Destruction that leads to life

2 Kings 23:15-20

Moreover, the altar at Bethel, the high place erected by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin—he pulled down that altar along with the high place. He burned the high place, crushing it to dust; he also burned the sacred pole. As Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the mount; and he sent and took the bones out of the tombs, and burned them on the altar, and defiled it, according to the word of the Lord that the man of God proclaimed, when Jeroboam stood by the altar at the festival; he turned and looked up at the tomb of the man of God who had predicted these things. Then he said, “What is that monument that I see?” The people of the city told him, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and predicted these things that you have done against the altar at Bethel.” He said, “Let him rest; let no one move his bones.” So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came out of Samaria. Moreover, Josiah removed all the shrines of the high places that were in the towns of Samaria, which kings of Israel had made, provoking the Lord to anger; he did to them just as he had done at Bethel. He slaughtered on the altars all the priests of the high places who were there, and burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

Honouring that which is sacred

Destroying that which defiles

Removing testament to years of idolatry and sin

Carving a way back to God

for a whole nation 

A leader not afraid

to wreak havoc

in his wake

but by his actions

clearing the path

that leads to life.

Prayer

In a world full of stumbling blocks and road blocks, may we find a way through, clearing the way for others as we go, following the path that leads to life - the way of God.

Clearing the clutter

2 Kings 23:4-14

The king commanded the high priest Hilkiah, the priests of the second order, and the guardians of the threshold, to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven; he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel. He deposed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to make offerings in the high places at the cities of Judah and around Jerusalem; those also who made offerings to Baal, to the sun, the moon, the constellations, and all the host of the heavens. He brought out the image of Asherah from the house of the Lord, outside Jerusalem, to the Wadi Kidron, burned it at the Wadi Kidron, beat it to dust and threw the dust of it upon the graves of the common people. He broke down the houses of the male temple prostitutes that were in the house of the Lord, where the women did weaving for Asherah. He brought all the priests out of the towns of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had made offerings, from Geba to Beer-sheba; he broke down the high places of the gates that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on the left at the gate of the city. The priests of the high places, however, did not come up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but ate unleavened bread among their kindred. He defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of Ben-hinnom, so that no one would make a son or a daughter pass through fire as an offering to Molech. He removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of the Lord, by the chamber of the eunuch Nathan-melech, which was in the precincts; then he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. The altars on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars that Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the Lord, he pulled down from there and broke in pieces, and threw the rubble into the Wadi Kidron. The king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, to the south of the Mount of Destruction, which King Solomon of Israel had built for Astarte the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. He broke the pillars in pieces, cut down the sacred poles, and covered the sites with human bones.

Tearing down the idols

Sweeping away the clutter

built up over years 

Clearing the way

to what is real

and vital.

The kernel of faith

grown dull

and tarnished 

and tainted

by neglect.

Overlooked

in the quest

for the next bright, shiny gimmick

that promises all manner of good.

Lying dormant.

Awaiting rediscovery

when other promises

are found to be empty,

when other lures

turn out to be dead ends

delivering only fleeting joy

that fades into obscurity.

Burrowing a way into

the recovery of hope

that lies beyond

deeply buried

lying in wait

to transform

the one who has room to uncover

the treasure within.

Prayer

God , you plant your spark deep within us, so much a part of us that often it is overlooked or buried under all manner of clutter. We can easily find other attractions and distractions that promise us more but are hollow or fleeting. So help us, this Advent, to clear away the clutter and reach through the layers to take hold of the hope that you promise even when the struggle seems like too much effort.

Huldah

2 Kings 22:14-20

So the priest Hilkiah, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to the prophetess Huldah the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; she resided in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter, where they consulted her. She declared to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Tell the man who sent you to me, Thus says the Lord, I will indeed bring disaster on this place and on its inhabitants—all the words of the book that the king of Judah has read. Because they have abandoned me and have made offerings to other gods, so that they have provoked me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore my wrath will be kindled against this place, and it will not be quenched. But as to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall you say to him, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Regarding the words that you have heard, because your heart was penitent, and you humbled yourself before the Lord, when you heard how I spoke against this place, and against its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and because you have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, says the Lord. Therefore, I will gather you to your ancestors, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; your eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will bring on this place.” They took the message back to the king.

Huldah

A woman called by God

to speak truth.

To speak truth when the news is good

To speak truth when no one wants to know.

A woman called to put aside her fear

and speak words that people need to hear.

Huldah

A woman of wisdom

A woman of courage

A woman of God

Prayer

God we thank you for all who have brought your word to light through the ages. May we, today, have the courage to speak truth into every situation and the space to hear your word above all the noise that surrounds us.

The power of the Word

2 Kings 22:11-13

When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes. Then the king commanded the priest Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Achbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary, and the king’s servant Asaiah, saying, “Go, inquire of the Lord for me, for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found; for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our ancestors did not obey the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”

The word of God

bringing fear and terror

bringing calm and reassurance

Inciting war and division

inciting peace and kindred spirit

Awakening regret and denial

awakening resolve and repentance

Stirring up persecution and hatred

stirring up compassion and love

One word with many facets

One God with many faces

and a countenance filled with sorrow

when the Word of light and hope 

is used to entrench the darkness

it came to dispel.

Prayer

God may we never use your word as a weapon with which to oppress those whom you love. May it always be a source of light, love and hope in all of life.

Advent Sunday - Narrative Lectionary Year 2

2 Kings 22:8
The high priest Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, "I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord."

