Eastertide
May 27, 2022
Scripture Reading: Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21
‘It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.’
The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’
And let everyone who hears say, ‘Come.’
And let everyone who is thirsty come.
Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.
The one who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen. Revelation 22:16-17, 20-21
The Spirit of God is present with us every moment of every day even when we have turned away from the Spirit, either not recognizing the presence or by choice. We are the bride of Christ called to extend his ministry throughout the world. We may cringe at the language Paul uses in Ephesians 5:22-33 using the roles of the first-century husband and wife to illustrate our relationship with the Spirit of God, but we are, indeed, called to be partners in Christ’s service in whatever way the roles of men and women have evolved or time and changes in culture.
I must confess, having been raised on a farm, where everyone worked and did their part based more on their age and capabilities, I am perplexed at times by the gender role interpretation that grew out of Paul’s writings. My guess is that first-century Christian women had their hands full working as hard as my mom, sister, and I did every day. I am reading the book After Jesus Before Christianity and learned the hierarchy in the roles of women and men has always existed with women usually being deemed less than. All I have to say about that is no man would have ever existed had it not been for a woman. Everyone has the right to become fully the person God created them to be. The world is more productive when the best person for a job fills the job.
I write this because our world invests more time in distractions than in fulfilling our call to usher in the Kingdom of God. We fight over which toilet one can use, who can decide what health care an individual needs, and whether mass shootings could be curbed by placing limitations on what guns can be sold and to whom. We rarely hear about already existing positive ways of addressing all these issues—like making all toilets private for everyone or providing quality accessible, affordable health care for everyone coupled with life education, or recognizing the proof from previous experience that outlawing assault rifles reduced deaths from mass shootings.
Prayer: Lord, help us turn toward the Spirit rather than away from you so that we might serve you more nearly. Amen.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.