The Fourth Joyful Mystery: the Presentation in the Temple

“And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord  (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”)  and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”   Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.  And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law,he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word;  for my eyes have seen your salvation  that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him.  And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed  (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.  She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.  She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.  And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. (Luke 2: 22-40)

I’m nearly afraid to start on these again, seeing as how we got an extensive dialogue going on the initial Mysteries, which I thought would be harmless, accepted by all topics.  Anyway, here goes.  The Feast of the Presentation (which is also known by the name of Candlemas, from the custom of blessing candles – since Christ was revealed as ‘the light of the world’ at His presentation – which are used during the year both in the church and also in people’s homes, and was known in its older name as the Feast of the Purification) is celebrated on 2nd February.  From this feastday arose the old custom (since discontinued) of “churching,” where women came to be blessed forty days after childbirth in what would have been their first public (to a greater or lesser degree) appearance outside the house.

It has often been pointed out that, since Luke mentions “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons”, that must mean that Mary and Joseph brought the offerings for the poor, according to Leviticus 12: 8:

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The Grip Is Strong

We are a checklist-driven people. Give us a list of things to accomplish, and we are driven to check off every last one. That’s how we were in school. I have to take algebra to get out of here? Fine, I’ll take algebra. Check. Now that it’s done, I never have to deal with algebra again.  Read Shakespeare? Check. Now I’ll never have to read Shakespeare again.

Somehow that attitude has made it into our spiritual lives as well. We hear a sermon on bearing fruit. Check. Now I know all there is to bearing fruit. Don’t bore me with the same message. Give me something new. (Actually, our only role in bearing fruit is being a branch grafted onto the vine. It’s the vine’s responsibility to bear fruit in us. We just need to stay attached. But that’s another story. Besides, you’ve probably heard it already.) We always want to hear a new thing, be challenged in a new way, have our ears tickled by a new feather. And when we read Scripture it seems to be so Johnny-one-note. Faith. Trust. Believe in me. We want a list of things we are to do so we can check them off. Faith? Sure, I read a book on that once. Check.

Only God won’t play that game. He knows us way too well. We want to swim on the surface, he wants to drag us underwater where we can no longer rely on ourselves, where we will thrash about wildly, eyes bulging, head spinning, until we finally give in, let out all of our air, and … find we are now more alive than ever.

Faith. It is—at least for me —going to be a lifelong lesson. It’s not a class we attend, get a passing grade, then sell our texts back to the bookstore and move on. Just when I think I have a handle on how I am to trust the Lord, another wave comes and knocks me off of my raft and pulls me under once again. So why, oh why, is it so hard for me to learn to trust the Lord?

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Another Look: David And The Rich Young Ruler

Oswald Chambers asks, “Are you more devoted to your idea of what Jesus wants than to Himself?”

Yes, Lord, I am.

I will admit that my answer came so readily because God’s been hammering away at me for months to get me to see the distinction in a personal way. How often I pick the path of performing for him over loving him.

I’m embarrassed to tell you that I take refuge almost every day in my idea of what Jesus wants. I’ll venture to say that most of us have our own ideas of that and we feel satisfied or even prideful when we manage to put checkmarks in our spiritual to do list or paste in gold stars when we successfully avoid what’s prohibited.

Before you hate me for blasting works or service, let me say I was born a pleaser. I’m much happier working and serving than not. Doing good and helpful things feels safe to me. If Jesus would hand me a list everyday and say, “Here, go do these things,” I’d be a happy camper.

Give me a Bible to read. Give me your prayer requests. Give me a 40-day fast every year. Give me the chance to turn over my money. Give me some act of service to do. Give me lots of opportunities to be nice, nice, nice. Just don’t make me do something that others might not like. Don’t make me face any danger. Don’t cloud any black and white issues with something gray. Above all, don’t make me put down what I hold dear:  my people, my reputation, or my work.

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How Do You Say “I Love You?”

