Yr. A, Wk. 17: Awe and Aah at Bill and Lynne's

Members:  Thomas, Eugene, Mariel, first year;  Erica, second year; Scharme, third year; Bill and Lynne, fourth year; Scott and Susan, mentors. Absent: Mariel, Gene.

[Marvsgrandcanyontours.com]

After greetings, hors d'oeuvres  and drinks, Lynne lit Advent candles at the kitchen island and led us in readings for worship.  As we sat at a lovely candlelit table, and dinner of slow-cooked beef and apricot glazed carrots with rice, we answered Bill's question, "When have you been in awe?"  This week's 4th year reading begins with McIntosh's anecdote about being awestruck at the edge of the Grand Canyon, both by its immensity, and by its disappearance when he stepped back just a few feet from the edge -- he felt its immense presence, though it was no longer visible.  The loveliness and reflected light in the recent snow was another example. Our answers seemed to be more about art than about nature: the first minutes of Mozart's Requiem, for instance.

Readings
Tom led off with observations about the pathos in the story of Saul, "taller than anyone," who had God's favor and lost it.  Others contributed their thoughts about Saul, Jonathan, and David.  We raised questions of mental illness, temper, David's learning, those familiar elements of the last son and last daughter in David's story being chosen first, and the sense of closeness between Jonathan and David.

Scharme segued from one angry and jealous king to another, England's Henry II commissioning the assassination of his former friend and confidant Becket, who took the Church's side in a Europe-wide struggle between Church and Crowns.  At the same time, certain churches benefited from a burgeoning tourism industry, and promoted certain saints for veneration.  The tradition of Mary's bodily assumption effectively denied any shrine the opportunity to claim to have any relics of her, thus "democratizing" Mary veneration throughout Christendom. 

About Paul, Erika relayed Powell's matter-of-fact explanation that the change of name from "Saul" to "Paul" was not something that happened on the road to Damascus, as we all suppose from dramatic stories in Sunday school, but a mundane difference between Semitic and Hellenistic spellings.  She was also struck by the observation that miracles attributed to Paul by the author of Acts don't show up in Paul's own letters.  

Lynne was struck in McIntosh's book by the notion that God has His own "story," in which our stories have their context.  We explored ways of thinking about the Trinity, and several of us wondered that McIntosh didn't use the term "emergence," as that's what he implies when he writes about the Spirit's presence in the interplay between Creator and Incarnate Word. 

From a line in McIntosh, we all discussed the "habit of prayer" as a muscle to develop, more important for its practice than for its content.  McIntosh suggests that theology isn't a body of knowledge so much as a set of habits that become our "containers" for the contents of our days. 


Next meeting will be January 9:  

• Reading: Wk. 18 in the RRG.   
• Food: brown bag
• TR: Scott. 
• Worship: Erica.

Yr. a, Wk. 15 - 16: Dialogue "Outside the Box"

Members:  Thomas, Eugene, Mariel, first year;  Erica, second year; Scharme, third year; Bill and Lynne, fourth year; Scott and Susan, mentors. Absent: none.

To get started, we brought "brown bag" dinners. Tom read Compline, and we shared answers to his question, what does the Christmas season mean to us now?  

Because our theological reflection in the second hour was a demonstration of ideas discussed in the first hour, I'll recap the readings later.

An Experiential Theological Reflection (TR)

Mariel's object for Theological Reflection had us thinking "Outside the Box"

Mariel brought us a box, decorated with images of face, ears, and arrows with mottoes “ongoing” and “going on."  She simply invited us to respond, and watched from a corner. After we all hesitated, Susan opened the box.  We unpacked layers of past and present, diaries (one blank), a ledger from a blacksmith’s business,  family photos, a Texas license plate, an old wind-up clock, layers separated by different kinds of paper or cloth. 

Reflecting on feelings as we'd unpacked the box, we identified thrill at discovery, resistance to a new kind of TR, hesitation to connect with intimate family materials, curiosity, and melancholy. Our thoughts were variations on the basic qiestion, “What’s the principle or meaning behind this selection of objects?"

