift and most of the work we did ourselves, something unheard of in these modern times. He provided the talents and enthusiasm for the vision to create a space in which He could be worshipped and served…and that is exactly what happened.
When you pray, listen and wait and trust! He will answer and you will interpret what He said which will bring comfort. Move forward in the assurance that He has answered truthfully and that He will continue to guide you. But, try not to interpret all the details in your imagination so as not to miss the surprise He has in store.
 Bible Challenge
Day 256
Jeremiah 39-41 The Babylonian Exile actually took place in two stages. The first exile occurred about 596 B.C. At that time, when the Babylonians first subdued Judah, the king, the royal household, the nobles, the artisans and basically all of the really skilled people were deported to Babylon. Judah became a captive nation of the Babylonian Empire with a puppet king appointed by Nebuchadnezzar. Chapter 39 recounts the second stage of the Exile, the definitive fall of Jerusalem in about 586 B.C. It was at this time that the Temple was destroyed and the bulk of the population was deported into exile. Any last vestige of “national” life was ended when the puppet king was replaced by a governor (Gedaliah) and Judah was clearly merely a province within the Empire.
Chapters 40 and 41 recount the turmoil in the earliest days of the “big” Exile (as it were). Gedaliah was doing his best, with Jeremiah’s blessing, to hold together the peasantry that was left in the land of Judah. (For some reason we do not know, Jeremiah seems to have been given the choice by the Babylonians to either go into exile or remain in Judah. He chose to remain.) However, one Ishmael, who was a zealot patriot and also a potential heir to the throne (he was of the royal family), murdered Gedaliah and his cohorts as well as some Babylonian soldiers who were present. One Johanan had tried to warn Gedaliah, who did not believe Johanan. After Johanan avenged Gedaliah’s death he and many of the people remaining in the land fled to Egypt because they feared Babylonian reprisals. By going to Egypt they were going into a voluntary exile, as opposed to an enforced exile in Babylon.
While the Babylonians had given Jeremiah the choice of whether to go to Babylon or remain in Judah, Johanan and his compatriots did not afford him such courtesy. Jeremiah was taken forcibly into Egypt, very much against his will. The last we hear of Jeremiah is in Egypt. His whole life, his entire ministry, had been a sorrow and a burden, and this final deprivation was emblematic of the trajectory of his life. Faithful to God to the end, his own people did not recognize the validity of his ministry until after his death.
James 3 In this chapter James is urging us to bridle both our tongues and our emotions (jealousy, ambition). James echoes the wisdom tradition of Israel. Like Israel’s wisdom tradition, James’ wisdom is for practical ethical living rather than being speculative like much of the Greek wisdom tradition. The fruits of such wisdom are similar to Paul’s fruits of the Spirit.
Frank J. Corbishley
The Episcopal Church Center at the University of Miami
 Jeremiah 36-38; Psalm 59; James 2
By The Rev. Mark Andrew Jones, BSG
The great Protestant Reformer Martin Luther thought James’ epistle was just so much straw; for it spoke of works and Luther wanted the focus to be on faith alone. Here I think Luther got in wrong (so did the Roman Catholics at the time); and, I fear, most Americans also get the issue wrong. Too often “faith” is equated with “belief.” So long as one believes in the right thing or entity, then one will be saved. That way of thinking places us atop a slippery slope. It then can become easy to divorce the importance of action or works from one’s faith, thus exposing the faithful to charges of hypocrisy.
If one looks at Scripture as a whole, then a very different understanding of “faith” emerges, one that equates “faith” with “trust-in-action.”
Jeremiah says to King Zedekiah, “If you will only surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then your life shall be spared, and [Jerusalem] shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live” (Jeremiah 38:17). But the Zedekiah can’t do it; he can’t trust in the Lord, not to the point of putting himself in the hands of his enemies. “I am afraid of the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans, for I might be handed over the them and they would abuse me” (Jeremiah 38:19).
Zedekiah cannot trust to the point of taking action, because he is afraid. No wonder angels, God’s messengers, repeatedly counsel men and women, “Do not be afraid.” Fear often paralyzes us in inaction to our spiritual detriment.
“My God in his steadfast love will meet me; my God will let me look in triumph on my enemies. … O my strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love” (Psalm 59:10, 17).
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