Blind Bartimaeus is not so Blind

For those of you who perhaps do not like the Book of Job or have not studied it a whole lot, you may be surprised to discover that despite the age of that book, it has something to say to us. Job is distinguished from his friends in that they only come to argue or debate with him. Job is right with God, not because he knows as God knows, but because he prays. Praying to God is not a private, individual act, it is a communal act—one that acknowledges a relationship with the community around us. If there is one thing remembered from The Very Reverend Bill Ellis in my mind, this is the message. God is not my personal savior as much as God is the savior of all. The problem with thinking about God as a personal savior is the temptation to think that God thinks the same way we do regardless of our actual thought content. God’s salvation is available and accessible to all people and is especially promised to the baptized. But even in baptism, God invites us into community and the community promises to help us in our faith journeys. Our faith journeys are to be accompanied by prayer. That means that not only should we be listening to God, but God’s children who surround us. Job gains insight whereas Bartimaeus gains physical sight. Bartimaeus already has insight. He is seeking to become whole—both insight and physical sight. He believes that Jesus can give him sight and in a very public setting, he reaches out to Jesus in the context of a community who advocates for him. During my seminary years in Columbus, OH, I met a man who was a blind student. Now, 40 some years later, he is a bishop. Here’s what he has to say about being blind as a follower of Jesus: “I understand Bartimaeus as a model of faith and not someone who needs fixing. Jesus tells him his faith has made him well before he receives his sight. Bartimaeus calls to Jesus as Son of David, identifying who Jesus is. He will not be silenced by the crowds. He throws aside his cloak, something dangerous for someone who cannot see to do because he is likely never to find it again. In so doing, he does what the rich man of a few weeks ago might – gave up all his possessions. Bartimaeus knows there’s no going back. Mostly, Bartimaeus begs of Jesus for what he needs. If we personally, societally, and the church did more of that, beg Jesus for mercy rather than pretending we have all the answers and trying to fix things for ourselves, we might be in a better place. Then, having received his sight, Bartimaeus follows Jesus on the way to the cross. Society is largely like the crowd, trying to silence people with disabilities. A few years ago, he was walking through the theology building at Notre Dame. he’d not been there for years. An undergraduate saw him and moved a box out of the way that was in the hallway. He overheard this student explaining to a friend, ‘that’s Dr. S. He doesn’t see well.’ I’m not sure how an undergraduate who wasn’t there when I was would know this and react so quickly.” “So, thinking about Bartimaeus as a model of faith rather than someone who needs fixing might change us in profound ways. Perhaps understanding Bartimaeus in this way would give us the grace to beg for what we need, at least to Jesus, and maybe even to heed the cries of the beggars around us.” "We are all beggars. This is true." Luther knew that like the man born blind, we are all beggars in need of Christ to open our eyes. Like blind beggars we sit in darkness waiting for our eyes to be opened by God who is forever inviting us to follow the way of Jesus. And when our eyes are opened, we see the unconditional grace and love of God. *Episcopal Cathedral of St. Philip, Atlanta, GA 3/2014, Dr. Craig Satterlee