Considering theological categories, we decided “the world” of this micro-archive was created to be layered in time-and-space, interconnected, meaningful, purposeful, narrative.  “Brokenness” lay in missing or fading pieces, and so much life not  recorded.  We saw “judgment” in what made us hesitant: the blank diary (“so much not written”) and fear of what opening the box might commit us to.  Redemption lay in our decisions to engage with what we found, and enlargement of our sense of ourselves, as our little community worked through the materials.

Looking for analogs in our tradition, we listed “Let us now praise famous men”; the canon itself; the story of Josiah’s reading scriptures found among artifacts; the re-enactments of past in liturgy, such as the Passover Seder and Christmas service; and our church building and furnishings.

We bought into the experience with personal stories of the old answering machine that preserves the voice of a late loved one; the mother's cedar chest; sorting through an estate; the underlined passages in books that we read years ago; conversation with grandparents; sadness in browsing through objects in an antique store, removed from the places where they had meaning; and a first experience of Episcopal liturgy.

Readings: Morgan, Fighting with Scripture and Holmes, "A Spiritual Person"

We found in our engagement with Mariel's box of memories an experience of Morgan's over-arching idea that truths emerge through the "dialogue" among layers of our tradition and our personal experience.  Leaving out the past leaves us with an impoverished understanding of what's newer; one side doesn't have to be wrong for the other side to be right.  (Read a reflection on Morgan in Smoot's personal blog.)

We also found elements of "spirituality" in our communal experience of reverence and commitment to our exploration of the artifacts.

But our first responses to Donn Morgan's Fighting with Scripture had been expressions of disappointment that he didn't finally tell us how to choose among the clashing threads in the Bible.

We came around to acknowledging that his final pages do give practical advice for dealing with tension ("and tension can be a good thing" Susan reminded us), including several ideas built into EfM program, such as communal prayer, an emphasis on connecting through stories rather than through argument,  and "holy listening," i.e. attending to a person's words and body language while suspending our urge to plan a response. 

Urban T. Holmes writes of strong negative responses to the word "spirituality" during the Sixties and Seventies (when he was instrumental in creating EfM).  Times have changed, we agreed.  We all liked his formulation:

prayer : spirituality :: eating : hunger

Collect for Reflection on the Past

O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come:  We know that we live in communities of past and future generations: Make us ever mindful of opportunities for holy listening, that we may engage reverently in dialogue between past and present. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Next week:
Food and Worship provided by Bill and Lynne at their home, 5664 Harbormist (all one word), Powder Springs 30127.  If you can't come, please let us know!
Readings: Week Seventeen in the RRG. 
We will take the next Tuesday off, returning January 2. 

Yr. A, Wk. 14: Fighting with Bible and GPS

Members:  Thomas, Eugene, Mariel, first year;  Erica, second year; Scharme, third year; Bill and Lynne Lovelace, fourth year; Scott and Susan, mentors. Absent: Scharme.

Susan brought kale soup with Chorizo, and bread.  Erica's opening worship was a pair of readings from Acts and Ephesians, concerning Paul's reaching to the Athenians through their altar dedicated to "an unknown god," and his efforts to help all to see God :hidden in mystery."  Her question was about our new church year, "what's beginning anew for you?"  

We all discussed Donn Morgan's Fighting with the Bible: How Scripture Divides us, and How it Can Bring us Together.  

"North by Northwest": bus to nowhere

Gene brought a friend's childhood memory from a visit to the beach. As we explored the story and our own counter-stories, we reached a metaphorical situation:  Your GPS takes you to a cornfield and tells you, "You have reached your destination."  From the Tradition source, we found analogs in Saul/Paul on the road to Damascus, the disciples' feelings of loss and lostness in Jerusalem, and Jonah's finding himself in Nineveh despite his efforts to avoid it. Mariel saw trust in these stories, leading to unexpected revelation.  Gene agreed that the stories show God in control, taking the characters far afield. All our discussion is folded into our collect:

Collect for Direction
God, Who led the Israelites with the pillar of fire, Who blinded Paul so that he could see a new path: help us to recognize our own waywardness and to orient ourselves toward You, that we may lead within our community of faith, and carry your message forward into the world. 

Next Week:  

• Reading: We combine Wks. 15 & 16,  completing Morgan's book and also reading the essay that opens Unit Three, "The Spiritual Person" (pp. 78-93 in the RRG).   (Early, the essayist quotes Plato to say that we can "be" only in relation, and that "spirituality" is about the holy longing called eros.  See my reflection on a related book of that title, The Holy Longing.)
• Food: brown bag
• TR: Mariel. 
• Worship and a question: Tom.

