There are some interesting Bible readings as usual for this Sunday, the first Sunday after Trinity, when we celebrate our God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They are interesting because they feature Jesus near the start of his ministry and Paul writing years after Jesus's death and resurrection. Yet they reflect the same principles of faith, courage and love of others.
In the reading from Mark's Gospel, Jesus is speaking to a crowd when his mother and family arrive at the door, convinced that he has gone mad because of what he is saying about God. They want to take him away and make him shut up. We should remember that these are the same mother and family who will later follow him in his ministry, be with him at the crucifixion and later be prominent people among the apostles. They were like so many others when they first encountered Jesus.....they just didn't get it, but they did as they stayed with him. That should give you and me 'pause for thought', as they say.
Jesus that day answers the question of personal loyalty to relatives by saying that all who listen and do the will of God are his relatives. He is telling us that the Good News of God's love and forgiveness extends to each one of us, everyone, including you.
Paul writes to the believers in Corinth, a massive city and seaport, a mixing point in the Roman Empire (that's Corinth in the photo, just four miles from Athens). He is writing to a small number of people in a city that can be guaranteed to be like all such places, full of temptation to enjoy the good material things in life and to take shortcuts to get them. In other words, he is writing to you and me.
Paul makes the point that the material world passes away, that we all age and eventually can't enjoy the pleasures of that material world either as much or even at all. He contrasts that with the new life that is given to believers, a rich life of feeling good because they know that God loves them, forgives them, welcomes them into his kingdom right now and will give them life with him forever. They are able to mix with fellow believers; these people are and will be from totally different backgrounds and places in human society; they include the rich and the poor, the slave-owner and the slave, the Jew and the gentile, the black, the white, the everything. Yet in the upside-down society of the kingdom of God, they are all equally treated by God, who expects them to behave in the same way to one another.
Paul ends by comparing the earthly world to living in a tent, eventually destroyed, whereas the believers have a building made by God that will last forever. Paul's trade was a tent-maker so he knew what he was talking about!
In this week's Newsletter, we have two reflections that hit these same points. David Porter writes on the challenges of deciding to stand up and make changes, improving your and other people's lives by taking a chance, by acting to build a better future. Doreen Johnson writes on the attractions and downsides of hiding, in this case from God. People who hide can attract a lot of attention from those who care for them, whether they become a recluse in their own home, leave and do not return, telling no one where they are or even become locked in their own head, through injury or mental health problems. Doreen reflects on what this means when we hide from the one who loves us most, who will always love us no matter what and who loved us, according to the psalmist, from before we began to be formed in our mother's womb.
When our two writers in the Newsletter concern themselves with exactly the same issues that are brought out in our Bible readings, you and I might indeed pause for thought, re-read those words, think about how Mary and her family didn't get it to begin with, and maybe give ourselves some time, not hiding from God, but just sitting quietly. Who knows, perhaps the Holy Spirit might help us understand better. Amen.