{"id":622,"date":"2020-08-22T22:57:43","date_gmt":"2020-08-22T22:57:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/?p=622"},"modified":"2020-08-22T22:57:43","modified_gmt":"2020-08-22T22:57:43","slug":"twelfth-after-pentecost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/2020\/08\/22\/twelfth-after-pentecost\/","title":{"rendered":"Twelfth after Pentecost"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img src=\"http:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/image-10-1024x521.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-635\"\/><figcaption>Detail of the Tomb of Saqqara, photo by Frans Vandewalle (Creative Commons, BY-NC 2.0)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><em>United in spirit, and gathered through the power of the Holy Spirit, we worship God with gladness. We encourage you to pray over the words that follow, and follow the links within the liturgy. Prayers in this service are adapted from Celebrate God\u2019s Presence (UCPH). Thanks this week to Taye, Jenny, and Heather!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>PRELUDE: \u201cThe Song of Twilight\u201d (Nakada)<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"http:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/thesongoftwilight.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>OPENING PRAYER (St. Patrick, 5th century)<\/p>\n\n\n<p>May the strength of God pilot us. <br \/> May the power of God preserve us.<br \/> May the wisdom of God instruct us.<br \/> May the hand of God protect us.<br \/> May the way of God direct us.<br \/> May the shield of God defend us.<br \/> May the host of God guard us against the snares of evil<br \/> and the temptations of the world.<br \/> May Christ be with us,<br \/> Christ before us,<br \/> Christ in us, <br \/> Christ over us.<br \/> May our salvation, O God,<br \/> be always ours this day and forevermore.  Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>HYMN OF PRAISE: \u201cGuide me, O thou great Jehovah\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"http:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/guidemeo.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><em>Guide me, O thou great Jehovah,<br \/>     pilgrim through this barren land.<br \/> I am weak, but thou art mighty,<br \/>     hold me with thy powerful hand.<br \/> Bread of heaven, bread of heaven,<br \/>     feed me till I want no more,<br \/>     feed me till I want no more.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>Open now the crystal fountain,<br \/>     whence the healing stream doth flow;<br \/> let the fire and cloudy pillar<br \/>     lead me all my journey through.<br \/> Strong deliverer, strong deliverer,<br \/>     be thou still my strength and shield,<br \/>     be thou still my strength and shield.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>When I tread the verge of Jordan,<br \/>     bid my anxious fears subside;<br \/> death of death, and hell&#8217;s destruction,<br \/>     land me safe on Canaan&#8217;s side:<br \/> songs of praises, songs of praises<br \/>     I will ever give to thee,<br \/>     I will ever give to thee.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>PRAYER OF CONFESSION<\/p>\n\n\n<p>O God, in whose mercy we find our peace, <br \/>\nin whose presence we find our place,     <br \/>\nin whose world we find our calling: <br \/>\ngrant us grace so to hear and accept your Word <br \/>\nthat we may be faithful followers <br \/>\nof your will and your way all our days.<br \/>\nThe road is hard, and we often falter,<br \/>\nbut we know that you urge us on,<br \/>\nwilling to walk by our side.<br \/>\nForgive us our halting steps.<br \/>\nIn Jesus\u2019 name we pray.  Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>ASSURANCE OF PARDON<\/p>\n\n\n<p>God will give us what we need:<br \/>\nstrength for today,<br \/>\nhope for tomorrow,<br \/>\nand forgiveness<br \/>\nfor all that is past.<br \/>\nAmen.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img src=\"http:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/image-11-1024x393.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-637\"\/><figcaption>Detail of the Book of the Dead of Nebqed, photo by Frans Vandewalle (Creative Commons, BY-NC 2.0)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>SPECIAL MUSIC: \u201cGod&#8217;s Colouring Book\u201d (Parton)<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"http:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/godscolouringbook.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>FIRST READING: Psalm 124<\/p>\n\n\n<p>&#8216;If God had not been at our side,&#8217;<br \/>\n    now let Israel say:<br \/>\n&#8216;If God had not been at our side<br \/>\nwhen mortals rose up against us,<br \/>\n    then they would have swallowed us alive,<br \/>\n    when their fury was roused against us.<br \/>\nThen the flood would have swept us away,<br \/>\nand the torrent would have covered us.<br \/>\n    Then the raging waters<br \/>\n    would have gone right over our heads.&#8217;  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>But praised be God:<br \/>\nwho has not given us as a prey to their teeth.<br \/>\n    We have escaped like a bird<br \/>\n    from the hunter&#8217;s snare;<br \/>\n    the snare is broken and we are free.  <br \/>\nOur help is in the name of the LORD,<br \/>\n    the Maker of heaven and earth.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>SECOND READING: Exodus 1.8-22<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"http:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/exodus1reading.wav\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>8 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. 9 \u201cLook,\u201d he said to his people, \u201cthe Israelites have become far too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<p>11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13 and worked them ruthlessly. 14 They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 \u201cWhen you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.\u201d 17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. 18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, \u201cWhy have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<p>19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, \u201cHebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<p>20 So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: \u201cEvery Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<p>HYMN: &#8220;God of freedom, God of justice&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"http:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/godoffreedom.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><em>God of freedom, God of justice,<br \/>     you whose love is strong as death,<br \/> you who saw the dark of prison,<br \/>     you who knew the price of faith:<br \/> touch our world of sad oppression<br \/>     with your Spirit&#8217;s healing breath.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>Rid the earth of torture&#8217;s terror,<br \/>     you whose hands were nailed to wood;<br \/> hear the cries of pain and protest,<br \/>     you who shed the tears and blood:<br \/> move in us the power of pity<br \/>     restless for the common good.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>Make in us a captive conscience<br \/>     quick to hear, to act, to plead;<br \/> make us truly sisters, brothers<br \/>     of whatever race or creed:<br \/> teach us to be fully human,<br \/>     open to each other&#8217;s need.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>REFLECTION<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"http:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/aug23sermon.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>In the spirit of fairness, I give you evil kings.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>After Mary I, Eadburh of Wessex, and old Jezebel, it seems fair to look at regal malevolence from the male point-of-view.  There are, of course, no shortage of examples.  And for that reason, I\u2019m going to limit my look to evil kings in the Bible, beginning with Ahab, consort of the infamous Jezebel.  You might say Ahab is more of the unindicted co-conspirator type (see last week), but he\u2019s a bad hombre nonetheless.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>Next, I might suggest Abimelech, who wanted to be king of Shechem, but had two problems: he was illegitimate (being the son of a Shechemite concubine) and he had 70 brothers, each with a better claim to the throne.  He killed them all, save one, and claimed the throne.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>Then there is the first Pharaoh on our list, this one made famous by Yul Brenner in the Ten Commandments.  Handsome, yes, but hardhearted, stubborn, and seemingly impervious to frogs, lice, boils, pestilence, and most other plagues.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>Or, how about King Herod, stock villain of every church school pageant since the dawn of time?  Infanticide is the quickest route to being declared an evil king, so he qualifies.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>And speaking of infanticide, we meet today\u2019s evil king, an unnamed Pharoah who was obviously the boyhood hero of King Herod.  In Exodus 1, we learn that whatever lingering gratitude the royal house of Egypt felt toward Joseph and his people was gone.  The Egyptians felt threatened by the growing Israelite population, and feared a slave revolt or worse.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>More taskmasters were appointed, and the Israelites were compelled to build new cities\u2014cities of stone\u2014yet the sense of threat did not recede.  The author of Exodus describes the situation in simple terms: \u201cthe more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly.\u201d  Clearly, Pharaoh needs a new plan, so he calls the midwives:<\/p>\n\n\n<p>15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 \u201cWhen you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.\u201d 17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. 18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, \u201cWhy have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<p>19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, \u201cHebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<p>I don\u2019t do sermon titles, but if I did, I might call this sermon \u201cHow to lie to a tyrant.\u201d  For you see, when you lie to a tyrant, you need to speak to the tyrant\u2019s bias or base assumption.  So, in this example, they describe the Hebrew women as more \u201cvigorous,\u201d which I expect Pharaoh heard as less refined than the Egyptian women.  Some scholars have even suggested that vigorous is code for beast-like, which would take the existing bias argument even further.  Whatever the meaning of vigorous, it\u2019s clear that Pharaoh accepts the lie they concoct\u2014disappointed that they have not completed their mission, but satisfied with their answer.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>So who are these women, Shiphrah and Puah?  The fact that they are named, while Pharaoh remains unnamed, tells us that they are the real subjects of the story.  Again, there is a bit of a debate about their identity, since the Hebrew is unclear.  It seems the key words can be translated \u201cHebrew midwives\u201d or \u201cthe midwives to the Hebrews.\u201d  Now, my resident scholar is out of town, so I\u2019m flying blind here, but this translation problem could explain a lot.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>If the midwives were Egyptians tasked with obstetrics among the Hebrew women, the order to kill the male babies seems less unlikely.  If the midwives were Hebrews, then we get into a whole other conversation about servitude and the extent to which those enslaved could be expected to carry out genocide against their own people.  There is ample evidence that this occurs, but it remains a puzzle within the text.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>The one thing we can infer is that these women have status within their society.  They seem to have some oversight role among the midwives, since we can safely assume that there were more than two.  Perhaps they were the head of their guild, women responsible for the practice of midwifery throughout the society.  Such guilds functioned as both oversight bodies and centres of education.  Perhaps Shiphrah and Puah were \u201cministers of midwifery\u201d within the governmental structure, the kind of people you would turn to to implement a controversial plan.*<\/p>\n\n\n<p>But the plan\u2014for a moment at least\u2014is thwarted.  Pharaoh accepts the lie that the midwives were late every single time, and he must find a new way to proceed.  The late professor David Daube describes the action (inaction?) of Shiphrah and Puah as civil disobedience, and \u201cthe oldest record in world literature of the spurning of a governmental decree.\u201d  It won\u2019t take long for the next act, when Moses\u2019 mother and the daughter of Pharaoh engage in their own flaunting of the law, but pride-of-place belongs to Shiphrah and Puah.  They are the mothers of civil disobedience, engaging in \u201cgood trouble\u201d (quoting the late John Lewis) to overcome the ultimate example of state-sponsored violence: genocide.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>And just because the lesson for today has taken us into the realm of resistance, I want to go a step further, and draw a link between the language of Pharaoh and the great scourge of our time, white supremacy.  