Lent for All of Us

 Sunday was the first Sunday of Lent.  Lent is not something that you will find in the bible.  There is no Lenten observance in the bible.  It was not and is not part of the Jewish religion, so it was not something that Jesus observed or even the first Christians who were all Jews. It is one of the seasons in the church year like Advent or Pentecost or Christmas or Easter.  Advent and Lent are similar in that they are times of preparation.  Advent is a time of preparation for Christmas and in the same way Lent is preparation for Easter. 

Lent began last Wednesday, and we marked it with the Ash Wednesday observances.  If you were at the Ash Wednesday service here or other places you would have received a cross in ashes on your forehead.  The ashes were produced by burning the palm crosses from last Easter. 

When the priest marks you with the cross, he or she states, ‘remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.’  It is a reminder that we are mortal and our time on earth is limited.  We must consider how we use that time.  We know that we do not always live the life God intends for us.  That is one way of looking at sin.  We sin when we separate ourselves from God and do not live God intends us to live. 

So, we are now in a time of preparation for Easter.   We have forty days in total to reflect on our lives, to repent those things that keep us from being in relationship with God.  We do this in two ways.  First we acknowledge that we have done things we should not have done and commit to not do them.  Second, we acknowledge those things we have not done that we should have done and commit to doing them.  We know that being human and imperfect we will not succeed all the time but we have the intention of making the effort to do just that.  Often in Lent we focus on giving up something as a sacrifice.  We will forego something that we desire as a way of following God.  We can give up a favourite food or some activity we enjoy as a symbol of our need to change our lives.  You could call this the way of negation.  You can also take the way of affirmation by doing something that you have not been doing previously.  This could be contributing time, energy, and financial resources assist those in need. 

Lent is, in its essence, a Christian practice.  However, it can be helpful for non-Christians.  Here is a quote from a Christian source, Anne Germond, the acting Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, which can be applied to everyone’s life in this time:

But what if we thought of Lent as a God-given time of disruption the normal flow of our lives, inviting us to re-examine them, laying bare and shining the spotlight on all that is wrong – the pathological unease or “disease” in our world?  In the context of global warming, greed, violence abroad and at home, and of our inability to seek peace with our neighbours…

 

I found the following on the internet which addresses both ways – giving up things i.e. fasting and doing something new i.e. feasting or feeding our souls:

Fast from fear; Feast on Faith
Fast from despair; Feed on hope.
Fast from depressing news; Feed on prayer.
Fast from discontent; Feast on gratitude.
Fast from anger and worry; Feed on patience.
Fast from negative thinking; Feast on positive thinking.
Fast from bitterness; Feed on love and forgiveness.
Fast from words that wound; Feast on words that heal.
Fast from gravity; Feast on joy and humour.

May we all find ways to fast and feast in this season of Lent. 

A New Religion in Canada According to ChatGPT (3)

 A while ago I delved into the wonderful world of artificial intelligence in my blog with the post, AI, and the Preacher (November 7, 2023).  I have been pondering the possibilities of AI.  The thought came that it would be very interesting to explore a new religion today in Canada, what would it be like if someone was to set out to create one.  I decided that I would pose that question to my friend ChatGPT, the AI phenomenon that has taken the world by storm recently.    I asked ChatGPT a series of questions about such a new religion and would like to share the responses over the next few editions of my blog.  Beyond exploring this, I am interested to see how this new religion proposed by ChatGPT compares with the Anglican Church of Canada.

