Break Open the Word

The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 8 - 1 July   2012 Wisdom of Solomon 1:13-15; 2:23-24 Lamentations 3:21-33 II Corinthians 8:7-15 St. Mark 5:21-43                                                                                     Background: Anointing of the Sick Each Sunday at Saint Mark’s Church in Berkeley, and at Trinity Church in San Francisco, people gather at a prayer desk on the side of the congregation to receive prayer for healing, anointing with oil, and the laying on of hands for healing.   Where did the practice come from?   The biblical warrant for this practice comes from James 5:14-15, “ Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint [him] with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven. ” The 1549 Version of the Book of Common Prayer in

The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 7 - 24 June 2012 Job 38:1-11 Psalm 107:1-3, 23-32 II Corinthians 6:1-13 St. Mark 4:35-41                                                                                     Background:   Creation – Word and Chaos In the readings from Job and from the Gospel of Mark, we have echoes of one of the creation stories in Genesis.   It is one model that is used in describing the work of creation, but it is not the only one.   The influences on the creation stories flow directly from the Canaanite culture that surrounded Israel, and somewhat more indirectly from the Mesopotamian culture that was the background to the great patriarchal epics.   Both of the models are indebted to these cultural streams.   One is the “Word” model, in which God speaks, and something is accomplished.   The other is a “Crisis” or “Chaos” model in which God as creator overcomes forces of disorder.   Some commentators speak of the Word model, a