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THE CAMBRIAN PESHER
THE VOICE OF THE DESPOSYNI TO THE AMERICAN DISPERSION
The Day of Thanksgiving,
(November, 2001)
Beloved:
A pesher is a commentary on the times using appropriate Biblical texts to illuminate our understanding prophetically. It tries to see the hand of God in our lives and in the movements of history. It is different from a midrash, which is an exegetical commentary of the Biblical text. Unlike the midrash which tries to state plainly the meaning of Scripture, the pesher will often use code language and imagery to teach. Biblical typology, liturgy, and rituals are a part of pesherim. The Prophets spoke in such code language.
There is a third method of instruction: the parable. Parables are stories or analogies drawn from everyday life which are used to teach, yet also conceal, an esoteric teaching. A parable usually has a moral truth which is plain to all, but it may also contain truth applicable to multiple levels of understanding. Our Lord taught in parables. This is well known. He also taught midrash which can be found in the Sermon on the Mount and in His Temptation. For instance, when He comments on the 7th Commandment (Matthew 5:27-28), He does not add anything new, but provides the correct understanding of that law. The Law also forbids covetousness, which is unlawful lust (Romans 7:7). He explains that a law is not understood properly until its spirit or intent is understood, as well. Thus, a man who covets a woman he cannot lawfully have commits adultery in his heart and breaks the law.
Or, in the case of His temptation, Satan quotes Scripture and tells Him to jump from the pinnacle of the temple. Jesus counters with another Scripture: "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God" (Matthew 4:6-7).
What is often overlooked, however, is that He also taught in pesher. An example of this can be found in Luke 4:16-22, where He teaches the pesher of Isaiah 61 concerning "the acceptable year of the Lord" - the year of Jubilee. He tells them, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears."
The doctrine of the Jubilee can be found in Leviticus 25. The Jubilee was an important custom instituted by Yahweh, for it consummated the cycles of sabbatical years. The sabbatical years required a release from debts, the termination of contracts (including indentured servitude), and a year of rest to the land. The Jubilee, which occurred in the 50th year, after seven sabbatical years, required the termination of land contracts, redemption of family estates, and the regathering of clans to their lands of origin. It was a national family reunion and a new beginning for the poor. It was Yahweh's remedy for oppression and monopolism. Obedience to this law promised safety:
And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety.
v. 19
(When Rev. Pat Robertson ran for President in 1988, he suggested reinstituting this custom in America. He was mocked and laughed to scorn by Wall Street. Now, a little over a decade later, the world of Wall Street has been devastated by the recent terrorist bombings. No longer do we dwell in the land with safety. God will not be mocked.)
Neglecting the sabbatical years was the single measure given for the length of Israel's exile (2 Chronicles 36:21). The Jubilee heralds the coming of the Messiah, as confirmed by our Lord in the text above. By announcing the Jubilee, He declared Himself as the Messiah. He declared the end of the exile. First, according to the spirit, He released His people from the bondage of their sins through His Atonement; and then, second, according to the flesh, He released His people from their temporal bondage by instituting His Messianic government. Any church which does not proclaim the Jubilee in its application, both according to the spirit and the flesh, is not a Biblical church, but rather is a gnostic one. Any nation which does not practice this custom is a nation in bondage and a land of strangers which is at war with itself.
What does the future hold? More of the same: "Wars and rumors of wars". The same stuff that fills the pages of history books. Be prudent, be prepared, abide in God's will and pray that someday, God will raise up the Tabernacle of David and that the Desposyni will be trained in the exercise of power. Then, and only then, will the Millennium of Peace come.
During this Thanksgiving season, there are many things for which we can be thankful to our Father in Heaven. It is appropriate to observe Holy Communion at this time, which is the Great Thanksgiving. Wherever you are, you can still show your unity with the Desposyni in the Eucharist. See below to find instructions.
A Servant of Jesus,
James Wesley Stivers
Almighty and gracious Father, we give thee thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we beseech thee, faithful stewards of thy great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. AMEN.
- Collect for the Day
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THE GRAIL LITURGY FOR THE EUCHARIST TO THE DISPERSION
Because followers of the Grail are so sparsely scattered around the world, their sacramental needs have been a challenge to fulfill. Herein is a liturgy designed to meet those needs:
Most of the Christian world has founded its practice of Holy Communion on 1 Corinthians 11, where the Apostle Paul relates the story of the Lord's Supper. To the Desposyni, this practice is acceptable for catechumens. However, because the Christian world has been cut off from the Grail Church, its mysteries are not known. The Apostle's description here was not meant to set forth a liturgy, but to provide pastoral guidance to the wayward Corinthian Church.