The last two weeks I considered my first query I posed to Chat GPT, “I would like a 500-word essay on the characteristics of what a new religion in Canada would look like.”  Today I will consider the second question I posed to ChatGPT, “what would worship be like in such a religion?”  Here is the response from my buddy Chat:

In a new religion emerging in Canada, worship practices would likely reflect the diverse cultural influences and spiritual needs of its adherents. Here's a glimpse into what worship might entail:

1. Inclusive Rituals: Worship ceremonies would be designed to be inclusive and welcoming to people from all walks of life. They would incorporate elements from various cultural traditions, allowing individuals to connect with the divine in ways that resonate with their personal backgrounds and beliefs.
2. Nature-Centric Observances: Given Canada's breathtaking natural landscapes and growing environmental consciousness, worship in this new religion might often take place outdoors, in natural settings such as forests, mountains, or riversides. Rituals could involve honoring the Earth, expressing gratitude for its abundance, and seeking harmony with the natural world.
3. Mindfulness and Meditation: Worship sessions could include practices like meditation, mindfulness, or deep breathing exercises aimed at fostering inner peace, spiritual awareness, and connection with the divine. These practices would encourage individuals to quiet their minds, listen to their inner voices, and cultivate a sense of presence and reverence.
4. Community Engagement: Worship in this new religion would emphasize community engagement and collective participation. Adherents would come together to pray, sing hymns or chants, share stories, and engage in rituals that reinforce their sense of belonging and interconnectedness. Community service projects and charitable activities might also be integral parts of worship, reflecting the religion's commitment to social justice and compassion.
5. Interfaith Dialogue: Worship gatherings could provide opportunities for interfaith dialogue and collaboration, where members of different religious traditions come together to share their perspectives, learn from one another, and find common ground. These dialogues would promote understanding, respect, and cooperation among diverse religious communities, fostering a spirit of unity and harmony.
6. Sacred Text Study: Worship sessions might involve the study and contemplation of sacred texts or spiritual teachings from various traditions, drawing insights and inspiration from their wisdom. Adherents would engage in reflective discussions, explore the relevance of these teachings to their lives, and seek guidance for navigating ethical dilemmas and life's challenges.
7. Creative Expression: Worship could also involve creative forms of expression such as art, music, dance, or storytelling. These forms of creative expression would serve as vehicles for connecting with the divine, expressing one's deepest emotions and aspirations, and celebrating the beauty and mystery of existence.

Overall, worship in this new religion would be a dynamic and inclusive experience, blending ancient wisdom with contemporary sensibilities, and offering individuals opportunities for spiritual growth, community connection, and service to the greater good.

My overall impression of this new religion is that it tries to be all things to all people.  Perhaps by doing this it becomes nothing much to anyone in particular.  I think that the intention of being inclusive, accepting, and welcoming could be very positive.  The focus on the natural world would be embraced by many in this time of global warming and ecological challenges and is basically the call for stewardship of the world that God created.  The striving for inclusion of other religious tradition could be positive as there is value in many of those traditions.  However, where would be the basis of judging whether or not those traditions contained the true path that people can follow in their lives. 

The Anglican Church within the Christian religion has the foundation of the Ten Commandment and the teaching of the Great Commandment to love one another as Jesus loves us.  There needs to be a foundational teaching of such a religion, but it is not self-evident from the response.  The lack of such a foundational belief would be a serious failing of such a religion.  You can also consider how sacred texts would be handled if they conflict with others.  There are, of course, things within the Christian holy scripture that seem to conflict with each other which has been a challenge for many Christians for the last two thousand years plus.  The opportunity for spiritual growth is very much in concert with the Anglican faith but again, how do we judge if that spiritual growth is on a path that can be judged as being true without a firm foundation to build upon.    

I will leave it at that for this edition as I have gone on longer than usual.  There is, of course, more that can be explored on our journey with ChatGPT’s version of a New Religion in Canada. 

 

 

Engaging the Bible

What do you make of that collection of stories, poetry, parables, prophecy, historical narratives, miracles, good works, wise words, and misanthropy and mayhem that is the Christian Bible?  Is it the literal word of God for you – which was dictated by God to the scribes who put it together into what is considered the canon – the official collection of God’s word of the Christian Church.  It is actually sixty-six or more books (depending on the version) which have been brought together in what is called the Holy Bible by Christians. 

Take a moment and reflect on what how you understand it and what it means to you.  Is it holy scripture which was delivered verbatim from God to those who recorded it?  Is it the inspired word of God – if so, what does it mean to be inspired?  Is it just a book that records myths and legends as well as attempts to explain how the world began and how people have tried to understand what or who they identify as God or the gods interact with them and the world?  Those are just a few ways that the Holy Bible is understood by people today.  Northrop Frye, the great Canadian literary critic considered the bible to be the Great Code which has had a foundational influence on the literature and culture in the Western World.