David Cornwell is a long-time reader and commenter at InternetMonk. Many (and I do mean many) of you have written to me personally asking if David could write something longer than his comments for us. Chaplain Mike and I both agreed that David’s contributions would be most welcome here. Please join me in welcoming David to the iMonastery.  JD

By David Cornwell

First I want to express gratitude to Jeff Dunn for his gracious invitation to write something for The Internet Monk. I’m a relative newcomer to this place. Michael Spencer had already become too ill to continue, but it was the archives of his articles that first attracted me. I delved into some of them, and quickly learned that this was a place I wanted to know more about.  To be invited to say something on a blog that features Jeff Dunn, Chaplain Mike, Martha of Ireland, Lisa Dye, Damaris Zehner, Denise Spencer, Adam Palmer, and every other person who has written here truthfully scares me. At first I went blank, then came up with a couple of subjects. I put them back in the drawer early,  because I feared one of them might be fairly controversial, and the other I couldn’t quickly put any meat on. Then suddenly it came to me.

Also I must say that the readers of this blog are some of the most intelligent and thoughtful people I’ve ever interacted with. From the beginning I’ve appreciated your honesty of faith, doubt, and the travails of the journey. We here together because we are all seekers.

Here is my topic: How do you say, “I love you?” My bet is that you do it in a variety of ways.

In my family we have always expressed our love for each other with good strong embracing hugs, sometimes with the added simple words, “I love you.” The church we attend is much the same way. Early in our liturgy there is a time of  “passing the peace.” Some Catholic or high Anglican types might question the way we do it, but it suits me just fine.  The words we offer to the other are “may the peace of Christ be with you.” But we do more than greet the one next to us, or behind or in front of us. It’s a time of getting out of the pew and into the aisles, perhaps shaking a hand, giving a hug, and greeting someone new.  It’s an exuberant expression that not only passes the peace, but says “I love you” and I hope it means that.

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Don’t Hug Your Hatred

Recently I read a passage of scripture that I’d never heard before. It was about forgiveness and extending mercy to others. While you will probably disagree with me about my use of the word “scripture,” I think you will still find it to be very good reading. And won’t we all benefit from a few moments of self-examination in the area of mercy?

It’s Sirach 27:30-28:7.

(30) Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight. (1) The vengeful will suffer the Lord’s vengeance, for he remembers their sins in detail. (2) Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. (3) Should a man nourish anger against his fellows and expect healing from the Lord? (4) Should a man refuse mercy to his fellows, yet seek pardon for his own sins? (5) If he who is but flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive his sins? (6) Remember your last days, set enmity aside; remember death and decay, and cease from sin! (7) Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor; of the Most High’s covenant, and overlook faults.

27:30–The image of hugging wrath and anger tight reminds me of a small child clinging to a favorite stuffed animal. The mommy may try to get it away from her to wash it, but the toddler won’t give it up. It’s her security.

On first reading we may try to pass up this verse. “The sinner?” we say. “That’s talking about someone else, not me.” Look again. Who is the sinner? The one who hugs wrath and anger tight. That’s certainly been me. Has it ever been you?

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Denise Spencer: Don’t Hug Your Hatred

Recently I read a passage of scripture that I’d never heard before. It was about forgiveness and extending mercy to others. While you will probably disagree with me about my use of the word “scripture,” I think you will still find it to be very good reading. And won’t we all benefit from a few moments of self-examination in the area of mercy?

It’s Sirach 27:30-28:7.

(30) Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight. (1) The vengeful will suffer the Lord’s vengeance, for he remembers their sins in detail. (2) Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. (3) Should a man nourish anger against his fellows and expect healing from the Lord? (4) Should a man refuse mercy to his fellows, yet seek pardon for his own sins? (5) If he who is but flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive his sins? (6) Remember your last days, set enmity aside; remember death and decay, and cease from sin! (7) Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor; of the Most High’s covenant, and overlook faults.

