Lent 2 - Romans - The Faith of Abraham

Lent 2 - Romans

Romans 4.13-25

...but also to those who share the faith of Abraham…(Rom 4.16)

With these words from Paul’s letter to the Romans, we take up where we left off on Monday—we shall read the text carefully as Paul interprets God’s covenant with Abraham, to see what we can discover about what God intends for us.

Paul writes here with a specific purpose. There is a conflict in Rome between followers of Jesus who are Gentiles (non-Jews) and those who are Jewish. It is important to remember that during Paul’s lifetime, there is still no clear “Christian” identity. These followers of Jesus view themselves as good Jews, as did Jesus himself. They are following a Jewish prophet who is calling people back to God, in the tradition of Isaiah, Micah et al.

Only gradually did the followers of Jesus realize that they were no longer Jews, but had a separate identity as Christians. Remember, Jesus was not trying to start a new religion. He was a reformer, calling the Israelites back to the relationship God desired for them—a relationship modeled on their forebears, Abraham and Sarah. Like Martin Luther, Jesus and his followers did not set out to start a new religion.

I use the term “Jew” here to simplify, but in fact, a “Jewish” identity was not formed until after the dispersion in 70 CE, when the Temple was destroyed and the community was forced to gather around the rabbis and their teachings. Before this, God’s people probably referred to themselves as followers of the one true God or Judeans. Paul is most likely writing in 57-58 CE.

The context of Paul’s letter to the Romans

In Rome, the Jewish members of the community apparently want their Gentile companions to convert to Judaism—to be circumcised—before they can join the community. In these verses, Paul looks to Abraham’s faith as the model and asserts that it is God who creates faith in human hearts. Faith does not depend on human actions like circumcision.

Does this sound familiar? The issue in Rome is ethnicity—who are the rightful heirs to God’s promise? The conflict in Israel/Palestine today centers on these same questions. Who are Abraham’s heirs? Who is entitled to the land that Abraham settled?

Paul finds his answer in Torah, which he knows well. He reminds us that God’s plans were for “many nations.” God’s plans are much bigger than we can imagine. God is not limited by our prejudices and our ideas of what is right and wrong, what is fair and just. God has plans that include everyone, not just the people we deem deserving. While we are busy dividing ourselves into insiders and outsiders, God works to include everyone. While we make rules about who can be part of the group, God is working to make sure the tent is big enough for everyone. Paul reminds us faith is not created by our actions, but by God’s. The land waits.

Gracious God, your creation is so much greater than we can imagine. We try to claim your love and grace for ourselves, excluding those we deem unworthy. But your prophets and teachers remind us that your love is bigger than our schemes. Help us open our hearts to your way of hospitality, welcoming and treating everyone with dignity. In the name of your son, our prophet. Amen.

Lent 2 - Genesis - A Multitude of Nations

Lent 2 - Genesis

Genesis 17.1-7, 15-16

...this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations….I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. (Gen 17.4-6)

God’s covenant with Abraham. This is the sticking point isn’t it? Many atrocities are rationalized on this covenant—homes bulldozed, resisters arrested and tortured, children stoned on their way to school.

Christians are often confused by the covenant with Abraham—if God gave this land to Abraham, isn’t it justice to give Palestine to the Israelis for a state?

This rationalization is based on several murky assumptions. Here are a few I have observed:

• Ignorance of the context—both of the ancient text and modern political realities
• Interpretation of the text itself, a failure to read the text carefullly
• Identification of the modern state of Israel with ancient Israel
• Assumption that present-day Jews are Abraham’s descendants
• An unexamined mixture of religion with the emergence of nation-states in the nineteenth century

I’ll briefly touch on the first three today, because a careful reading of the covenant texts does not support Israel’s claim to all the land from the Jordan to the sea.

The context of the written text—

Most biblical scholars today believe that Genesis was written by at least three writers and editors. The story was told orally for at least a thousand years before it was written down, the oldest writings date to the time of Kind David. Abraham likely lived around 2100 BCE; David ruled about 1000 BCE.

Now, don’t dismiss the oral tradition as inaccurate; people who rely on oral transmission of their history are very adept at remembering details and use storytelling techniques—like repetition and commemorative festivals that enable these stories to stay the same for generations.