The Bible has been used and misused by those who hold it to be the word of God.  Sometimes the canon is used as cannon fodder.   Pause and consider how you use it?  Do you have passages and saying and stories that you were taught in Sunday School that come to mind in particular circumstances.? Do you draw unconsciously on the bible stories such as David and Goliath when you are faced with an insurmountable challenge?  Do you think of one of the parables of Jesus such as the Good Smartian when faced with someone asking for a handout on a street corner?  Are you the older son or daughter who has the irresponsible younger sibling who is not behaving as you think they should?  Do you pull out a particular passage which justifies what you want to do or to justify a particular attitude you have – what’s your attitude to the truckers’ “freedom” protest in Ottawa.  How does that fit with the commandment for Christians to love our neighbours? 

Yes, the Holy Bible can be all things to many, if not all people - at least unconsciously if not consciously.  If we Christians want to take the Bible seriously, we need to engage with it and not just take it as it has been presented to us – however that is.  Brian McLaren, a Christian theologian, teacher, and author addresses how we might do this as noted by Richard Rohr:

Brian McLaren suggests that God’s revelation through the Bible comes from the ongoing dialogue and relationship the Bible inspires between God and ourselves. He teaches:

To say that the Word (the message, meaning, or revelation) of God is in the biblical text, then, does not mean that you can extract verses or statements from the text at will and call them “God’s words.” It means that if we enter the text together and feel the flow of its arguments, get stuck in its points of tension, and struggle with its unfolding plot in all its twists and turns, God’s revelation can happen to us. We can reach the point that Job and company did at the end of the book, where, after a lot of conflicted human talk and a conspicuously long divine silence, we finally hear God’s voice. . . .

Whatever your understanding of the Bible, it is worth exploring with an open and discerning mind which is what I believe God has given each of us.  Something that is worthwhile to read on your journey.  Blessings.

Sermon July 3, 2017 3rd Sunday after Trinity

1 Peter 5: 5    The Humble Brag 

‘I am the most humble person in the world!’  We know immediately there is something wrong with that statement — even if we’re not quite sure what.  If someone is humble they do not think of themselves in comparison to others.  In fact, the person who makes that statement is ironically prideful about their humility — which means that he or she is basically not humble.   There is an interesting variation on pride which I have run into recently; it has been coined as the humble brag.  The person who humble brags gets to blow his or her horn and yet appears on the surface as being humble. It can go something like this, “I am so humbled and honoured to be awarded this great award or honour.  I don’t deserve it but it is wonderful to be able to do the great things that I have done.”  In effect the person is saying, “aren’t I wonderful I   have done these great things and am humble as well.  Quite a neat trick, the humble-brag. 

Today’s first reading sets out a very stark contrast between pride and humility, “all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble”.  Peter is very clear – God exalts in the humble and not the proud. 

This is a change from the assured Peter who proudly claimed that he would never desert Jesus.  And we know Jesus had him pegged, “Jesus said to him, ‘Truly I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.’”

Pride does not get very good press in the bible.  Here are a few of the verses which deal with pride: Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs); One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honour (Proverbs); For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy (2 Timothy);  When they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding (2 Corinthians). I could go on but I’m sure you get the idea. 

Pride is definitely frowned upon by God and by the first Christian leaders.  With this very clearly negative view of pride I’m surprized that it’s opposite, humility didn’t make it into the Beatitudes.  

Let’s look at humility – the state of being humble.  Here are a few examples of how humility is viewed in the bible: Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves (Philippians); The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honour and life (Proverbs); Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted (Matt.); Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you (James).  Our Epistle set out humility in opposition to pride – God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble.  Another passage gives a similar comparison, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom” (Proverbs).   We can see that it doesn’t seem that pride and humility can exist at the same time.  That is why that first statement I made is just wrong.  If you are truly humble you are not going to believe you are more humble than everyone else or even anyone else.  You aren’t going to compare yourself to others — you just are who you are.

