Sunday, May 4, 2014

Sunday, May 4, 2014

1 John 2:7-17

I’m struck by the down to earth counsel in verses 9-11, reminiscent of Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:  

So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. (5:23-24, NRSV)

The advice about reconciliation sticks out from the somewhat arcane language of ‘darkness and light,’ ‘the evil one,’ ‘desires of the flesh,’ and such. This helps to remind me that while our faith includes mystical elements, so much of what we are ‘about’ concerns relationships, community life, forgiveness, caring for others. With social relations in mind, take a look at the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5) and the Beatitudes (Matthew 5; Luke 6), and you’ll see that there is much there. 

Father Paul Gibson, one of the architects of our Book of Alternative Services, writes that the Peace that we share in the course of our Sunday liturgy is a “precondition” for sharing in the Eucharist. “Only those who accept one another may approach the table of fellowship” (Make Preparation, Toronto: ABC Publishing, 2009). The Peace and Eucharist are so closely related, that you can’t accept one and ignore the other. The Eucharist isn’t just about magic words, it’s about living ‘in the light,’ moving beyond our isolated existences into communion with God and one another. (Or into communion with God through one another? Communion with one another through God?)

Congregations can be particularly susceptible to social disruptions for a number of reasons. This is bound to happen in any community made up of real, flawed people. Hopefully in stressful times we can remember the advice found in passages such as today’s, mindful that many of our holy scriptures pertain to the seeming mundane issues  of living constructively in community with one another.

- Matthew Kieswetter