Sunday August 25, 2013 (full size gallery)
A beautiful summer Sunday with low humidity and brightness in contrast to the weather last Sunday when the rain was steady. Catherine was away for the first of two weeks of vacation. Helmut provided the Sermon and Mike officiating in this Morning Prayer on the last Sunday of the month. The light was especially impressive in the sanctuary. We had 35 today for Morning Prayer and also celebrated dual birthdays of Fred and Crystal Pannell. Brad was back on organ. The bulletin is here and the readings
Helmut’s sermon was Centering Prayer, Medication and mind control. He quoted Professor J. David Muyskens at New Brunswick Theological Seminary who has demonstrated centering prayer of 20 minutes 3 times a day where you are completely open to God as source, lover and constant companion. He is the author of Forty Days to a Closer Walk with God and Sacred Breath: 40 Days of Centering Prayer.
It begins with a word to concentrate on in the process and to come back it when you get diverted. He quoted Psalm 46 “Be still and Know I am God. “ In silence he lets go. He has worried about the past and future in providing for his family but centering prayer allows him to live in the present, putting these aside and let go attachments. He still has problem letting go of security issues. Centering prayer is transformative. Here are some notes on the sermon.
The lectionary emphasizes the kingdom to come is here for us today and how we can extend it
The Gospel places us in the midst of this kingdom with Jesus in the synogogue who will heal a Jewish lady who has been suffering for 18 years. Jesus heals the woman in sacred space (a synagogue, mentioned twice) and within sacred time, namely on a Sabbath (noted no fewer than five times), and he is criticized for this breach of the law. However, the kingdom is here and now. Jesus insists that the synagogue and the Sabbath are not the only things that are holy — so is this woman’s life.
After he saw her, he called her to him. Marginalized and in the shadows, the woman is brought to center stage by Jesus. He sees the person, not the condition. In the new world of Jesus in his kingdom, it is precisely people such as the "bent woman" who are moved from the periphery of society to the center, which is what Jesus has done here
One key point here is that the woman does not ask to be cured; no one asks on her behalf. The woman has done nothing to earn or even request this unfathomable gift of life/grace. Jesus notices her. How many do we notice in our lives that need to be freed ? We need to be observant extending the kingdom. He demonstrates his compassion and thus to us a way of life, a way to live out our community obligations.
Ulitimately, the story is about freedom. Hebrews talks about Jesus extending a new covenant. Extending it to our time we have the means to extend the kingdom. By forgiving those who have sinned against us, we are freed from bondage to resentments and feelings of revenge. At the same time we need to look to those who are marginalized.
We act in imitation of God in the Psalm 103 this week – "The LORD executes righteousness
and judgment for all who are oppressed."
The passage from Isaiah speaks of this freedom
"If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday."
Thus, this text isn’t just about physical healing, but a general renewal for those with problems:
Healing begins when people are seen as Jesus would see them:
With unconditional acceptance
With appreciation for their person and not their problem.
With vision for their potential and not their limitations
We can also extend it to ourselves. By forgiving ourselves, we are released from continually beating up on ourselves for acting so stupidly or hurtfully. Forgiveness brings release and freedom.
In the extend we stand with the Psalms in praise of God for leading us to this renewal. The phrase from Isaiah provides an apt summary – "you shall take delight in the LORD,
and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth;"