I’ve always had a bit of trouble with the story of Noah’s drunkeness (one of the readings in today’s lectionary). The flood’s over. He plants a vinyard. He makes wine. He gets drunk, and passes out naked in his tent. His son, Ham, goes in and sees him naked. This is apparently a terrible crime. He tells his brothers. This is admittedly a bit disrespectful. Noah’s behavior is seemingly praiseworthy (from the point of view of the biblical writer). Ham’s son Canaan is condemned to slavery for his behavior. It just doesn’t seem right. (more…)
January 20, 2010
Noah’s Drunkeness
Posted by johnmangels under Bible | Tags: Bible, by John Mangels, Canaan, Daily Office, Noah |[4] Comments
January 19, 2010
God’s Covenant with “all living flesh”
Posted by johnmangels under Bible | Tags: Bible, by John Mangels, Daily Office, stewardship |[3] Comments
We heard God’s covenant with Noah and all living flesh today in our reading from the Hebrew Scriptures. And at first I was contrasting, as I read about how Noah was given all flesh to eat (excepting the blood, the life, which belongs to God), I was contrasting this in my mind with the garden, where Adam was given all the plants to eat. It was only after the fall that people were no longer vegetarians. Eating meat was not part of God’s original plan for us.
And even here, the blood, the life, belongs to God. Human life blood, if taken, is singled out for special retribution. But all life blood is God’s. It is all talked about together in the same context. And God’s covenant is made with all flesh, Noah and his descendants and all living creaatures.
So, we can eat animals. But their lives always belong to God. They are in this sense sacred. And their welbeing is part of our care as God’s stewards of creation. They are not just for our use (and abuse) as we see fit. They have their own place with us in our covenant with God.
December 16, 2009
Turning from Sin, or Turning to God?
Posted by johnmangels under Looking for God | Tags: Advent, by John Mangels, Daily Office, Scott Cairns, Seeing God, St. Helena Breviary |Leave a Comment
Ok. At this point, I’m pretty clear that I misunderstood what Scott Cairns was saying about sin. (more…)
November 30, 2009
The Office and the Rosary
Posted by johnmangels under Prayer | Tags: Anglican rosary, by John Mangels, Daily Office, Personal, Prayer, St. Helena Breviary |Leave a Comment
I’m guessing it takes me a couple of months for new things to start seeming “normal” to me. At least that seems to be my experience in using the daily office. When I switch my practice, which I’ve done a few times over the years, it seems to take a couple of months of daily use for the new norms to feel normal. (more…)
November 21, 2009
What I’m Doing for Advent
Posted by johnmangels under Advent, Personal | Tags: by John Mangels, Daily Office, Incarnation, spiritual search |[4] Comments
For my Advent discipline this year I’m going to be reading “God With Us” (Rediscovering the Meaning of Christmas), Edited by Greg Pennoyer and Gregory Wolfe. It features daily writing for Advent (and for feasts through Epiphany) by such writers as Scott Cairns, Emilie Griffin, Richard John Neuhaus, Kathleen Norris, Eugene Peterson and Luci Shaw. I’ve already done some browsing.
The major question for me was whether to wait for Advent and live through the season day by day with the book, or to start tomorrow (and maybe be able to use what I’m reading in the week ahead. I’m pretty sure at this point I’m going to start tomorrow, hoping that I can use some of what I’m reading with my congregation in a timely manner. (We’ve already got our second reading for our early service on I Advent set up to use an excerpt from Neuhaus’s piece for that day. I’m hoping it will inform my sermons.
So far, I really like what I’ve seen. I’m looking forward to using this as a daily reading (maybe in conjunction with Morning Prayer). I have to thank my wife, Anne, who found this and bought this for me. There are some wonderful advantages to having a librarian in the family!
As you might gather from the title, it’s geared towards discovering the meaning of the incarnation (Jesus’ birth) in our lives.
October 14, 2009
More Daily Office
Posted by johnmangels under Bible | Tags: Bible, by John Mangels, Daily Office, Sam Portaro, Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky |Leave a Comment
Scattered thoughts on this mornings office … (more…)
October 10, 2009
Psalm 137
Posted by johnmangels under Bible | Tags: Bible, by John Mangels, Daily Office, Psalm 137, spiritual search, The Blues, Wynton Marsalis |Leave a Comment
I read Psalm 137 this morning at Morning Prayer. It is both moving and disturbing. The first third of the psalm, roughly, goes like this:
By the waters of Babylong we sat down and wept *
when we remembered you, O Zion. (more…)
October 6, 2009
Daily Office Readings
Posted by johnmangels under Bible | Tags: Bible, by John Mangels, Daily Office |Leave a Comment
Well, the daily office always gives me things to ponder in my life. Yesterday, we heard about king Manasseh of Israel in the 21st chapter of II Kings. He ruled from age 12 (I believe the year before he would have reached his majority – but maybe that’s a later tradition). I wonder if his mother, or others, set the tone for his rule. In any case, he ruled until he was 67 – quite a respectable age in those days. (more…)
September 22, 2009
Who and How Do We Help?
Posted by johnmangels under Bible, Looking for God | Tags: Bible, by John Mangels, Daily Office, Seeing God, spiritual search |[4] Comments
Well, stuff keeps coming up. The same stuff. Isn’t that the way it goes?
In this morning’s gospel (Episcopal Daily Office Lectionary) Jesus says, “Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you.” (more…)