From this we can see that as Christians we are to strive to be humble rather than proud.  There is an implication in some of the passages that we should strive to be humble because we will get our reward in the next life, the reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honour and life; humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.  There is an implication from this that humility is not its own reward.  We must be bribed to be humble.  It doesn’t seem to be something that comes naturally to us. 

Indeed our culture today certainly promotes pride as a good thing.  We are not encouraged to downplay our accomplishments and abilities.  We are told that to be successful we need to trumpet our accomplishments in social media.  If we are in business we see that those who don’t promote themselves don’t get customers — at least not many.  It seems that the sizzle is more important than the steak.  So it seems that to be a Christian then is to be counter cultural — to be against the culture.  I guess that shouldn’t come as a surprise to us.   As Christians we are told to turn the other cheek; to go the second mile; to love our neighbours — better, to love our enemies. 

One of the reasons that true humility is difficult is because it is natural to compare ourselves to others.  We want to know how we are doing and the way we seem to do that most naturally is in relationship to others.  We seem to receive that lesson right from the cradle.  We are told directly or indirectly that we should be like others – and by implication do better than others.  We are given marks in school and by implication are those marks better marks the others —where do we stand in the class.  Even our play is turned into competition — we are taught that winning is good and losing is bad or at best it is an opportunity to learn from our mistakes and by learning win the next time.  We win awards in life – medals in sports and academia — we get the job and after that the promotion.  By implication others do not succeed and therefore we conclude that we are better than others. 

In this context then it is a real challenge to be humble.  In our world to be humble is to put others before you.  It seems to means that others are more important than you.  How are we to develop humility? 

How are we to become truly humble?  Is it something that we can work to become or is it something that will be given to us as grace from God?  One of the best definitions of humility that I have come across is by Sister Jane — an Anglican Nun.  She defines humility as ‘seeing clearly’ — to be humble is to see clearly.  When I first read that I was puzzled by that.  How was humility related to seeing things clearly?  Well I first thought that if we clearly see ourselves as we are we will know that we don’t compare that well to others at least some others in the world.  No matter how much we succeed there will be others who are better than us in whatever way we judge ourselves.  Even world champions are not the best in everything or even many things. 

However, on reflection I believe that to see clearly means that we can see what is truly important in life — we can see what is truly important to God.  I don’t believe that God wants us to be better than others.  God wants us to be the person that God intends us to be. 

God does want us to develop and grow and become fully mature human being.  I believe that we have a human need to be better than others because we believe deep down that that is the only way we will be of value — the only way we will valued by others and by God. 

If we can truly come to believe and know that God loves us unconditionally — that God loves us because we are God’s beloved children then we can just be the people of God.  That is something to be proud of.   Amen.

Sermon March 6, 2016 Lent 4

During Lent we have been exploring Spiritual Renewal in our Lenten Journey and exploring different ways we can be open to how God is speaking to us and guiding us on our journey.  As we are each unique children of God we are each going to experience different ways in which we can connect with the divine so it is important that we experience different ways in which people have found helpful.

Two Sundays ago we explored Lectio Divina— Holy Reading and for those who would like to experience that more fully we have a Lectio Divina Group that meets at 9:30 before the service on Sundays.  Last Sunday I introduced you to the Labyrinth which is a moving prayer.  When you experience the Labyrinth it is important to take your time and not rush through the journey.  As in life it is also the journey and not just the destination which is important.  Today I want to explore another way which has a long tradition of being a way in which God speaks to us but one like the labyrinth was lost to our culture for many centuries.  This is listening to God through our dreams.

The Old Testament lesson from Genesis recounts Jacob’s dream of a ladder between heaven and earth.  In biblical times people generally understood dreams to be a way in which God communicated with people.   Many of the prophets of old received dreams and visions from God and shared those experiences with their people. 

Dreams as a way of God speaking to the people of God occur many times in the bible.  Can anyone give me an example of God speaking to people in dreams……..

