Feb. 10, 1990

On February 10, 1990, Nelson Mandela was released after twenty-seven years in a South African prison. He had been sentenced to life imprisonment for plotting to overthrow his government as part of the African National Congress (AFM), which stood in opposition to the ruling National Party’s apartheid policies. While imprisoned he became one of the most influential black leaders of South Africa. After the apartheid policy was defeated through nonviolent struggle, Mandela became South Africa’s first black president.

Lord, not many of us could sustain hope in the midst of such horrors as Apartheid South Africa. Thank you for the witness of -people like Nelson Mandela, who remind us that hope is a lifeline for those who hang by the threads of injustice. As long as there are -people held in captivity, oppressed, and denied basic human rights, help us all to consider ourselves to be hanging by the same frail threads. Amen.

- Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals

I’m to young to remember all the events of the apartheid, and I never learned about it in history class {insert conspiracy theory here}, but some recent documentaries on PBS and this morning’s prayer have given me some curiosity to dive deeper.

Shiloh – Paying Tribute to the Ruler from Judah

Although there have been many things I’ve learned over the past year and a half of reading the weekly Torah portions, one of the coolest has been the following…

Every week I’ve been able to learn how to step back and view the week’s portion as a window, through which I can begin to see the story of God and His people Israel playing out. This helps take a somewhat small portion of scripture and turn it into a sandbox to play in and experience the grandeur of the story of scripture.

Here’s a little bit of that from this week’s portion in Genesis 49, where Jacob is blessing his sons. Let’s focus on Judah’s blessing. (49.10)

10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him;
and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

There is an interesting word in the hebrew that only occurs here in the text. The word is ‘shiloh’ and it derrives from the hebrew shai (tribute) and loh (him). Rabbis have played with this word and related it to shalom, making this statement also mean ‘until the time of peace comes.’ Rashi specifically has turned this into a statement about the messianic era, when peace will reign and all will worship a ruler from the people of Judah.

A few thousand years later, we have someone born from the people of Judah.

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king.
- Matt. 1

Matthew links Jesus’ geneology to the tribe of Judah. Here we have the peacemaking ruler from the tribe of Judah.

Seeing these threads weave through out scripture excite my soul very much.

As followers of the Master, may we participate in the blessing of Judah and continue to be peacemakers, obeying His commands, bringing shalom with us everywhere we go.

Have a blessed day!

To Love Someone

To love someone is not first of all to do things for them, but to reveal to them their beauty and value, to say to them through our attitude: ‘You are beautiful. You are important. I trust you. You can trust yourself.’ We all know well that we can do things for others and in the process crush them, making them feel that they are incapable of doing things by themselves. To love someone is to reveal to them their capacites for life, the light that is shining in them.

~ Jean Vanier founder of L’Arche communities

Acts 3 – The Lame Beggar Healed – Questions

Every Wednesday, I get the privilege to sit with some friends and discuss a portion of text for that week. This week we’re going to be looking at Acts 3. Our time usually consist of us sharing questions about the text with each other. I thought, why not post some that I had about the beginning of Acts 3, where Peter and John heal the lame beggar. Here’s the text:

[3:1] Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. [2] And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. [3] Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. [4] And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” [5] And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. [6] But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” [7] And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. [8] And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. [9] And all the people saw him walking and praising God, [10] and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Here are some questions and thoughts I have…

• Peter and John were going to the temple. The more I read the new testament, the more confused I get on how today we think the early church had nothing to do with that…
• Why is this the first healing that was written about in detail? (The end of Acts 2 mentions the apostles doing many signs, so this wasn’t the first?)
• Is the author trying to draw connections to any of Jesus’s healings?
• Why was it so important to look at the apostles?
• Why is it called the Beautiful Gate?

Hopefully tomorrow I’ll get to share these questions, and I’ll write a follow up post about our discussion on them.

Shalom!

Slavery of Death

[H]e who fears death is a slave and subjects himself to everything in order to avoid dying…[But] he who does not fear death is outside the tyranny of the devil. For indeed ‘man would give skin for skin, and all things for [the sake of] his life,’ [Job 2.4] and if a man should decide to disregard this, whose slave is he then? He fears no one, is in terror of no one, is higher than everyone, and is freer than everyone. For he who disregards his own life disregards more so all other things. And when the devil finds such a soul, he can accomplish in it none of his works. Tell me, though, what can he threaten? The loss of money or honor? Or exile from one’s country? For these are small things to him ‘who counteth not even his life dear,’ says blessed Paul [Acts 20.24].

Do you see that in casting out the tyranny of death, He has dissolved the strength of the devil?

- St. John Chrysotom

Divine Disinterestedness

“Divine disinterestedness is joined by divine compassion for those in society who are most vulnerable to exploitation—the widow and the orphan and the resident alien.”

- Robert Alter on Deut. 10:19

The Acacia Tree

Again, I’m amazed with what a little bit of historical study and understanding of context does…

Please share this with someone today!