The Eucharist is a symbol of unity and fellowship with the Body/Church (the Bread) and with the Blood/Seed (the Cup) of the Christ/Lord (the titular head of the House of David). As with all Biblical rituals, there is a vast range of application. But there is just one meaning and one purpose here, simple and pure.
The Desposynic practice of Communion is found in the Didache (didache eucharist) a spiritual guidebook from the late 1st Century. It contains appropriate references to the Vine of David and receives the Cup before the Host, establishing the primacy of the Grail Church. This fact does not contradict the Pauline order as found in Corinthians 11 and the Gospels; for in the Gentile churches, they had not yet received their Desposynic head. And in the Gospels, our Lord had not yet been glorified. The Desposynic Eucharist in the Didache cannot be practiced in the absence of a Desposynic bishop. Thus, the Pauline (or pre-glorification) Eucharist must be practiced.
The liturgy outlined here is for people (and churches) who desire unity with the Desposyni - the Messianic family - but who are too far away to be in contact with them or to observe Communion with them. Observing this liturgy sanctifies the elements and confers the grace of our Lord's Kingdom.
FOR CHURCHES AND GROUPS
Use the liturgy as found in the Didache chapters 10 & 11. Reverse the order. Offer the Bread first (10:3-4) and then the Cup (10:2). The closing prayer (11:2-5) may be offered by the leader or recited in chorus, or creatively prayed responsively. The conclusion ought to be prayed together (11:6).
FOR INDIVIDUALS
If receiving Communion in a Church which does not acknowledge the Grail Church, make the sign of the double-cross (an X - "cross my heart and hope to die" by folding your arms across the breast or making the sign with your hand, and then make the crucifix) and say "Maranatha", a petition which means "My LORD [Jesus] has come; may my lord [a Desposynic head] come."
*NOTE: The X is an important symbol in the Grail Church. Its meaning will be explained to you later, when you are provided instruction in the Patristic writings.
If you do not have a copy of the Didache, you may receive one free of charge from our main office: Cambrian Episcopal Church of the Grail, P.O. Box 8701, Moscow, ID 83843, Attention: Overseer.
According to the Didache, only baptized people may come to the Lord's Table. We teach that children born to Christian parents should be baptized. A layman may baptize. However, before the baptized receives Communion, he ought to be examined and confirmed by one set forth for that purpose. If you need clarification, contact the Overseer.
The Cambrian Episcopal Church of the Grail also makes footwashing a part of its Eucharist. This practice was urged by our Lord in John 13, and was a custom which was brought by the Desposyni into the Celtic Churches. When you are ready to learn more about this custom, we will provide further information.
I certify that the liturgical instructions found herein come from my own hand.
James Wesley Stivers
James Wesley Stivers,
Presiding Overseer, Cambrian Episcopal Church of the Grail
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EUCHARIST FROM THE DIDACHE
CHAPTER NINE
Concerning the Eucharist [Thanksgiving] give thanks like this:
First for the Cup: we give thanks to You, our Father, for Your holy vine of David, Your servant, which You made known to us through Jesus, Your Servant. Glory to You forever.
Concerning the broken bread: we give thanks to You, our Father, for the life and knowledge that You made known to us through Jesus, Your Servant. Glory to You forever.
As this broken bread was scattered over the hills and was brought together becoming one, so gather Your Church from the ends of the earth into Your kingdom, for You have all power and glory forever through Jesus Christ.
Do not let anyone eat or drink of your Eucharist meal except the ones who have been baptized into the name of the Lord. For the Lord said concerning this: do not give that which is holy to the dogs.
CHAPTER TEN
After you are filled, give thanks like this:
We thank You, Holy Father, for Your Holy Name which you made to dwell in our hearts, and for knowledge and faith and immortality as You made known to us through Jesus, Your Servant. Glory to You forever.
You, Lord Almighty, created all things to show forth Your Name. You give both food and drink to man to enjoy, and everlasting life through Your Servant.
Above all, we thank You because You are mighty. Glory to You forever.
Remember Lord, Your Church, to deliver her from all evil and mature her in Your love. And gather her from the four winds, separated into Your kingdom which You have made for her, because You have the power and the glory forever.
Let grace come and this world pass away. Hosanna to the Son of David! If anyone is holy, let him come. If anyone is not, let him repent. Maranatha. Amen.
Allow the prophets to give thanks as they desire.