RCL Proper
20B
19 August
2012
Saint Faith's
Anglican Church
Vancouver BC
Propers: Proverbs 9.1-6; Psalm 34.9-14; Ephesians 5.15-20;
John 6.51-58
As
I look back on my two and a half decades of teaching at Vancouver School of
Theology, I realize that I belong to a select club. I am the only professor of liturgical studies
whom I know who has supervised two graduate students whose research involved
the connections between Christian worship and cannibalism. If you know of any others, please let me
know. I am sure that we can start our
own academic society!
One
thesis was on the recovery of aboriginal styles of music among the indigenous
people of Taiwan. The graduate student,
Hayu Yudaw Chang, who now teaches in the Presbyterian church in Taiwan, looked
at traditional songs associated with raids that usually led to the execution of
captives and ritual cannibalism. These
style of song was banned by the early missionaries but maintained a strong
following among the people. He examined whether the style of music could be rehabilitated and suggested that it could.
The
other thesis was written by the present Archbishop of Melanesia, David
Vunagi. His question was this: Why was the 'high-church' Anglican tradition
accepted by the people of Solomon Islands rather than the 'low-church'
tradition? Among the reasons he
identified was the tradition of ritual cannibalism that existed on many of the
islands. 'High-church' missionaries
spoke of eating the body and blood of Christ and sometimes used rather
realistic imagery to teach about the eucharist.
This language connected with cultural patterns.
In
today's readings we are confronted with the challenge of following the way of
wisdom. For the writer of the gospel
according to John, the way of wisdom involves an intimate relationship with
Jesus, a relationship that results in a union of Christ with the believer. The language the evangelist uses is graphic
and it is little wonder that there are some early followers of Jesus and some
of the Jewish opposition who cannot accept this idea as expressed by John. The law of Moses forbade eating meat that still
had blood in it and contact with blood rendered a person unfit for
participation in Jewish rituals until he or she underwent a period of
purification.
But
the evangelist is using language which the communities represented by my two
graduate students would recognize. They
would appreciate the idea that intimacy and union require some kind of physical
communion with the person whose qualities were attractive. This meant either sexual relations or, in the
case of some Taiwanese and Melanesian communities, ritual cannibalism. But lest we think this language is limited to
distant aboriginal communities, let us remind of ourselves of some of our
language, such as, "I love you so much, I could just eat you up!"
Now,
be assured that I am not advocating the introduction of ritual cannibalism to
contemporary Christian practice. What I
am trying to illustrate is the deep-seated desire of every human being to have
a relationship with another person, with a community or with that mystery we
call God that involves our whole being:
soul, mind, heart and strength.
We long for a wholeness of self that unites us with one another, with
God and, dare I say, with the sometimes confusing and competing elements of our
selves.
What
we are seeking is expressed in today's reading from Proverbs and reiterated in
the Psalm. In Proverbs there is an
extended reflection on wisdom, not as an idea but as a person. Wisdom is accessible to those who "[lay]
aside immaturity, and live, and walk in the way of insight" (Proverbs 9.6
in the New Revised Standard Version).
But Wisdom is not simply gained; one must actively seek it, and so the
writer of Psalm 34 invites us by saying, "[come], my people, I will teach
you how to reverence the Holy One" (Psalm 34.11 in Songs for the Holy One).
What Jesus offers to his listeners in today's gospel is difficult and it
is no wonder that some turn aside from this path.
Wisdom
is not found by reading the Scriptures but by exploring with others what these
words, written to an audience separated from us by time and culture, mean to us
in our time and in our own context.
Wisdom is not found by reciting creeds but by 'loving the questions'
these ancient seek to engage:
- Who is God?
- What is the relationship between this God and Jesus of Nazareth?
- Does God continue to work in time and space?
Wisdom is not found by disparaging the
insights of other faiths and cultures nor by ignoring the insights gained by
contemporary social and scientific research but by entering into a conversation
with these other faiths and cultures and by considering how contemporary social
and scientific research helps us understand ourselves and our universe.
Wisdom,
you see, is not a collection of proverbs or a particular code of behaviour;
wisdom is a way of living. It is a path
towards understanding who we are and what God expects of us as we travel
towards our final purpose. As Christians
we believe that this final purpose is the kingdom of God, the restoration of
relationships between God and humanity, between each and every human being and
between the whole of creation.
Because
wisdom is not a thing but a way, you and I have to learn what to bring along as
we journey together. We bring the
Scriptures, a corporate witness to the God who is the source of wisdom. We bring our reason, that wonderful common
sense that comes from experience, a faculty that always asks questions. We bring our traditions such as the
sacraments, daily prayer and study that help give some coherence to our
journey.
Most
importantly, we travel together. The way
of wisdom is best travelled in the company of fellow seekers. When we travel together, we benefit from the
insights that even the most unexpected pilgrim can bring to the journey. No one has all the gifts necessary for this
journey; we need each other, male and female, rich and poor, young and old,
sometimes wise and often foolish.
The
way of wisdom leads us to action. While
contemplation is a necessary part of the religious life and thoughtful
reflection on matters indispensable, wisdom eventually calls us to act. In Luke's gospel Jesus responds to a
challenge to his ministry of reaching out to the disenfranchised, those whom
the conventionally religious thought lost for ever, by reminding his critics
that "[wisdom] is vindicated by all her children" (Luke 7.35). Wisdom may call us to act in ways that some
think foolish or unconventional, such as putting a playground in our front yard
or establishing a centre to support newcomers to Canada and the poor, but act
we must.
My
friends, we are all on this journey together because we seek to be one with God
and with God's purposes for us and for all God's children. We listen to the words of Scripture so that
God's words might become our words. We
offer our prayers for ourselves and others so that God will empower us to be
the answer to what we ask. We share in
this bread and wine, symbols of the life of Christ, so that the life of God
present in Christ might become present in us.
The way of wisdom is "a way of life that all should reverence, and
none should lightly undertake" (The
Book of Alternative Services, 542), but a way of life in which "(we)
give (ourselves to each other and to God) in love, (so that we) shall grow
together and be united in that love, as Christ is united with (the)
Church" (The Book of Alternative
Services, 541).
Come,
my friends, let us lay aside immaturity and live and walk in the way of
insight. Amen.
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