| | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions | | | | | | | Many of us know that there are parts of the liturgy that carry us over into the week. Walter Brueggemann looks at the liturgical life of a people dominated by the power of Babylon. ....the liturgy itself intends to challenge and override the chaos of exilic social circumstance. Among the features that provide liturgical stability are the following: - The assurance that God's powerful spirit is at work in the world, which is therefore an arena of blessing. Generativity of life is assured there.
- The process of ordering is articulated in separating elements of creation into their proper zones (Genesis 1:4, 6, 7, 14) and by assuring that all fruitfulness is "of every kind" (Gen. 1:21, 24-25). this is a world in which nothing is out of place.
- The ordering is repeatedly acknowledged to be "good," and finally "very good." It is probably that "good" here means lovely, aesthetically pleasing. This is a beautiful place in which to reside.
- The liturgy culminates in sabbath rest, whereby the members of this community desist from production, and do so without anxiety. They are sure that the world will hold, because it is authorized by the creator God.
The liturgy of these captives in Babylon becomes the way they stand up and become a people not under the rule of their captives. They retell the story of whose they are. There God brings life - good life - very good life - into every place; simply because this is what God will do. When we gather for worship, do we come away with such a powerful message? I think so. Listen to the words of our liturgy. There is vision and an affirmation of God's gracious Reign. In the face of any and all powers, we are given a vision of our God who, like the God of the Jews, sets us within a new world with a word of promise that cannot be taken from us no matte what the situation of our daily lives appears to be. Connection: I often tell people that there is little more to any sermon I give than that which I share with the children in their lesson. It is always interesting to see that as a child grows up - s/he appears to doubt that message of "God for you - always and in all places" because other cultural messages begin to pull at them. The wonder of God's promises are meant to create even more and more wonder in our lives. God of Creation, continue to inspire us with your promises and your great act of liberation. Amen. |
| | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions | | | | | | | One of the "editors" of the Hebrew Scriptures are the "Priests." Like other groups of editors, they attempted to hold things together and create an atmosphere that would bring to life the people of God in difficult times. During the Exile in Babylon was one of those times - again, Walter Brueggemann. ....it is conventional to locate the Priestly material of Genesis - Numbers in the exile, as a strategy for sustaining the sacramental sense of community. ....it was aimed toward the maintenance of order in a social context of acute disorder and chaos. The Jews in exile has no stable reference points (as with appeal to the temple), and so this tradition offers alternative practices in lieu of such supports. In Genesis 1:1-2:4a, the tradition provides a litany that is presumably liturgical.... the liturgy itself intends to challenge and override the chaos of exilic social circumstances. Having a sense of order can bring comfort and a feeling of security. When there is only chaos, it is time for storytelling. Storytelling can take us from the face of what is and help us to see beyond it all. This stories are not lies that are just made up, they are promises that are dressed up so that we can see how they are able to see us through what it at hand. Even in the storytelling of our country, editors helped to hold up some stories and leave others out. In that way, a large group of people can rally around a theme or story in the hope that we too may be such people. When I was growing up I used to hear the cry "remember the Alamo." I didn't really know what it meant until I hear the whole story. It was like listening to the story of the 300 Spartans. A small group can stand up against the powers and through their courageous acts, become an source of inspiration for others. Our storytelling helps us build our character - that can be a plus or a minus depending on the stories that are handed to us. The Priestly editors made sure there were stories of great worth - stories that could be repeated easily so that they would alter the view of the people and create an alternate reality that had the power to sustain and nurture life. Connection: Do you have stories such as these? Can you identify them? Where did you hear them? What keeps drawing you back to hear them again? What do they do to you when you hear them? Within the stories of our life, O God, we turn to you to hear words of encouragement and truthfulness so that we will know of a way to live that is not overwhelmed by the powers of the day that seem to be able to smash us. Pull us into those stories of your powerful love. Amen. |
| | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions | | | | | | Today we will begin some time looking at the influence Babylon had on the shaping of the distinctive community of Israel while it is in exile in Babylon. For some, this way of looking at how scripture came to be will be new - to others not so new. And yet, Brueggemann always makes it something that we can bring into this day. Because the exiles are now displaced from their homeland and from all its sustaining institutional markers, the power of Babylonian culture to assimilate and the capacity of the Babylonian economy to substitute satiation for a faith identity are indeed an intense threat. The intensity of the threat in turn evokes the most intentional efforts at community maintenance. This exile take place when the temple and the city of Jerusalem have been devastated. The people are taken from their homeland and that means that all of the order within their lives is gone. Not only have they been defeated by the Babylonian army, this ancient religious thinking also notes that the gods of the Babylonians have whipped the God of Israel. Not the best conditions for raising up a faithful family or community. Under a cloud of defeat, disgrace, and alienation we have a people who will now work to make a way to sustain themselves. We must remember that this is what people of every faith must do in every age. How do we sustain and build up the character of who we are within the storytelling of our tradition? I have always found this period of the history of Israel to be a powerful one for them but also for we who call ourselves followers of Jesus. There must be a way to nurture the life of a contrary community. This is our task. This is our hope. Connection: I find that I am often a reflection of the society around me. It is then that I need to hear another voice - I need a prophet calling out to me. I need a contrary rule to follow that will be my guide as I attempt to resist what is. Lord of the Homeless and Defeated in every age, you are always close and ready to be our guide and our rock. We are in need of the simple ability to look around and see you at our side. It is then that we will be encouraged and look at the day with a sense of hopefulness. Be present, O God. Amen. |
| | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions | | | | | | Here's a good summary about the three voices directed to Judah. To be sure, the traditions of Isaiah (royal), Micah (peasant), and Deuteronomy (Mosaic-covenantal) give differing nuance to the life of Judah. All are agreed, however, that in every sphere of its life, Judah must be a community of intentional resistance, refusing to let dominant, imperial definitions confiscate the life of Judah. The community is enjoined to great vigilance, lest it lose its raison d'etre, which is as a Yahwistic, alternative mode of life in a world of acquisitive, exploitative power (compare Deuteronomy 8:1-20). When we wake in the morning, we wake into a world in which we are - as followers of Jesus - stepping into the realm of resistance. Luther would say that every morning we remember our baptism - same thing. We remember whose we are and the mighty acts of God to hold us and never let us go and then we let that hand lead us and guide us even when the leading takes us in ways that are quite at odds with the world. What is most difficult is to see to what degree we are at odds with the world around us. We have all seen those who seem to take this call into a life of asceticism or one of outright rebellion or one of such counter-cultural moves they are simply written off as complete oddballs. Well...what makes up resistance and how much resistance is enough?! I think we must not look at quantity. We look at the situation at hand and talk within a faithful community about what is needed. Resistance doesn't always mean going directly against the powers of the world. Resistance may also mean the simple movements that make us walk down another path. There are many paths of resistance that can be a part of all of our lives. It is quite important that we all keep talking to one another as we go along the way. Connection: Baptism puts us in the water of resistance and it doesn't matter how deep we are in it - we have already died in this water and come into new life. What part of this new life will now begin to show? That is resistance. Lord of New Life, carry us into the promised land and show us the way to stand on you alone as we journey through this life and share in the abundance of your Reign. Amen. |
| | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions | | | | | | The third literary voice that speaks to Israel when they are being dominated by Assyria is from Deuteronomy - again from Walter Brueggemann. He argues that this book is considered as being written quite later than originally thought. In that, references to the "Canaanites" may well be the "Assyrians." It is widely recognized that covenant receives its definitive voicing in Deuteronomy, the covenant tradition par excellence. "Covenant" is not to be understood as simply a religious slogan, nor as one model among many for Israel's faith. Deuteronomy offers covenant as a radical and systematic alternative to the politics of autonomy, the economics of exploitation, and the theology of self-indulgence. The model of social reality offered in Deuteronomy is that this community - in all its socioeconomic, political, and military aspects - is relational, with members taking responsibility for their neighbors. This notion of social reality touches every phase of social interaction and every exercise of social power. The pervasive disciplines to which Deuteronomy summons Israel is precisely to give up autonomy for the sake of committed, neighborly relatedness. Israel will be Israel only as it is what God has called it to be. Otherwise, it will be nothing more than any other power in the world. The lose is both to Israel and to the whole world. This covenant is the creation of an order that is inspired by the God who calls the people into this special relationship. The relationship is not merely between God and God's chosen, relationship become the very essence of the community as it exists in the midst of the power of the Assyrians. The covenant is a statement