Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Progressive Christian
The Adventurous Lectionary – Pentecost 19 – September 29

The Adventurous Lectionary – Pentecost 19 – September 29

Last updated on: September 22, 2024 at 5:27 pm by Bruce Epperly

0 Comments

The Adventurous Lectionary – Pentecost 19 – September 29 2024-09-22T17:27:50-04:00 Bruce Epperly

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost – September 29, 2024

Esther 7:1-6, 9-10: 9:20-22
Psalm 124
James 5:13-20
Mark 9:38-50

This week’s lectionary readings are ambiguous. While the New Testament readings focus on healing, the Hebraic scriptures speak of God’s protection of the Jewish people at home and abroad. This latter issue is challenging in light of the expanding conflict between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah. On the one hand, we cannot preach about Israeli exceptionalism, nor can we demonize Israel’s right to self-defense, even if Israel’s response has been as I believe, disproportional. At the end of the day, we need to see all sides as God’s children and pray and work for just peace for all. Moreover, we must affirm the Jewish roots of our faith and the First Testament as Israels and our holy book

Despite the challenges involving Israel and its neighbors, we can still focus on healing, both personal and political. God heals in many ways and through diverse people. There is no one healing path or modality, nor does any particular religious or medical tradition have a monopoly on divine healing. God heals through prayer, but also Prozac, as my friend Dale Matthews says; through medication and meditation; and through chanting and chemotherapy and also through political transformation. Wherever healing and truth are present, God is the source, regardless of whether God’s or Jesus’ name is mentioned. This is the practical implication of Jesus’ affirmation, “I have come that they might have abundant life.” (John 10:10) How might the healings of persons relate to the healing of institutions, nations, and nations at war?

By focusing on healing this week, I will give brief direct attention to the Book of Esther. To do Esther justice, it needs to be the primary passage of the day, along with some other passages from Esther, and the preacher needs to tell the story of Esther, her sense of vocation, and God’s care for the Jewish people at just such a time as this. Today’s reading speaks of healing through holiday and festival, in this case, the celebration of Purim. It is a remarkable story; one that I review in my text, “Ruth and Esther: Women of Agency and Adventure.” Esther reminds us that even unlikely people may be called to acts of healing and liberation for just such a time as this.

Yet, the deliverance of the Jewish people occurs through violence, the destruction of their oppressors. Healing through violence is always dangerous and can move from self-defense to retribution and destruction of one’s enemies as we see in the religious dimensions of the conflict between Israel and its neighbors.

Psalm 124 speaks of Israel’s utter dependence on God. “Our help is in God.” If God had not been our side in times of trial, we would have been vanquished. The Psalm, besides being a recitation of Israel’s understanding of God’s providential care, invites us to ponder those moments when God has delivered us from calamity. Yet, we need to struggle with the repeated phrase, “God who was on our side.” This leads to national evolution, and the devaluation of other peoples. We need to challenge such nationalism, in the spirit of Lincoln’s comment, “I do not pray for God to be on our side but we be on God’s side.”

The reading from James focuses on the life-transforming power of prayer. James counsels us to pray about everything and in every season of life. Every state of mind or mood is a call to prayer. In sickness and in health, pray. When you feel shame and guilt, pray. When you are happy, give thanks. When you are depressed, ask for healing. Indeed, the totality of our lives should be prayerful. James also introduces the role of anointing in the healing process. Laying on of hands and anointing with oil create a healing field of force that opens us to a great inflow of divine energy. Liturgical prayer can transform our lives and relationships.

With Paul, the author of James counsels us to pray without ceasing. Prayer should be as natural as breathing and should accompany every action. Nothing is off limits for prayer, and the prayer of the righteous can transform cells as well as souls.

Are we committed to healing and life-transforming prayer in our churches? Do we think prayer makes a difference and can really alter our physical and emotional condition? What are the practices of prayer in your congregation? And to pastors, what are your beliefs about prayer? Do you believe that prayer makes a difference? Can our prayers change weather patterns, as James suggests? Certainly, James’ idea of prayer can be identified with the butterfly effect; the impact of small actions – like the flapping of a butterfly’s wings on weather patterns across the nation. Is it possible that our prayers create a positive field of force that can transform physical and political events? We must continue with prayer even if our prayers do not guarantee the outcomes we desire. Prayer changes us, connecting with God, even if our prayers are apparently not answered.

