|
|
Rector's Reflections - Last Pentecost, Proper 29
November 22, 2009
Famous last words. It's almost a throwaway line. "I'm starting Christmas shopping early this year!" Yeah... famous last words.
Of course there are those famous LAST words... some authenticated and some perchance apocryphal. Poet Heinrich Heine is reported to have said on his deathbed, "God will pardon me; that's his line of work." Of course, there's Julius Caesar's famous "Et tu, Brute?" And the inimitable Oscar Wilde is said to have said, "Either that wallpaper goes, or I do."
The reading from 2nd Samuel today are the last words of David. Scripture gives us a lot of last words. Moses' last words were basically a blessing on the twelve tribes. He prayed for strength and health and faithfulness... all in all, good things for those whom he is leaving behind. Elijah's last words were a little different. In essence, he gave Elisha his inheritance—Elijah's mantle—before Elijah was whisked up in a whirlwind. These were good last words, too, because they honored the faithfulness and zeal of the one who would take up Elijah's call. Stephen's last words as he was being stoned were a prayer asking God to forgive his killers. And, of course, Jesus' last words are a Good Friday service in and of themselves. "It is finished" may be heard in a variety of ways.
It seems that authors, whether of Scripture or biographies, tend to put a good spin on last words, whether they are taking a high road or hoping that last words will encourage those who read them. And then there are the last words of David. Evidently the editor of David's words didn't get that "good last words" memo. These are harsh last words affirming a blessing on David's house (in spite of some of David's less than honorable acts) and all good things flow ONLY from his throne on down.
Ultimately, however, these last words are placed rather ironically up against the coming of Advent and the arrival of a baby in Bethlehem who will fulfill, expand, and rewrite the covenant that had rested with David's house. What God has done in David, therefore, is far more significant than what David has done... and let's face it, some of the things David has done are pretty unsavory. This is the key to Israel's future as well as to our own, because the future doesn't depend on human power but on the power of God.
If we let them, these famous last words can help us to reimagine our future. Even at their absolute best, leaders in the church or leaders in the nation tend to let the problems define the terms of our lives, and quite frankly, I think we all often settle for problems to solve rather than ideals to embody.
The story of David ought to encourage us, at the beginning of this new year, to dream dreams and see visions, because we trust that it is God doing the work of life, hope, love, and justice that goes beyond the sum total of our human capacities. If we are so busy in the church analyzing our institutional and societal issues that we fail to dream those dreams or see those visions, then we will perish like the "godless ones" David mentions. But if we claim with David the everlasting covenant of God's promise, then the hope of our future will be based in a reality that transcends the powers of his world.
Susan+
|