of being. This is who we are. We live in this kind of way. We will concerned about the well-being of others in all the various realms of community life. Such a covenant, transforms the entire life of the people. By doing that, the rest of the world powers look on and wonder why it is they are like this. That is the witness of such a covenant - the world takes not of another way of being a community. This is as radical as anything we see in the life of the church. In both cases, it is not meant to be a mere story that is not brought to life as the story of the day. Connection: I am always encouraged by Brueggemann's work because it makes me look at what can be and is real among us. It also makes me remember that the Scriptures paint us a picture of a community in distress - just like ours. From there, we walk by faith. God of Liberation and All Hopefulness, help us to reach out into the promise of your life. Help us to step beyond what we call our own and become drenched in the water of new life that is your Reign. Amen. |
| | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions | | | | | | Continuing from yesterday the second literary voice that speaks to Israel when they are being dominated by Assyria is from Micah - again from Walter Brueggemann. The devastating warning that such coveting will bring disaster is matched in the Micah tradition by two assurances. In 5:2-6, it is anticipated that a new governing authority will reestablish Judah and give peace and security (5:4) and , if necessary, will defeat Assyria and occupy the land. In the end, however, what is envisioned is not simply the defeat of the empire, but a great scenario of reconciliation, in which "peoples and nations" will submit to Yahweh's Torah in Zion and will decide for disarmament and peace (4:1-4; compare Isaiah 2:1-5). What is so remarkable is that the commitment to Torah and peace is a peculiar vision of Judah against the military inclination of the empire. In the imaginings of the poet, however, the peaceable Torah vision of Israel prevails, so that the "contrast community" of Yahweh offers the model and option of eventually embraced by all nations. The Micah vision bespeaks the deep resolve and resilience of this alternative. Holding to the vision itself is a discipline and a mark of this community, a long-term refusal to give in to a more accommodating but hopeless social practice. As noted yesterday, we never are able to see this "contrast community" and how it is able to defeat the Assyrians. The vision never comes to be - real life. And yet, we are always being offered the vision. Even into this day, the vision of a community of reconciliation is a powerful word to hear. Things can be transformed through ways not consumed by violence and the ways of empire. This is to be our way - even as Christians. The power of the resurrection is a power that does not go along with the patterns of the world that can so easily move us and sway us. We are being pulled into more of a life that is willing to call into question what is and then to act contrary to what is when it is not a world of reconciliation and sharing and forgiving. In all of our faithful storytelling, it is our God who enables us to walk in that way. After the resurrection, we are encouraged to walk in the way of Jesus - God made visible among us. Connection: Have you ever thought that there are times within the day when you are a part of this "contrast community'? If so, do you find it to be a good place - is it a place of peace? When your peace reigns, O God, we are invited into a life in which we find ways to turn toward one another and not try to flee from the presence of the other. Continue to pull us into this Reign of peace. Amen. |
| | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions | | | | | | The second literary voice that speaks to Israel when they are being dominated by Assyria is from Micah - again from Walter Brueggemann. ...the poet castigates the greedy who "covet fields and seize houses" (2:21). the ones who violate Yahwism's covenantalism is such a way will lose out when the land is redivided, perhaps by the Assyrians (v.4). Thus the expectations of Yahweh that will secure the community concern economic covenantalism in which the claims of the neighbor are not disregarded. Judah as a "contrast society" is premised on the elemental command, "Thou shalt not covet," which is here understood as broad social policy and practice. The people of God are to be a "contrast society." This is not a simple suggestion. This is the way life is to be among us. Life within this kind of society attracts attention because of the way they live together. When it becomes a society that is ruled by the same kind of powers and rules as the rest of the world, what makes it a light - what makes it a new life? So, the prophets offer a warning. I would say it is more than a warning. It is a blessed reminder meant to turn the heads of the covenant people. The prophet calls the people to re-consider who has given them their place and their life and what it means to carry the banner of this covenantal relationship. We do not know what the Assyrians would have done had they come up against a society that reflected the covenant life that so wonderfully takes a road less traveled. Connection: This may be what we all need to consider. What difference does it make in the world if we would live out of the promises of our God in a world that has its own way of running all things.? Guide us again, O God. There are so many ways we would choose to walk through our lives and yet you call us in a way that reflects your Reign. Guide us along that way, O God. Amen. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