I especially like the story of Jacob’s dream of a ladder between heaven and earth. 

I particularly like this passage because it is about a dream and it describes the way dreams work.  We have angels – messengers from God going between heaven and earth.  It is interesting that the angels are ascending first and then descending.  My understanding of this is that Jacob was initially ready to receive a message.  He was therefore prepared for receive the messages that came to his from heaven.

Although dreams were recognized in biblical times and in the early church as a way God communicated with people it became discounted and lost to us in modern times.  This happened for many reasons.  The church hierarchy did not like the idea of people having direct communication with God.   This bypassed the authority of the church and the clergy wanted to maintain control over people’s understanding of God’s message.  In addition, the enlightenment began to discount anything that could not be measured and weighed and had a material foundation.  Dreams became what can be called God’s forgotten language. 

In the modern era there began to be a recovered understanding of dreams as a way of receiving messages about ourselves.  Beginning with the founders of depth psychology—Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung—a new understanding of dreams and a rediscovery of the meaning of dreams has occurred which I want to explore with you briefly. 

How many of you dream?.....  I should probably have asked how many remember their dreams.    Everyone dreams but not everyone remembers them.  However, everyone can with the right conditions.   It is also important to understand how God speaks to us through dreams.  God can speak to us as God did in the bible—with direct messages—these might be called big dreams.  God also speaks to us through dreams giving us information about what we need to know about ourselves.  Dreams can help us become more fully the people that God intends us to be.  Dreams provide information when our lives are out of balance.  They can point to how we can develop more fully the part of ourselves—aspect of ourselves that we have not acknowledged even though they are part of who God creates us to be as unique individuals.

In understanding dreams a good way to begin is to be aware that all the aspects of the dream— from individuals you know and individuals you don’t know to inanimate objects such as cars or houses are usually aspects of the dreamer.  It is important to know where the energy is in the dream and where the movement is.    In remembering your dreams the most important aspect is having the intention of remembering and paying attention.  Have a pen and paper available to record your dream.   That is the next step – write it down and consider the images in the dream.  What is your associating with them?  Write down any associating with the people or the other images. 

One figure that is the easiest to recognize in dreams—and one of the most important—is the shadow.  This figure, which is usually the same sex as the dreamer will be dark and probably not someone you know in waking life, will have characteristics that represent aspects of yourself that you do not want to recognize.  They will be rejected parts of yourself that are presented to you in dreams.  The purpose is to acknowledge those aspects of yourself and relate to them consciously. These are often characteristics that you consider to be negative but also can be positive.  These are aspects of who God made you to be—a unique child of God. 

Of course there is much more to say on the approach but I will stop there.  If you would like to find out more I would be most interested to talking to you at another time.  Finally it is important to understand that all dreams come in the assistance of health and wholeness of the dreamer – even ones that don’t seem that way.  I have graduated from a program as a facilitator of dream groups and would be most willing to talk to people who might be interested in having a group at St. Anne’s and St. John’s.  I will close with the prayer we use in dream groups.

Holy Dream Maker, Creator of All,

Be with us as we open our hearts and minds

to the divine wisdom in our dreams.

We thank you and honour You.

As you guide us in the way to health and wholeness,

 may we be open to the blessings of your message    

                                                                             Amen        

Reading the Bible 15 Gen 24 Vows and Blessings

It would appear that the story of the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah tells us much about the marriage customs on the early Israelites and probably many peoples of that time and part of the world.  What is striking to me is how much the customs around this have changed in the millennia since.  With all the change there are still echoes of the customs and in some parts of the world there are still many similarities with arranged marriages and dowries.  We get only glimpses of these practices when they make the news and of course that only happens when there are problems or disasters such as the first wife and disobedient daughters being killed by the father and brother a few years ago in Ontario.  I wonder if there are positive things about these customs in the way they are practiced today.  We look at these things through our Western eyes and are of course do not comprehend how any form of marriage other than one based on romantic love could be considered.  We also do know that romantic love doesn’t work all that well a lot of the time but we think that is a not a problem of the form but rather of how it is practiced. 

