First Sunday in Lent – C3

First Sunday in Lent – C3

Years C
Romans 10:8b-13

Presupposing that the division between Jew and Greek has been done away with, that those who "believe" are able to bypass such distinctions, there is left the division between those who believe the way I do and those who don't. Be they Jew or Greek or blood relative of a non-Jew and non-Greek, anyone can still be cast away on the basis of their stated beliefs, if not their genetic/cultural heritage.

It might be helpful here to simply focus on the last line with a different translation. "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be found whole." Of course there will be quibbling about this "name" business. Perhaps a Lord by any other name will respond as mercifully and generously as another.

This is not to discount the heritage one names most easily, but is to open us again to the important theological point of "generosity." Wherein lies a stumbling block to a named Lord who is generous to those who call in a particular timeframe and to not also be generous to, simply put, all? Anything else would lead such a named Lord to also be named stingy, petty, tyrannical, and soon enough ignored.

= = = = = = =

one reason prophets are discounted
is their lack of distinction
they do not pretend to power
they don't insist on the number of angels
who attend or dance

if only they would allow
a distinction to be made in their vision
that would allow everyone to continue
living just exactly as they are
if they were only to eat their peas

we keep looking for the distinctions
that set us apart and give a leg up
on sitting right and left of royalty
setting the level of needed sacrifice
and calling down fire on "them"

you're Greek, you're odd man out
o yeah, you're looking in a mirror
huh? were the same
then women must be out
ahh, sweet distinction

we distinguish ourselves
by not distinguishing our commonality
commie, social democrat, trade unionist
rasta, Muslim, anti-globalist, liberal
speak for one another or forever hold your peace

[last fragment reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came...]