Proper Twenty-three 10/15/23
The Still Point
A Time of Meditation and Reflection
The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
Proper Twenty-three
... 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
O God, you show your glory throughout your Creation, calling it very good: Grant us the fullness of your blessing, that we, stewarding your garden, may become partakers in your joy; through Jesus Christ the Wisdom of Creation, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.
The Gospel Matthew 22:1-14
Once more Jesus spoke to the people in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’ But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Poem: “Love III” by George Herbert
Love bade me welcome; yet my soul drew back,
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning
If I lack’d anything.
‘A guest,’ I answer’d, ‘worthy to be here:’
Love said, ‘You shall be he.’
‘I, the unkind, ungrateful? Ah, my dear,
I cannot look on Thee.’
Love took my hand and smiling did reply,
‘Who made the eyes but I?’
‘Truth, Lord; but I have marr’d them: let my shame
Go where it doth deserve.’
‘And know you not,’ says Love, ‘Who bore the blame?’
‘My dear, then I will serve.’
‘You must sit down,’ says Love, ‘and taste my meat.’
So I did sit and eat.
Meditation
Sometimes (perhaps often!) the parables of Jesus are puzzling and difficult to penetrate. It seems that we must live with certain parables for a while, or perhaps to put them aside to take up again later. Insights into them can be elusive but may emerge over time. The parable in this week's gospel is one of those!
One entry point to the parable is the proposition that God's invitation is for everyone, not just those who consider themselves righteous. The father planning his son's wedding has decided to invite everyone to the banquet; no one is excluded. But the story takes a startling turn when a single guest is thrown out and punished for not wearing a wedding robe. Some commentators suggest this part of the story connects with the "robe of righteousness" in Isaiah 61:10: "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." Seen through this lens, the exhortation to followers of Jesus (those who have accepted his invitation) is to clothe themselves with garments of love.
The poem, in its intimate dialogue between an individual believer and Love, can be seen as either in harmony or in counterpoint with the gospel reading! But the theme is certainly consonant with the ideas that God's invitation is for all people.. and for always. In the poem the speaker is invited to sit and dine with Love. He considers himself unworthy of such an invitation and repeatedly declines. But Love is both patient and persistent in the invitation. And finally the speaker responds, "My dear, then I will serve."
Questions for Reflection
What words or phrases in the gospel or poem resonate with you?
The metaphor of a wedding banquet is often used to describe God's realm. Do you find it an apt and powerful one? What aspects of a wedding celebration do you think particularly speak to our faith and to God's love?
The poem has been set to music by various composers, the most famous being by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Here is another setting by David Hurd, formerly Professor of Sacred Music at General Theological Seminary. This short a-capella anthem, performed here in a visually and acoustically beautiful setting, may provide an even deeper experience of George Herbert's timeless poem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNfXGWulwpQ&t=168s
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
