Wordsmith

I selected the text for today and was struck by an ancient to modern disconnect.

"From Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the overseers and deacons. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!" -Philippians 1:1

I didn't keep reading far past the word "slaves." I thought, oh I can't cut and paste this text without a significant comment. That is a loaded word for this country and its history. I was reading from the New English Translation (NET2), my current recommended Bible translation for study online. I knew the Greek word, but clicked on the notes for their reasoning of translation. Here are a couple of important nuggets:

Undoubtedly the background for the concept of being the Lord’s slave or servant is to be found in the Old Testament scriptures. For a Jew this concept did not connote drudgery, but honor and privilege. It was used of national Israel at times (Isa 43:10), but was especially associated with famous OT personalities, including such great men as Moses (Josh 14:7), David (Ps 89:3; cf. 2 Sam 7:5, 8) and Elijah (2 Kgs 10:10); all these men were “servants (or slaves) of the Lord.”

The word in focus, δοῦλος (doulos), is often translated as “servants” or “bondservants.” However, doulos does not mean a free individual serving another. A servant is free and compensated, both of which are preferable! A bondservant sells themselves into slavery for another, but this is archaic and not well known. The issue is partly our understanding of slaves and slavery. Being a slave in Biblical times was far better than early America. For background on this, I recommend the book, "Four Hundred Souls" edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain. In the Middle East, being enslaved was not a walk in the flower garden, but was typically for a term and certainly not hereditary or through the construct of race.

You might recall that Jesus said, "I no longer call you slaves (doulos) but friends" (John 15:15). The disciples were no longer pledging their lives into learning, but had taken the lessons to heart. So, why then would Paul choose a word that is problematic and a bit of a backstep? Paul is known to be a wordsmith, choosing

words carefully and often fashioning or bending them into a new usage for what would become the Christian worldview. He started the letter to the Church in Philippi with a word choice to represent a strange new reality. He used a strong word for emotion, devotion, and passion. Paul had chosen to turn over his whole life, time, and resources for God's doings. He reached a point where he realized there is no significant life without intently following every word that God utters. He found the miraculous protection and providence that defied the secular odds. Paul had recognized that the risen Christ is a master of kindness, generosity, and full spectrum love. It might not roll off the tongue, but given the words that follow, I think a better English translation for doulos would be, "self-enslaved." Opening a letter with a loving description of a life devotion to Christ Jesus is a better match to the overall positivity. Read on and you will see that he is writing from a perspective of joy and grace-filled appreciation. That doesn't happen in typical human enslavement!

"I thank my God every time I remember you. I always pray with joy in my every prayer for all of you because of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am sure of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. For it is right for me to think this about all of you, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel all of you became partners in God’s grace together with me. For God is my witness that I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And I pray this, that your love may abound even more and more in knowledge and every kind of insight so that you can decide what is best, and thus be sincere and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God."

Loving God,

May we know more fully your meaning and understanding of love, so that we would not hurt or exploit one another, but help and heal each other. Guide our lives into a greater reality of community. Remove from this generation all vestiges and stains from our past, and lead us in correcting the wrongs of our ancestors so that all your beloved may live in full harmony, fairness, and equality. In our own time, strengthen us to do the hard work of reconciliation and peace. Through the name of Christ Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Person Focus- Jan Hus

 Jan Hus, Martyr (July 6)— Isaiah 49:1-7  Psalm 135:1-13  1 Corinthians 1:18-24 

Mark 8:34-38

Then Jesus called the crowd, along with his disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me and because of the gospel will save it. For what benefit is it for a person to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his life? What can a person give in exchange for his life? For if anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

     Focusing on the Life of Jan Hus and the Moravian Church, if Jan had not first objected to the broad corruption of the church (specifically including indulgences), it is doubtful that Martin Luther and the Reformation would have gained any traction. Hus pointed to the primacy of Scripture's authority over tradition. Jan wanted every person to be able to read Scripture.  His witness to the truth was so needed and so right, but yet was rejected entirely. It is hard to think about the church calling for and carrying out his death.

     This perspective makes me think about who has gone before me, who was needed to be the starter, and who might have given their life for anything that I might do. Of course, it also makes me think about corruption and the perversion of truth. Nothing irritates me more than when leaders twist truth or facts to describe their own version of "truth." 

We thank you, Almighty One, for sending faithful witnesses like Jan Hus. We praise you for your goodness and truth represented in the Holy Bible. Teach us to be careful, loving and compassionate examples for others. Promote justice and truth through the loving works of all your children. In the Name of Christ, we pray. Amen.

Did you write it down?

     If I really want to remember something, I write it down. Duh. Everyone knows that. If I really want to be sure that I don't miss it, I set a reminder with an alarm in my phone. These days, multiple calendars come into effect. We can all get pretty busy. We can wind up with the color coded blocks of life and meetings just to be sure calendars line up.

     Even though we want to remember everything and be where we need to be, we can't. We are not able to do it all and be it all. Am I preaching too much? Well, memory is a critical part of identity and faith. Check out a verse for today:

     I have been the Lord your God ever since the land of Egypt; you know no God but me, and besides me there is no savior. -Hosea 13:4

     Did you notice anything? If you know your Bible, you might ask, wasn't God their God before Egypt? Did God forget? How could they forget? What about God as Creator?

     It seems that God took the Exodus so seriously that the covenant of God and people was completely renewed and rewritten because of it. Sometimes, what is written down needs to be re-written.

Lord God, write a new line into our lives. Guide us to follow your path and inspired schedule more closely. Enable us to see your bumps and nudges into a better use of time. May all that we do and say bring honor and praise to your great and holy Name. Amen!