The stories in Genesis have a purpose. When you write, you have a purpose, don’t you? I have a purpose with what I write here—to share how I have come to understand the Israeli/Palestinian question in a new way, as I have gotten to know Palestinians and hear their stories. Why did someone write Abraham and Sarah’s story during King David’s reign?

A careful reading of the text—

I lifted out some phrases above for us to consider. God’s covenant in verse 4 promises Abraham will be the ancestor of “a multitude of nations.” Not one nation. And, just in case future generations might think this a typo, the writer restates it twice, using the plural: “kings” and “nations”—for Abraham (v4) and then again for Sarah (v16). Sole ownership of the land was not understood by these Israelites of David’s time.

Modern Israel ≠ Ancient Israel—

The corollary to this is that today’s Israelis have not lived in Palestine since ancient times.They have come from many places. There are two branches of Jewish people: Sephardic (Mediterranean) and Ashkenazi (European). The majority of Israelis today have come to Israel from Eastern Europe. In his controversial book, Shlomo Sand challenges the Jewish narrative (The Invention of the Jewish People, 2009).

Reassessing the DNA evidence, researcher Ellen Levy-Coffman, writing in the Journal of Genetic Genealogy in 2005, has described the Jews as “a mosaic of people.” Her research shows that contemporary Jews come from a great variety of ethnic groups.

No easy answers here, but much to ponder…..

God of all the nations, we forget that you are much greater than our stories, that you are creator of all. Give us humble hearts so that we remember to honor all of your creation. Amen.

Lent 1 - Mark - The Kingdom of God has Come Near

Lent 1 - Mark

Mark 1.9-15

...the kingdom of God has come near…. (Mk 1.15)

Jesus stands in the water in the Jordan River; John baptizes him. It is a turning point in Jesus’ life—no longer a child traveling with his parents to worship in the temple. This scene marks the beginning of his ministry, a public act of commitment to what God has planned for him.

And a public affirmation by God: “You are my Son, the Beloved.” Publicly claiming Jesus and bestowing a blessing, “With you I am well pleased.”

Every time I witness a baby in white at the baptismal font, family gathered around, I imagine God responding in the same manner, saying to the baby, “With you I am well pleased.”

God has created each of us in God’s own image and we know of God’s pleasure in creation….pleasure in each creature, not just those who are brought to a baptismal font….pleasure in the baby born in the African desert, pleasure in the baby born in Cairo’s slums and pleasure in the baby brought to my own congregations’s font.

Khader Adnan (for background, see Ash Wednesday post below) has been much in my thoughts this week:

—I am frustrated that the only way this Palestinian prisoner could

make his story known was to engage in a hunger strike;

— am angry that 308 other Palestinians are also being held without charges;

—I am curious about what made Khader Adnan decide to give up his life with his wife and two small girls, knowing he will never even see his third unborn child;

—and I am distraught that my tax dollars support the Israeli military, knocking on doors in the middle of the night, arresting Palestinians every day.

Khadar was arrested at his home in Arabeh, about 20 miles from Nazareth. And, although Muslims do not baptize, Khadar has also assumed adult responsibilities—as husband, father, graduate student, and his choice to support the struggle for Palestinian freedom.

“Immediately,” Mark’s writer tells us, Jesus was sent into the wilderness—where he ate no food—40 days of discipline, preparing himself for the work ahead. And the writer reminds us that the authorities were arresting those, like John, who proclaimed the “good news of God.”

If we look carefully, we still witness glimpses of the kingdom of God coming near—kindnesses done, or a new baby welcomed into the community. But Mark’s gospel reminds me that the well-being—the shalom—God desires for us sometimes comes with great suffering and tragedy. The text reminds us that the end of the old world and the beginning of the new are birthed only violently, with the heavens torn apart, the veil of the Temple torn in two. Will Khadar Adnan’s fast birth such shalom?

Read his wife’s story of why Khadar Adnan engaged in the hunger strike. Randa Musa writes in The Guardian. [Photo shows his daughter Maali holdig a poster calling for his release.]

God of all creation, you have shown that you desire only goodness for us and for all of your creation. Show us how we can protect and nurture what you have given us. Show us how we can bring in your good news-announced reign of shalom. Amen.

Lent 1 - 1 Peter - Made Alive in the Spirit

1 Peter 3.18-22

He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit… (1Peter 3.18)

Last week Israeli armed forces bulldozed a community center in Silwan, East Jerusalem, a “cultural cafe,” built as a space for children in the community to gather, with a sports field in front of the cafe.