Planning ahead: Tuesday, December 19th, we'll meet at the home of  Bill and Lynne. 
We'll discuss the readings for Wk. 17.

Yr. A, Wk. 13: Prayer Warriors?

Members:  Thomas, Eugene, Mariel, first year;  Erica, second year; Scharme, third year; Bill and Lynne Lovelace, fourth year; Scott and Susan, mentors.None absent.

Mariel led off with a liturgy called "Table Office: Gratia," focused on giving thanks. Some of us wanted to know about the book Venite, her source.    Scott's dinner was "Pasta Puttanesca."  While we ate, we responded to Mariel's question about "eternity."  

Tom led off the discussion with his reflection on the recurrent theme of God's punishing the Hebrews for disobedience.  Mariel shifted emphasis to the winning.  Scott brought up stories where the Old Testament God encourages faithful people to lay aside weapons and armies to let God do the fighting.  We thought of the stories Maccabees 1 and 2;  Scott later thought of David's laying aside the armor of Saul to fight Goliath.  Lynne remembered noticing in first year readings how often God gave His people choices. Gene was struck by the "voodoo" rituals such as the march seven times around Jericho, the magical aspect of it.  Erika highlighted another theme in Old Testament writings, "Remember, you were slaves once."

When Tom considered how much of the Old Testament is political -- such as the many passages that exalt Jerusalem as the sole place for proper worship, when other places had been fine before -- he said he questioned how much God is involved in writing the Scriptures.  Erica said that depends on whether one thinks the Bible is direct from God (as Muslims believe the Qu'ran to be), or whether one sees it as witness to a long-term relationship by a variety of voices and perspectives.

"Politics" gave Scharme a segue to discuss the French champion Charles Martel and his decisive victory over Muslim invaders in 732.  She went on to tell us about Charlemagne in 800, the earlier Clovis, and the development of the Celtic church.

The 4th year students read an essay by Coakley in our RRG that struck Lynne most forcefully with the observation that most modern Christians would not see their experience of God as "Trinitarian." She had not thought, before, how the Annunciation to Mary is a Trinitarian story:  God the Father elected Mary, mediated with the Spirit, to give incarnation to the Son.  Bill reported that "sustained prayer," supported by communal worship, helps us to experience the Trinity -- in part because we believe that we cannot feel the urge to pray without the Spirit in us.  

Bill brought for our TR a Youtube video that juxtaposed the Lord's Prayer, spoken in gruff, gutteral German ("Vater Unser"), and an aggressive techno-disco accompaniment (see photo).   Some of our initial reactions were very negative:  "You can't do that!" ... comparisons to martial chants in Nazi Germany... suspicion that the whole thing was ironic, male posturing.  Others were moved by the thought that "faith isn't always pretty," that faith can be compared to armed struggle.  

After gathering insights, traditional touchstones, cultural beliefs, and personal experiences suggested by the phrase "prayer warrior," we settled on a statement of insights rather than an actual collect, as follows: 

• Prayer Warrior:  We are amassed in Prayers of the People world wide.
• We thought of Jacob's struggle with God, or God's angel. 
• "In our church, we can hold two ideas in tension," resolving the positive and negative aspects of this "prayer warrior" idea.
• Our church's "Middle Way" is both/and, not either/or.
• We were reminded of the Third Year reading's origin story for many monasteries, as places to pray for the sins of soldiers who were too busy fighting to pray for themselves.  
• Both individual prayer of the angry, aggressive (or desolated) sort, and our controlled, loving communal sort, are both meaningful and legitimate.

Mariel concluded with a reading from Psalm 94 that related to the idea of armed struggle.


Next week: Susan will bring dinner; Erica will bring worship and a "coming on board" question; Gene will bring something to stimulate a Theological Reflection.  We all read what's scheduled for Wk. 14, a common reading by Morgan, preface and chapters 1-4.  Our RRG book has some recommendations to keep in mind as we read: see pp. 72-75.

Yr. A, Wk. 12: Joshua, Judges, Truth

Members:  Thomas, Eugene, Mariel, first year;  Erica, second year; Scharme, third year; Bill and Lynne Lovelace, fourth year; Scott and Susan, mentors. Absent: Gene, Susan.