I knew this passage reasonably well and am always interested in what sticks when I read such a passage again.  No matter how often I read a passage there always seems to be something which particularly sticks on rereading it.  In this reading what stuck was the role of vow and blessing.  The passage begins by the servant assign with the job of finding a wife for Isaac (who I noticed this time is unnamed) swears an oath by God to Abraham.  He does this by placing his hand under Abraham’s thigh – a very intimate act.  Near the end of the chapter Rebekah’s family blesses her: “May you, our sister, become thousands of myriads; may your offspring gain possessions of the gates of their foes.”  Vows and oaths and blessings are still present in our culture today but as with many of the customs and practices they are mere echoes of what they were in the past.  This is something which we are poorer for today.  They have lost much of the luminous – the power of the divine - which they contained in ages past.  If we took vows and blessings such as those made as part of weddings or baptisms or any other aspect of life truly seriously our lives and society would be better for it.  However, to do that we would truly have to hold the sacred as a real and vital part of our lives. 

Reading the Bible 8: Gen 18

The theme of hospitality runs through this passage.  Abraham is the epitome of the good host to the three ‘men’ who appear before him.  He is exemplary in his welcome offering them water to wash their feet and having the fatted calf killed to serve them.  (I wonder if Jesus was thinking of this when he told the parable of the Prodigal son?).  There is also a question in my mind whether he would have been as good a host if these were just ordinary men and not emissaries (angels) from God?

In any case there is certainly nothing that he can be faulted for in the hospitality department.  However, the other feature of this passage – putting aside the miracle of Sarah’s destiny of bearing a child in her old age – is Abraham’s bargaining with God.  It is human nature to bargain with God – If you will do this for me God – won’t you give me a Mercedes Benz as Janice Joplin prayed – then I will worship you or I will be happy or I will follow your commandments.  This relationship to God is correctly, I believe, not encouraged (despite the Prayer of Jabez phenomenon of a few years ago).  It is not the basis for a mature spirituality.   

However, I believe that Abraham’s bargaining on behalf of the inhabitants Sodom is different precisely because it is on behalf of other and not for his benefit.  So Abraham bargains the salvation of Sodom from fifty righteous people down to ten.  However, even that is not few enough as we know from the account in the next chapter Sodom’s fate. 

However, it is a compelling question.  Can we bargain with God and to what end.  Can we really bargain for ourselves or more righteously for others?  Was there a cosmic bargain between God and his only begotten son to bring salvation to humankind.  I have always had problems with this interpretation of Easter.  But that is for another reading. 

Reading the Bible 7: Gen 16-17

We are in the potential mine field of family relations.  I could say the area of family values which is a rather loaded phrase that carries a lot of assumptions today with connotations of what does and doesn’t construe a family i.e. one man and one woman and two and a half children.  No evidence of that here.  But of course God’s intention for the family of humans will be revealed more fully as God’s relationship with humans is developed in biblical history. 

What is of interest to me in this reading is the power structure that is explored in this chunk of scripture.  Here we have Abram who has not believed fully in God’s promise of descendants unnumbered.  Sarai is apparently barren so he decides that God needs some help and takes matters into his own hand so to speak – and with the active consent to Sarai uses her hand maiden Hagar to fulfill God’s promise.  We don’t truly know how all the parties felt about this.  Of course it was a conventional arrangement for the times and probably no one thought twice about it but feeling might have been another matter.  Margaret Atwood has explored what this type of arrangement might look like in a dystopia.  However, this handmaid’s tale Hagar goes from a position of powerlessness to one – at least temporarily – of power.  Once she is carrying the heir apparent (she must have assumed it would be a boy) she begins to lord it over Sarai  - at least in Sarai’s projection.  As quickly as her vision of grandeur is played out it comes crashing down when Abram declines – in his wisdom – to support her power play.  He wisely does not want to get in the middle of the dispute between the two women in his life.  In her renewed position of powerlessness she believes the only option open to her is to escape the situation even if it is in the wilderness.  I think we may come across this theme again. 

