1 I love this Nehemiah passage because of the reverence the inhabitants of Jerusalem have for God’s word and their united response. When I was growing up a Bible was treated as something sacred. We weren’t allowed to set another book or item on top of a Bible. Somehow this practice has fallen away.
Yet, this reverence is still important. When I attended a liturgy workshop several years ago, I found the procession with the Gospel touched me deeply. The Gospel book was carried slowly around the circle of people gathered in worship so we could reach up and touch the book if we were so inclined. This is why when I handle the Gospel book, sometimes I will kiss it before replacing it on the stand. It is a sacred thing-not the physical book but what it represents. It is why when we are processing that the Gospel will win out over a processional cross. The Gospel is why we are here.
Nehemiah had increased Jerusalem’s population by going out into the land and checking out people’s credentials. From the “real Jews” he took 10% and relocated them to Zion. The people were so glad to be living in their holy city that they wanted God’s word read to them. Ezra, a priest, stood on a raised platform and read to the population of Jerusalem-adults of both genders and any children who could understand and he read for 5 to 6 hours. The people began by standing and as they listened bowed to the ground i n the realization o f their shortcomings. It was similar to an instructed Eucharist because as each section was read, Levites passed through the crowd to explain or translate the passages. The people showed by their posture that they were taking the words into their hearts.
The synagogue where Jesus stood up to read from the Torah would have been arranged to emphasize the importance of the word of God. The center of the room held the scrolls and a chair. The people gathered around this center to worship. It was easy to see and hear the person who read and commented on the Torah. Any adult male could go to the center of the room and read the scroll assigned while standing. After the reading, the man would sit in the central chair and comment on the scripture.
This is why when we read the Gospel, it is brought down into the pews and held high so all can see it. Our theology tells us the good news is for all of us-that we can all understand and live it. Ezra’s audience was hungry to learn about God and how to be in relationship with God. Jesus’ audience was excited to hear what he might say. He had gone for forty days in the wilderness. He returned empowered by the Holy Spirit. He spoke in many places and performed some miracles.
The people of Luke 4:14-21 5 Nazareth knew he would attend the synagogue on the Sabbath and they were hoping he would do some wonderful thing for their benefit. They were disappointed. The reading was from the prophet Isaiah-a passage that celebrated the year of Jubilee and how wonderful that time was for the poor, the enslaved, and those who owed money. Jesus read it and sat down and said the scripture was now fulfilled. If one read on in Luke, one will discover that the folks in Nazareth weren’t as receptive as Ezra’s audience. They weren’t listening with open hearts and minds. They tried to run Jesus off a cliff. It reminds me of the reaction to Bishop Budde’s sermon from last week.
Paul’s letter to the Corinthians would have been read in a similar setting to the synagogue in Nazareth. There would have been a reading from the Torah and comments made. Someone would have related some experience of Jesus to the Torah reading and then part of Paul’s letter would have been read. These Sabbath gatherings were the body of Christian worshippers coming together. Jesus reminded the people of Nazareth that the year of Jubilee made everyone equals for one year. Even the land rested from labor.
Paul reminded the church at Corinth that their membership in the body of Christ is a membership of equality. Their baptismal call made them a part of something larger than each individual. Just as Bishop Budde noted that our country is based on the idea that “unity is a way of being with one another that encompasses and respects differences,…to genuinely care for one another even when we disagree.” Paul told the Corinthians that all gifts were important just as each part of a person’s body is important. There isn’t dissension within an individual’s body-the hand doesn’t fight the foot and the liver doesn’t try to do the job of the kidneys.
One wonders what sort of trial the church at Corinth had become to Paul. I do know that Corinth was made up of a diverse population. In The Message Paul’s line is paraphrased this way: “The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don’t, the parts we see and the parts we don’t. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters int the exuberance.” If we accept our part in the body of Christ, then our part has meaning. Then our part can function with the whole. Paul recommends that the individuals in the church not be concerned with having the so-called important parts. He reminds the Corinthians that everyone isn’t an apostle, not all are prophets, not all are teachers, everyone isn’t a miracle worker or healer, and so on. If we all have the same role, if we are all one big mouth, who will listen? If we were all clergy, how would we get anything done out in the world?
In all these passages, I also thought of St. Mark’s. I think most of us have a healthy reverence for God’s word. We want to understand as much as we can. We want to know how to apply the stories and lessons and rules in the Bible to our everyday lives. I see people listening in the pews when the word of God is read and when those of us who preach speak about what has been read. And, I think we value all the gifts that we have here. The gifts that each of us brings to the body. Paul is describing a common ministry church that wouldn’t function without all the gifts. Each of us is aware at some level what others do to keep our church functional. Some of us may give more time in a given week than others yet we all contribute the time we can and the gifts we have. I have a reverence for God’s word. The contents of the Bible have been a part of my life for my whole life. Yet, I keep learning. I also have a reverence for the body of Christ. It is through this church body that I have come to know Christ. It is through this body I have felt the love of Christ. It is through this body that I have learned about God’s word.