bullying – The Noontimes

Isaiah 58:7-10: A Prayer for Dissenters

Isaiah 58:7-10: A Prayer for Dissenters

Sunday, February 18, 2024

Isaiah’s words might be spoken to one who teaches the very young.

Share your food . . .

Isaiah’s words might be heard in a meeting of those who sponsor refugees.

Open your home . . .

Isaiah’s words might be spoken in a classroom where tomorrow’s adults are formed.

Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear . . .

Isaiah’s words might be heard in a workshop offered on how to embody scripture.

Do not refuse to help your own relatives . . .

Isaiah’s words might be brought to life by anyone who hopes to incarnate The Word, to follow The Word, to live, breathe and be The Word among us.

Put an end to oppression, to every gesture of contempt . . .

Isaiah’s words might be spoken on a picket line.

Put an end to every evil word . . .

Isaiah’s words are a rubric to measure our actions, a template to codify life, a handbook for those who yearn to walk in the land of the living.

If you satisfy those who are in need, then the darkness around you will turn to the brightness of noon.

And so we pray with Isaiah.

Good, and holy and generous God, guide us as we struggle with our fears of darkness and evil. Direct us as we look for the best way to become your Word. Remain with us as we gather in dissent against the tactics of bullies who hope to divide us. Walk with us as we navigate the thin line between resistance and violence. Abide with us in our struggle for clarity, compassion and peace. For we wish to do your will. We wish to be light to the world. We wish to bring hope to the marginalized. We wish to be the eyes and ears, the voice and heart, the hands and feet of Christ for you. We ask this in Jesus’ name, together with the Holy Spirit. Amen.

When we compare varying versions of these words, we find patience, clarity, and the beginnings of peace for a troubled heart.

For ten lessons history teaches us about leadership with exemplars like Mahatma Gandhi and Abraham Lincoln, click on the image of the clasped hands, or visit: http://www.andysowards.com/blog/2016/10-lessons-history-teaches-us-about-leadership/

Images from: http://socio.ch/journals/culture.htm and https://www.123rf.com/photo_17320284_abstract-word-cloud-for-understanding-with-related-tags-and-terms.html and http://www.andysowards.com/blog/2016/10-lessons-history-teaches-us-about-leadership/

February 18, 2024

bullying, clarity, compassion, darkness versus light, dissent, evil, peace

Ezekiel 12: Ridicule

Ezekiel 12: Ridicule

Friday, August 25, 2023

In Acts 26 we see that the people of Caesarea listening to Paul think him mad from too much learning! Today we see that the prophet wars exacted a toll on those who spoke on God’s behalf. The HARPER COLLINS COMMENTARY tells us that in chaotic times such as those in the days of the exile, prophets often gave “conflicting messages concerning the way people should react and by predicting different courses for future events. In times of prophetic conflict, people are likely to question prophetic authority, and prophets often respond to this situation by undergirding their own authority in various ways and by undermining the authority of their prophetic rivals.” We see the conflict in Ezekiel 12 with false visions or deceitful divinations within the house of Israel. This calls us to think about the false prophesies or divinations we may have witnessed or passed on. How do we know a false prophet when we see one?

If we have never placed our faith in those who betray our trust, we might thank God. If we have suffered betrayal, we may become more circumspect in our interactions with others, and we may even discover that our actions become too cautious, too prudent. We must guard against giving in to any temptation to strike back, or to submitting to fear or paranoia. We must be willing to move forward in hope, ignoring any ridicule we suffer, doing the work we are meant to do.

Ridicule is a weapon used expertly by mean girls and bullies. A recent survey gave us an interesting statistic: upwards of 68% of people who dislike their work do not dislike the actual task they have chosen or been given, they dislike the work place, because of bullying. We may naïvely believe that most people in most work places have equipped themselves with the necessary tools to defend themselves from haranguing and harassment.

In the U.S. we have seen bold examples of rude behavior and name-calling used to overpower others. This meanness is often described later as “a joke gone bad,” sarcasm or frank speech that is meant to counteract political correctness.