Although these circumstances are worlds apart from our world the role of power struggles and power plays are basically the same.  We need to be in control.  We struggle to ensure that our lives are in our hands rather than God’s.  We struggle to trust the promises that God has made to us.

In this context I can see why God believed he needed to reaffirm the promise He had made to Abram and recut the b’rit (covenant).  How many times has he done this now – three?  In any case for me it is reassuring that God doesn’t give up on us easily or at all for that matter.  It’s up to us not to give up on God.

 

 

 

The Name of All Things

In the beginning was the Word according to John but according to Genesis God said ‘Let there be light’.   The name - that is where it all begins.  So it was a word – or words - a declaration

But where do I really begin this story?  With the power? With the secret? With the name?

I guess after all I must begin at the beginning.  Names have always been at the beginning.  After all the name is just a word and in the beginning was The Word – at least according to John.  Was the word a name and a name the word?  Of course it was a word but was it the word?  The beginning in the Beginning was not a word - it was only the beginning.  From the beginning began the many beginnings according to the Book or at least one particular book which would not be a book until much later: the formless void that was the earth, the darkness that covered the face of the deep, the wind that swept over the face of the water.  The water?  Where did that come from?  It too was one of the beginnings.  And then another word – light – let there be light - another beginning.  The dome, that also was there at the beginning.  God made the dome.  Did he do that also by the word?  The Book does not say that He did.  But does that mean that it was not so?    In any case there was the dome that was declared (another word) to be the sky.  And apparently so it was – for so the book declared.

After all these beginnings there were many more.  God made the light separate into the greater and lesser; the land from the water; the day from the night; the days and season and the years.  In the sea were the fishes.  On the land was the vegetation, and the swarms of living creatures – the birds of the air, the animals creeping and wild of every kind.  Finally there was man and then inevitably man’s helpmeet – woman.  All these were beginning and if John is to be believed there was the Word and the words for each of these beginnings. 

It was not until the second creation that we are told things were named.  The man and the woman were named – Adam and Eve they were named.  The man Adam was given the authority to name all living things.  “The man gave names to all cattle, and every bird of the air and every animal of the field” (Gen 2: 20).  This is the first time the power to name was passed on – name became what – a co-creator – for to name is to create.

Later we have another beginning with the beginning of the covenant between YHWH and a man, Abraham.  I know there was an earlier one signified by a rainbow but that was with all creation.  This one was with one man – at least in the beginning.  His name in the beginning was not Abraham.  It was Abram, “No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.”  The name now signified the relationship that now existed between God and man. 

So here is the beginning of beginnings – at least in the version we know and many believe in.  It began with a word that was a name and beginning followed the beginning with names for everything.  Yet the beginning is not the only beginning.  In each one a name - the name was the power and in some the name was secret.  Let us look at another Beginning and the role that name held in that beginning.

In that land in which the chosen people were enslaved and that sheltered the Holy Family, Egypt, there is another account of another beginning.  In that beginning all was darkness.  There must have been darkness in story of our beginning recorded in Genesis as we are told darkness covered the face of the earth which was a formless void until God had to declare that there would be light.  But I digress somewhat.  In this beginning rather than a formless void there was only a great waste of water called Nun.  Out of this water and darkness arose a great shining egg Re.  I will not ask how it could be shining in the darkness that must be left to the Gods.

We are told that Re was all-powerful and that power and the secret of it lay in his name.  That name we are told was hidden and the power lay in its secret.  Further all things could come into being merely or not so merely by Re speaking the name of that thing.  An so things were named; Shu the first winds, Tefnut the spitter of rain, Nut the sky, Hapi the river Nile the source of fruitfulness.  Re named all things on the earth and last (and some might say not least - but I would not say that) he named mankind.  Thus there were men and women and of course children in Egypt.

