[Propertalk] Proper 4c - part 2

[Robert P Morrison]

Part 2

	 A former brother in the order of St. John the Evangelist put it,
“God is always being revealed and the revelation is never complete.
The Spirit who leads into all truth continually proceeds both from the
divine nature in terms of revelation and from the human nature in
terms of reception. There is no end to the process.” 1 And, of
course, the revelation of God doesn’t always come with a marching
band and a parade. The most common, the most simple, the most
innocuous looking incidents may signal God wanting to reach into our
communities. “Look around right now,” wrote another brother of the
SSJE Community. “Look around right now: notice divine love in the
ordinary stuff of life, in words and actions, your very breath and the
stars above. God is with us and within us.” 2 Once you see
something, of course, you can’t unsee it. You can push it way down
deep into some area of your memory you seldom use. But it’s there.
God, however you and I see, God is still there, ignoring the “I’m
not worthy”, or “My house is a mess”, or “You wouldn’t want
to go there? I mean, SERIOUSLY, God? Seriously!” God DOES take
things seriously. Jesus didn’t brush off the centurion’s comment.
Jesus took the man at his word. He certainly marvelled at the
soldier’s faith. And Jesus did precisely what the man had asked. 

	 And I’ll bet Jesus never forgot what the man said and did, not
would the centurion forget what Jesus said and did. 

	 Fr. Isaac Poobalan has interesting neighbours. He is the rector of
St.John’s Scottish Episcopal Church in Aberdeen and his congregation
shares land with a Mosque. He talked about not being able to unsee
God. 

	"One day,” as he said to a reporter, “when I was walking past the
mosque, I found 20 or 30 people outside on the ground around the
pavements with their hands and feet exposed. You could see their
breath. When I spoke to people at (my congregation) about the
situation, someone actually said to me this was not our problem, but I
had seen it with my own eyes, so it was a problem." 3 

	 Can you imagine a Jew in Israel building an Arab mosque? … Or a
Palestinian building a Jewish synagogue? Or a Hindu building a temple
in Pakistan? These are questions posed by a Seattle pastor. 4 

	 But we respond to God – whether we see God or another member of
creation. Now, the Muslims in Aberdeen meet in St. John’s for
several prayer services every Friday. “St John's Church also opens
its doors to people from a local mental health hospital every
Wednesday. Poobalan said some members of his congregation were
reluctant to accept those with mental health problems into the church,
and later hesitant to accept Muslim worshippers, but they were
learning to ‘transcend’ such instincts.” 5 

	 It’s compassion that brings healing: the compassion of the
centurion, the compassion of the local men and women, the compassion
of Jesus. Each had faith. They trusted in God. But, equally
importantly, they trusted in one another. 

	 And us? As we see the Bread, as we see the Cup, it might not hurt;
it might actually help, to say, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you
come under my roof. Simply say the word and I shall be healed.” And
maybe add, “Come, Lord Jesus. Come!” 

	 And who may come to US today? 

	NOTES: 

	[1] _“Revelation”,_ Herbert Slade, SSJE (1912-1999) Society of
Saint John the Evangelist [1]  

	2 _“Blessing”,_ Br. Luke Ditewig Society of Saint John the
Evangelist [2] 

	3 _“__Aberdeen church opens doors to Muslims” | UK news | The
Guardian [3]_ by Tasmin Rutter, Monday 18 March 2013
www.theguardian.com › World › UK News › Aberdeen  

	4 Edward F. Markquart _“Sermons from Seattle”_ (textweek.com),
quoyed by Suzanne Guthrie, “_At the Edge of the Enclosure - SoulWork
Towards Sunday: Liturgical Year as Mystical Journey”_ Proper 4 c May
29, 2016 “Only Say The Word”
http://www.edgeofenclosure.org/proper4c.html [4] 

	5 Tasmin Rutter, Op. Cit.

Links:
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[1]
http://ssje.us4.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=344ed142b391b2b520df4080c&id=39d0d3a406&e=d3bff814a3
[2]
http://ssje.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=344ed142b391b2b520df4080c&id=81fd86e45f&e=d3bff814a3
[3]
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiFldGz9vXMAhVL92MKHaaTAv0QFggcMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fuk%2F2013%2Fmar%2F18%2Faberdeen-muslims-christians-share-church&usg=AFQjCNE-eSKSEETVZCLzuPgga5-sR_uhNQ&bvm=bv.122676328,d.cGc
[4] http://www.edgeofenclosure.org/proper4c.html

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