Failure in Disobedience

Our Disciple reading for this week (and next -- no class this Sunday, so I get to spread out the reading over two weeks) is from the books of Samuel. I just finished the chapters about Saul yesterday.

Saul was a pitiful character, although I don't imagine he would like that characterization at all. He was anointed by a prophet/judge who didn't believe he should be king, and was only doing it because God had commanded it. Samuel promises to meet him, and perform sacrifices before a battle. He's later, so Saul, whose army is leaving, takes matters into his own hands, and performs the sacrifices himself. Such a no-no. In addition, later, when commanded to defeat the Amelekites, and let no one live, he does the first, but not the second. He captures the king and takes some of the animals.

His disobedience costs him his kingship. Samuel goes forth at the Lord's command and anoints David. David ends up in Saul's palace and then as his warrior.

I think Saul is threatened by David. His fear leads him to violent acts against him. His son, Jonathon and his daughter Michal both choose David over their father. None of this would serve to make him feel more secure.

The author of the notes in my bible says that this is a common deuteronomic (is that a word?) theme -- victory in righteousness but failure in disobedience.

Grace abounds

So all this talk about Ephesians, and I keep saying that God is calling us to something else, something more. What do I propose that is?

Husband and wife, living with the most important commandment -- love God and love one another -- as the center of their marriage, walking together as they did in the Garden, before sin was an issue.

The better way, the way to which we are called by God, is for both to live in submission to God and to each other, placing the other first, loving and caring for each other. Grace abounds.

Ephesians tries to move people closer to that ideal. We shouldn't see it as a command of how to live, but as a path from God to show us a better way. Don't go so far and then stop. Keep moving onto perfection.

On to a better way

I know, I should just move on to a different topic, but this one is on my mind, and while it's on my mind, I suppose it's bound to end up on Sandpiper's Thoughts.

I know there are those who argue that the complementarian role of men and woman described in Ephesians that I quoted on Monday and Tuesday is not demeaning to women. I disagree, for these reasons:

• There is a impossible to deny result of women being told to be submissive to men, and that is that it creates a barrier between women and God. If I am told that my discernment of God's will for my life is only correct if my husband agrees, and that I must place my own beliefs in that area below those of my husband, then I am being told that my husband is better able to determine God's will than I am.
• If I am to bury my own judgment below that of my husband then I am being told that I am less able to make decisions than he is.
• If this attitude of women being submissive to men is followed in a family, then the children learn that their mother is somewhat "less" than their father.

I believe that God created us all unique -- a beautiful, one-of-a-kind creation of God. Isn't that amazing? Since I believe that, then it is impossible for me to believe that my skills and gifts can be determined just by my gender. I believe that I am different from my husband, and that I have different skills and gifts from God, but he (God) didn't give them to me based on my femaleness. I can't believe that they are less (or more) than anyone else's.

I don't believe that God would create commands which are demeaning. I do believe that the view of this passage that wives today are commanded to be submissive to men is demeaning, so therefore, I don't believe that it is a command of God. Instead, I believe that this letter was written to a particular church in a particular time in order to move them to a better way of living.

The way of life defined in this passage is not the ideal, but it may have been closer to that than what was happening in Ephesus. God, creating and transforming us to become that which he created us to be, and to live with each other in a way that reflects Christ. He was moving the people of Ephesus closer to that ideal. Why would we think he would stop at that point? Why wouldn't he continue to teach us and to transform us, re-creating us in his image.

In Context

In his comment, Bob says that I when I quoted scripture yesterday, I removed it from its context. He's right; I did. So let's expand the verses quoted:

Ephesians 6:9: And, masters, do the same to them. Stop threatening them, for you know that both of you have the same Master in heaven, and with him there is no partiality.

Ephesians 5:25-33: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, so as to present the church to himself in splendour, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind—yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish. In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, because we are members of his body. ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church. Each of you, however, should love his wife as himself, and a wife should respect her husband.

Does the fact that Paul instructs the one in authority to do it with more love and caring make the relationship less demeaning? We would certainly not say that Ephesians 6:9 makes the previous verses less demeaning to those in slavery; the instructions to husbands do not releave the submissive relationship with their wives.

I would submit that the relationship of husbands to wives and vice versa discussed in the Ephesians 5 passage is, in fact demeaning to women, but not only that, it is also demeaning to men.

Just as in the Old Testament, the laws were established to modify justice, to make it more humane -- an eye for an eye, rather than death for an injury -- that this was not the ideal which God wanted for his children. He was and continues to mold us to become more of what he created us to be. He did not create us to strike back in "equal" retribution, but it was better than what we were doing. He did not create women to be submissive to men or people to own other people, but if he could move us to more humane, loving treatment of each other, then we would be going in the right direction.

There is a better way. When we place these passages into their proper context -- using the entire bible as our guide, and placing them in our understanding of God and his loving nature, then we can see that.

Freedom in Scripture

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free. Ephesians 6:5-8

There once was a time when those who called themselves Christians used the passage above to justify slavery. It seems impossible to us now, and we can agree now that this passage does not support slavery at all.

Why is it that we would believe that the following passage actually supports the idea that women must live their lives as submissive to their husbands?

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Ephesians 5:22-24

Why is it that there are some who would never support the horrible idea of slavery but would still say that the slavery described in the second passage is the will of God?

I suppose it's obvious that I have a pretty strong opinion in the matter.

Burdens and Grace

One of the illustrations I used today in my sermon in Barboursville:

Have you ever seen the movie The Mission? The film is set in South America, and there is a character named Rodrigo Mendoza. He is a mercenary and slaver of the indigenous people of the area. To condense the plot, Rodrigo kills his brother in a duel because Rodrigo’s fiancée has declared her love for the brother. Rodrigo has immense guilt over his action, even though legally, since it was a duel, he is not guilty of a crime.

A priest, Father Gabriel, challenges Rodrigo to take up a penance for this guilt. Rodrigo joins the Jesuits in their trip back to their mission, which is built above the Iguazu Falls (imagine Niagara Falls, only larger), but he drags with him a net containing his armor and weapons – through the forest and up the mountain to the mission. It’s a burden that is too large for anyone to carry anywhere, especially up a mountain.

We are like Rodrigo. We carry the burden of our sin with us, and we are stubborn. There are times when we refuse to let go of it.

God’s gift of his son, Jesus Christ, changed everything. Everything. No longer do we have to wonder what we are to do today to earn God’s grace. No longer are we on a treadmill of sacrifices. We never have to ask, “How long must I suffer in order to be forgiven.”

My Boys' Backs

Attended a swim meet and a "pianorama" this weekend. Talented boys.

Unanticipated

Steve and I went to G's swim meet this evening, and we were drafted into being timers. The job of a timer is to stand with a lane, start a stopwatch when he race begins and to stop it when the the swimmer touches the pad.

We were paired on lane 1. I was the clipboard person, recording the times, and Steve had the "pickle." Both of us had a stopwatch, and we both timed our lane. Steve had to push two buttons at the end of each race -- his stopwatch and the plunger on the pickle (to stop the time on the scoreboard.)

This was an unanticipated volunteer position. It was a surprise. What is the benefit of an unanticipated event?

• You don't have much of a chance to say "no" when you are asked. You just do it. God sometimes give us too long of a time to say "no".
• Watch out -- you are going to get wet. When the giant kid fell into the pool rather than diving in, we all got splashed. Involvement weather you wanted it or not.
• Non-anticipation can lead to unexpected enjoyment.
  

Behind

I'm behind in my reading for Disciple.

I'm behind in my preparation of our church's Advent devotional.

I'm behind in preparing a newsletter for mailing for our Emmaus Community.

I'm behind in getting our house ready for Thanksgiving.

I'm behind. I like being busy, but I do not like being stressed.

And how are you? ;-)

Image: Autumn trees in the park.

Reflections

This is the chalice we used for communion this evening. Can you see the bread reflected in it? That's the first thing I noticed about the chalice. do you see the vertical red shape in the middle of the reflection? That's me; I was wearing a red suit jacket.

I kept trying to get an image of the chalice with the reflection of the bread without me in it, but it was impossible.

I gave up when I realized that God doesn't want me to be out of the picture. Communion is a means of grace created to bring me (and all of God's children) into community with Christ. Remember him, and be re-membered, re-created in grace.

God want us to be transformed into the people we were meant to be, reflecting Christ.

Artifact

I'm preaching in another church this Sunday. In addition to delivering the sermon, I'll be doing the Children's moment. The pastor of the church has started a series for the children's moments which she is encouraging lay people of the church to help with. At a supervisor's training a few weeks ago, we talked about the importance of "artifacts" in building team community.

She is asking lay people to bring in objects for the children's moment that they can talk about with the children -- telling them why the object reminds them of who they are or who they want to be.

So that it my challenge for the moment. What object can I take that can remind us of who we are and who we want to be? How can I relate it to stewardship?

Thinking....

Growth

I've been hoping for about a year or more that our church would choose and adopt a new stewardship program. We've needed one. We keep doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. No surprise; the same program yields the same results each year; results which are OK, but not very stellar.

This year we are using the New Consecration Sunday program, and it feels right. It's good to be focused on the spiritual call to giving -- to the idea of hoping to help the congregation toward growth in this area. Following God's call will bring us all joy.

Part of this program is to present to the congregation a step chart of giving -- the number of people who give at each level of weekly support. No names -- just a count. It surprised me how few people give what I would consider a lot of money.

I was reminded on Sunday of how generous our congregation is when the members understand that their gift will make a difference. I had been hoping for a stewardship program for a while; why should I have been surprised to find that our church needs one? They are generous; I'm excited about this program, and hopeful it will provide the leadership necessary for spiritual growth.

Five New Things

The Friday Five from RevGalBlogPals asks the question: "What five things do you ESPECIALLY like when they are new?"

1. Lipstick is great when it is just purchased.
2. I used to love fresh, new crayons. If I still used them, I would still love them when they were new.
3. A blank book, a notebook, a notepad -- any of those are especially great before anything is written in them.
4. I love new sheets. I love clean, freshly "installed" sheets almost as much.
5. Fresh bread, just out of the oven, is like nothing else.
6. Peanut butter, just opened, with a smooth, untouched surface is great.
7. New socks fit perfectly and are much more comforting than new shoes.

OK, that's seven, not five, but I could probably come up with many more.

Image: Leaves in front of Guyandotte UMC.

Image

Beginning of day at Lavalette UMC.