We might look for solutions to bullying but no matter the action we decide to take it is always good to remember to communicate our fears to God. If we do not know where to begin, we might find Psalm 42 helpful: Like the deer that yearns for running streams, so my soul is yearning for you, my God. My soul is thirsting for God, the God of my life; when can I enter and see the face of my God? . . . Deep is calling on deep, in the roar of the waters: your torrents and all your waves swept over me . . . With cries that pierce me to the heart, my enemies revile me, saying to me all day long “Where is your God?” Why are you cast down, my soul, why groan within me? Hope in God: I will praise him still, my savior and my God.

Where is your God? Hope in God. We will praise God still.

Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for? . . . Go to my brothers and your brothers and tell them, “I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God”. (John 20:15)

Where is your God? Hope in God. We will praise God still.

When bullies approach, as they surely will, we must hope in God to defend us from ridicule. We must rely on God to show us the way to go. And we must praise God still.

Mays, James L., ed. HARPERCOLLINS BIBLE COMMENTARY. New York, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1988. Print.

To learn about cyber bullying, click on the image or visit: https://cyberbullying.org/what-is-bullying Adapted from a reflection written on March 25, 2008.

When we compare varying translations of these verses, we open our eyes and ears to God’s wisdom as God shows us how we might confront the ridicule we meet.

For a guide to combat bullying, click on the image above or visit: https://www.stopbullying.gov/

For an interesting article on workplace bullying, visit the Society for Human Resource Management at: https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/pages/1014-viewpoint-workplace-bullying.aspx

August 25, 2023

Acts 26, betrayal, bullying, false prophets, fear, hope, praise God, Psalm 42

1 Kings 21: Deception – Part II

1 Kings 21: Deception – Part II

Friday, June 16, 2023

Oh what tangled webs we weave, when first we practice to deceive!

My mother’s quoting of Walter Scott’s words peppered our growing-up years. Her use of Scott’s poetic words was her method of teaching the lesson of Ahab and his temper tantrum.

Ahab wants something which someone else cherishes and does not wish to give up. Ahab goes home, puts his face to the wall and refuses to eat. His unfortunate wife, Jezebel, colludes with him to get the coveted vineyard from their neighbor, and if we read the entire story, we see what kind of an end these two come to. They both pay a heavy price for their egregious crimes of trumping up false charges, conniving, lying, stealing, inciting a crowd to stone to death an innocent man. Naboth’s mistake or error is merely the cherishing of something that someone else wants.

We hear Yahweh’s words through the prophet Elijah in verse 20: You have given up yourself to do evil in the Lord’s sight.

*Frederick Leighton: Jezebel and Ahab met by Elijah*

Since my childhood, and because of the wisdom of my mother, my family has not worried about belonging to a particular group. When my family opens our home to a party, all are welcome. Universal hospitality, bridges building to fringe groups, invitations to include all at the table have grown out of my mother’s teaching about Naboth, Ahab and Jezebel.

In this time when U.S. presidential politics are again fully before us, we must become aware of the many Naboths, Ahabs and Jezebels in the public eye. As we take in the daily news, we recall more words Mother and Dad recited from scripture: The measure that you measure with is measured out to you. Ostracizing others says more about you than it does about the others. There is really nothing that can be kept secret. The truth always comes out in the end. I hope you can stand it when it hits you in the face.

What a wonderful gift we are given in the friends and neighbors God sends to us. What a wonderful treasure is the vocation of building community to which we are called. What a blessing to work, play and live beside people with whom we hold things in common, and people with whom we hold little in common. We learn more from our enemies than we do from the people with whom we feel most comfortable. We are all God’s creatures, made in God’s image. What do our daily actions say about the relationship we have with our Creator? Do we turn away in anger when we covet something someone else has? When we open our hearts and homes, are all welcome? Do we extend invitations with ulterior motives? Do we interact with only a select few and bully others to bow to our wants? And when God asks us to invite the faithful to the table, whom are we willing to invite?

