Proper Twelve 07/30/23
The Still Point
A Time of Meditation and Reflection
Ninth Sunday after Pentecost:
Proper Twelve
... At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance, and there is only the dance...
T.S. Eliot, Burnt Norton
Peace on each one who comes in need;
Peace on each one who comes in joy.
Peace on each one who offers prayers;
Peace on each one who offers song.
Peace of the Maker, Peace of the Son,
Peace of the Spirit, the Triune One.
Opening Prayer
Loving creator of all, watch over us…and keep us in the light of your presence. May our praise continually blend with the song of all creation, until we come to those eternal joys which you promise in your love through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
The Gospel Matthew 13:31-33,44-52
Jesus put before the crowds another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
Poem: “The Bright Field” by R. S. Thomas
I have seen the sun break through
to illuminate a small field
for a while, and gone my way
and forgotten it. But that was the
pearl of great price, the one field that had
the treasure in it. I realise now
that I must give all that I have
to possess it. Life is not hurrying on to a receding future,
nor hankering after an imagined past.
It is the turning aside like Moses to the miracle
of the lit bush, to a brightness that seemed as transitory as your youth
once, but is the eternity that awaits you.
Meditation
The "kingdom of heaven" is something that may often seem too large and unreal to think about. It seems so different from our everyday experience. Yet Jesus often used concrete words and images from everyday life to describe it, inviting his followers to envision and live it. His parables continue to help us imagine the kingdom of heaven we pray and long for today. In this week's gospel, the kingdom of heaven is compared to:
A mustard seed...
Yeast to mix with flour to make bread...
A treasure hidden in a field..
A merchant who finds a pearl of great value...
A net cast in the sea for fishing...
Sacred poetry, too, can help us imagine the kingdom by conveying personal experiences of the holy. Making reference to the hidden treasure and pearl of great value, the poem for today vividly recounts an epiphany regarding a brightly lit field the poet had often walked by. Thomas (1913-2000) was a Welsh poet and Anglican priest. In a centenary tribute to the poet, Archbishop Barry Morgan suggested that Thomas "continues to articulate through his poetry questions that are inscribed on the heart of most Christian pilgrims in their search for meaning and truth. We search for God and feel Him near at hand, only then to blink and find Him gone. This poetry persuades us that we are not alone in this experience of faith – the poet has been there before us."
Questions for Reflection
1. Which of the similes for the kingdom of heaven in this week's gospel resonate most for you at this time?
2. Which one(s) may be most resonant for our St. Andrew's community in this time of transition?
3. Have you had an experience similar to the epiphany recounted in the poem?
Prayers
We bring before God someone whom we have met or remembered today
We bring to God someone who is hurting tonight and needs our prayer
We bring to God a troubled situation in our world
We bring to God, silently, someone whom we find hard to forgive or trust
We bring ourselves to God that we might grow in generosity of spirit, clarity of mind, and warmth of affection
We offer our thanks to God for the blessings in our lives
We name before God those who have died.
Gracious God, you hear all our prayers: those we speak aloud, those we hold in our hearts, and those prayers for which we have no words. Hear the prayers of your people, and grant them as may be best for us, for the sake of your holy name. Amen.
Accept our thanks for all you have done, O God. Our hands were empty, and you filled them.
May Christ’s holy, healing, enabling Spirit be with us every step of the way, and be our guide as our road changes and turns, and the blessing of God our Creator, Redeemer and Giver of life be among us now and remain with us forever. Amen.
Reflections this month offered by: Frank Nowell