27:30–The image of hugging wrath and anger tight reminds me of a small child clinging to a favorite stuffed animal. The mommy may try to get it away from her to wash it, but the toddler won’t give it up. It’s her security.

On first reading we may try to pass up this verse. “The sinner?” we say. “That’s talking about someone else, not me.” Look again. Who is the sinner? The one who hugs wrath and anger tight. That’s certainly been me. Has it ever been you?

Oh, but we know we’re right, don’t’ we? When someone has truly offended us, God is on our side; if He’s not, then He ought to be! Like the little girl with her stuffie, we think we need our anger because it’s our security. We cling to it because it protects us from the one who hurt us.

28:1–This is a frightful thought. It’s as if God is saying, “OK. You want vengeance? Then you shall have it.” Almighty God remembering our sins in detail? What a contrast from “…I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34)

28:2–While we’re remembering, do you recall the parable of the unmerciful servant? “His lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers…So shall my heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.” (Matthew 18:34-35)

But how can we do this if we’ve been deeply hurt? The key is in the master’s words. “I forgave you all that debt…Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, even as I had mercy on you?” It’s because we have been forgiven so much that we can extend mercy to those who wound us. This, in turn, benefits us with even more forgiveness from the Master.

If we refuse to forgive despite all we’ve been forgiven, we’re still hugging our anger tight. If I clutch my fury to my chest, how can I ever open my heart to others? To God?

28:3-4–What struck me here was the “fellows.” In another translation it read, “Should a man nourish anger against one like himself and expect healing from the Lord?” “His fellows.” “One like himself.” Ah, but that’s the problem, isn’t it? We perceive our enemy as somehow lower than us–less of a Christian or even less of a person. We conveniently forget that the object of our wrath is one just like us.

The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector comes to mind. “God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people…” Oh, really? Since when? May we instead join in the plea of the tax collector: “…God, be merciful to me, the sinner!” (Luke 17:11, 13)

28:5–“…No one is good except God alone.” (Luke 18:19) Therefore, no one but God has the right to exercise His anger at our sin. When we who are but flesh cherish wrath, we’re putting ourselves in the place of God. And if we do away with God, who is left to forgive our sins?

28:6–To me this was probably the most interesting verse in the passage. How does thinking of our “last days…death and decay” make us cease from the sin of withholding forgiveness? For one thing, it takes us back to verses 3-4. The person who bears the brunt of our anger is just like us. We both came from dust and to dust we shall return.

It also challenges us to remember that we will one day face God. And “in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:2) Do we really want to stand before the Holy One and try to explain why we couldn’t forgive our neighbor?

But let’s not forget an even more down-to-earth, common sense answer. As Michael used to always say, “Life’s too short to…(insert whatever it was that he didn’t want to do.)” Your days are all too fleeting; will you choose to spend them harboring grudges and nursing bitterness?

28:7–This verse is like a coin; it has two sides. “Think of the commandments.” Remember God’s law–including (especially!) Jesus’ own interpretation of it. “…I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:22)

Now flip the coin over and “Think…of the Most High’s covenant.” This is particularly interesting given the fact that this was written before the time of Christ. Even so, the writer says that recalling God’s mercy should lead us to be merciful ourselves. How much more should pondering the New Covenant help us overlook faults! It’s impossible to clutch hatred to your breast if you’re truly clinging to the cross.

That’s what Sirach says to me about forgiveness. What does it say to you?       

A Dog Named Beau

This morning, Damaris shared a poem about taking in creation with the Creator. About relaxing and enjoying what the Lord made for us to enjoy. She suggested we might just take time to scratch a dog’s belly. Lean on a fence post. Do something that is not “productive” or “necessary.” We were encouraged to take a one-day Sabbath as the Lord ordained. Or, as Andy of Mayberry would say, “What’s your hurry?”

This reminded me of one of my favorite poems of all. This is not a good technical poem. Jimmy Stewart was no George Herbert. But it touches my heart every time I hear him read it, even more so after I put my border collie down last year.