A couple of years ago when I was at Augusta Victoria Hospital (Lutheran World Federatio

n), Pastor Mark Brown showed us how little space there is for children to play in East Jerusalem.

Silwan is a neighborhood on the Palestinian side of the Green Line, which separates West and East Jerusalem. It is thought to be the site of King David’s city. In the past few years, Israeli settlers have been moving into the area, purchasing or squatting in buildings for the purpose of establishing a Jewish presence in East Jerusalem. (In spite of international protests, in 1967, Israel annexed East Jerusalem, which it had captured in the Six Day War. Israel does views Jerusalem as a unified city).

Israelis have also established archaeological digs in Silwan, hoping to find evidence of Jewish presence. These digs have been criticized for the sloppy way the digging has been carried out. Because the digging is being done solely for the purpose of proving a Jewish right to the land, other artifacts are being carelessly destroyed.

The Israeli human rights organization, B’tSelem has published a report on the Israeli army’s harassment and arrest of Palestinian teenagers in Silwan.

The cafe was a unique project (read about the building of the cafe and field last December) to provide a much-needed space for children to play and for youth and adults to gather. Its purpose was also to protect the land from being stolen by violent Israeli settlers or turned into a parking lot by the Jerusalem Municipality. It was a cooperative effort of the Madaa Center and the Middle East Children’s Association (MECA, a US organization).

The community and the staff of Madaa Center are determined to rebuild the café. They invite us: “With your help, we can support the residents of Silwan in demanding their right to live and build on their land.” Their goal is to complete a new café in time for a Mothers' Day Celebration on March 21, 2012 (Mothers' Day is celebrated across Arab countries on this date).

MECA has made a commitment to raise $15,000 for this project by February 29, 2012.

You can help in two ways:

• Make an emergency contribution to rebuild
• Send a letter to Israeli officials responsible for this demolition. The Madaa Center in Silwan tells us it is important that official bodies know there is support and vigilance from the international community.

Life emerging from death, every day in East Jerusalem, whether it is rebuilding a playground or protesting eviction―a Lent-Easter journey.

God of David and Abraham, your people are suffering in the land you have made holy. Open our minds and hearts to their plight. Show us your spirit, alive in the land today, and make us partners in the life your spirit breathes into your people. In the name of your son, who died and rose to new life. Amen.

Lent 1 - Never again...

Genesis 9.8-17

...never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth. (Gen 9.11)

God’s creation, pronounced “good” in the first chapter of Genesis has run amuck. Humans have broken all the rules; violence is everywhere; the world is quickly turning to chaos once again. God reacts by destroying everything God has created, saving only a remnant, so that they can make a fresh start. And after the destruction, God vows “never again” to destroy the creation.

We are still determined to destroy God’s good creation--killing our brothers for oil, ruining the land and the waters with our nuclear accidents, stealing resources from other countries. We are still doing our best to return the earth to the chaos God tamed in Genesis 1.

In past weeks, there has been much speculation about Israel attacking nuclear installations in Iran. I didn’t know until earlier this month that the US has 45 military bases surrounding Iran (see graphic from http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30504.htm ). Did you know about this?

Time for another flood, I think.

But God has already tried this, and God repented. “Never again….” God has new plans for us, plans born, not of anger, but of love and compassion. God left us the rainbow to remind us of God’s love, our reason for hope in the midst of the chaos we are creating.

The Lutherans of the Holy Land today are God’s rainbow, a sign of hope in a region of deep despair. They are a sign of love in a city hemmed in by hate. They are a sign of order in a chaotic region of the world. The new college sits atop one of Bethlehem’s many hills. The design of the building is grand and open, unlike the barbed wire and concrete walls that enclose the city. These Palestinian Lutherans are one sign that God has not given up on humanity, that God still has plans for us, plans for good, for health and well-being.

Yet President Obama’s 2013 budget includes another $3 billion in aid to Israel’s military.

God looked on the destruction of the flood and repented. If God can repent—turning from destruction to tender care for God’s own creation—what might we do to repent in this Lenten season? What can we do that will be a sign of God’s rainbow promise?