We lit the candle with recitation of "O Gracious Light" in the evening service, led by Scharme.  Her question for us concerned preparation for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.  Lynne and Bill provided a dinner of ham, sweet potato casserole, and broccoli slaw.   

Discussing the readings, we started with a couple of perspectives on the violence in Joshua and Judges.  Tom saw a disparity between the God we honor in the New Testament and the God who encourages cruel and unusual punishments in Judges -- including the hacking off of kings' thumbs and the dicing of a concubine.  Mariel called Judges "Game of Thrones," but saw in Joshua a "strong moral character," a  "Moses 2.0."

To illustrate Ford's chapters on epistemology, Bill brought a glass apple.  With so many ways to "know" that object, how much more complicated is it to "know" God?  Lynne was struck by Ford's assertion that God is "in charge" of being known; we are not "in charge" of knowing God.  

Erica related that comment to the portion of John that says "no one comes to the Father, unless the Father draw him" (John 6.39)  Like Tom, she is uneasy about the line that suggests that Jesus somehow chose Judas to be the one to betray him.  We discussed the feeling that Jesus in John is "in control" more than in the other Gospels.  

Scharme related the theme of "epistemology" to what she read in third year about Church fathers' responding to the voices of anonymous children.  One called for a soldier / administrator Ambrose to be made Bishop; another child in a dream told Augustine to read a Scripture at random.  That Augustine landed on a passage about the flesh helped to shape the church's attitude towards sex to this day, as an aspect of original sin.

Erica's TR source was a children's book illustrating a year in the life of a desert town. Our initial responses were all positive, but the discussion veered towards strong negatives about an insular society.  Then we made the connection between this one small community and our own church.  With conflicting feelings, we came up with a collect, completed later by Scharme: (as homework!)

Collect for Those in Lonely Places

O gracious Father, when You came among us, You proclaimed the kingdom of God in lonely places. Grant that we might find comfort in Your vastness. Help us hear Your call and draw near that we may not be lonely in our solitude, but find fulfilment in our neighbors and in Your holy church. Amen

Next time we meet:  Do the readings for Week 13 for November 28.  Mariel will do worship; Scott will bring food; Bill will bring the TR.

Yr. A, Wk. 11: Interpretations, Foundations

Members:  Thomas, Eugene, Mariel, first year;  Erika, second year; Scharme, third year; Bill and Lynne Lovelace, fourth year; Scott and Susan, mentors. Absent: Tom.

For opening worship, Scott brought a pastiche of prayers from this week's assignments in Deuteronomy, John, and Islamic tradition.  While we enjoyed Gene's chili, we answered a question raised by the passage from John, "I am the good shepherd":  have you been more of a sheep or shepherd in the past week?

Our discussion of the texts coalesced around the 4th year question of interpretation, especially the idea that a later generation cannot help but have a new perspective on the past.  Mariel read from Collins an observation that Deuteronomy is itself a demonstration of this principle.  Erica, catching up to the schedule, commented on the elevation of women in the Gospel of Luke.  Gene related the case law in Deuteronomy and the issue of interpretation to our contemporary "originalist" movement among lawyers.  

Lynne seemed to sum up a lot of what we'd said when she confessed that she has had "quite a journey" with her own understanding of Scripture she's read all her life.  She stressed Ford's  admonition to "ask about ourselves" when we interpret a text, to identify our own assumptions.

For a TR, Susan had us read the day's Old Testament reading in Nehemiah.  Our reactions to Nehemiah's memoir of dealings with doubters and schemers brought to mind phrases from current events: "Fake news," "Build the Wall," "Make Judah Great Again," and "Jerusalem First."  In Nehemiah, we found much to admire and much to deplore; we found personal analogies to his situation, especially when we've been placed in charge of new projects; and we perceived a motion in the story towards reclaiming national identity for God, with God.  We wrote notes that I've fashioned into this collect:

Jerusalem, Damascus gate (US Library of Congress)

Collect for Builders

Creator and Redeemer, Rock of our salvation, You establish foundations on stone that builders rejected: as Your ordinary, imperfect servant Nehemiah called to You for help to rebuild Jerusalem, we call to You for guidance through pitfalls and discouragements, that we may with patience and determination take part in building Your kingdom from the ordinary, imperfect elements of our world.  Amen

Next week

We do readings for Week 12.  Food: Bill and Lynne.  Worship: Scharme.   TR: Erica promises something unusual!   Susan will miss.



