Christmas Season, Dec 26, 2021, The Stoning of Stephen

   

Christmas Season

Acts of the Apostles, 6:8 – 7:1, and 7:53-60

And Stephen, filled with the touch of the spirit and with divine power, performed great deeds and signs of the spirit among the people. Then some of those who belonged to the synagogues of the Libertines of the Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria Cilicia, and Asia began to argue with Stephen, but they could not withstand the wisdom and spirit of his words. Then they put forward men who were to say, "We heard him speak derogatory words against Moses and against God." Thus, they stirred up the people and the elders, and the scribes.

Finally, they went up to him, overpowered him, and led him before the Sanhedrin. They put up false witnesses who said, "This man never ceases to revile the holy place and the law. We have heard him say, 'Jesus, the Nazarene will destroy this place and change the customs, which Moses gave us.' "

Then all who sat in the Sanhedrin looked at him, and they saw his face shining
like the face of an angel.

Stoning of Stephen, Uccello

The high priest said, "Is this so?" and he answered, "Men, brothers, and fathers. Listen, you have received the law through the mediation of angels, but you have not kept it."…

While they were listening, their hearts swelled in great agitation. And they ground their teeth. Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the light of the revelation of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, "See, the heavens are opened to my beholding. I see the Son of Man at the right hand of God."

Then they cried out with a loud voice, covered their ears, and rushed upon him all together. They drove him out of the city and stoned him and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they were stoning him, Stephen said, "Jesus, Lord, receive my spirit." And he fell to his knees and called out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." And when he had said this, he breathed his last.

Christmas Season

Sunday, December 26, 2004

Acts of the Apostles 6:8-7:1, 7:53-60 

So closely are life and death intertwined! Today [Dec 26] the day after we celebrate the divine birth, we remember the first person to die in Christ’s name. 

Two days ago, December 24, was Adam and Eve Day. We remembered the apple of Paradise. Eaten before its time, it brought sickness and death to humanity. But hidden in an apple is a secret. 

A thin slice of an apple cut crosswise reveals a star, the symbol of the human
form. And this star in the apple is embedded within a white, five-petalled rose, the image of the pure blossom of the human body that emerges from thorny suffering. 

In between Adam and Eve Day, and St Stephen’s Day, the Christ-Star descended into earth existence. Christ suffered life’s thorns and its death. He produced the pure white rose-form of a new kind of human existence. 

And he offered this fruit of his to Stephen, whose face shines in gratitude like that of an angel, whose death is an example of the pure white rose of a new, forgiving humanity. 

We all carry within us, like the apple, the secret image. In Rilke’s words: 

We are only the rind and the leaf

The great death, that each of us carries inside

Is the fruit

Everything enfolds it. *

 

So in remembrance of Stephen, the first ordinary human being to die in the power of Christ, we can ask in Rilke’s words: 

God give us each our own death

The dying that proceeds

From each of our lives

The way we loved

The meanings we made….** 

May our lives and our deaths be fruitful. May we find and reveal the Rose and the Star within.

 

*Rilke, The Book of Hours, Macy and Barrows, p.132

** Rilke, The Book of Hours, Macy and Barrows, p. 131

Christmas 2021, Pure Humanity

Christmas II, Dawn

Luke 2:1-20 

Now is proclaimed the [middle of the Gospel[s], according to Luke in the second chapter. 

artist unknown

Now it came to pass in those days that a proclamation went out from Caesar Augustus that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone set out to be enrolled, each to the town of his ancestors. 

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he belonged to the house and lineage of David. He went to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed. And Mary was with child. And it came to pass that while they were there, the time was fulfilled for her to be delivered. And she bore her son, her firstborn. And she wrapped him in linen and placed him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. 

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks in the night. And an angel of the Lord came upon them [appeared before them], and the light of the revelation of God shone about them. And great fear came upon them. 

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for I announce to you a great joy, which shall be for all on earth: today is born unto you the Bringer of Healing, in the city of David, Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign for you: you will find a little child wrapped in linen, lying in a manger." 

And suddenly around the angel was the fullness of the heavenly angelic hosts: their song of praise sounded forth to the highest: 

possibly Margarethe Hauschka

God's Spirit reveals itself in the heights

And brings peace to all on earth

        In whose hearts goodwill dwells! 

And as the angels withdrew from them into the heavens, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go to Bethlehem to see the fulfillment of the Word that has happened here, which the Lord let be proclaimed." 

And they came hastening and found both Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in the manger. And when they had seen, they made known the Word that was spoken to them concerning this child. [or, When they saw that, they understood what had been told them concerning this child.] And all who heard it were astonished about what the shepherds said. 

But Mary treasured [or, preserved] all these words, pondering them [or, turning them over] in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God to everyone for everything they had heard and seen, which was just as it had been announced to them.