Take time to listen and reflect. After all, what’s your hurry?

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plsWZyslqVc’%5D

Idleness

This Sunday I have a more whimsical poem for you.  Read it carefully, putting aside for a moment any tense insistence on perfect doctrine or scruples passed down from Puritan forefathers.  Maybe, when you’re done reading it, you can turn off the computer and go outside for a half-hour or so, just leaning on the fence or scratching the dog’s stomach.  It’s hard work, but someone’s got to do it.

 

Idleness

By Andrew Young

 

God, you’ve so much to do,

To think of, watch and listen to,

That I will let all else go by

And lending ear and eye

Help you to watch how in the combe

Winds sweep dead leaves without a broom;

And rooks in the spring-reddened trees

Restore their villages,

Nest by dark nest

Swaying at rest on the trees’ frail unrest;

Or on this limestone wall,

Leaning with ease, with you recall

How once these heavy stones

Swam in the sea as shells and bones;

And hear that owl snore in a tree

Till it grows dark enough for him to see;

In fact, will learn to shirk

No idleness that I may share your work.

 

iMonk Classic: Dr. StrangeLiturgy

Here is one of my favorite classic essays by Michael Spencer. I, too, grew up as a believer in the “tent revival” atmosphere. I, too, was taught that liturgy equaled deadness and man-made religion. Now I am looking for liturgy. Now I’m looking for music that is all about God, and not about how I feel. And one reason I’m looking for this is due to Michael’s essay, Dr. StrangeLiturgy. Read thoughtfully and prayerfully.  JD

The humor of me standing in front of a Presbyterian Church, wearing a robe, saying the Apostle’s Creed and leading congregational confessions, is still not lost on me. If only Hall Street Baptist Church could see me now. They wouldn’t be laughing.

I grew up fearing any church that didn’t resemble a tent revival. The first time I went to a Roman Catholic worship service, I was so scared and confused that I walked out. When everyone headed up front for the mass, I thought it was the invitation, and it seemed a good time to duck out. The stress of trying to figure out kneelers was too much for me.

Even Methodist churches frightened me. I simply didn’t understand what was going on in the simplest liturgies, and I assumed it was bad for real Christians to be around it. “Good” was evangelistic revivalism, and all the efforts expended to get people down to the altar, or even better, up there “testifying'” of how they got saved. (My Episcopal friend was just as confused by our Baptist services, but he handled it far better than me. I never found the courage to even visit his church.)

Today, revivalism scares me to death, and the comfortable predictability of the common liturgy is home for me and my family. When ministers start “winging it” and talking about what has God laid on their hearts, I want to go out the back door. The 1928 Book of Common Prayer ought to be the law of the land as far as I am concerned.

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Saturday Ramblings 10.15.11

The temperature was a very crisp but pleasant 52 when I went out this morning. Apples line the produce shelves at the grocery. Football is, well, how ’bout them Sooners? Welcome to the falling leaves edition of Saturday Ramblings. This is a time of the week when we sift through the leftovers to see what we might have missed. So, grab a rake and join in.

First of all, please pray for Joe Spann and his family. Joe’s mother, Jeanette, passed away this week after a short bout with cancer. Joe is a writer for us as his time allows, and his influence on what others write is felt strongly. Thank you for your prayers.

As St. Paul Harvey would say, it’s not one world. We are now learning that there are no public Christian churches in Afghanistan. According to this report, the last church was razed in March, 2010. We don’t tackle political issues here on iMonk, but it seems to me that the last decade we’ve spent in that country has not proven fruitful for the natives there.

As St. Paul Harvey would say, it’s not one world. Coptic Christians in Egypt have long been mistreated and abused, but now it seems they are “under siege” by Muslims during this time of a power vacuum in Egypt. Perhaps if any of you iMonks live in Egypt or have been there recently, you can give us a more detailed update.

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