Seeking Authentic Voice

 A reflection on Proper 17B: Song of Solomon 2:8-13 and James 1:17-27        My great-grandparents taught me about the value of music and an appreciation for the earth as God’s creation. They were farmers in southern Idaho. The house was a yellow Victorian with an old turret that housed my great grandmothers’ sewing machine and fabrics for quilting. In the morning we had fresh strawberries and milk for breakfast. Later we would homemade chicken pot pie for supper, and in the evening my great grandmother played the piano and sang old ragtime classics like “Frankie and Johnny.” I can still hear my great grandmother as she played and sang:  Frankie and Johnny were lovers Oh lordy, how they could love Swore to be true to each other Just as true as the stars above He was her man, but he done her wrong My great grandparents inspired my love of gardening.. For some reason I don’t know, my great grandparents left the Mormon Church a...

A reflection on the readings for  Proper 15B - 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14; Ephesians 5:15-20; John 6:51-58  Over the course of the last two Sunday’s the story of David in 2 nd Samuel continued – a story of war and more war, of violence and many family problems. David’s daughter, Tamar is raped by her half- brother, Ammon, thus preventing her from being marriageable because according to ancient custom women were property of men. According to this custom Tamar’s value as a commodity diminished. There are still some cultures in the world today who view rape and incest in the same manner as this ancient culture – it is a defilement of property. As a piece of property that has no value Tamar’s feelings are never taken into consideration by David. The rape causes problems for David as he tries to decide how, or IF, to punish his son. Sadly, David does nothing.   The story of Tamar is central in religious discussions about violence against women, with several books written...