In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit

Proper21BPentecost18, September 26, 2021, St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, Moses Lake, WA by Annette Fricke Jesus is running out of time. He is on his way to the cross. We understand that Jesus had a lot of disappointing moments with the disciples. Yet here they are again when they come back from a mission trip, not gleefully rejoicing that people are out doing works in Jesus’ name but trying to stop them because they were not following Jesus with them. They were a different group of followers doing exorcisms. If we imagine a close-knit community behind Mark’s gospel with a particular iteration and understanding of its heritage and tradition, then we might understand their anxiety or jealousy arising from encountering a community with similar claims. Mark has no time for such anxiety, jealousy, or elitism. Jesus’ response encompasses a rather expansive, universalistic view of the church. As long as something is being done in the name of Christ they will “by no means lose the reward” (Mark 9:41). It was the summer of 2008. Judy became a theology student staff camp counselor at the ripe age of 50. She was assigned to outreach, which meant being in a different congregation and staying with parishioners in their houses a week at a time. As the summer season of church camp was ending, she had the opportunity to see something she’d never witnessed before. This time, she was staying with a Roman Catholic family who babysat kids for the neighborhood and took the kids to several of the area summer Vacation Bible Schools. In the Roman Catholic tradition, grace before all meals was begun with the words, “In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” She marveled at the creative, inclusive Christian ministry of this family. It reached beyond Roman Catholicism. This summer experience was truly a ministry both given and received. Last Sunday the gospel lesson was about welcoming children. “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes not me but the one who sent me.” By contrast, here, the admonition is from the negative—not about what we should do, but what we should not do in very graphic, strong language. Many people find it objectional verbiage. Keep in mind that Mark is writing to a specific audience and is likely doing what he can to convince his audience that what we say and do as Christians is important. Simply put, we are not to put a stumbling block before the ‘little ones’ who believe in him. The meaning of ‘little ones’ actually goes beyond the restrictive meaning of ‘children’. It implies all of those considered to be ‘lesser’ in our community and world. We are admonished to “take a hard look at our treatment of little ones who believe in Jesus. Are we supporting them as they totter, or strewing rocks and fences and walls that break them down?” I have a saying on my white board in my office that says, “Growth begins where comfort ends.” This gospel challenges us who may be too comfortable in thinking things are great just the way they are. We need a balance, so that we are welcoming to all. It is a call by Jesus to remember in whose name our actions are done. It is a reminder that we do not in any sense own Jesus or are part of an exclusive club. We belong to Jesus. From the very beginnings of Christianity, there were different factions, and each had their followers. There were those who followed Peter and those who followed Paul. At St. John’s, a Benedictine seminary in Minnesota, a professor pointed out that the Roman Catholic Church has newly discovered and is studying the books attributed to Paul. Reconciliation between the Lutherans and Roman Catholics has progressed by way of the work of the theologians for both sides of a once united church. Each church is learning from the other what beliefs they have in common and are learning to appreciate the others’ viewpoint. Professor Dr. Walter Bouman used to ponder a possible futuristic view of the “Lutheran Rite of the Roman Catholic Church.” Many things are possible when we are open to the working of the Holy Spirit. In our regional diocesan gathering, the question posed by our bishop was this, “How has God transformed us during the COVID pandemic?” A further question is, “How can God continue to transform us as the pandemic continues?” Maybe it can happen on an individual level. Perhaps, as we connect at a deeper level with each other, God’s transformation of us will have a chance. Perhaps that vision of reuniting former split-offs of denominations really can happen. God has already begun to work in us. With God’s help, we can transform the world, one life at a time, one family at a time, one congregation at a time. There is work to be done in the name of Jesus.

About this Blog

I don't know what happened to this blog. The format has changed and there is added content of what I did not originally put in my posts, making them difficult to read. I am saddened, but hang on to other, new things in my life which are not recorded here. Please be aware that since I am a licensed preacher for the Episcopal Church since 2014, all sermons written from that year on are the property of the Episcopl Church. However, I am not ordained in the church. I am not a deacon, priest, or vicar. I am simply a licensed preacher for the congregation of St. Martin's in Moses Lake, WA. I would welcome feedback on my sermons because I would like to make them better in any way I can. Thank you for your readership and please pass on the address of this blog to your friends.

What is Defilement?

14PentecostProper17B, August 29, 2021, St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, by Annette Fricke What is defilement? The heading to this gospel passage in my “Synopsis of the Four Gospels is “Defilement---Traditional and Real.” This gospel text is another one of those confrontations Jesus has with the Pharisees. The Pharisees hold both written and oral tradition equally. This title is used to describe Jesus’ allowing his disciples to disregard the oral tradition of the ceremonial washing of hands before eating. A part of that gospel taken out of this reading, is where Jesus points out that “the tradition of the elders… is nothing more than ‘human tradition’ that seeks to evade the commandment of God.” The Pharisees saw it as disregarding the law, and therefore, sinful. Jesus disputed the whole matter of ritual purity and food laws. Now before we cheer on Jesus, the intent of the Pharisee teaching is to “mark a respect for every aspect of God’s created order.” So basically what Jesus is saying is that we can respect every aspect of God’s created order without that ritual. In August of 2012, I attended the funeral of my mother’s best friend from her childhood. As it turns out, she was a great friend of many others. The pastor went to visit her often and was strongly reprimanded if he did not bring her, each visit, the names of the congregation prayer list. If other people in the congregation did not know she prayed for them, they did now. The little church of both her childhood and mine was as full as any Christmas pageant I had ever seen there. I remember my mother telling me that her friend’s husband was an alcoholic. That was difficult for her. Defilement is descriptive of how people saw alcoholism, at least for that time and congregation, and was a shameful and shaming word. However, alcoholism was apropos to our family, although my mother never admitted it. I am just speculating here, but I think it was because it was considered sinful to be alcoholic. It wasn’t just her side of the family; it was Dad’s as well. For many years, alcoholism was considered to be a moral failure, and the only treatment in that day, was to attend AA meetings. Related to that, the new requirement for mental health counselors, begun at least as early as 2007, was to 1. Take classes in substance use disorders, 2. Pass the state test and, 3. Complete several hours under a substance use disorder professional. There was a time when only substance users themselves were qualified to be substance use counselors because it was believed that they knew what the struggle was and were therefore more appropriate counselors to address addiction. Sometimes defilement means denial; denial that defilement exists and denial that substance use is a problem in our society. How do we address problems in society if we deny their existence, have no education, and no resources? Now that we have access to these things, let’s continue to address substance use in our community. It is more than just making treatment available. To do justice in the world, we are called to be aware of the issues of jail time vs. treatment and help decide on a humanitarian, gospel-informed approach. Today, society is asked to address another very real problem. We are still in the process of addressing a global pandemic. It is once again mandated in certain situations to avoid the spread of the active virus in our midst, that we wear a mask and wash our hands on a regular basis. It is practical and it does help slow down transmission of the virus from one person to another. It is not a ritual cleansing, although, it is hoped that washing hands ‘religiously’ will become a habit and a way of taking care of those around us as well as ourselves. Washing hands has been the practice of healthcare workers for many years, especially since the discovery of the presence and role of disease-causing bacteria and viruses. It is not just for surgeons. Keep in mind the spirit of these guidelines and the intent, which is to stop the virus from infecting and killing us. We are all vulnerable. What is defilement? to make foul, dirty, or unclean; pollute; taint; debase. -to violate the chastity of. -to make impure for ceremonial use; desecrate. -to sully, as a person's reputation. Jesus was all about life and preserving life, that we might have life more abundantly. Jesus does not think that pure and impure are moral terms to be applied to life or thought to be sin. According to Jesus, “…sin is a matter of the heart, the will, rather than violating laws of purity. Sin involves principally acts harmful to the neighbor. These actions, arising from a corrupt will, are what defile.” ‘Go and sin no more’ is an admonition that means to fuse our wills to what Jesus wants for the world; to promote life, to live life with the love of Jesus in our hearts. It means that we do not live in a perfect world, but we do have the means to make it a better world. The God who forgives the sins of the world empowers us to do so. My references did not post. I used a couple of pages, namely 103. 104, and 106 from Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament, Mark, by Donald H. Juel, @1990 Augsburg Press, Minneapolis.