Re then took the shape of a man (sounds vaguely familiar) and more than just a shape as after becoming the first Pharaoh and ruling for a millennium or more became old.  OR could it be it is our shape that requires us to grow and grow old?  As a consequence men no longer feared (obeyed?) his laws.  It ever was thus.  Re became angry at the disobedience - the ... shall I dare say sin?  And they no longer feared him and thus were no longer (if they ever had been) wise. 

What then did Re do?  Did he send a flood as some other deity might have?  No, he did what seems to my mind a more thoughtful reaction; he called together all the gods and goddesses in council.  In his wisdom he asked Nun the eldest of the gods what he should do.  The response was not unexpected, “send them a glance of your eye in the form of Sekmet and destroy them” Not quite a flood but still destruction.  Sekhmet was one like a lion whose chief delight was slaughter; whose pleasure was in blood.  All whom she saw she slaughtered and tasted their blood to her pleasure and delight.

The Nile now ran red with blood as in the other plague from another tradition.  And yet Sekhmet was not satisfied and continued to slaughter the inhabitants of that sad land.  Why you might ask did Re not insist that she stop the slaughter?  Well it turns out that once she was on the rampage nothing - not even Re could stop her blood lust. 

Re’s heart softened as the sight of all the slaughter.  In his anguish a plan arose.  He bade the women of Heliopolis brew the sacred drink beer coloured with the red of ochre which was brought from the isle of Elephantine.  The tainted ochre was poured onto the ground to a height and depth of nine inches.  Sekhmet believing the red tinted beer was blood drank her fill and more than her fill until she could drink no more.  From that day it has been told that Sekhmet could kill no more.  And indeed from that day she never slayed another man.

Once more Re ruled over all the lands of Egypt.  He ruled until the time came in which it was ordained that he should withdraw to the heavens and in his place a younger god should rule.  Yet Re refused to yield his power.  In growing old he no longer grew and as a result had lost his wisdom.  Re continued to reign and none could challenge him.  None could remove him from the earth as long as his power remained.  This would happen only when his secret could be revealed – the secret that was his name.

Re continued with the gift of the gods which was mortality.  He became old and older still.  He became very old in the way of old men.  He stumbled as he walked and drooled as he spoke.  His spittle fell on the earth.  Isis, one of the younger gods whose time it was to rule the earth, took the spittle and made mud where the spittle fell.  She kneaded it and formed it into clay.  This spittle was not used to make the blind see or to form humankind – it was too late for that. 

Instead of a human being she formed Uraeus, the first cobra.  Isis placed uraeus in the way of Re, on the path which Re trod each day.  Uraeus bit him in his most vulnerable place, his heel.  The venom like the poison which coursed through Achilles veins, flowed through Re.  Unlike Achilles, Re did not die but did cry out a great cry which rang out across the earth and sky.  This cry was so great that the gods hearing it came to investigate its source.  Re, finding his voice, pleaded to the gods for help.  He had been stung despite the secret power of his secret name which protects him.  As they could not help him the god called all the others of their kind who had powers to heal.  With them came Isis who held the power to revive the dying.

This time it was a god who was betrayed by the serpent and was threatened with expulsion from the earthly paradise.  The goddess Isis offered to heal Re if he would reveal his secret name to her.  Re in his stubbornness revealed all his names; maker of heaven and earth, builder of mountains, source of waters, light and darkness, creator of great Nile, Khepera in the morning, Re at noontide and Turn in the evening.  But he would not reveal his Secret Name the Name of Power which still lay hidden in his heart.

Isis bided her time until the time was ripe, for she was the source of all patience, until she enticed Re with promises of release from his torment.  At last Re responded with a great cry, “let the Name of Power, my Secret Name pass from my heart to the heart of Isis.  However, swear that you will reveal it to no one save the son which you will bear so that the name will remain with him.”

And so the Name passed from Re to Isis and so too Re passed from his earthly paradise and ascended to the heavens.  There he passes across the sky by day and crosses the underworld of Amenti by night.  With him he takes the souls of the dead.
Here our tale must end as it began with a name named at the beginning and named at the end of all things.  So my children remember and learn the power that the name holds and do not use yours carelessly lest you name reveal more than you know (particularly in this age of social networking and identity theft).