On Behalf of the Community

The texts for this week speak about community. We are communal people. This idea seems to be unpopular today. We rather think of individuals, mostly of ourselves. Choices we make, as long as they only affect us, are the right choices. Most messages from our society speak about taking care of number 1 (meaning me!). American individualism is one of the marks of what makes us who we are as a people. If all of this is true, then what do we do with these passages. How do we interpret them, struggle with them, have them speak to us?

The book of Esther contains one of the great stories in the bible. Esther was a young jewish girl who ends up as Queen of the Persian empire. The jews are in diaspora (dispersed) and many are living in the persian empire. They have become part of persian society and many of them held important positions. Esther was an orphan who was cared for by her cousin Mordecai. The king of Persia Ahasuerus (Emperor Xerxes) marries Esther not knowing that she is a jewish peasant. After Mordecai finds out about Haman's plan to kill the jews (Haman was the King's right hand man) Mordecai asks Esther to speak on behalf of her people. In our text for today we have the conversation between Esther and the King, Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22.

James 5:13-20 calls for the community to pray and care for one another. One of the stricking parts of the passage is the call to healing that is both physical/emotional and spiritual. The elders of the church are called and bring a "healing touch" through annointing with oil. Once healing takes place in ourselves we are able to provide communal healing through forgiveness and reconciliation. Here is the perfect example of how we as individuals live out communally.

The gospel is a difficult one. Mark 9:38-50 is a perfect example of why scripture is always interpreted through community. Has your hand, foot, eye caused you to sin? I am sure it has. Have you cut it off? I sure hope not. The message here is about stumbling blocks. We place them all around us. We are the main stumbling blocks to our life and the lives of others. Especially when someone is not like us or with us we automatically see them as the enemy. Jesus is calling all of us to something different. He is calling us to holy hospitality. In holy hospitality we accept the other by removing all that comes in the way. Even if it means removing ourselves. In removing ourselves we allow room for God to work through us and only then can we be "salt of the earth," the spice that flavors and preserves.

Communal living is difficult. God calls us to it "for such a time as this." In a world full of individualism we should carry the banner of the gift of communal life. We, like Esther, go to the king and sound out the alarm. God's providence allows us to make a difference in the world. Are we going to take the challenge?

Peace, Juan