{"id":1034,"date":"2017-02-05T18:20:05","date_gmt":"2017-02-05T18:20:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/2017\/02\/05\/subversive-grace-based-on-job-27-10\/"},"modified":"2020-02-15T19:09:59","modified_gmt":"2020-02-15T19:09:59","slug":"subversive-grace-based-on-job-27-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/2017\/02\/05\/subversive-grace-based-on-job-27-10\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cSubversive Grace\u201d based on \u00a0Job 2:7-10"},"content":{"rendered":"

This
\nweek a clergy friend reached out with a concern about our United
\nMethodist Bookstore and recourse center, Cokesbury. \u00a0In the most
\nrecent Cokesbury catalog, on page 21, listed under \u201cWomen’s
\nStudies\u201d was a book entitled \u201cZip It\u201d with a cover image of
\nwomen’s lips zipped closed. \u00a0He asked us to join him in expressing
\ndispleasure. \u00a0I did. \u00a0I got a response from Cokesbury that attempted
\nto reassure me by informing me that I was ignorant of their intent.
\nThe email informed me that the author, \u201coffers
\npractical how-to\u2019s meant to inspire her readers to use their words
\n‘to build, not to break; to bless, not to badger; to encourage, not
\nto embitter; to praise, not to pounce’.\u00a0 Her work is very
\nspecific to women\u2019s group Bible study and personal devotion and
\nreflection.\u201d1<\/sup><\/a>
\n Clearly the author of the book along with the author of the email
\nperceive this to be EMPOWERMENT of women. \u00a0You might stake a guess
\nthat I disagree. \u00a0You’d be right.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Now,
\nthis particular exchange was fairly trivial this week. \u00a0It was almost
\nnothing, except that it served as a reminder of the inherent sexism
\nin The Church and the resiliency of the patriarchy in the
\ninstitution. \u00a0It was just another<\/i>
\npiece of frustration and sadness. \u00a0In the language of Parker Palmer,
\nit was another expression of the \u201ctragic gap.\u201d \u00a0He explains it
\nthis way, \u201cOf
\nall the tensions we must hold in personal and political life, perhaps
\nthe most fundamental and most challenging is standing and acting with
\nhope in the \u201ctragic gap.\u201d On one side of that gap, we see the
\nhard realities of the world, realities that can crush our spirits and
\ndefeat our hopes. On the other side of that gap, we see real-world
\npossibilities, life as we know it could be because we have seen it
\nthat way.\u201d2<\/sup><\/a>
\n
\nPalmer teaches that much of what we struggle with in life is the
\nreality of the tragic gap and how to be authentic in response to it.<\/b><\/p>\n

The
\ntragic gap ALWAYS exists. \u00a0For the past few weeks though it has felt
\nlike every piece of news, as well as every time I’ve accessed social
\nmedia, I’ve been bombarded with reminders of the tragic gap. \u00a0At
\ntimes it has felt like I’ve been drowning in them. \u00a0My natural
\nemotional disposition tends toward happiness and playfulness (along
\nwith overthinking \ud83d\ude09 ), but recently I’ve been feeling tired,
\noverwhelmed, and bogged down. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Now,
\nit feels imperative to mention that I do not think that a publishing
\nfoible by Cokesbury is a tragedy, it did not send me into a
\ndepression, and it is not even OVERLY significant. \u00a0In the face of
\nthe scope of issues today, it barely registers. \u00a0 I have to say this
\nbecause the last time I acknowledged being personally harmed by the
\nexistence sexism in the church at large I was told by Annual
\nConference Leadership that I was a hysterical woman and sent to
\nEmotional Intelligence training. \u00a0So, now that’s cleared up.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Truth
\nbe told though, there are so very many reminders of the tragic gap
\nright now that they are piled on top of each other. \u00a0There are all
\nthe normal ones and all the exceptionally new ones. \u00a0I think it is
\ncreating a phenomenon similar to grief: when a new grief occurs it
\nalso serves to reawaken all the grief we have experienced before it.
\n No one attack on the world as it should be is the problem: they all
\nadd on to each other and start to snow ball. \u00a0For many in my life,
\nI’m hearing that they are now avalanching. \u00a0Dear friends (please
\nnote: friends, none of you, I wouldn’t share your struggles from this
\npulpit) have told me this week that they are experiencing physical
\nsymptoms of the anxiety they experience given the current depth of
\nthe tragic gap. \u00a0I’m also hearing people are having trouble sleeping,
\nas well as turning to junk food and alcohol to make it through the
\ndays.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"image\"<\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

