Thoughts from the office
The daily office readings this morning hit a nerve, particularly the reading from Numbers (Numbers 16:36-50). Here are my somewhat jumbled reflections...
"So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers that had been presented by those who were burned; and they were hammered out as a covering for the altar- a reminder to the Israelites that no outsider, who is not of the descendants of Aaron, shall approach to offer incense before the Lord, so as not to become like Korah and his company"
It's a pretty intense story - basically, people who shouldn't have are acting as priests, and God smites 'em. Them and their families, anyone connected to their household (even their livestock, I think). All that is left are the bronze censers: these are taken and made into a covering for the altar, because they are now holy (having been in contact with God) and because they make an appropriate warning sign: watch out or else.
As a newly ordained member of the clergy, I must admit that a story about people being smitted (smitten? smote?) because they acted as priests when they shouldn't have cuts pretty close to the bone. No pressure there...
Then the story gets even more powerful, at least for me: the people are upset and turn against Moses and Aaron, and so God starts killing all the people (with a plague). Moses tells Aaron to run out and cense the people to make atonement for them, so they will not die of the plague. Aaron runs out to do so (I'm - very anachronistically - picturing a priest with a censer running full-tilt into a crowd, and I find the image hilarious) and "He stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stopped."
Wow.
Now that is also a powerful image for this shiny new clergy person: he stood between the dead and the living. That does sound rather like what we're called to do at times. Sitting in hospital rooms while people hold the newly dead... standing by gravesides, speaking words of comfort to the living and of honour about the dead. I've been here three weeks and Saturday I will take my second solo funeral (third one I've participated in) since I got here. The dead - and the power over life and death - is definitely present and real in what we do.
This is an intense job, and a big archetype that I'm trying to live into. No wonder it all feels a bit overwhelming!
"So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers that had been presented by those who were burned; and they were hammered out as a covering for the altar- a reminder to the Israelites that no outsider, who is not of the descendants of Aaron, shall approach to offer incense before the Lord, so as not to become like Korah and his company"
It's a pretty intense story - basically, people who shouldn't have are acting as priests, and God smites 'em. Them and their families, anyone connected to their household (even their livestock, I think). All that is left are the bronze censers: these are taken and made into a covering for the altar, because they are now holy (having been in contact with God) and because they make an appropriate warning sign: watch out or else.
As a newly ordained member of the clergy, I must admit that a story about people being smitted (smitten? smote?) because they acted as priests when they shouldn't have cuts pretty close to the bone. No pressure there...
Then the story gets even more powerful, at least for me: the people are upset and turn against Moses and Aaron, and so God starts killing all the people (with a plague). Moses tells Aaron to run out and cense the people to make atonement for them, so they will not die of the plague. Aaron runs out to do so (I'm - very anachronistically - picturing a priest with a censer running full-tilt into a crowd, and I find the image hilarious) and "He stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stopped."
Wow.
Now that is also a powerful image for this shiny new clergy person: he stood between the dead and the living. That does sound rather like what we're called to do at times. Sitting in hospital rooms while people hold the newly dead... standing by gravesides, speaking words of comfort to the living and of honour about the dead. I've been here three weeks and Saturday I will take my second solo funeral (third one I've participated in) since I got here. The dead - and the power over life and death - is definitely present and real in what we do.
This is an intense job, and a big archetype that I'm trying to live into. No wonder it all feels a bit overwhelming!