Discovery

is what this season is about.

Discovering 

the unexpected

the unimaginable

the unanticipated

the wonder

the mystery

Discovery

that leads to hope

Discovery

that waiting

brings fulfilment

and the promise of God 

made new

for God's people today.

Prayer
God may we re-discover your law for our lives today. A law that does not judge or condemn or divide but is offered in love for all people. May that law be written anew on our hearts and practised in our living as we reach out to one another, children of One God, cradled in one love.  

Re-discovering the word. (Narrative Lectionary, Year 2 Advent 1)

2 Kings 22:1-10; 23:1-3

Josiah Reigns over Judah

Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.

Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law

In the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, the secretary, to the house of the Lord, saying, “Go up to the high priest Hilkiah, and have him count the entire sum of the money that has been brought into the house of the Lord, which the keepers of the threshold have collected from the people; let it be given into the hand of the workers who have the oversight of the house of the Lord; let them give it to the workers who are at the house of the Lord, repairing the house, that is, to the carpenters, to the builders, to the masons; and let them use it to buy timber and quarried stone to repair the house. But no accounting shall be asked from them for the money that is delivered into their hand, for they deal honestly.”

The high priest Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord.” When Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, he read it. Then Shaphan the secretary came to the king, and reported to the king, “Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of the workers who have oversight of the house of the Lord.” Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “The priest Hilkiah has given me a book.” Shaphan then read it aloud to the king.

2 Kings 23:1-3

Josiah’s Reformation

Then the king directed that all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem should be gathered to him. The king went up to the house of the Lord, and with him went all the people of Judah, all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests, the prophets, and all the people, both small and great; he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant that had been found in the house of the Lord. The king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to follow the Lord, keeping his commandments, his decrees, and his statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. All the people joined in the covenant.

In these days of information overload and Wikipedia, it seems incredible that, in the past, so much control was exerted by withholding information.

Sacred texts were carefully controlled by religious authorities, considered too dangerous to be delivered into the hands of the masses.

And so, all through history, we find revolts and reformations based around release of the word.

Withholding scripture became a means of retaining power. When that power was breached reformation occurred.

The sacred text that Josiah discovered, probably carefully concealed by his predecessors, certainly gave him impetus to reclaim tradition and recover truths once shared and practiced.

It might be useful to consider something of the context and chronology behind today's text.

Around 715 BCE, King Hezekiah became king of Judah. Hezekiah was a very pious king and began a series of religious reforms.

He was succeeded around 687 BCE by his son Manasseh, who reigned for 45 years and was described as one of the worst kings- some reputation, given the awful acts of many kings of that era. Manasseh was succeeded, briefly, by his son Amon who was murdered just two years into his reign before Josiah took over in BCE 640.

Josiah, by all accounts, sought to continue his great grandfather, Hezekiah's reforms and organised repairing the temple. It was during this work that the scroll, probably hidden for safe keeping during Manasseh's reign, was found. This led to Josiah's reforms.

At the start of Advent,a time of new beginnings, we might want to ask ourselves: 

• As a community of faith, what is it that allows us to keep losing sight of the Word?

• How might we continue to"shake off the dust"and rediscover that word for today, gradually uncovering the treasure and embarking on a journey of discovery?

• Why do we allow that reforming word so often to slip into obscurity instead of being constantly reformed and renewed by its message?

• Having rediscovered the word, how do we contextualize it for our community?

• How do we encourage different generations, building on their experience and tradition, to see the words in a new light for these times?

• How do we make way for the power of the word to affect everyday life?

There is no danger, today, of the word being hidden. But it's accessibility does not seem to enhance our observance. The power is still there, waiting to be released, to emerge from the walls we build around it and bring about change.

There is no doubt that the kind of reformation that could be accomplished if we heeded the Word of God is needed now more than ever.

As we make every day choices that affect economy, politics and issues of equality and justice, how might the power of the Word direct our choices and effect change that makes a difference for all God's children?

As we look forward to celebrating the Incarnation, how might we give flesh to the reform that God seeks to accomplish?

This Advent calls for us to be bold, to blow the dust off the Word, to release the power and to see in its wake, the creativity of God born for every time and place, disrupting and uprooting the whole people of God. 

(Written for Spill the Beans. Also posted at RevGalBlogPals)

Advent in the Narrative Lectionary

In the Narrative Lectionary, the more usual themes of Advent - Hope, Peace, Love and Joy seem more difficult to find.
However, as we spend time with the Old Testament texts, reading of Josiah's reform when the book of Law is discovered, accompanying the people of God as Isaiah portrays them in Exile, labouring with Ezra in the rebuilding of the temple, before moving into the New Testament to hear Zechariah's song, we discover that, though we travel through Advent with a different accompaniment, still there is, in the ancient melody, a recognisable refrain that resolves in an encounter with the God who is hope and peace and love and joy.
Travelling with different texts may allow the familiar story to come alive in new ways, illuminating our world and our lives with the light that came into the world and that cannot be extinguished.

The flame flickers valiantly

glowing softly in the embers of hope 

raging fiercely in the rubble of the bombed out building

bursting into life in the refusal of victims to be incited to hate.

Its tenacity is mirrored in those

who seek not revenge but healing

who long not for justice

but for compassion

and who see God

wounded

and bleeding

yet holding out hope

for the life of the world.

The light

that

the 

darkness

has

never

been

able 

to 

put

out