Listen as Pharaoh describes his view:<\/p>\n\n\n<p>8 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. 9 \u201cLook,\u201d he said to his people, \u201cthe Israelites have become far too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<p>It has long been argued that \u201cMake America Great Again\u201d is a dog-whistle to those who believe that America peaked in the 1950s and can only be great if the clock could somehow be wound back.  And the choice of time is not accidental, since it predates civil rights legislation, gay rights, environmental regulations, second-wave feminism, and increased immigration from non-white majority nations.  The words \u201cfar too numerous for us\u201d could be found in a tweet, and they betray a sense that some belong and some do not.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>When Hannah Arendt wrote her book on the Eichmann trial, she chose as a subtitle \u201cA Report on the Banality of Evil.\u201d  It has become a familiar and oft-deployed phrase, describing the way evil hides behind \u201cjust following orders\u201d or \u201cjust following the law.\u201d  When malevolent people control the levers of government, making dangerous laws or enacting corrupt policies, it falls to ordinary women and men to do the extraordinary things needed to meet the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Meeting the moment, we meet Shiphrah and Puah.  They bravely defy Pharaoh and \u201cso God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.\u201d  Thus the House of Shiphrah and the House of Puah were founded, blessed by the God who blesses the troublemakers, those willing to defy the Pharaoh\u2019s of this world.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>May God continue to bless those who seek justice and resist evil.  And may God bless those with the determination and creativity of Shiphrah and Puah, midwives of good trouble. Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img src=\"http:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/image-9-1024x548.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-632\"\/><figcaption>Detail of the Book of the Dead of Nebqed, photo by Frans Vandewalle (Creative Commons BY-NC 2.0)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE<\/p>\n\n\n<p>God of all, <br \/> We close our eyes and see the faces of those we know and love\u2014 <br \/> neighbours and friends, sisters and brothers\u2014<br \/> a community of kindred hearts.<br \/> Keep them safe from harm,<br \/> and encourage them in the face of sadness and fear.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>God of all,<br \/> We close our eyes and see the faces of those we hardly know\u2014<br \/> strangers, visitors, forgotten friends\u2014<br \/> the ones who need an outstretched hand.<br \/> Give them hope,<br \/> and remind them that there are many who care.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>God of all,<br \/>\nWe close our eyes and see what cannot be unseen\u2014<br \/>\ninjustice, cruelty, oppression, malice,<br \/>\nthe careless disregard for the sacredness of human life.<br \/>\nStir our hearts,<br \/>\nand help us to be agents of your peace.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>God of all,<br \/> We close our eyes and see all the images of God represented in our fellowship.  <br \/> In me, in you, in each of us,<br \/> God\u2019s spirit shines for all to see.<br \/> In the name of Jesus, we pray.  Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>THE LORD\u2019S PRAYER<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Our Father who art in heaven,<br \/>\nhallowed be thy name.<br \/>\nThy kingdom come,<br \/>\nThy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.<br \/>\nGive us this day our daily bread;<br \/>\nand forgive us our trespasses<br \/>\nas we forgive those who trespass against us;<br \/>\nand lead us not into temptation<br \/>\nbut deliver us from evil.<br \/>\nFor thine is the kingdom,<br \/>\nand the power, and the glory,<br \/>\nfor ever and ever. Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>HYMN: \u201cLet there be light\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"http:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/lettherebelight.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><em>Let there be light,<br \/> let there be understanding,<br \/> let all the nations gather,<br \/> let them be face to face;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>open our lips,<br \/> open our minds to ponder,<br \/> open the door of concord<br \/> opening into grace;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>perish the sword,<br \/> perish the angry judgement,<br \/> perish the bombs and hunger,<br \/> perish the fight for gain;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>hallow our love, <br \/> hallow the deaths of martyrs,<br \/> hallow their holy freedom,<br \/> hallowed be your name;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>your kingdom come,<br \/> your spirit turn to language,<br \/> your people speak together,<br \/> your spirit never fade;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>let there be light;<br \/> open our hearts to wonder,<br \/> perish the way of terror,<br \/> hallow the world God made.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>BLESSING<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way,<br \/>\nand may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless<br \/>\nuntil our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. Amen.<br \/>\n\u20141 Thessalonians 5:23<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"http:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/meetagainredux.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><em>God be with you till we meet again;<br \/> loving counsels guide, uphold you,<br \/> with a shepherd\u2019s care enfold you;<br \/> God be with you till we meet again.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>United in spirit, and gathered through the power of the Holy Spirit, we worship God with gladness. We encourage you to pray over the words that follow, and follow the links within the liturgy. Prayers in this service are adapted from Celebrate God\u2019s Presence (UCPH). Thanks this week to Taye, Jenny, and Heather! PRELUDE: \u201cThe &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/2020\/08\/22\/twelfth-after-pentecost\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Twelfth after Pentecost<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/622"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=622"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/622\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}