The Sunday School class was discussing “Anger”, and naturally, Road Rage came up: we all made our rueful confessions. One lady spoke of naming a dog FIDO: “forget it, drive on”. A nice saying, but I’m gonna have to practice a whole lot more! The lessons from scripture to be read this weekend acknowledge that we’re all on a Sacred Journey — we’ll tell you when we get there– and that there are some rules which sustain us as we travel.
In the First Book of the Kings of Israel, chapter 19, we meet the Prophet Elijah surprisingly sad after his stunning “victory” over the Prophets of the Baal. For one thing, Queen Jezebel has put a price on his head; and now we find him huddling under some oasis shrubbery muttering, “I’ve had it , God, now let me die.” But while he dozed there, an angel brought him food & drink, and urged him to eat: “Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.” (v.7) So he did–and thus traveled to Mt. Horeb/Sinai where he was refreshed by the Still, Small Voice.
There’s always a Holy Trip for us; but how do we get There safely, unscathed by annoyances of others and with a minimum of remorse at our own bad behavior? Ephesians 4:25-5:2 is a code of ethics for those hoping to live Gracefully. “Let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another.” When the writer says, “speak”, we’re thinking less of verbalization than of Being Real within the Greater Community. Anger, dishonesty and profanity are decried, as are bitterness…wrangling and slander and malice. Those marked with the Holy Spirit are reminded to be kind, forgiving, and tenderhearted; in short, imitating God (through Christ’s help!). Ah, what would the world look like! What’s the name of that dog, again?
John’s Gospel reminds us yet again that most who encountered Jesus were confused, sometimes angry, with his Bread of Life claims. They remembered the Good Ole Days of receiving manna when they were starving in the desert: what more could God be up to NOW? (6:41-51) To this, Jesus replied, “Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness and they died [eventually]. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.” This, also, is strength for the journey.
Elijah’s despair was transformed into power; holy conversation aimed the Early Church to revolutionary alternatives to self-righteous snobbishness, and the Bread of Heaven filled even the traditionalists with endurance. Dean McDonald–“Post-Communion prayers voice thanksgiving for the strength contained in the sacrament, but then the liturgy urges us to ‘go and serve the Lord’ using the energy received for ministry in the world.”
God Bless Us, Every One! Horace Brown King
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