Karen Hollis | January 19, 2025
Epiphany 2/Thecla 2
Second Stage of Spiritual Transformation:
Today, we enter into the second stage of spiritual transformation in Thecla’s story, as discussed by theologian Meggan Watterson. The light that came with such intensity last week has shifted a bit. A little time has passed, perhaps the sun has moved overhead and is descending again toward the horizon. (next slide) Shadows are lengthening, shedding a new perspective on our surroundings and hopefully also ourselves. The contrast of light and dark can juxtapose shapes and confuse our expectations. (next slide) The interplay of light and dark can open up new dimensions or invite us into something like a dream.
In this invitation to see a situation in a new way, we create a kind of spaciousness within us, we take a bit of time out to build a bridge between where we are and this new possibility. Not a lot is happening externally, but our minds and hearts are buzzing with activity as we are drawn toward this possibility and find a way to connect with it. It’s almost like we’re taking some time out to create the neuropathways required for us to identify with what is possible. It is deep work that requires time and spaciousness.
I invite us to honour the spaciousness of this stage by entering into a short time of silence. (next slide . . . pause) For a couple of minutes, I invite us to connect with our breath . . . and allow ourselves to let go a bit and occupy the silence. We could also think of it as expanding within the silence or holding space for ourselves. Perhaps you’re very comfortable in silence – this will be enjoyable for you – perhaps you’re not so comfortable – I invite you to participate in a way that works for you, and rest assured, we will only be here a short time. I will ring the bell to bring us in and out of silence. Let us occupy the silence together.
bell * 2 minutes * bell
Scripture Readings
Luke 5:4-6, 9-11 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets." When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to burst. For he and all who were with him were astounded at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who are partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people." When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.
Thecla 7:1-2, 8:1-4, 10:1-3 And Paul said these things in the middle of the association in Onesiphorus’s house. A certain maiden, Thecla - whose mother was Theocleia and was promised in marriage to a man, Thamyris - sat at a window close to the house and listened night and day to the message about holiness spoken by Paul. She did not turn away from the window, but moved forward in faith, rejoicing exceedingly. And yet having seen many women and maidens coming to Paul, she also desired for herself to be deemed worthy, to stand face-to-face with Paul and hear the word of Christ. For she had not yet seen Paul in person, but only heard his word.
And since she did not move away from the window, her mother sent for Thamyris, and he came joyfully as if having already received her in marriage. So Thamyris said to Theocleia, “Where is my Thecla?” And Theocleia said, “I have a strange story to tell you. Indeed, for three days and nights Thecla has not risen from the window - either to eat or drink - but gazes as if looking upon some enjoyable sight. In this way she clings to a strange man who teaches deceptive and cunning words, so that I wonder how a maiden of such respect can be so painfully troubled.
And Thamyris went to her, at once loving her and also fearing her passion. He said, “Thecla, my betrothed, why do you sit like this? What is the emotion that binds you in passion? Turn toward your Thamyris and be ashamed.”
Reflection (Karen):
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be reflections of your word to us today, in Christ’s name we pray. Amen
This morning we’ve heard two stories of people who, when presented with the presence of Christ in body or in gospel message, make a dramatic change in their lives. Both are living in contexts where one wouldn’t expect a person to receive a spiritual call and respond to it . . . but then the presence of Christ has always upended norms and expectations to access something deeper, more authentic, and essential.
Jesus and disciples:
The fishermen Jesus meets along the Sea of Galilee are good Jews, and as such, they would have attended the local synagogue school at the age of 5 to learn Hebrew and memorize the Torah.1 By the time of their bar mitzvahs, they would have been completely conversant with God’s Word. Those who showed great promise were encouraged to continue their education. This would entail studying the “The Yoke of Torah,” which is a wisdom-and-authoritative-interpretation by the sages. After that next multi-year phase, the young men, around 17 years old, who continued to show great promise were encouraged to find a rabbi to follow. It was important to find the right rabbi for the student, because the purpose of the yeshiva experience, their equivalent to seminary, was to make the student exactly like the teacher. The student’s life would forever be bound to the teaching, so they had to seek a rabbi with great care. The rabbis in turn looked critically on potential disciples. They tested not their knowledge, but what they were able to do with it, particularly what kinds of questions they asked. When a student really showed promise and the teacher thought they would be successful at becoming like the teacher, they would say to the student, “Follow me.” This was the most affirming statement, the highest praise, the greatest honour for any Jewish man. The teacher is saying, I believe in you. Now, imagine, all these guys . . . Simon, James, and John . . . they probably gave up on the dream of having a rabbi to follow long ago. Then Jesus comes along when they’re exhausted from a long night of fishing, gives them a sign of the abundance they will receive in a life with him, and then he says, “follow me.” His words tell them that he believes they are called and worthy. In response, they dock their boat, disembark and follow him, leaving everything behind. That’s some quick internal processing.
