Seine Net: A Reflection On the 5th Sunday After the Epiphany

Seine Net is the same reflection series I have been doing on Sundays, just a new name.

I wanted something a little more nautical oriented that also captured (get the pun?) the sense of my grabbing random bits of information to think about. Just as a seine net pulls up all sorts of things, some unexpected, so I think of this reflection post.

If you would like to see a page with the previous reflections you can follow this link.

The Lectionary Readings for today

Scripture Lessons for this Week: 5th Sunday after the Epiphany:

Isaiah 40:21-31; Psalm 147:1-11, 20c; 1 Corinthians 9:16-23; Mark 1:21-28

Reflections on A Scriptural Theme

The Role of Women

I want to make a statement that it is not an expectation that the women are to wait upon the men. This is a different cultural time and place than many of us are used to that is portrayed in the scriptures. So, let us reflect a little deeper at what is happening.

As it is the Sabbath, any good matriarch would have been sure that all the preparations are done ahead of the Sabbath.

Where are the other women? While it is the matriarch’s honor to be sure everything is prepared, the other women of the house are surely capable of taking care of things.

Notice how Andrew and Simon’s mother breaks the Sabbath law to care for her guests.

By the way, hospitality can be a big deal in the United States. I remember as a child being sent to dust table legs under the dinning room table before guests arrived. However, hospitality is on a completely higher level in other parts of the world, especially the Holy Land of this era.

Jesus the Patron Healer?

The Gospel of Mark presents Jesus as being a healer (of both physical and demonic diseases). As a healer, large crowds are gathering. Jesus could well become a healing patron.

John Dominic Crossan points out that there would be advantages to the larger community if this were to happen. Jesus’ name would spread, bringing prestige and honor to not only himself, but to this household and town. People from around the Galilee would travel to this healer (Jesus), and be healed. They would reward Jesus and (there by benefiting) those throughout the town.

The patron-client relationship was quite normal throughout the Roman/Greek world of the period.

Jesus chooses to not do this. Rather Jesus chooses an itinerant lifestyle of preaching and healing instead. His life-style then becomes a critique of the patron-client status quo.

Jesus the Artisan, a Healer!

Jesus isn’t the only famous person who is a healer. Tiberius was also known as a healer.

But here is an important distinction: Tiberius rises to become the ruler of all the known world (a Roman Emperor). Jesus is not even a peasant. A Peasant owns and works the land (often giving the majority of the work/proceeds to an over-lord).

One could lose land through debt. One could also move into landlessness via birth (being the second, third, etc. son who doesn’t inherit any land). When this happens, one moved down to a lower class in the cast-system, becoming an artisan.

As Joseph was seen as a carpenter/builder, Jesus’ family position would be that of an artisan by class.

That an artisan is a healer, just like the Emperor and Roman god, is the shocking part. The Gospels are making a political statement.

A Look at Verse 35

While it is still dark (and no one is awake) Jesus goes out to a quiet deserted place to pray.

Where does our action come from? Does it come from a deep experience of contemplation and prayer? How do we discern when making decisions?

Jesus is about to do something counter-cultural (starting an itinerate ministry rather than the expected patron-client relationship). Prayer is what centers his ministry. How does prayer center our work?

A Quick Reflection on the Mystics Summit

God is a great underground river that no one can dam up and no one can stop. ~ Meister Eckhart

I’ve been reflecting upon this quote this week. I ran across it again when picking up one of Matthew Fox’s books.

It is part of what’s behind this week’s illustration. You can follow along my Instagram feed if you’d like.

If I remember correctly, Eckhart makes a reference to us being wells down into this “great underground river.” With what do we bring up water to nurture the world? A container of some sort, right? And I think most of us start with what is at hand, hence the randomness of the subject matter.

Tradition can help, and it can hinder us. That is the paradox of tradition. Yet, in its way, tradition often gives us tools to help us bring up this water of life. A good tradition even helps us learn how much water our communities’ fruit trees need to bear fruit, as gifts for all creation: the birds of the air, the insects, the four and two footed creatures (ourselves included), even the finned ones.

We pray our traditions may be places of blessings. May it be so. May it be so.

Reflections for Black History Month

Black History is United States History, Rachel Cargle reminds us. She has been posting to her Instagram feed places for the rest of us to go and learn (even unlearn) things about the United States history.

For most of us, the research is right at our fingertips via a computer, tablet, or smart phone. Here is the list of things to look up for this week:

Middle Passage Ceremonies and Port Markers Project,

Igbo Landing,

The Emancipation Compensation Act and the ways that even with the “abolishment of slavery” white privilege prevailed,

Black cowboys,

Black Wall Street,

Chitlin Circuit.

(That’s the first six days. You can follow along with the #DiscoverOurGlory2021.)

Give her a follow and learn along with us: Rachel Elizabeth Cargle

Give This Podcast a Listen

Brené Brown interviews Drs. John and Julie Gottman on What Makes Love Last.

The Gottmans have been doing research on health marriages (of all kinds) for decades. What they have found is helpful for all couples. This is a great podcast. Lots of laughter and lots of really solid information for reflection. (The podcast is new, but a transcript will be coming shortly on the websites show notes.)

Brené Brown’s website is here, you can listen to her podcasts for free on spotify.

The Gottman’s website is here where you can find all sorts of helpful information and even links to follow their Institute on various social media.

A Spiritual Practice

This spiritual practice involves walking. Walking? you say. Walking. And here’s a link to a great little article in the Harvard Business Review (“Don’t Underestimate the Power of a Walk”), to go along with my topic.

If you spend time in meditation and already have a phrase that helps bring you back after your mind wanders, then you can use that one. If you do not yet have a phrase, here is your chance to pick one. You want to pick something that resonates with you.

Maybe it is a recitation of the names of God. Perhaps the word “love.” Perhaps there is a phrase from the Lord’s Prayer/Our Father or the Doxology that resonates.

This weeks Spiritual Practice is to take a walk using this meditative phrase/word. See if you can get it to bring a meditative state to your walk. Use the phrase as a “background” prayer of the heart on your walk. See what happens.

Blessed be

Currently I’ve still been reading Philip Jenkins’. The Lost History of Christianity, the Thousand-Year Golden Age of the Church in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia – and How It Died.

_____/)_____ _____/)_____ _____/)_____

Most of the links in this post are to other pages.

By all means support your local stores. The book links in this post are affiliate links for your convenience. If you were to purchase something by following the links we would get a small commission at no extra expense to you. Thank you for the support.