Christmas II, Dawn

December 25, 2021

Luke 2:1-20

When we were born, we crossed the great divide between heaven and earth. We died out of the realm of the angels and fell into the material world, the world of death. And the angels mourned their loss of us.

The Christ Child, however, draws heaven across the divide, onto the earth with Him. The angels do not mourn because one of their own disappeared into the far country of death; rather, they accompany Him, proclaiming:

God's Spirit reveals itself in the heights

And brings Peace to all on earth

In whose hearts goodwill dwells. 

The light of heaven has descended into the earth night. The open souls of the shepherds, as do ours, receive the good news. An ancient hymn says: 

Why doth the sun re-orient take

Stephen B. Whately

A wider range, his limits break?

Lo! Christ is born, and o'er earth's night

Shineth from more to more the light!

….

This is the day of Thy dear birth,

The bridal of the heaven and earth,

When the Creator breathed on Thee

The breath of pure humanity.*

---

* Hymn XI From Cathemerinon ("The Hymns of Prudentius"), Aurelius Clemens Prudentius (348-405), Translated by R. Martin Pope.

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4th Advent 2021, Who Is To Come

1^st Advent

Luke 21:25-36 

Ninetta Sombart

And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth, the nations will be constricted with anxiety and doubt with the advent of these spiritual revelations, as before a roaring sea and waves. And people will lose their inner strength of soul out of fear and foreboding of what is coming over the living earth: for the dynamic powers of heaven will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud, in the sphere of life, with dynamic power and great radiant glory. 

And when these things begin to happen, stand upright and lift up [or, raise] your soul to the spirit, for your deliverance draws near. 

And he gave them a comparison, saying, "Observe [or, behold] the fig tree and all the trees when they burst into leaf. Seeing this, you know yourselves that summer is near. So also, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 

"Amen, the truth I say to you: this present age of being human shall not pass away until all has happened. 

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

"Guard yourselves lest the perceptive power of your hearts be smothered by an excess of food and drink and by over-concern with the cares and worries of life, and the light of these spirit events break upon you suddenly like a snare; for it will come upon all who dwell upon the face of the whole earth. So be awake in the spirit at all times, praying, so that you may have the strength to live through all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man." 

4^th Advent 2021

Luke 21:25-36 

The arrival of storms darkens the skies. But there are moments
when the ever-present sunlight breaks through. And then, if we look for it, the rainbow with its seven colors glistens against the backdrop of darkness. 

In ancient India, the god Indra used the rainbow to slay the serpent demon god. Later, in the Gilgamesh epic, the rainbow’s colors glisten in the fountain of life beside the tree of Immortality. And of course in Hebrew tradition, Yahweh places the rainbow spanning the heavens as a promise of future salvation. 

The rainbow’s placement in the sky and our delight in its ethereal colors make it seem more related to the human soul than to the earth. In the soul, there also lives a rainbow of many colors. The outermost color, red, is the color of loving warmth, of courage, and strength of will. At the other side, the innermost color is a barely visible royal purple, the color of the regal heights that the human being can and will attain in the future. It is the color of our innermost trust and faith in what is to come. 

Stephen B. Whatley

And in the center, at the heart of the rainbow, is the living green, the color of balance and of hope, the color of Christ. Our souls move through the colors. Starting with Christ’s living, balanced hope of green we can move out into the world with love and courage. And we can also move from hope’s green toward the inner depths from which our souls evolve toward the future. We will make it; we will move into the future; we will evolve. The rainbow is the seal of God’s promise. For planted in the royal purple of the soul are the seeds of our future selves. In patient trust we can know that one day these seeds of our future humanity will sprout into the living green of the tree of immortality. 

God placed the rainbow in the sky to remind all of humankind to abide in hope, especially in dark stormy times. The rainbow of the soul conquers the dragon of fear. And sometimes, up in the sky, we can all catch a glimpse of the colored halo of Him who was, who is, and who is to come.

 www.thechristiancommunity.org

3rd Advent 2021, Awaken

 Advent, 2^nd, 3^rd, or 4^th

Matthew 25:1-13

Eugene Burnand

The kingdom in the heavens will be like ten maidens who took their oil lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. But five of them were dull of soul, and five were alert and prudent. The foolish took their lamps without taking any oil with them. The wise ones took flasks of oil for their lamps. Now, because the bridegroom was a long time coming, they all became drowsy and were sleeping. But in the middle of the night, the call went up, "Behold, the bridegroom! Go forth to meet him!"

Burnand

Then all the maidens rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, "Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out."

But the wise ones said, "No, the oil would not be enough for us and you as well. Rather go to the dealers and buy oil for yourselves."
And while they were away buying, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready to receive him went with him into the wedding feast, and the doors were shut.

Afterward, the other maidens came also and said, "Lord, Lord, open to us!"

But he replied, "Truly, I say to you, I do not know you."