James reminds us not to judge the sinners in our midst. Our calling is to embrace the lost and broken, to encourage them to confess their sins, and then get right with God as part of their – and our own – healing process. In the spirit of Jewish mysticism, James affirms that when you save a soul, you save the world; when you bring a soul back to God, you are sharing in God’s Shalom vision. (For more on the Letter of James, see Bruce Epperly, “Holistic Spirituality: Life-transforming Wisdom from the Letter of James.”)

In today’s pluralistic age, the words of Mark 9:38-41 remind us to expand the circle of healing and inspiration beyond our own communities. The disciples are quite pleased with themselves for preserving the purity and orthodoxy of the Jesus’ movement, by silencing the healing ministry of an outsider. They are surprised when Jesus rebukes them for their narrowmindedness and limited understanding of Jesus’ healing mission. Jesus is not parochial in perspective; nor does he exclude other healers, including non-Christian healers and healing practices. Jesus’ words open us to using with integrity healing practices such as Reiki healing touch, Qigong, indigenous approaches to healing. Anyone who promotes abundant life is on God’s side, regardless of her or his pedigree. Divine healing is found outside the church; grace is present in all sorts of disguises. God wants us all to have abundant life, and God’s aim at healing and abundance is universal.

In light of today’s scriptures, we can affirm God’s healing touch in Christian worship and laying on of hands and also in Western medicine. We can also explore healing in traditional Chinese medicine, Reiki healing touch, yoga and Qigong, and meditative and stress reduction techniques. God’s quest for abundant life takes many forms and we need to explore a variety of healing practices before critiquing them. Moreover, we need to provide guidance for Christians who are interested in complementary medical practices. Other healers and healing techniques, along with spiritual practices from other traditions, can deepen our Christian faith when they are interpreted in the context of Jesus’ healing ministry and the tradition of Christian spiritual formation. We must do our homework to avoid superficial syncretism – as well as superficial and theologically-parochial critiques of non-Christian healing practices – and to open ourselves to healing in its many dimensions as a reflection of divine care. Still, we must affirm that wherever truth and healing are found, God is its source.

We need healing individually, corporately, nationally, and as a planet. Healing cannot occur through exceptionalism and violence. The healing we need and the healing warring nations need calls us beyond self-interest and national exceptionalism to work for wholeness and peace in every aspect of our lives and the peace we channel to the world may become a catalyst for international healing. The world is healed one prayer and moment at a time.

(For more on healing, see Bruce Eppe”rly, “The Energy of Love: Reiki and Christian Healing”; “Reiki :Healing Touch and the Way of Jesus”; Healing Marks: Spirituality and Healing in Mark’s Gospel”, and “God’s Touch: Faith, Wholeness, and the Healing Miracles of Jesus.”)

+++

Bruce Epperly is a pastor, professor, and author of over 80 books, including “Homegrown Mystics: Restoring the Soul of Our Nation through the Healing Vision of America’s Spiritual Visionaries,” “The God of Tomorrow: Whitehead and Plato on Metaphysics, Mysticism, and Mission,” and the trilogy, “Process Theology and Mysticism,” “Process Theology and Healing,” and “Process Theology and Prophetic Faith.”

Uncategorized

healing and spirituality

Israel

religion and politics

Previous Post

September 15, 2024

Adventurous Lectionary - Pentecost 18 - September 22, 2024

Next Post

September 29, 2024 The Adventurous Lectionary - Pentecost 20 - October 6, 2024

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"https://www.antalyaescortsi... siz siz olun gelin"

antalyaescortsizin.com

Caesar or Jesus: A Palm Sunday ..."

"https://www.antalyaescortsi... harikalar diyarı"

antalyaescortsizin.com

Palm Sunday’s Tragic Beauty – March ..."

"Power of love is far more beautiful and effective than the love of power. "The ..."

Dr.Cajetan Coelho

Palm Sunday’s Tragic Beauty – March ..."

"Ash Wednesday, 2026The 40 Days and Three Tests of Jesus in the DesertThe joy these ..."

Joris Heise

The First Sunday in Lent – ..."

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Book Reviews The Adventurous Lectionary Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 December 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz