Today’s readings: (Psalm 32 & 38; Ezekiel 23:1-21; Luke 10:25-37; and Revelation 19:11-21)
I want to thank you for being patient with my entry from yesterday. I thought for a moment that perhaps I should clean it up and put a more positive spin on things, but then I realized one of my passionate commitments in my ministry is to be real with folks; hence, my openness in yesterday’s reflection. With that said, I was glad to return to my devotions and find one of my favorite stories – “The Prodigal Son” – as part of today’s assigned readings. The story is a favorite for many reasons. First, I love the passage leading up to it (Luke 10:27) that contains the greatest summary of the life we are called to lead: “Jesus answered: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with al your strength and with all your mind’, and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”). It simply doesn’t get better – or clearer – than that! I also love Jesus’ expansive use of language to make his point. In culminating the parable, Jesus could have asked a pointed question like “Who was the better person of faith?” or “Whose life best embodied the teachings of our tradition?” – which might have skewed things toward either the priest or Levite. Instead, he intentionally asked, “Which of these do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” – thereby putting the Samaritan on a level playing field with the others. Of course the Samaritan’s actions didn’t leave the playing field level for long J My favorite dimension of the story, however, is an often unexplored angle on the parable. It has to do with the question, “What prevented the priest and the Levite from stopping?” Most folks read the parable and conclude it was a generic sort of thing that prevented them from stopping (i.e. they were in a hurry; they didn’t want to get involved; etc). But what if it was something else that prevented them from stopping? What if it was the practice of their very religion that prevented them from stopping? The priest and Levite would have obviously been familiar with the holiness codes that forbid them from coming into contact with blood and body fluids. How ironic would it be if their religious understandings was the very thing that prevented them from extending God’s love and care to the Samaritan! Of course I see that a lot today. Folks in religious communities feeling entirely justified for denying ministry and care to folks who they consider to be an affront to their religious beliefs – people such as Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered persons, people such as illegal immigrants, people, such as those who have committed a criminal offense, someone of a different theological/political orientation, etc. It’s amazing how many times the story of the Prodigal Son gets replayed these days. Today I’ll be spending some time exploring my own faith to see if there are any ways this happens in my life. I would invite you to consider the same thing for yourself. Til next time…
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