As a child, I did not grow up in a liturgical church. I didn’t know what Lent meant until I was an adult. And, Ash Wednesday with its smudge on the forehead was held suspect. There is a certain amount of mystery that is part of this journey through Lent as we walk through the 40 day journey beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on Easter morning.
Our story in today’s Gospel lesson is made up of four segments of stories that are hung together and it seems to be up to the reader or listener to sort out the weaving. The first story lets us know that a group of folks have been to the synagogue and have witnessed Jesus healing of the man with the unclean spirit, which was our lesson from last Sunday. They left the synagogue and have gone to the house of Simon Peter and Andrew. James and John are with them. We then learn that Simon’s wife’s mother is in bed with a fever, and their concern for her is pressing in on the family. In that day fevers were considered to be a demonic force. So, they take Jesus to her bedside. Jesus takes hold of the woman’s hand, lifts her up and brings her healing. She expresses her gratitude through service…by getting up and offering hospitality.
For many of us who place ourselves on the theological continuum left of center, this story from the Christian scriptures has all the components to make one squirm. This is not a comfortable story. We tend to get fidgety around flashing neon words like “demon” “unclean spirits” and “exorcism.”
I’ve never had anyone tell me that this is their favorite healing story. And, clearly, it isn’t what I longed to wrestle with this week. I’m often reminded that the three year lectionary cycle of scripture invites us to deal with all kinds of texts that we’re tempted to ignore.
It has been about nine years since Hannah placed the hand of her three year old son into the weathered, worn, aging hand of the priest, Eli. This has always been for me one of the most powerful images in scripture. I can picture Hannah going through a bag of sacred items, while still keeping Samuel firmly lodged on her hip. Each item has a story and accompanying directions: the blanket, the well-worn stuffed camel that has been held to Samuel’s face ever since he could reach for it, his jacket, and an assortment of other child paraphernalia.
Although I was only five years old, I remember going to the huge home in Glendale, California, where an unknown woman answered the door, invited us in and asked us to sit in the parlor, a word I didn’t understand. She said she would go find my Aunt Mary. No one was around as we sat quietly on formal furniture, while the woman climbed the stairs with the ornate wooden newel post and heavy railing and fancy balusters. It was some thirty years later that I had an “aha” moment when I discovered that it had been a home for unwed mothers.
The opening words of the Gospel of Luke gives us contrasting figures: King Herod of Judea, considered to be one of the most evil and cruel figures of history along with two figures of faith—Zechariah and Elizabeth.
It was a few years ago when I received the call. The woman on the phone said, if you want to have time with Starla, you better come now. It was the second week of Advent, but fortunately the church leadership blessed my leave taking. I flew from Minnesota to Seattle and walked into Starla’s home where her caretaker left the house so we could have some time together…the kind of sacred time that happens when the one who is in the process of dying somehow rallies enough strength to be clear in their thinking and we were able to say all we needed to say.
I suspect that it won’t surprise any of you to learn that this text from II Samuel isn’t in all lectionaries. However, upon visiting with Randy Ellison, and being touched by his work, I signed a pledge to speak out against violence. The bulk of data on this text tends to focus on David or Uriah. So, I’m inviting you to hear this text from my interpretation of Bathsheba’s point of view.
When a convert to Christianity in the late first century or early second century read the Gospel According to Matthew for the first time, they read it as a manual to understand membership. The people of Matthew’s day expected the return of Christ during their lifetime. This parable is a warning for the community members.
As a child I clearly recall the contents of the bottom drawer of my mother’s dresser. It held the cloth covered box with ribbons wrapped around it. Inside the box were the letters she received from my Dad during the war, bundled together with more ribbons. I always knew how important and sacred those letters were to her.