Week 8-9: Exodus, Luke, and a bit of Job

Present:  J.K., B.L., L.L., S.R., S.S., S.T.

We enjoyed dinner from Jeff's household, then worship and thought-provoking "on board" question from Sarah.   Bill and Lynne led us deeply into Luke, noting the emphasis on women and other marginalized people, a huge emphasis on food, and what may be a doctor's interest in physical conditions.  Sarah and Jeff discussed Diogenes Allen's fifth chapter, for which the book of Job is an important source.  Note:  We read "week 8" a couple weeks ago, before our first TR.

After a break, we had a T.R. that brought us to the following collect:

Collect for Dealing with feral creatures who may bite the hands that feed them
Generous God, Who blesses us despite our ingratitude and profligate nature, make us ever-mindful of your gifts, so that we may share with those who doubt us and restore trust and wholeness to our communities.   

Next Week
Susan will bring food; Lynne provides the TR, and Bill will lead worship.  We're reading the texts for week 10 in the Reading and Reflection Guide.  

We do not plan to meet the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week.

Week 7: Exodus, Mark, and the "Two Books of God"

Present:  S.C., J.K., B.L., L.L., J.M., S.R., S.S., S.T.

After dinner, worship, and reflection on the past week through an "on-board" question, we discussed the readings. 

A personal story brought us to many Scriptural analogs.  We brought the strands together in a collect for our closing worship:

Collect for Encounters with "the Other"

God of us all, who spoke to us in many different languages at Pentecost, give us faith and courage to approach the Other also created in Your image, so that we may recognize and accept both our differences and those qualities that unite us. To the glory of God.  Amen.  

Next week

We have already discussed week eight, so we'll skip ahead to week nine in the Reading and Reflection Guide (RRG).    Worship:  Sarah          Dinner: Jeff (Jane will not be with us)    TR:  Bill 

Week Six: Genesis, Matthew, Diogenes, and the Week Eight Essay

Present:  SC, JK, JM, BL, LL, SR, SS, ST

2015-2016 So Far

In our sixth week of the program, we can look back on several chapters in our books.  We also set up our norms by elaborating a metaphor:  If EfM is a garden, then what does it need?

We've all shared our spiritual autobiographies, about ten minutes each, two or three per night after the first couple of meetings, finding ways to relate our lives to colors, some with visual aids.

This year, we've been "coming on board" in the context of worship, as the worship volunteer has posed a question for us.  I will email a PDF of a document that compiles dozens of ideas for openers.

Last Night

SS, worship, question, and TR;  meal, SC 

Our check in question was,  "What part of the life cycle of a butterfly best represents you in the past week?"  We pray for one "caught in a net," one "in the chrysalis" doing the internal work of change, one feeling tattered, and others.  We all were taken by Jeff's memory of a monarch migration, hundreds flying by throughout a day at the beach.

Our book discussion circled around the theme of creation, starting from Diogenes Allen's observation that Yahweh was "the God who saved the Hebrews from slavery" centuries before any mention appeared in scripture of His role in creating the universe.  That was set down in the context of salvation.  Those who attack our faith because "science can explain creation without God" attack a straw man:  we're not about the process of creation, but the why of it.

Matthew's gospel likewise draws parallels between Moses and Jesus, furthering our understanding of God's directing time, being not in time.

After a review of the Week Eight essay, our TR led from a personal experience to the metaphor of the wallflower at the dance, and this collect for our concluding worship:

Collect for a dance

Graceful and loving God, Who calls us to the dance, give us strength to cross the gym floor, to ask, or to say yes, so that the dance may be joyous, inclusive, and complete.  In Jesus name. Amen.  

Next Week

Readings for Week Seven.  Food: Bill and Lynn.  TR: Jane.  Worship & question: Jeff.