This  blog provides a meditation on the Epicopal daily readings along with a headline from world news:

USA LEAVES IRAQ ACCEPTING ITS POWER IS INEFFECTIVE

not by might nor by power...

Zechariah 4:1-14

4The angel who talked with me came again, and wakened me, as one is wakened from sleep. 2He said to me, ‘What do you see?’ And I said, ‘I see a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it; there are seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. 3And by it there are two olive trees, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.’ 4I said to the angel who talked with me, ‘What are these, my lord?’ 5Then the angel who talked with me answered me, ‘Do you not know what these are?’ I said, ‘No, my lord.’ 6He said to me, ‘This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts. 7What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain; and he shall bring out the top stone amid shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” ’

8 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9‘The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. 10For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel.

‘These seven are the eyes of the Lord, which range through the whole earth.’ 11Then I said to him, ‘What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?’ 12And a second time I said to him, ‘What are these two branches of the olive trees, which pour out the oil through the two golden pipes?’ 13He said to me, ‘Do you not know what these are?’ I said, ‘No, my lord.’ 14Then he said, ‘These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.’

This is a prophecy (verses 1-5, 10b-14) which has been interpolated with prophecies relating to Zerubbabel, (verses 6-10a) the last member of the royal family of David to have leadership in Judah. The text is therefore a mess. Still the prophecies to Zerubbabel have some marvellous phrases which give heart to small people facing great issues in all times: “Not by might nor by power but by my spirit, says the Lord” and “those who have despised the day of small things”.

The day of small things-indigenous protest against logging

Those who are building communities of faith and justice will forever be a minority  but they should never despair. No good things are accomplished by might or power; all good things are accomplished by the Lord’s spirit. Those who laugh at the day of small things will see the day when they have become great. Faithful people will cherish the day of small things knowing that God’s spirit can begin there. Many of the parables of Jesus, especially those involving seeds, have the same meaning. At a time when disparate small groups with varied perspectives are trying to oppose the overwhelming power of banking, oil and weapons which bids to rule the earth, trust in God’s spirit and the day of small things is a prerequisite for opposition.

Matthew 25:1-13

25‘Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; 4but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. 6But at midnight there was a shout, “Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.” 7Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” 9But the wise replied, “No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.” 10And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. 11Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, “Lord, lord, open to us.” 12But he replied, “Truly I tell you, I do not know you.” 13Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

kid's company U.K. -always able to help

Possibly the behaviour of bridesmaids was the subject of jokes in Jesus’ society. At any rate this light- hearted story, which shows the unsympathetic nature of the wise and the carelessness of the unwise, is addressed by Matthew to those members of his own church who were saying “He’s taking a long time to come back”, and whose lives lacked any serious preparation for the Lord’s return. We too, in the mainstream churches have lost all expectation of a “second coming” of Jesus, and are therefore unready to greet him as he comes back into human life in the person of other disciples or the need of the least important. When we are challenged to act, now, on our faith, do we not often fail? This is particularly true in the comfy churches faced with the need to provide immediate shelter or food for a homeless person. Then we fall into the category of people described by Sydney Carter in his song, “Standing in the rain”

“no we haven’t got a manger

No we haven’t got a stable

we are Christian men and women

always willing, never able”

By the time we get our act together the crisis is past and the bridegroom is telling us, “Truly I tell you, I do not know you.”