Note: Because we didn't get far into the process of writing this collect, I preserve these phrases from our rough draft:

God,
working through ordinary
imperfect people to restore...
established foundations on stones that builders reject
whose servant Nehemiah ...
Jesus heal the world w/ church
how firm a foundation
rock and cornerstone
recognize and avoid pitfalls traps keep us on task
that we may turn the world... transform
when we have suffered loss,
pick up ourselves from the rubble
rebuild and restore
unique
old law and new law

Yr. A, Wk. 10: Leviticus, Salvation, and Theology of Halloween

Members:  Thomas, Eugene, Mariel, first year;  Erica, second year; Scharme, third year; Bill and Lynne Lovelace, fourth year; Scott and Susan, mentors. Absent: Mariel, Erica, Scharme.

Bill led us in worship with a streamlined form of Episcopal evening prayer, with a refrain asking for comfort.  The question for "coming on board" was, "When have you felt comforted in the past week?"  We brown-bagged the meal.

While Fourth Year readings concerned salvation, First Year dealt with incredibly detailed cultic laws and the recidivism among Hebrew idol-worshipers.  Tom and Gene wondered, "Why do the Hebrews go back to idols and a golden calf?  Why do they rebel against Moses the day after the earth swallowed up rebels?" 
 
Susan answered by entering into the mindset of the Hebrews, fearful in the wilderness.  Bill and Lynne broadened the question to include their topic of salvation, more generally.   Tom wondered at the emphasis on crucifixion over resurrection in the chapter on salvation; all of us had some answers, including a passage from Ford's book about the way crucifixion connects to every aspect of life, "intensified" through narrative, imagery, and ritual (i.e., ritual death in Baptism, ritual sacrifice of body and blood in Eucharist). In this way, "salvation" is a personal experience within community -- each pathway individual within that context.

Scott presented the Celtic origin of "All Hallow's Eve" as background to a TR on "Halloween."  We used the wide-angle method, accumulating memories and associations with the holiday.  We were drawn to a theme of communities drawn together -- as we all had witnessed neighborhoods bonding for the occasion.  Looking back into tradition, we found several parallels to the Exodus event, including a grim one in the blood-strewn doorways and Death's going door-to-door.  We collected our thoughts in one prayer: 

Collect for Halloween

Creator of all that is, seen and unseen, You sent Your Holy Spirit to enlighten and protect us: help us find community with our neighbors and the souls of ages past, that we may overcome fear and differences to extend ourselves to the strangers among us.  Amen.

Next week

Readings for week 11 in the RRG. Scott will bring worship; Gene will bring chili; Susan will bring a TR.


(See Scott's personal blog for his more personal reflection on Halloween. )
.

Yr. A, Wk. 9: Jesus at the Door

Members:  Thomas, Eugene, Mariel, first year;  Erica, second year; Scharme, third year; Bill and Lynne Lovelace, fourth year; Scott and Susan, mentors. Absent: Thomas, Scharme, Bill.

Both Lynne's worship and the focus of her check-in question were, "God's presence."  Worship took the form of reading scriptures from old and new testaments on the subject.  We told our stories while enjoyed beef fajitas that Erica provided for dinner.

Sitting at one table, we had a free-flowing discussion of the different years' assigned readings, each person opening with just one striking idea from the texts, others joining in with texts that resonated.

In this way, we found a complex of ideas relating to the historical nature of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Lynne reported on David F. Ford's exploration of how we can assess the testimony to Jesus, 98% written by people of faith.  Erica cited what Jesus said in his parable of Lazarus and the rich man, "Even if I raised from the dead, they would not believe me."  Mariel was struck in Exodus by the Hebrews' need for something tangible and beautiful to assure them of God's presence, and, showing us artist's conceptions of the tabernacle and priestly garments, she admitted that she understood that need.  Eugene added from his law school days how witnesses see what they're predisposed to see, and how such basic words as "law" and "justice" are slippery, telling of the professor who told his class, "Law is not about justice, but dispute resolution."

