Saturday, July 18, 2009

Daily Office Reflection: Break's Over

Psalms 30, 32 * 42, 43; 1 Samuel 22:1-23; Acts 13:26-43; Mark 3:19b-35

I haven't written anything on this blog in nearly a month. I needed to take a break, take a break from a lot of things. I needed to try and figure out what is important in my life and what is not. Figure out what is substance and what is fluff, what is distraction and what are things to be focused on. Am I done with this self exploration. No. It is a lifetime's work, but I am not in such a difficult position that I cannot recognize the importance of my writing here. Selfishly, this is important to me: to my spiritual journey, to my exploration of this faith I profess, to my relationship with God. Secondarily, this blog has a purpose of exhibiting how powerful being immersed in The Daily Office can be in one's life. So....break's over.

We have been immersed in the long saga of David, Saul and Jonathan the last number of weeks, as well as grinding our way through Acts, and we have just recently started the Gospel of Mark. The theme of "break's over" appears in this portion of Samuel we have today, as well as in the selection from Mark. David is in hiding, but agrees to lead disaffected people who come to him, which really pisses off Saul. David is slowly coming to the realization that his break is over, his ability to deny his kingship is over, that he must start to act in the manner to which he has already been anointed. In Mark, Jesus identifies his family as those who do God's work, not his flesh and blood kin who are standing on the outside of the crowd surrounding Jesus. Jesus, as Mark portrays him so often, is doing his "blood and guts" statements of just laying the truth out there: my family does God's work. Anyone who does this IS my family, is a part of MY family. In other words Jesus is saying: break's over people, get on board or get out of the way.

I think we see some of that mentality emanating from the just completed General Convention of The Episcopal Church in Anaheim, California. The legislation passed shows a movement beyond a stasis period: whether it be on ordination of gay and lesbian people to all offices of the church, or the blessing of same sex marriages, or the inclusion of pension benefits for lay employees, or the development of a congregational health plan, or the myriad of other pieces of formative and astoundingly prophetic legislation passed by that governing body. All are saying clearly that "break's over", we are moving forward. We have listened, we have been bullied, we have not bullied back in return. We have chosen to follow the Holy Spirit where she is leading us. A remarkable and beautiful and inspiring thing.

Break's over. Thanks for your patience.
jfd+

Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

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