|
Morning Meditation
September 17, 2025
Luke 7:31-35
‘To what then will I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the market-place and calling to one another,
“We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not weep.”
For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, “He has a demon”; the Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!” Nevertheless, wisdom is vindicated by all her children.’
Meditation - Rebecca Northington
This past Sunday the Redeemer Youth Group (RYG), had our regular Sunday evening meeting. We are focusing on the theme of REST this year as understood through the Sabbath, giving special attention to truly reorienting ourselves on this special day: body, mind, and soul. This year we will consider how such a weekly reorientation changes us, helping us to put God and one another at the center. It is counter-cultural. It has nothing to do with Tik Tok , Instagram, grades, sports, theatre, instruments, or anything else that we might pursue for the rest of the week. It is not about us at the center, it is about God and others. It is not about judgement, it is about suspending judgement. It is not about trying to impress, or trying to reject. It is about love; loving ourselves, loving one another, accepting God’s love freely given, and reflecting it back out into the world.
We could not have had our meeting Sunday without discussing the tragedies of last week. RYG is meant to be a safe place where we put the divisions of the secular world to the side, and attempt to respectfully and lovingly talk to one another. The majority of the kids saw the raw video of the assasination of Charlie Kirk. They witnessed the violence, and, in most cases, did not agree to that witness, rather it was sprung upon them before they could make that choice. This is the world that they live in, and they seem to understand that more than most adults do. It was horrifying for those who saw it, and what was more horrifying was the resulting fervor and the extreme responses from both the right and the left: Either Charlie Kirk is seated at the right hand of the Father, a martyr for a movement, or he got what he deserved. Once again these kids found themselves in a divided society pushing them to pick a side, though none of them seemed interested in their choices. Instead they just wanted to take a moment and remember the tragedy of a life lost.
This reading from Luke resonates with me as I consider our world today. “To what then will I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like”? Luke goes on to say we found John to be too uptight, and Jesus too relaxed. Luke is challenging each one of us, who do we seek to follow? Where do we look for God’s activity in the world, and how do we attempt to be agents of that activity? Jesus did not speak of retribution and hate. No one was beyond his gaze. He pursued all people and sought to bring them to the Lord, including those whose beliefs he disagreed with, including those society deemed lawless. The Pharisees famously could not see this, they saw him as a threat. Even his own disciples often faltered when trying to truly understand the extent of his loving and inclusive ministry.
Some might argue that the Sabbath is not as sacred as it used to be for us Episcopalians. Part of the work with the Youth this year is to help them to understand why God gave us the Sabbath. How incredibly important it is for our hearts, for our minds and for our bodies. It is a feast day to celebrate God’s great sacrifice for us. It reminds us that our sins are forgiven, and should remind us that everyone’s sins have been forgiven. It is an opportunity to make God central again; not the left, not the right, not hate, not vengeance, not power, certainly not judgement - for that is only God’s to give. When we put God at the center, we can accept God’s grace freely given to us. Maybe it is time for us to make the Sabbath truly a part of our lives again, to shut out the distractions of the secular world one day each week, on the 7th day in fact. Perhaps then we can collectively lean into the true message of the Gospel: hope over fear, and a call to find every lost sheep and bring them into our loving community.
The Beatitudes
And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
| 