Our TR grew from a story in Lynne's family background that conjured for us the uncomfortable metaphor of coming home to find the lock has been changed to keep us out.  For once, we had chosen an image that focused on the moment of "judgement," leaving us to backfill creation and sin.  What kind of redemption could there be?  Moving on, rebuilding, communication, empathy -- some long process.

From the "Tradition" source, we came up with the parable of the wedding guest locked out of the party, the angel with fiery sword preventing re-entry to the Garden of Eden, and "Beyhold, I stand at the door and knock."  Writing about this now, I wonder what we would have discovered had we taken on the perspective of Jesus standing at a door that we have locked against him?

Collect for those standing at locked doors:
Father, You stand at the door and knock:  We too, stand at a door, unsure why it is locked against us:  Help us to remember, whether we are to wait in patience to gain re-entry, or strike a path to a new home, that we always reside in Your loving presence. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Next week:  We'll miss Erica, Mariel, and Scharme.  For dinner, we're "brown-bagging" it.  Lynne volunteered Bill to do worship; Scott will bring a TR.

Yr. A, Wk 7 + 8: Mark, Exodus, Evil, and Scoring the Wrong Goal

Members:  Thomas, Eugene, Mariel, first year;  Erica, second year; Scharme, third year; Bill and Lynne Lovelace, fourth year; Scott and Susan, mentors. Absent: Scharme, Thomas

We shared the news of Tom's loss and Scharme's surgery, and Susan chose prayers for those absent and bereaved (BCP 830-1).  Her question picked up on last week's T.R., asking what in the past week we discovered by way of productivity or knowledge.  Mariel provided beef and vegetables with a unique cole slaw and rolls.  

Erica's sharing about Mark's Gospel highlighted the author's urgency in narration (how things happen "immediately") and the theory that the gospel, composed in the time of the destruction of the temple,  interpreted sayings of Jesus from decades before as prophesies of the temple's destruction.  Erica expressed relief at this, because it "makes more sense."

Responding to Exodus, 1 - 15, Mariel noticed that God presents Himself in Exodus as God of the Past, Present, and Future -- i.e., of the ancestors, of present liberation, of the pillar of fire that leads to promised land.  Eugene expressed sympathy with the Egyptian soldiers who died because God hardened Pharaoh's heart, and asked about God's not providing a name. Much discussion ensued!

Lynne and Bill spoke of evil, drawing everyone into discussion.  We were all struck by Ford's idea that it's people on the margins whose suffering exposes the idolatry (tantamount to evil) in any society.  Scott drew attention to the final pages of their chapter, where Ford lists meta-narratives by which Augustine, Iranaeus, Karl Marx, and postmodernists have tried to "explain" evil, before Ford reminds us that the Gospels present a story instead of explanation.  Jesus lived at the intersection of great goodness and terrible evil.   

After break, Scott read from Week 8 in the RRG, about approaching TRs as an artist approaches drawing: procedures, in order, matter (p. 49).  

For our TR, Bill offered an anecdote about a colleague who couldn't see in conflict with two co-workers who couldn't hear. His experience brought forth many counter-stories from our own lives, and an interesting metaphor:  It's like you're running with the ball down the field, unaware that you're heading the wrong way.  Looking for analogs in the tradition, we found that St. Peter exemplified this situation a lot.  

Jim Marshall runs the wrong way, 1964

Collect for Those Running the Wrong Way
God, guiding light in the wilderness, help us as You helped Peter to move from rash actions and foolish choices to patience, humility, and clarity, so that we may approach the fulfilling of Your goals. Amen. 

Next week:   We read Week 9's assignment, skipping the reading for Week 8, except as we may be curious about the theories behind TRs. Erica will bring food, Bill will bring worship, and Lynne will bring something for the TR.

Yr. A, Wk. 6: Morality, Boundaries, and Josiah's Finding the Law

Members:  Thomas, Eugene, Mariel, first year;  Erica, second year; Scharme, third year; Bill and Lynne Lovelace, fourth year; Scott and Susan, mentors. Absent: Erika

Josiah, crowned at age eight.

Susan reported that Lauren has had to drop the class, with hopes of returning another year when her life has settled more.