Gracious God, you have promised never to give up on your creation. Help us, your chosen people, to be a sign of your rainbow promise amid all the chaos we have created. In the name of the son you sent to save us from our disordered appetites and selfish desires. Amen.

Is not this the fast that I choose: to let the oppressed go free....

Join me in a fast for Khader Adnan - sundown tonight to sundown Saturday--

Jewish Voice for Peace and Ta’anit Tzedek: Jewish Fast for Gaza are calling for a one day fast (from sunrise to sunset) on Friday, February 17, 2012 in solidarity with Khader Adnan, who today is in his 61st day of a hunger strike.

Ash Wednesday - No Palestinian Gandhi?

Ash Wednesday - the Fast that I choose
Isaiah 58.1-12

Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice
to undo the thongs of the yoke
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke. (Is 58.6)

OK, I know that Ash Wednesday is NEXT week, but by then it may be too late.

Westerners often lament that there is no Palestinian Gandhi. I wonder if they know about Khader Adnan, who has been held in an Israeli prison without being charged with any crime, since December 17. During that time he has been beaten, forced to sit shackled to a chair in painful positions, humiliated by his guards, his religion insulted. But still there are no charges against him.

Incarceration without trial is called “Administrative Detention.” Other countries also practice this, including the United States, but human rights groups protest the practice--being held without charges and trial is a denial of human rights. International law allows for administrative detention only in the most extreme cases, for people who pose a threat, when there is no other way to prevent danger. Over the years Israel has held thousands of Palestinians in Administrative Detention, for periods of several months, to several years. At the end of 2011, there were more than 300 Palestinians being held in Administrative Detention, including 21 elected members of the Palestinian legislative council and one child (age 16-18) (B’Tselem).

Adnan has been on a hunger strike--now for more than 58 days--to protest the violence he is experiencing in detention and the failure of the Israelis to charge him and other detainees. Doctors from Physicians for Human Rights have examined him and warned him and the Israeli prison system of the risk of death. They explained in graphic terms that the body cannot survive without water and that a hunger strike lasting more than 45 days causes damage to the body’s organs.

Anat Litvin, director of PHR Israel’s Prisoners & Detainees Department, states: “The fact that a person does not know when his detention will end nor the nature of the accusations brought against him, makes administrative detention unbearable, and similar to torture. Adnan’s hunger strike is clearly endangering his life, but should be also seen as a legitimate protest of a man trying to keep his dignity in face of gross abuse of his basic rights as a human being.”

Amnesty International has called on the Israeli government to charge him or release him.

Adnan has written, "I hereby assert that I am confronting the occupiers not for my own sake as an individual, but for the sake of thousands of prisoners who are being deprived of their simplest human rights while the world and international community look on.” More….

Read more about Adnan’s struggle for his human rights...

Is not this the fast that I choose…..to loose the bonds of injustice…..?

Gracious God, as we reflect on our mortality this Ash Wednesday, we remember Khader Adnan. You have given us abundant riches of freedom and opportunity. Help us use these gifts to loose the bonds of injustice for those who live in bondage.. Amen.

Email President Obama to protest his imprisonment: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
Email Prime MInister Benjamin Netanyahu: http://www.pmo.gov.il/PMOEng/Public+Applications/PublicApplications/
Email Secretary of State HIllary Rodham Clinton: http://contact-us.state.gov/app/ask/session/L3RpbWUvMTMyOTMyMDI0MC9zaWQvbnQzZGlNUWs%3D

A sample message: Please release Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan, or charge him with a crime. He is protesting his imprisonment with a hunger strike and he is near death. Torturing Palestinians will not bring peace.

A Lenten Geography, 2012

When I began this project, three years ago, I did not realize that after I had cycled through all three years of the lectionary...returning in 2012 to Year B, that life on the ground would be worse for Palestinians than it was in 2008. As Pastor Mitri Raheb of Christmas Lutheran Church has pointed out, there is no reason for optimism that the injustices against the Palestinians will end. But he and the people of Bethlehem find hope...... in God's faithfulness and promises of abundant life, in the people who are working to create a life of hope for the people who live behind the 27-foot-high wall in Bethlehem. So, although I am tempted to despair, their hope buoys me and carries me forward, aware that God's time is not our time, and, as the grafitti on the wall proclaims: "Nothing Lasts Forever!"

Watch for three posts each week during Lent--based on the three texts for the following Sunday.