Image from: https://savannaclaudia.wordpress.com/2014/10/26/1-kings-21-what-is-the-price-of-greed/

From a reflection written on June 1, 2008.

June 16, 2023

Ahab, bullying, Elijah, Jezebel, lies, Naboth, secrets, Walter Scott

1 Kings 21: Deception – Part I

1 Kings 21: Deception – Part I

Thursday, June 15, 2023

Oh what tangled webs we weave, when first we practice to deceive!

These words, often mistaken attributed to William Shakespeare, are found in the epic poem, Marmion, by Walter Scott about the Battle of Flodden that took place in 1513. The poem was published in 1808 but my mother repeated the words of this poem she had read in high school any time she found any of her brood even thinking of doing something that was not above board, open, honest and fair. The story of Naboth is one that haunted me as a child; the envy, lies and deceit go beyond anything I experienced among family and friends. But as I grew older, I began to see Naboths everywhere; and from time to time I have been Naboth myself.

Verse 4 sends a chill down our collective spine when we realize what is about to happen: Lying down on his bed, [Ahab] turned away from food and would not eat.

We were raised by parents who kept secrets on topics they did not know how to discuss or that brought pain to those already suffering too greatly; otherwise, my elders modeled honesty in every-day life whenever they could. Mother would often say, “If you are keeping something secret in order to have friends, this should tell you that there is something wrong with the people or the event you are thinking about joining.” Of course, she was correct. Secrets have a way of surfacing and when they do, their result is always irony. “You better think twice about what you are thinking of doing.” She would continue with more axioms. “Birds of a feather flock together. There is no honor among thieves.” Once when I was in the sixth grade, I told my Mother that I could not invite a particular girl in my class to my birthday slumber party. “Why not?” Mother asked. “Because,” I answered with confidence, knowing that she would agree with me once she heard the terrible consequence that would follow, “If I do, the rest of my friends won’t come to the party. And besides, she is a little weird and gets on our nerves.” My mother turned from the stove where she was always standing, and said. Here is what you are going to do, or else there is no party. You will invite all of these girls and when you do, you will all find something nice to say to this one you say gets on your nerves. If you were paying attention as you should be, you would realize that she is worried that you don’t like her and she doesn’t know what to do about it.” She turned back to the stove, saying over her shoulder, “And if the rest of the girls don’t come because you have invited her, they are no friends at all. They are just people who are rude and inconsiderate. hey must have really had their own feelings hurt at some time, or they wouldn’t be acting this way. You would think they would know better.” And that was that. I imagined a slumber party with me and the “weird” girl, but then I knew better than to try to outmaneuver my mother. And she was right. All the girls were invited. All the girls came. We sat crossed-legged eating popcorn until small hours, making certain that this one friend felt cared for. We all survived the experience having learning something, and being better for it. s for the weird girl, my mother was right. Once she realized that we were not ostracizing her, she stopped being weird. But really, I think it was the rest of us who stopped being weird.

That was most likely the most important lesson I learned about social interaction. Mother did not name this bullying. She knew nothing of Mean Girls, or Queen Bees, or give it any other name than what it was: rudeness, a lack of consideration, the mean ostracizing of individuals or groups from a community. And my mother, growing up in a family of six sisters and one brother, would not tolerate this lack in her own children. I thank God for the careful shepherding Mother gave us as she handed us tools to handle the meanness of the world.

Tomorrow, Deception-Part II, Ahab gets his way.

For more on girls and bullying, visit: http://culturesofdignity.com/portfolio/queen-bees-and-wannabes/

For more about Naboth’s vineyard, click on on the image above or visit: https://churchanew.org/brueggemann/what-naboth-teaches-us-today-part-i

Adapted from a reflection written on June 1, 2008.

June 15, 2023

Ahab, bullying, lies, Naboth, secrets, Walter Scott

Tag: bullying

Isaiah 58:7-10: A Prayer for Dissenters

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Ezekiel 12: Ridicule

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1 Kings 21: Deception – Part II

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1 Kings 21: Deception – Part I

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