Two Parties to Celebrate the King by Heid Jakoby

Are you ready to Party! With St. Patrick’s Day just last week, many were out partying and attending parades or marching in them. Many people love to party and to celebrate things by gathering together around a common theme. As we enter into Holy Week we begin with Palm Sunday and the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem Luke 19:28-40. Jesus riding into Jerusalem started a party, people were yelling “Hosanna – Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord”, and they were excited and happy. Check out this link to the Musical Jesus Christ Superstar What's the Buzz

I have always loved this musical, because it put an edge on the story and this particular song talks about the good things that can be if everyone just listened and accepted Jesus. At this point in the story the people did not know what was to come, they were on a high of celebration and joy. In our modern world have we as a society been on a real high just to be disappointed or have had to face a tragedy?

Jesus was promoted as the “New King” he did not embrace that label until this day and then he wanted the idea of King to be different than what came before. As Peter Wolf ruminates on his blog Palming off the Donkey King

Jesus could not accept the association with Kingship and rule until he had opportunity to correct the popular experience and understanding of what that meant. Lord knows the current exemplars of kingship and rule were far from Jesus’ concept. ... Power, control and brutal consequences for those who dissented.
This was not what Jesus wanted to be associated with and so he avoids being proclaimed king until he had had a time to reorient his disciples understanding of kingship.
In three and a half years he has modeled what kings are intended to do for their people:
• He has healed the broken and restored them to full participation in community
• He has forgiven those who missed the mark of required ethical and religious standards and included them in his new community.
• He has raised the dead so as to offer social security to those women who would be destitute by the deaths of the men (Lazarus, Widow of Nain)
• He has raised and healed children to break the bondage of bad theology that blamed bad things on parental conditions and culture (Children of Jairus and the Canaanite woman)
• He has been inclusive, unconditionally accepting, and restorative in his words and actions.
This is who kings and rulers are meant to be and now it is time for him to own the archetype and to associate with the kingship that the stoned prophets were trying to bring to the palaces of Palestine.(yes probably both meanings of “stoned”, they were high on God remember?)

Who have we viewed as kings and how have we celebrated them, Elvis Presley the “King of Rock N Roll” or Michael Jackson the “King of Pop”. Currently the Newseum in Washington has a special exhibit on Elvis Presley check out the promotional video.

Both of these popular “Kings” died at an early age, both had and still have a following throughout the world. What makes these individuals so different? What do you think? How do you decide who to follow? As I reflect on the life of Elvis and Michael Jackson, I just wonder why they both turned to drugs at some point. How difficult is it to be referred to as King?

For Jesus it was more difficult than we could imagine. Inviting everyone to follow a very different kind of king led to suffering and death, but also to new life. By giving his life for all, Jesus brought the whole broken humanity into God’s arms; to find healing; to find a different way to live. To find Life-for-all that’s truly worth partying about! It’s a mystery that’s hard to explain. You almost have to experience it and then talk it over with a friend or two.

That's what Holy Week is all about. You've got the week book-ended with parties: the palm-waving party for the King-on-a-donkey (a wild new kind of peace-making King) and then the biggest party of the year: the joy of Easter (the King is back!). In between, you get to live through the reasons for all the partying. I encourage you to attend as many Holy Week gatherings as you can in order to live the journey, in real time. Please come back to the blog or to our facebook page to share your experience. If you need help finding a place to go in your community please e-mail us at www.bytheway.nashua@gmail.com and we would be happy to help you.

Don’t forget we will be on Skype “bythewaycommunity” this Thursday March 25th from 7-8 PM for conversation.

Your comments are appreciated.

Healers: Keep it Simple

Our last Bread for you journey unfolded with an opportunity to meet new people and to begin with a sharing of prayer concerns and a time of settling into this space and time.
This week we explored how Jesus sent out the twelve to heal. He let them know to keep it simple and empowered them to continue his work two by two.

Reflection #1: We began by lighting a candle and then viewing the video Heal the World by Michael Jackson. This video begins with Michael explaining why he wrote the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beFTORlM6TU

God, we do see so much pain, in our world and in our own lives. As we reflect on your Word tonight, help us to hear your call to follow Jesus and to sort out just what that means. Let your healing power flow into us tonight… and let it flow through us, here in this community, and outward into your world. In your name we pray… amen.

Reflection #2: from the Message Mark6:7-13 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%206:1-13;&version=65;

Lord Jesus, you called the twelve and sent them out in pairs to teach and do God’s will. Help us to know we do our best work with others and that we need to keep it simple. We are empowered by you to comfort, heal and love one another. Be for us a place of joy and rejuvenation. In your name we pray… amen.