As
\nfor myself, this week I noticed that EVERYTHING I try to do is an
\nuphill battle. \u00a0It all just feels harder, sort of like how it does
\nwhen I haven’t taken vacation in entirely too many months. \u00a0My
\nyearning has been to sit on the couch, drink tea, pet my cat, and
\nwatch West Wing and anything more than that requires steeling myself
\nto do what needs to be done.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I
\ndon’t know how all of you are doing. \u00a0I hope some of you are fine and
\ndandy, with either sufficient coping mechanisms, sufficient hope, or
\nsufficient joy to counterbalance the world’s problems. \u00a0I know some
\nof you are really struggling, and that those struggles are often a
\ncombination of the world around us and the personal issues that keep
\ncoming. \u00a0Perhaps some are also in the middle: aware of the struggles
\nand making it. \u00a0After last week’s sermon, and the Biblical book from
\nwhich we read, many of you may be feeling anxious that I’m about to
\nmake it worse.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I
\ndon’t think I am. \u00a0Ironically enough, Job feels like a friendly
\nfigure right now, and his story seems to give us reason for hope.
\nFor those of you who aren’t inherently familiar with the story, let
\nme summarize quickly: \u00a0Job is presented as a truly good human.
\nEveryone agrees that he is \u201cblameless and upright,\u201d faithful to
\nGod, and even overly observant. \u00a0He made sacrifices to God JUST IN
\nCASE one of his sons accidentally sinned. \u00a0He was also wealthy in the
\nform of enormous flocks. \u00a0He and his wife and had 10 children, 7 sons
\nand 3 daughters. \u00a0God is said to be proud of Job’s good heart and
\nfaithfulness.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Suddenly
\nthings changed: all of his wealth was either killed or stolen. \u00a0At
\nthe same time, all of his children, who had been feasting together,
\nwere killed when a wind knocked down the tent. \u00a0Job turned to grief
\nand turned his heart to God in prayer. \u00a0Then, in our text, \u00a0his
\nhealth deteriorated, with painful sores opening all over his entire
\nbody. \u00a0He is already sitting on an ash heap and appears to simply,
\ncalmly, pick up a piece of a broken pot to use to scratch himself.
\nIt seems that he is already so heartbroken that the physical symptoms
\nbarely register. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

