Yr. D, Wk.18: Kings

Yr. D, Wk.18: Nuno led our worship. For a reflective question, Nuno taught us that Spanish has one word for both "hoping" and "waiting" without the negative connotation that "waiting" has in English. Our hoping/waiting experiences involved waiting for the response to an apology; job applications; childbirth; the vaccine.

After their written comments about Macintosh's chapters, Mariel and Gene enlarged on the discussion of a false choice between scientific truth and Biblical inerrancy. Someone wished aloud to see a scientist's take on faith: try priest-physicist John Polkinghorne in a blogpost by Scott a few years ago.

Nuno reflected on the epic story of Kings. [Image: King Josiah rends his clothes when he hears the Law.] Because some of those kings consulted prophets with conflicting counsel, he related the reading to Fr. Roger's sermon on "words" and discerning truth.

Yr. D theme: Living into the Journey with God Class: Marilyn, Nuno, first year; Christine, third year; Mariel, Gene, fourth year; Scott and Susan, co - mentors. Absent: Marilyn, Christine.

Theological Reflection (TR) Mariel had us consider three consecutive psalms as three monologues in Act 1, Scene 1, of a royal play featuring prophet (110), king (111), and priest (112). What jumped out at us most seemed to be (1) God's faithfulness in all three psalms and (2) the weighty responsibility on the King's shoulders. Scott observed, after Jung and Bettelheim, that we often identify with a king or princess in stories and dreams, because we see ourselves deep down as the monarch in our own story, the star of our own movie.

We decided to focus on a King just before battle, whether it's David or Josiah or some other:
• The world is in God's hands, but the stakes are high for the King: everyone depends on you. ("No pressure," Mariel quipped.)
• Backing down would be the unthinkable, unfaithful option. But it did happen with (we think) King Saul.
• Going into battle is the test, the judgement.
• Redemption would be booty, wealth for the kingdom. We reminded ourselves that war wasn't for ideals, but solely for land, possessions, and prisoners for slaves.

Looking for "king"experiences in other sources, we thought of
• the recent elections, and the weighty responsibility and hope in leading students on field trips far away;
• Joshua's speech encouraging the Hebrews who had heard they would face "giants" in the Promised Land; Paul leading missionary teams into places where persecution was likely; Jesus' sending apostles out in pairs with nothing.
• Dorothy at the start of the yellow-brick road; all superheroes; many professional athletes; the framing of the Bagavad-Gita

We all cringed at the lines about blood and piling up corpses. Do we have to crack eggs to make an omelet? We reached an interesting thought: If we are the rulers of our own lives, then the enemies may be parts of our selves that need subduing. Again, God's reassurance is with us, however the battle turns out. Collect for Kings

King of kings, Lord of lords, may Your assurances and admonitions to kings in holy scripture strengthen our resolves that we, who sometimes feel like monarchs of unruly realms, may work Your will as we face outside challenges and inner enemies. Through Jesus Christ we pray, amen.

Yr. D, Wk.17: Pilgrimage and Paul

Christine led us in worship. Inspired by the descriptions she'd read of medieval cathedrals, she asked us about holy places in our experiences. We described churches and open-spaces that had touched or impressed us in Arizona, Texas, Savannah GA, Jalisco, and desert land shared by Israel and Jordan.

The year's theme of "journey" certainly fit this week's batch of readings, our comments full of pilgrimages, roads, and a river that runs through church history. As we re-read scripture, Mariel said, paraphrasing MacIntosh, we are being invited further into our "journey." Nuno spoke of David's journey in 1 Samuel. Christine told of pilgrimages, i.e., people seeking Church, and "a reverse pilgrimage," i.e., the Church seeking people and power in the Crusades.

Our discussion brought to mind a couple of important memories of small parish churches. Christine never saw the inside of her local Roman Catholic church, but its warmth touched her in the many friends she had who did belong there. Mariel remembered for us the visit of a local pastor to her home, and what an effect it had on her father and her.

Yr. D theme: Living into the Journey with God Class: Marilyn, Nuno, first year; Christine, third year; Mariel, Gene, fourth year; Scott and Susan, co - mentors. Absent: Gene

Theological Reflection On the day following the commemoration of Saul's conversion, Susan asked us to consider the text of Acts 9.1-9 alongside this painting by Caravaggio.

We read the passage twice. What stood out the first time for some of us included the phrase "the Way," and how Saul/Paul's three days of blindness and fasting echoes Christ's three days' death. On second reading, we were struck that it was all Saul's initiative to obtain orders to persecute Christians in Damascus. The painting helped us to realize that Saul/Paul was a young man, gung-ho, arrogant when this turn in his road happened.

We explored the world of the story and picture. Saul starts in a world of hierarchy and certainty, "my way or the highway." The blinding vision makes him aware how wrong he is, as we see him in the painting both humbled on his back and vulnerable to the horse's hooves, but also embracing the light with a facial expression we agreed was "beatific." His blindness ironically marks his new insight. When, after three days, his vision returns, it's to see the world a whole new way.