Reflection #3: The Hippocratic Oath: Modern Version
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/doctors/oath_modern.html

God, you send messengers in many forms to the world may we listen and know that we are called to love and care for one another. We are here to help and heal one another on our journey. Lift us up and support us as we mourn those we have lost and continue to take care of our life which you have given us. May peace and joy be a part of everyday. In your name we pray…amen.

We began our discussion by sharing our thoughts when we heard of Michael Jackson’s death. Many thought of his music and art, but then we discussed how the controversy surrounding his life may have diminished his message of healing the world or helping children. The loss of Farrah Fawcett on the same morning was also discussed and how some deaths are expected and others are a surprise. We discussed the juxtaposition of these lose; Farrah's heroic fight to live and Jackson’s controversial and sudden death.

The line of the song Heal the World which stood out for me was “Be God’s Glow”. As Jesus sent out the twelve he sent them out to heal and be God’s glow. Jesus told them to keep it simple and do what you can and then move on. We are also sent out into the world to help heal those around us. How are you helping or healing people around you? If everyone saw themselves as healers and helpers we would all help to change the world.

As we reflected on the Hippocratic Oath we discussed how this oath is a commitment to live your life in a helpful way. It affirms that we cannot do it alone as Jesus sent the twelve out two by two Doctors promise to refer to others work and to ask for help. The last paragraph of the Hippocratic Oath “May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help,” it links healing and joy. As we find our individual calling we find a sense of joy and new understandings about ourselves and the world around us. In the Geneva Declaration it states, “I will maintain the utmost respect for human life from the time of conception, even under threat; I will not use my medical knowledge contrary to the laws of humanity.” http://www.cirp.org/library/ethics/geneva/ . This is a clear statement to help and preserve human life. How can we help with this each day?

After our discussion we shared a sending prayer and then moved to our open space time where we could experience and reflect on the healing power of water and that of bread. Oath, promise, commitment, how would your Oath to live read? The entire wording of the Hippocratic Oath and the Geneva Declaration were available to reflect upon and to use as inspiration along with a variety of books to write your own oath to live. How would God be reflected in your oath? What is your calling and how can you live into your passion?

I remember being asked about what legacy I would like to leave after I die but I do not recall being asked to articulate a statement promising to live out my call in specific ways that I and others would understand. How to live our daily lives to help and to heal the world can seem overwhelming but remember to keep it simple and do what you can, it all adds up.

Thank you to all who attended this powerful evening and those who have taken the time to read my ponderings.

Heidi Jakoby

Healers One and All

Sent out into the world to heal. Have you ever had the opportunity to help someone through a difficult time in their life? Did you just listen to a friend share their hurt? As I reflect on Jesus sending out his followers to heal I think about how we are called to help (heal) one another. Have you considered the idea that helping someone is a form of healing? And caring for one another can help make the world a better place?

In this reading from Mark, Jesus sends out his followers two by two and tells them to take nothing with them. To go out and start healing, simple and direct; no special training. Is it that simple?
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%206:1-13;&version=65;

As I continued to reflect on this reading and the past week I pondered the many famous people who died over the past week and all that they brought to the world. Farrah Fawcett and her long battle with cancer has inspired many to continue to seek a cure and or a better way of living with cancer. Michael Jackson has inspired people in different ways. When I put in the word Healing into the You tube search a Michael Jackson song came up called Heal the World.

I must have heard this song before but I don't think I ever truly listened to it. Here are the first two versus (for the lyrics to the entire song http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/michaeljackson/healtheworld.html )

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

And The Dream We Were
Conceived In
Will Reveal A Joyful Face
And The World We
Once Believed In
Will Shine Again In Grace
Then Why Do We Keep
Strangling Life
Wound This Earth
Crucify Its Soul
Though It's Plain To See
This World Is Heavenly
Be God's Glow

The last line of the second verse has really resonated for me. How can I be God's Glow? How can I help this wounded earth? How can we make the world a better place?


As you can tell I have many questions and not many answers so I also explored the words of the Hippocratic Oath that many doctors take when they are earning their degree. I discovered that there are some misnomers about the oath, for instance it does not say "First, do no harm". Also I learned that there is a second oath the Geneva Declaration (http://www.cirp.org/library/ethics/geneva/). The last section of one of the Hippocratic Oaths states "May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help." This links help and healing as well as medicine as a calling. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/doctors/oath_modern.html


This Thursday at 7pm join us at the Crowne Plaza for Bread for your journey where we will take a look at Jesus sending his friends out into to the world to heal people, how the song Heal the World speaks to us, and we may take a closer look at the Hippocratic Oath. Let us explore together the joy that can come from help and healing. You can also join in our conversation here at the blog.



Peace


Heidi Jakoby