Scharme started us with Compline.  Tom brought us a Mediterranean feast from Zoe's Kitchen.  While we ate, we reported on the past week.  A theme emerged about coming to terms with plans that fell through, something that came up later in our discussion.

Tom and Gene, reporting on the Patriarchs in Genesis, were torn between laughter and outrage at the immorality of these figures, who had seemed so heroic and noble in the childhood Bible Stories book.  Mariel countered that these tales reminded her both of the lawless, pre-union West of Mark Twain's youth, and of the trickster - hero Br'er Rabbit.  Those stories by Beatrix Potter were themselves adapted from African oral traditions, stories told by men and women enslaved in America.  We thought of Bugs Bunny and other powerless characters that we love and admire, despite their obnoxiousness and slyness, for triumphing over stronger adversaries by wit and chutzpah.  We also remembered that  God uses the flawed brothers and fathers in His own ultimate plan. As Joseph says, "What you intended for evil, God intended for good."

Tying into the discussion of morality, Bill and Lynne discussed the questions raised concerning worship and ethics by Ford in the 4th year's theology text.  Lynne admitted that she has always taken for granted the things that Ford probed.  Both were interested, and eager to get to later chapters that purport to find answers to the questions.

A side-question emerged, when Bill quoted a line about our desire for God:  "God first desires us."  Tom asked, "If He desires us, why did He wipe out humanity with the Flood?"  We came up with an answer that echoed our check-in answers:  God can have a plan without controlling our every move, and there may be zigs and zags in His progress, as there were in our plans.

Scharme segued to her chapter in the 3rd year book, "Setting Boundaries."  Lines of authority were established -- bishops, Rome supreme -- books were canonized, heresies of Aryanism and Marcionism suppressed, and creeds were codified.  She also laughed at the story of Origen, who alarmed his mother by his eagerness to proclaim his faith in public and join Jesus in martyrdom. She hid his clothes, so that he couldn't go out.

Theological Reflection
Susan had us read the day's assigned text from II Kings 22:1-13, concerning King Josiah's response when the priest Hilkiah introduces him to a long-lost book of the law, which commentators agree is the book we know as Deuteronomy. After listening to verses in different translations, we used commentaries and our imaginations to read between the lines:  Hilkiah's "discovery" is convenient for him and his class, and could be a "power play" to wipe out their rivals, the priests of Ba'al and fertility gods;  accounting on the "honor system" suggested to some a whiff of corruption; Josiah's delegating prayer and discernment to the priests struck us for its hierarchical division of labor.  

By the end of our discussion, we had related the scripture to events in our own lives, and to major events in history up to the recent times.  Many of us expressed surprise that this tale from a world so alien to us had so many contemporary analogs.   

Instead of a collect, this week we agreed on an action.  Each of us will report back on some talent or "law" that we've re-discovered and honored in the next week.  For example, Lynne reported how she sat down last week to play gospel songs on the piano, something she loves, but hasn't done in too long. 

Next week:  Mariel brings food; Susan brings worship; and Bill will surprise us with something to start a T.R.

Yr. A, Wk. 5: Parallels, Distinctions, and a Stray Dog

Members:  Lauren, Thomas, Eugene, Mariel, first year;  Erica, second year; Scharme, third year; Bill and Lynne Lovelace, fourth year; Scott and Susan, mentors. Absent:Lauren.

The Lovelaces served a dinner of sandwiches with cole slaw and potato salad.  Mariel's worship was a service for Evening Prayer for the day, from which she posed the question, "What has the phrase 'house of God' meant for you, and how has the meaning changed?"  Answers included our own hands ("Here is the church, here is the steeple..."), natural sites such as the forest where a wedding occurred, the nave of our church, Grandmother's house and the home of a middle school friend.

Discussion of the readings kicked off with an outpouring of ideas from 4th Year's reading. "Is God Real?  What do we mean by 'God?' What do we mean by 'real?'"   Commentary kept coming back to "relationship" and "trust."  The Trinity is essential to Christian understanding of the idea of "God."  Other faiths cannot be "lived" at the same time as one lives our Christian faith, but we can be "bilingual" with other faiths.

Scharme was struck by the notion that Paul preached to Gentiles who had adopted Jewish worship. She traced the end of "Israel" to the fall of Jerusalem and to the diaspora.  The "Pharisees" (who kept themselves apart from Rome and oppressive cultures) outlasted those who collaborated (Sadducees) and those who rebelled (Zealots). Jesus was closest to the Pharisees.

