Sept. 24-Ex. 16, God hears complaints-meant at night and manna in the morning-Moses and Aaron have difficulty with the complaints-the idea of sabbath-as slaves they had to search for straw for bricks, now they search for sustenance- Brueggemann challenges us to relearn the “lyric of abundance” that believes that there is more than enough food to go around in God’s good creation. However, vitally important for this vision of dayenu -- translated as “there is enough in God’s goodness” - This inherently Eucharistic act continues the notion of the absolute sufficient nature of God’s provision of food first evident in the story of the manna in that the twelve baskets of bread left over after feeding the multitude of people symbolizes “abundance that overrides all of the fearful anxiety of the world.” Similarly, we are called to embody God’s provision of food by feeding those near and far who are in need, precisely because we have been fed by God.Just last week, a bit of Communion bread and wine is a spiritual banquet, where everybody’s cup runneth over.
Phil 1-Eros: it burned , and pierced the heart. It dissolves the self. At its heart, eros is about communion. Eros seeks connection, the sharing of lives, knowing and being known face to face. We miss the depth of communion, the completeness of the sharing, and the perfection of the knowing and the being known. Love spills out over boundaries. At its best, it dissolves our search for a 50-50 split.It unites those whom it loves and doesn't keep score.
Mt. 20-EQUITY AND THE SPIRITUAL LIFE-we resent what others have-fairness is defined more from my perspective than others-we identify with the one cheated, much more than with the boss or with the lucky one at the end. Is is an example of the paucity of our spiritual imagination that we do not realize that all of us are in the position of the late chosen worker who gets a full share.This comes from the awareness at the youngest age-it’s not fair-she got more than me.Our youngest daughter could not quite count, but she tried to figure if her sister got more than she did.We assume that we work hard at our spiritual life and some latecomer gets the same benefit and we grow resentful.Put oneself at the end of the line and the delight in waiting for work and getting a full day’s apy for a short work day. We have moved past what one deserves.
Driggers- How easy it is to forget over the course of the day that every good thing comes to us as a gracious gift from God, and God is not required or compelled to create us, much less pull us out of our estranged idleness. Within the narrative, Jesus seems to be defending his inclusion of those traditionally deemed unworthy of the kingdom (e.g., tax collectors and sinners). Outside the narrative, Matthew may also be defending the recent influx of Gentile converts into a predominantly Jewish Christianity. In both cases, the point is that fewer hours clocked serving the Lord does not lessen one's status as a laborer, either now or in eternity.(see deathbed conversions) The logic of the workers' complaint will be sure to surface anywhere God's grace disrupts our sense of just recompense Faced with God's boundless love for the world, especially when it is lavished upon others, we reveal whether we view our own labor as a gift from God or as benefit to God, as the joyful fulfillment of our created purpose or as the mere endurance of scorching heat. If Luther stressed anything, as we approach 500, it is his insistent of grace as undeserved gift.
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