We related to the world of this story. Nuno spoke of blindness experienced by loved ones. For Marilyn, volunteering in hospice care has opened her eyes to the idea that resignation to imminent death can be a beginning. Susan and Mariel agreed that the story and painting humanize Paul. We also noted that Paul, though humbled in one way, continued to be the same man, though he now applied his certainty and initiative to the new "Way."

We volunteered positions and insights.
• The story doesn't seem so far-fetched to me anymore.
• Hitting the wall isn't such a bad thing.
• You can find cause for gratitude in a humiliating experience.
• When our plans are diverted, we may be angry; but we often look back to realize that was a good thing.

Scott collected ideas for how to draw the threads of this evening's meeting together in a prayer.

CollectLord Jesus, our Way, our Truth, our Life: You opened the eyes of Saul to Your presence in those he persecuted; do the same for us when certainty in our rightness may blind us to the humanity of those who cross us, that Your love may show through our humility and draw even our opponents to Your way. Through Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Yr. D, Wk.16: Stardust, Tides, and the White Van

For worship on Zoom, Scott included with prayers from the BCP some time on "mute" with the Jesus Prayer and an antiphonal reading from Martin Luther King's "Strength to Love." For onboarding, we shared what entertainment we've consumed recently.

Yr. D theme: Living into the Journey with God Class: Marilyn, Nuno, first year; Christine, third year; Mariel, Gene, fourth year; Scott and Susan, co - mentors. Absent:none.

We responded to metaphors from theologian Robert Hughes (trainer of Susan and Scott at Sewanee!) in this week's reading.

• When Nuno brought up Joni Mitchell's lyric, We are stardust,/ we are golden,/ and we've got get ourselves / back to the Garden, Scott took issue with the author's rhapsody on the beauty of the cosmos. Beyond the thin atmosphere of our insignificant planet, he observed, the cosmos is extremely hostile to life, as "awful" as "awesome." C. S. Lewis in his sci-fi trilogy imagined the universe full of life and joyful fellowship with God -- only our earth is isolated because of the Fall, the singular "silent planet."
• Mariel and Christine both responded to Hughes's "tides" metaphor, the "physicality" of it, and the way it captures how we experience different kinds of conversion "concurrently."
• Marilyn picked up on that idea when she admitted that her spiritual life used to be "on" and "off," but now she feels a steady "undercurrent" of spirituality in all her life.
• Hughes's idea of "slack time" between tides might apply to the Church itself, Nuno said. Christine loved the idea that "the Spirit waits with us" during those slack times.

Theological Reflection (TR) Marilyn brought us a story of being locked out of her car (dogs and cell phone inside), with darkness falling, temperature dropping, and no help in sight before "Laurel and Hardy" drive up in a white van to help. We focused on the tension before the help arrived:

We explored the moment, locked out of your car:
• What is life like when it's "whole?" Seems like you have a lot of control – you have your safety bubble – your phone, your keys, your spare keys, your alarm, your money, heat
• What is a distortion of goodness there? Feeling that we’re in control when it takes so little to reveal how helpless we are.
• What crisis could cause people there to see the distortion? You lock yourself out… And you can’t be sure whom to trust
• How could there be reorientation towards wholeness, and bring the world closer to fulfillment of that wholeness? You have to ask for help – no matter what.

Among other scriptures and cultural references, we found these analogs: Prostitutes and Tax Collectors “locked out” until Jesus comes along…. The Samaritan is the guy in the van who helps the man who was robbed… “The greatest of these is love”… Woman at the well is another person in need, Jesus the is the guy in the white van.

Insight : In Covid all of this is more panicky, more close to the edge…. Tending to feel arrogant because of my education, I realize how often I det most help and understanding from people who have no education… “Beauty really is everywhere.” We can recognize everyday miracles…

Apply: “Can we look for more opportunities to help others because of the times people have done that for me” – Pay it forward. What are we praying for? Trust that help will come… it may not look like what we expect… In that moment of crisis, we may expect something dramatic… Can we become sensitive to be helper?

Collect

[Bravely, Gene accepted the challenge of writing a collect for us.]

Yr. D, Wk.15: Lectio Divina on Heschel's Epilogue

Gene led us in worship and a sharing of updates on our personal lives.

After our written discussion of The Sabbath (see "comments" below), we shared some other reactions. We could identify with the Jewish friend of Christine who admitted that she always saw the Sabbath as a punishment; Heschel's book has changed minds.

Yr. D theme: Living into the Journey with God Class: Marilyn, Nuno, first year; Christine, third year; Mariel, Gene, fourth year; Scott and Susan, co - mentors.

Lectio Divina Taking a suggestion in the RRG, we asked Mariel to lead us in the process of lectio divina. She shared awe-inspiring images on slides that took us through the process step by step, taking time for silent reflection at each step. She took as her text an excerpt from Heschel's final paragraph:

We must conquer space in order to sanctiry time....On the Sabbath it is given us to share in the holiness that is in the heart of time. Even when the soul is seared, even when no prayer can come out of our tightened throats, the clean, silent rest of the Sabbath leads us to a realm of endless peace, or to the beginning of an awareness of what eternity means.... Eternity utters a day.

We ended by voicing our concerns for prayer, including the vaccination process and politically motivated violence. We were reminded to look at the prayer for the country found in the BCP, p. 820:

Almighty God, who has given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion, from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.