Tuesday • 4/5/2022
Tuesday of 5 Lent, Year Two

This morning’s Scriptures are: Psalm 121, 122, 123; Exodus 5:1–6:1; 1 Corinthians 14:20-40 (note that the lectionary excludes verses 34-38); Mark 9:42-50

This morning’s Canticles are: following the OT reading, Canticle 13 (“A Song of Praise,” BCP, p. 90); following the Epistle reading, Canticle 18 (“A Song to the Lamb,” Revelation 4:11; 5:9–10, 13, BCP, p. 93)

Meditating on 1 Corinthians 14: As important as worship is to Episcopalians, it’s curious that the Daily Office lectionary in the Book of Common Prayer includes the reading of some words on worship (tongues & prophecy) that we apply in a nuanced rather than a literalistic fashion, but then passes over other instructions on worship (women in worship) that we take in a similarly nuanced fashion.

So, we read, “each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation…let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said.” We are expected, I suppose, to discern these words’ applicability to our worship despite the fact that our liturgy is not exactly spontaneous. In fact, whether our worship includes things like impromptu prophecy or not, or tongue-speaking or not, we can surely learn lessons from this passage about how true worship aims at building one another up rather than at putting our own spiritual prowess on display: “Let all things be done for building up” (14:26).

But the daily lectionary invites us to skip “women should be silent” (verses 34-38). Why? Because our tradition has decided these words may have been applicable to Corinth, but have nothing to say to us?

In fact, this teaching is important. Paul has already endorsed women speaking in church, when back in chapter 11 of this epistle, he urges women not to allow the piety of their public prophesying or praying to be undermined by impiety in their appearance (1 Corinthians 11:5-6). Here, in chapter 14, Paul is saying that when all the prophesying is over, he does not want the evaluation of the prophets (see the end of 1 Corinthians 14:32) to be interrupted by anyone (and specifically, in Corinth, some women) interrupting the process by continuing to speak.

Just as uninterpreted tongues could be a cacophonous, perhaps even ego-inflating, hindrance to the edification of everybody, so could any speaking that is not within a proper order or context (to use the language of v. 17) “in turn.” That’s why Paul concludes, “all things should be done decently and in order” (v. 40). As Solomon says, “A time for keeping silent, a time for speaking” (Ecclesiastes 3:7)—a time for prophesying, a time to refrain from prophesying.

Exodus: Meanwhile … back in Egypt. The Israelites groan under the burden of having to make “more bricks with less straw” (Exodus 5). Israel’s plight under their harsh taskmasters cannot help but remind us of the cruel affliction endured by so many people throughout history — and today — at the hands of soulless brutes.

“When Israel was in Egypt land, Let my people go! Oppressed so hard they could not stand, Let my people go!” intones the African-American spiritual. The words of the spiritual still resonate as we lift our voices on behalf of those still bearing scars from the scourge of antebellum slavery in the U.S., on behalf of girls and boys the world over pressed into trafficking, on behalf of women trapped in abusive relationships, and on behalf of citizens of countries under attack by ruthless would-be overlords. The Bible’s sustaining message is that in his time, Yahweh will answer the cry, “Let my people go!”

Mark: Fighting the battle within. And then there’s the battle within ourselves, a necessary reminder this last week of Lent. Jesus urges us to be as concerned about the sin battling inside, against our souls, as we properly are about what’s going on “out there” in the cruel world: “If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire….” (Mark 9:43–48). There is no crueler taskmaster than the Father of lies who would take us to hell by giving us grasping and groping hands, feet quick to go down evil paths, and wandering and lustful eyes. May the prayers of the crucified, resurrected, and ascended Jesus who “ever intercedes for us” (Hebrews 7:25) prevail for us, “Let my people go!”

Be blessed this day.

Reggie Kidd+