That
\nseems right. \u00a0The deepest grief I have seen in my life has been the
\ngrief of parents mourning for their children. \u00a0In the face of losing
\n10 children, I don’t think anything else would even register. \u00a0Job’s
\nwife is convinced that his death is imminent, and even in the midst
\nof her shared grief, she manages to register the degree of his pain.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The
\nmeaning of her words is not entirely clear. \u00a0She says, \u201cDo you
\nstill persist in your integrity? \u00a0Curse God, and die.\u201d The big
\nquestion is: does she assume he is dying already and wish to ease his
\ndeath by helping him speak words of truth on the way out; OR does she
\nbelieve his suffering is too great for anyone to handle and believe
\nthat if he curses God, God will finally let him die? \u00a0That is, it
\nisn’t clear if she thinks he is dying anyway which then also makes it
\nunclear if she thinks cursing God will kill him. \u00a0Since this is a
\nbook especially designed to argue against the idea that a difficult
\nlife indicates that God is punishing you, I’m going to suggest that
\nthe more likely meaning is the first: \u00a0she wishes for him speak out
\nloud of his pain to ease the suffering on his way to death.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Truly,
\nJob’s wife speaks with outstanding grace, especially for a woman who
\nis also grieving the loss of all of her children. \u00a0The capacity to
\nattend to anyone else’s pain in the midst of that grief is unusual \u2013
\nhumans are built that way. \u00a0She wants his pain to be eased, both
\nphysically and emotionally. \u00a0She thinks he is being too stoic, and
\nshould let go of his pride in order to find some relief. \u00a0In Bible
\nStudy we found ourselves telling stories of the end of people’s
\nlives, and the grace-filled ways we had known loved ones to ease the
\nend of the dying person’s life. \u00a0This woman’s words reminded us of
\nhow difficult it can be to let go of a loved one, and at the same
\ntime how much of a relief it is when someone we love is no longer
\nsuffering. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Job’s
\nwife encouraged him to do what he could do to be at peace at the end
\nof his life. \u00a0He refused her, responding that his faith required him
\nto deal with the pain as it came. \u00a0In case you haven’t read Job, it
\nis interesting to note that for chapters upon chapters after this he
\nexpresses his pain with great intensity. \u00a0However, the prelude seems
\nto forget those speeches.\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Now,
\nthe grace-filled response of Job’s wife has not been heard as such
\nthroughout history. \u00a0\u201cChrysostom asked why the Devil left Job his
\nwife and answered with the suggestion that he considered her a
\nscourge by which to plague him more acutely than by any other
\nmeans.\u201d3<\/sup><\/a>
\n Yep. \u00a0And he wasn’t alone, \u201cThe ancient tradition, reflected in
\nAugustine, Chrysostom, Calvin, and many others, that she is an aide
\nto the satan<\/i>
\nunderestimates the complexity of her role.\u201d4<\/sup><\/a>
\n Most male commentators throughout history have condemned Job’s wife
\nfor her words, seeing her as a part of the problem. \u00a0I wonder how
\nmuch of culture’s assumptions about females fed into that
\nperspective. \u00a0It was difficult for those of us who studies this
\ntogether to hear anything but gentleness, love, and grace in Job’s
\nwife’s words. \u00a0They’re subversive grace, for sure, not at all
\nreflecting the most common ways of showing love, but they’re grace
\nnonetheless.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The
\nbook of Job explores human suffering, and asks the big questions
\nabout how human suffering and God’s will are related. \u00a0God’s answers
\nto Job’s questions are in chapters 38-40 if you want to read them
\nyourselves. \u00a0The book of Job gives us a space to reflect on suffering
\nitself, and it gives us words to name the suffering. \u00a0We don’t have
\nto be in Job’s particularly awful position to be suffering, there are
\nmany kinds of suffering in the world.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

This
\nweek we had a Gathering of (The) Connection where we talked about
\nfinding peace. \u00a0We were gifted with wonderful questions: what is
\npeace? \u00a0What helps you find peace? \u00a0What keeps you from peace? \u00a0We
\ndiscussed the balance of righteousness anger and peace, and we
\nwondered about it. \u00a0As we discussed a thought started to form in me:
\nI think I’ve been doing it wrong. \u00a0(Or if not \u201cwrong\u201d than in a
\nless than optimal way.)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In
\nrecent weeks, I have allowed my fears and angers to motivate and lead
\nme, and I am not at my best when I do that. \u00a0Certainly there is
\nplenty worth protesting, there are great organizations to donate to,
\nand imperative conversations to have. \u00a0However, if I want to be as
\nuseful as I can be in building the kin-dom of God, then I need to
\nstart those actions from the best motivation. \u00a0Now I’m wondering if I
\ncan attend to centering myself in the unconditional love of God and
\nwonder of life and Creation \u2013 even now, ESPECIALLY now? \u00a0Can I
\nallow myself to slow down enough to consider where my energy belongs
\nand where my gifts are most useful? \u00a0Can I show up, wherever I show
\nup, grace-filled and at peace so that the love I have to share can be
\npart of what I offer in changing the world? \u00a0Can I learn how to hold
\npeace in such a deep way that it allows me to hold anger differently?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Please
\nbe aware that I think grace-filled and at peace can be a reasonable
\nway to protest, chant, and resist!! \u00a0I’m talking about the inner
\nmotivation and way of responding to the rest of God’s people. \u00a0When
\nit comes down to it, I think that the energy we bring into the world
\nchanges it more than the words we use. \u00a0The world is desperately in
\nneed of love and peace \u2013 and listening as well as many many forms
\nof resistance. \u00a0Furthermore, in the past few weeks people’s hearts
\nhaven’t stopped breaking in the normal and awful ways human hearts
\nbreak. \u00a0There is still a lot of need around us for patience and
\ncompassion.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

So,
\nI’m hoping that in the face of great suffering I might be able (on
\ngood days) to share subversive grace: to share God’s love from a
\nplace of peace and gratitude WHILE calling the world out of the
\ntragic gap and into the kin-dom. \u00a0This will take times of quiet,
\nintentional reflection, deep conversation, and attending to hope,
\ngratitude and goodness. \u00a0This will take paying attention to what
\nbrings me energy \u2013 and doing those things. \u00a0This will take a
\nregular practice of Sabbath, in particular Sabbath from the news
\ncycle. \u00a0I got one of those this week and it made all the difference.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Finally,
\nI hope that my journey is of use to you as well. \u00a0In the midst of her
\nown suffering, Job’s wife found the way to hear her husband’s pain
\nand respond to it with love, grace, and compassion. \u00a0That’s
\nespecially hard work right now. \u00a0But, may God help us to treat
\nourselves, \u00a0and those we love, with similar love, grace, and
\ncompassion. \u00a0May we find our energy sources, good spiritual
\npractices, and \u00a0the freedom to breath outside of the news cycle.
\nAnd, with God’s help, may it lower our anxiety and fill us with some
\nmuch needed peace. \u00a0Amen\n<\/p>\n

1<\/a>Personal
\n\tEmail, February 1, 2016. \u00a0\n\t<\/p>\n

2<\/a>Parker
\n\tPalmer, Healing
\n\tthe Heart of Democracy,
\n\tp. 191. \u00a0Accessed at
\n\thttp:\/\/www.couragerenewal.org\/democracyguide\/v36\/<\/a>
\n\ton February 2, 2017.<\/p>\n

3<\/a>Marvin
\n\tH. Pope, Job. \u00a0<\/i>
\n\t<\/b><\/i>In
\n\tthe Anchor Bible Series, (Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Co, 1965)
\n\tpage 22.<\/p>\n

4<\/a>Carol
\n\tA. Newsom \u201cThe Book of Job\u201d in The New Interpreter’s Study
\n\tBible Vol IV <\/i>(Nashville:
\n\tAbingdon Press, 1996), page 355.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"image\"<\/figure>\n

Rev. Sara E. Baron<\/p>\n

First United Methodist Church of Schenectady<\/p>\n

603 State St. Schenectady, NY 12305<\/p>\n

Pronouns: she\/her\/hers<\/p>\n

http:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/<\/a>
https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FUMCSchenectady<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This week a clergy friend reached out with a concern about our United Methodist Bookstore and recourse center, Cokesbury. \u00a0In … Continue reading \u201cSubversive Grace\u201d based on \u00a0Job 2:7-10<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[38,28,39,33,769,775,75,768,767,771,765,209,435,774,56,773,766,608,770,772],"class_list":["post-1034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons","tag-progressive-christianity","tag-rev-sara-e-baron","tag-thinking-church","tag-umc","tag-avalanche","tag-beloveds-take-care-of-yourselves","tag-fumcschenectady","tag-grace-abounds","tag-jobs-wife","tag-oh-cokesbury","tag-ordinary-time","tag-parker-palmer","tag-sabbath","tag-sabbath-from-the-news-cycle","tag-schenectady","tag-smash-the-patriarchy","tag-subversive","tag-subversive-women-sermon-series","tag-tragic-gap","tag-women-be-loud-in-church"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1034","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1034"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1034\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1243,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1034\/revisions\/1243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1034"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1034"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1034"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}