Thecla:
As a young woman, 17 years old, Thecla’s context is completely different. She is described in the text as a maiden, which means she has economic value in her potential to marry and bear children. Her family has made an agreement with Thamyris, her fiancé, to transfer her worth to him in exchange for something else. Thecla’s father is never mentioned in the story, but her mother is extremely invested in this match.
Thamyris is a curious character in the story – he is used by the author to represent the world Thecla is leaving behind and provide contrast to her transformation.
Thamyris is fully invested in this world . . . the world of power, transactional relationship, and the unchecked ego. He asks her mother, “where is my Thecla?” On one level it's a funny question, because physically she’s right there . . . but he’s asking a more nuanced question. He wants to know where is the person who would greet him when he arrived and respond to his inquiries.
You know when one partner gets a crazy idea and does something wildly beyond expectation, and the other partner turns to them and says, “who even are you? This does not compute with my experience of you.” Like that, but instead of going beyond expectations, she fails to meet them . . . she is present, but her identity is changing . . . she is no longer the Thecla who is engaged to Thamyris. Then he says, “Turn toward your Thamyris and be ashamed.” (Every time I read that I feel the temperature rise in me.) And this is tough for him – the future he has been promised is at stake.
Of course, for the 17 years of her life, Thecla has been taught and trained that her worth is exclusively tied to her duty to become a wife and mother –the law of the land says she marry. But in contrast to Thamyris, who is still invested in this system of power and unchecked ego, Thecla is distancing herself from all of that. Where, now, will she find her worth? The text tells us that she “[desires] for herself to be deemed worthy to stand face-to-face with Paul and hear the word of Christ.” Deemed worthy by whom, and in what context?
As Thecla turns inward, she moves through the layers of self, passed the stuff of the ego, of roles and expectations, of transactional love. Past all that, she finds the deep desire of her soul, that is awakened by Paul’s words about Christ . . . in that interior space, she also finds a love for her that is unconditional . . . we could name it as Christ’s love for her or God’s love for her, or her own self love . . . those can be challenging to distinguish and perhaps it’s not important to do so. In that interior space, she also finds her own inner authority. She sits there for 3 days – three days that in our tradition represent death, spaciousness for transformation, and new life – for 3 days she spends time in this space of her soul’s desire, unconditional love, and inner authority. She is noticing, observing, meeting these aspects of self. Somehow, in some way, these three are in relationship with one another. Somehow along the way, they are for her a foundation or a framework or a resource for her. Along the way, they help her connect with her own inner worth.
Thecla doesn’t have Jesus in the room to tell her to come and follow . . . instead she has the message she hears from Paul about Christ, and as it reverberates within her, she hears a calling and an affirmation.
Connecting with these inner resources is essential for her to internally build a bridge or find a pathway between where she is and what is possible for her.2
What if the message she hears – between Paul’s words – is the possibility of a life outside of the transactional system of power in which she was raised, which for her is a life outside of marriage and motherhood. What if she sits there for 3 days, as this possibility comes into focus?
Thecla’s story tells a human story, an archetypal story of claiming the self, owning one’s inner authority and holding hands with one’s self-worth. In any human story, we find ourselves in different places along the way. I imagine we can already find ourselves somewhere within
Thecla’s story. I invite us now to spend some time in personal reflection on the second stage of spiritual transformation – we’re calling this time Open Space.
What do we have for Open Space today?
Questions for reflection
Breath Prayer
Candles and rocks
Write prayers for the prayers of the people – those online, email prayer requests to minister@comoxunitedchurch.com during the 8 min.
Questions for Reflection
What is it about the way of Jesus that draws you in?
Reflect on a time you were suddenly able to see a situation in your life differently.
Inhale the first phrase, exhale the second half
Breath Prayer: I am worthy of . . . what my soul desires or pray your own words.
1 http://preservingbibletimes.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Reflection.Follow-Me.pdf
2 Watterson, Thecla 2 gathering, Dec 3, 2023