Sunday Homily, March 4, 2018, 3rd Lent, B cycle
Note: Because of popular demand and because I am still congested, no spin class for me at the J Monday morning. John
Hi, Dearest Emma, Welcome in.
Readings:
Exodus 20, 1-17, Yahweh gives the 10 Commandments to Moses
Psalm 19, Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
1 Corinthians 1, 22-25, God is stronger
John 2, 13-25, Jesus cleans out the temple.
Tori & Zoe at work lighting our candles.
Exodus: 2nd book of the Bible & of the Torah, the first 5 books of the Bible.
Date of Composition: put together ca 450-400 BCE, though elements come from 1000 BCE at least.
Author(s): Moses, no. At least 3 sources, maybe 4, e.g., the Yahweh (J) source, the Elohim (E) source, the Priestly (P) source, and even the Deuteronomy Source.
While Zoe & Tori light the candles, Georgie reads the Candle Blessing.
Subject: The 10 Commandments–observations:
- Academics see 3 maybe 4 versions of the 10 commandments, Exodus 34 (the oldest), Exodus 20 (our selection), Deuteronomy 5 (the last)
- The versions come from the sources composing at different times, for example these 4
- The Yahweh Source, 10th Century BCE, therefore, Exodus 34
- The Elohim Source, 9th Century BCE, therefore Exodus 20
- The Deuteronomy Source, 7th Century BCE, therefore Deuteronomy 5
- The Priestly Source, edited all the sources in 6th Century BCE (450-400 BCE, at the end of the Babylonian Captivity). The 7 Day Creation Story comes from this source at this time.
Source: Bishop (Episcopal) John Shelby Spong (Excellent Biblical Scholar)
Side Note: it is interesting to realize that the 10 Commandments are not considered the first set of laws. For instance, the famous Code of Hamurabi . Hamurabi was the ruler of Babylon (good old Babylon again) 18-20 centuries even before the Christ event.
Good Morning to the Kerns, Michael, Candy, Ben, and Holly around here somewhere.
The Week's Blessings (3)
Two Sundays before Ash Wednesday we had a first reading from the Book of Job. Job was the man over whom Yahweh and Satan had a little wager.
Job was a prosperous man. So Satan bet that Job would curse Yahweh if Yahweh allowed Satan to send into his life a whole lot of afflictions.
And Good Morning to you, also, Vanessa and Stella.
The line that Job is famous for comes after Job has been flattened. He says to his tormentors, “The Lord gives. The Lord takes away. Blessed be the Lord.”
This has been one of those rare Job weeks in my life. Things started going down Thursday about 2:00. I felt a slight whisper in my chest. I know my physical system well enough to spot when something different is happening.
The Team, Georgie & Buddy.
Rosemary & I had just spent Monday to Thursday with Kay Reddick in the small Ontario town of Lindsay. We were just departing to drive into Toronto to share dinner with Renee, one of the Reddick kids.
When we arrived at Renee’s house, I knew I was coming down with something. It turned out to be Influenza Type B. I struggled with that all the way home and through Saturday & Sunday until I saw my favorite internist Monday. Initially, he thought I had severe chest congestion. Only on a just to be sure did he do an influenza test. In ten minutes my doctor said, “You got it.”
Ladies' Luncheon, Friday.
I felt immediate improvement once I got on Tamaflu. What a gift. But, as far as I was concerned this diagnosis complicated my life. I had hoped to join the Dickinson team. I never made it. “The Lord gives. The Lord takes away. Blessed be the Lord.”
I truly have no significant reason to be anything other than grateful—for my health.
Who let these people out on the streets?
I had a five day menu of Tamaflu and every morning I felt better until Saturday morning I woke up and knew I was healed. I am grateful for my health. I am disappointed I did not get to take part in Dickinson, but I am touched and proud of our community which contributed so much.
What are you grateful for this third Sunday of Lent?
This could be dangerous.