So be alert of soul, since you do not know the day or the hour.

3^rd Advent

Matthew 25:1-13

December 12, 2021

When we go on a journey, we have a destination in mind. Our plans include maps and rest stops. We check the oil, fill the tank, buy the ticket. We exercise our capacity of foresight.

Today's reading is about humankind's great collective journey, a journey toward union with the Divine Bridegroom. It, too, requires foresight. Since it is a spiritual journey, our preparations include each of us providing ourselves with an ample supply of the light gained through a practice of prayer and meditation. For as the story implies, trying to gather a supply once the call arrives is too late.

One might be inclined to fault the prudent ones for not sharing. Earthly goods can be shared. But the oil of prayer and spiritual light can only be acquired individually. One can only prepare one's own capacities for the Divine Marriage. What is required in this case is not charity, but foresight, spiritual preparation, and readiness. We are resting in the darkness, not knowing when the wedding will take place.

The poet Antonio Machado said:

Thomas Cooper Gotch

…Jesus… said to us:

heaven and earth will pass away.

When heaven and earth have passed away,

my word will still remain.

What was your word, Jesus?

Love? Forgiveness? Affection?

All your words were

one word: Awaken*

 

 

*adapted from Antonio Machado, translated by Robert Bly, in The Soul Is Here For Its Own Joy

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2nd Advent Sunday 2021, An Invitation

2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th Advent

Mark 13:24-37

 

"In the days after those hardships,

'the sun will be darkened,

the moon will no longer give its light,

the stars will be falling from heaven,

and the powers of the heavenly spheres will be thrown off course.'

"Then, the coming of the Son of Man will be visible in the realm of the clouds, invested with power, illumined by the light of the revelation of the world of spirit. And he will send out the angels to gather in all those who feel themselves united with him, from all four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

"Learn from the parable of the fig tree: When the sap rises through its branches, and it puts forth leaves, then you see that summer is near. So also when you see these things coming about, you shall be aware that the revelation of the Son of Man is near, at the very door. Yes, I say to you: Even before the time of human beings now living shall have come to an end, all this will begin. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. No one knows anything about that day or that hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

"Be observant and be awake, for you do not know when the time will be. It is like when a man goes on a journey and leaves his house. He gives his servants authority, gives each one his task, and tells the doorkeeper to be alert. So you, too, be alert. You do not know when the master of the house will come, whether in the evening or at midnight or at cockcrow in the morning. Take care that he does not find you sleeping if he comes suddenly. And what I say to you applies to all human beings: Be alert!" 

2^nd Advent

December 5, 2021

Mark 13:24-27

 

The Advent prayers at the altar speak of the chariot of the sun.
The path of this chariot inscribes an arc in the heavens. The mention of a chariot implies a Being that travels in it. In Greek mythology He is called Helios. Daily he rises from the edge of the world, dispelling the darkness. At the end of the day he sets into the darkness, to rise again, moving time forward.

The prayers also speak of the bow of color, the rainbow, which also inscribes an arc. The interplay of light and darkness, of water and air, of Helios and Earth create a many-colored bridge, the rainbow.
The Greeks called her Iris, the winged messenger of the gods. Her message has always been filled with hope and promise; Helios and Iris, bringers of light, color and hope.

Ookami Kouu

Our deepest hope is that one day, heaven and earth will become one; that the wounds of worlds will be healed; that love and peace will reign because the sons and daughters of sun and earth will have fulfilled Iris’s promise. Her message continuously calls us, inviting us to work on the creation of the new heaven and the new earth. All of creation is waiting for us. As the poet Mary Oliver says

 

There are days

when the sun goes down

like a fist,

though of course

 

if you see anything

in the heavens this way

you had better get

 

your eyes checked

or, better still,

your diminished spirit.

The heavens

 

have no fist,

…

 

Instead: such patience!

Such willingness

 

to let us continue!

David Newbatt

To hear,

little by little,

the voices -

 

only, so far, in

pockets of the world -

suggesting the possibilities

 

of peace

 

Keep looking.

Behold, how the fist opens

with invitation.*

---

*Mary Oliver, “The Fist”, in Thirst

1st Advent 2021, Am I Lost?

 1^st Advent

Luke 21:25-36 

And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth, the nations will be constricted with anxiety and doubt with the advent of these spiritual revelations, as before a roaring sea and waves. And people will lose their inner strength of soul out of fear and foreboding of what is coming over the living earth: for the dynamic powers of heaven will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud, in the sphere of life, with dynamic power and great radiant glory. 

And when these things begin to happen, stand upright and lift up [or, raise] your soul to the spirit, for your deliverance draws near. 

And he gave them a comparison, saying, "Observe [or, behold] the fig tree and all the trees when they burst into leaf. Seeing this, you know yourselves that summer is near. So also, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 

"Amen, the truth I say to you: this present age of being human shall not pass away until all has happened. 

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 

"Guard yourselves lest the perceptive power of your hearts be smothered by an excess of food and drink and by over-concern with the cares and worries of life, and the light of these spirit events break upon you suddenly like a snare; for it will come upon all who dwell upon the face of the whole earth. So be awake in the spirit at all times, praying, so that you may have the strength to live through all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."

1^st Advent Sunday

Nov 28, 2021

Luke 21:25-36  

Cordoba Fresco

A woman about to give birth is seized by fearsome convulsions; she feels dragged along by the overwhelming forces of birth. Yet knowing of the imminent arrival of the child can give her the strength to endure the intensity of the transition. 

Humankind is now being seized by mighty convulsions of change. The dynamic powers of heaven are being shaken, for we are all in the midst of a new birth. The kingdom of the heavens, the realm of divine love, that wants to be born in human hearts, is approaching. 

We are feeling the convulsions most especially in the economic sphere because it is the sphere of brotherhood. Worldwide we hear the cries for human dignity, for equitable standards of living, and care for all. What humanity is laboring to bring to birth is the compassionate Son of Man within our hearts, the One who comes willing to sacrifice His entire life and being for others. For the present, it is our task to remain upright in the midst of the cataclysms. We are beginning the labor of bringing Him to birth. We must endure. For as Vaclav Havel says: 

It is I who must begin.

Once I begin, once I try --

here and now,

right where I am,

…I suddenly discover,

to my surprise, that

I am neither the only one,

nor the first,

nor the most important one

to have set out

upon that road.

 

Whether all is really lost

or not depends entirely on

whether or not I am lost.*

 

 

---

*Vaclav Havel, “It Is I Who Must Begin”, in Teaching With Fire, ed. by S.M. Intrator and M. Scribner

 

4th Trinity 2020, Water of Life

 November Trinity

The end of Revelation 22:12-21 

"Keep watch. I am coming soon, and I will have my rewards with me to give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the goal.

 "Blessed are those who cleanse their garments so that they will have power in the realm of the Tree of Life, which overcomes death and may go through the gates into the Holy City. Outside shall remain those bound to low senses, those who serve evil powers, who walk impure paths of soul, who spread death around them, who give themselves up to demonic forces, and who, through their ways and deeds, falsify their true being. 

"I, Jesus, sent my angel to report these things to your assembled communities. I AM the root and stock of David, the star who unfolds his brightness in the morning." 

And the Spirit and the Bride, the Holy City, say, "Come!" 

And may whoever hears also say, "Come!" And may the thirsty come, and may everyone who wants it get to drink the Water of Life freely, as grace. 

Everyone who hears can find their inmost being strengthened in the prophetic words of this book. Whoever does not yet sense its greatness and truth, God will lead them to full knowledge through the trials of destiny written in this book. 

And whoever diminishes the words of this prophecy, God will remove from them their share in the Tree of Life that overcomes death and their share in the Holy City written about in this book. 

He who lends these words their power says, "Yes, I am coming quickly!" 

Yes, so be it. Amen. Come, Jesus our Lord. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all!

4th Trinity

November 21, 2021

Revelation 22:12-21 

There is a great wellspring, a tree-shaped fountain that exists just behind the veil of the senses. Bright waters gather and rise powerfully, release in a great showering crown, and fall in sparkling color back to the Source, to rise again, ever-changing, ever renewed. 

artist unknown

Within this shimmering fountain-tree, there appears One who gathers substance and rises in birth, whose arms, outstretched like a cross, shower the blessings of His love's light, who falls into death and then gathers himself and rises anew. He gathers and ascends again in ever greater cycles, joining heaven and earth. 

He is the pattern for all life. The flowing rise of energy, the sustained spreading release of the crowning, the falling back to the Source; this pattern underlies the flow of our day, the rising and falling of the phases of our lives, the arc of an entire lifetime, and of lives in succession. 

He says, "Blessed are those who cleanse their garments so that they will have power in the realm of the Tree of Life which overcomes death." 

We all wear inner garments of soul, garments woven of habits, thoughts, feelings. We have stained them in our everyday lives. 

Roland Tiller

But beyond the veil of the senses, we hear the voice. He who shines with the brightness of morning encourages us to dip our soul garments into His fountain so that we can overcome our earthbound tendencies. He encourages us to rise with Him in enthusiasm, to release His love and light into life, to return with Him, who is the Source, the true spirit of the earth. 

"Keep watch," He says. "I AM coming soon. You (He says) who have washed your soul garments in the knowledge that the sense-world is not all that there is;

You who have felt My power flowing through the veins of your life;

You who have worked to rise above the death of your soul, your reward shall be to join me in the Fountain of Life, to partake of my renewing life at its Source, for everyone who wants it may drink of Me, the Water of Life, freely, as grace."

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