Scott led opening worship, adapting the Yom Kippur service's credal statement (the "Shema") and prayers at the closing of the gate ("N'ilah").
We came on board answering the question, "What gates have you opened or closed in the past week or two?"
We enlarged upon some threads in the comments that follow this posting.
Yr. D theme: Living into the Journey with God Class: Marilyn, Elizabeth Gray, Nuno, first year; Pete, second year; Christine, third year; Mariel, Gene, fourth year; Scott and Susan, co - mentors. Absent: none.Looking at the images of travel that we compiled last week, along with the R.E.S.P.E.C.T. recommendations at the end of the R.R.G., we brainstormed travel-appropriate "rules for the road."
- We're all in the same boat, a fact that imposes a kind of discipline:
- Keep a tight ship: no leaks of personal information.
- Pack well: be prepared, meet your responsibilities to the class.
- Life vests: You may be struggling with the material, but that’s okay, and we’ll keep you afloat.
- All hands on deck: listen, cooperate, keep the craft moving forward. Sometimes you have to trust the captain.
- The destination may be all we share, initially: for the good of the journey, be sensitive, and celebrate our differences.
- Don’t rock the boat: this is no place for partisan politics, ideological competition, or personal problem-solving.
- The sounds of the lapping water, the flapping sails, the singing wind: Listen to hear more than what you expect to hear or want to hear. Silence is part of the experience.
- We’re not on this journey just for ourselves: We may have undertaken the journey for ourselves, but others are integral to the itinerary. We don’t vote people off this vessel.
- Be open to adventure: Sometimes we don’t know what we think until we articulate it or hear it from someone else; trust to ambiguity; respect difference