Jesus uses the title, “Daughter”

Jesus uses the title, “Daughter.” I do not know what the proper term is, but Mark makes use here of a literary style where there are two stories, making a whole. Think of a sandwich where the filling is in between 2 slices of bread. More specifically concerning this text, a miracle within a miracle. The stories are the final 2 miracles in a section of Mark that include a total of 4 miracles. In these 2 miracles, Jesus exercises his power over sickness and death. These 2 stories, because they are part of a whole, have things in common as well as sharp contrasts. They are as follows: THE BLEEDING WOMAN JAIRUS AND HIS DAUGHTER A woman A man A woman A girl poor probably wealthy a nobody a somebody no status status anonymous "Jairus" no support from others Father pleads for daughter approaches Jesus secretly approaches Jesus publicly excluded from the Synagogue a Synagogue leader unable to have children a father There is another difference I would like for you to consider. How many of you recall the story of the raising of Lazarus? How many of you recall the raising of Jairus’ daughter? And if you remember both, which comes to mind first? I bet for many of you, Lazarus is the first and I bet it has something to do with the way that story is written. Nowhere do we find a name for either of the females, only Jairus and Jesus. Jesus often goes outside of the societal dictates of proper relationships. Jesus tended to treat men, women, and children equally. As he does this, he is teaching us about relationships between male and female in society. It is about relationships being a two-way process. Note that Jesus reaches out to the woman AFTER she touched him, and Jesus reaches out to the daughter whose father has compassion for his daughter to seek help for her in her illness and continues to pursue healing. The suffering Jesus is also the healing Jesus. Our lives in society and more importantly, as the people called ‘Christian’ are all about our relationships with other people, both Christian or not Christian, male or female, those who fit or do not fit what we believe about any topic. This story composed of 2 stories is about accepting people where they are, both reaching out and allowing others to come to us. This is a reminder for us to be open to the opportunities God places before us each day.

Pandemic Musings

 We have come almost full circle.  I have written nothing.  But, I have been reading, watching way too much Netflix and Prime Video.  On this day, I grieve the loss of so many people, some to COVID, some to other causes.  We are now, as a state and a nation, in the process of vaccinating in the expectation of putting the brakes on this runaway train.  We have waited almost a year now and I know that I, for one have run the gamut of emotions from depression and anxiety to calm and learning to really think things out.  This pandemic has caused me to slow down, not be so impulsive in my wanting everything to be "normal" or whatever the term might be for where I once was.  I am certain that whatever I once was or where-ever I once was, I cannot return.  It is still a recognizable me, but this me has changed. This me has gained a new understanding of relationships and made some connections where they weren't before.

I have gained insight into myself in a way that was probably not possible otherwise.  I have learned to be patient and to trust God and other people in my life more, more than the "normal" track I was on to a new "normal."

To all who have read this blog, God's peace be with you.  God's love be with you.  Learn to cherish other people as God cherishes you.  You are a child of God and loved by God more than our imaginations could possibly conceive.