Erica commented that she got a strong sense of Matthew's "voice" by reading the Gospel in two sittings.  That voice is "difficult," she said.  He rearranged incidents around five sermons (corresponding to the five books of Torah) and played with numbers "as an accountant."

First year students honed in on "distinctions" between Judaism and the religions and philosophies of their day, as the books also showed God separating light from dark and earth from ocean ("chaos").

After a break, Susan explained the rationale behind Theological Reflections. 

Our reflection this week launched from the "action" source, as we identified a recurring theme from our several spiritual autobiographies and found an image for it:  the stray dog in search of a community.  We considered "judgement," those experiences that told the dog that he / she was lost, abandoned.  We back-filled "sin" and "creation," imagined "redemption," and then looked to the other sources for related stories/ images. 

After much discussion, in which we followed the steps in the "Wide Angle Lens" method (RRG, p. 275), Eugene pointed out that we had "two sides of the same coin," that the dog was saved, "but also, those who save the puppy experience God's grace."

Collect for the Lost and Misplaced

God of all creatures, great and small, Good Shepherd who leaves the 99 sheep to find the one who strays:  grant us grace and compassion so to recognize the lost among us, and to lead them to fellowship, so that they and we may grow to rejoice together.  In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Next week

Engage with the readings and questions given in the Reading Reflection Guide for week 6.   Scharme leads worship;  Tom provides food; Scott and Susan will bring the source for another Theological Reflection (TR). 

Yr. A, wk. 4: History, Ancient and Personal

Members:  Lauren, Thomas, Eugene, Mariel, first year;  Erika, second year; Scharme, third year; Bill and Lynne Lovelace, fourth year; Scott and Susan, mentors. Absent:Lauren.

Sandpiper over water

Scott prepared chicken Caesar salad on-site.  Lynne led us through a Celtic prayer service, including "Expressions of Faith" such as

Lord, You have always given bread for the coming day; and though I am poor, today I believe.
Lord, You have always given strength for the coming day, and though I am weak, today I believe.
Lord, You have always givenpeace for the coming day; and though of anxious heart, today I believe....

Lynne's "on-board" question was, "Which expression of faith fits your recent experience?"  We had a wide range of answers, and we found some things we had in common.

Our discussion of the readings began with Erika's interest in the ancient approach to biography,  focused more on moral truth than in accuracy.  We thought of more recent examples of that same approach to history.  Erika offered a personal experience of the opposite when she heard someone at a conference re-cap their shared experience with accurate facts that missed all the meaning.

Scharme built on the "history" angle by giving us a broad overview of 1000 years of Judaism up to the century after Jesus, the ups and downs of the Northern Kingdom, Southern Kingdom, and later home rule under successive empires.  The group was especially interested to hear that "Hebrew" originally designated any dispossessed or wandering peoples.  

The first year students picked up on a theme that the others raised, of important articles of faith that emerged over time, as we see the development of the concept of "Satan" starting with the "crafty" serpent, and the development of the idea of an afterlife in the last prophets and exposures to Hellenistic ideas of a soul separate from the body.   Students enjoyed highlighting two "accounts" of creation in Genesis, which Mariel saw as two approaches to the same story rather than different stories.  (The first story is told in terms of "project management" on a schedule with "quality control": "It was good.")

Fourth year explored theology between two extremes of atheistic denial of faith and fundamentalist denial of anything outside the believer's creed.  The most important point, they said, was that theology should not be a purely academic exercise, but must apply to society.

Following our break, we heard four remaining spiritual autobiographies.  Without divulging personal details, we can remember the stories by their forms:

One told of discovering at St. James a second chance at living with family, work, and play "under new standards."  Another took a haiku about a sandpiper "conducting the waves" for an image to describe the ebb and flow of spirituality, connected with disengagement and re-engagement with church.  The story of another student developed between two texts, Psalm 121 ("I look up" -- to the hills, to the stars, to a new perspective on earth-bound life) and a hymn, "Draw nearer to God and He will draw nearer to you."  Another student focused on two anecdotes of being in the right place at the right time for grace -- receiving grace, and dispensing it.

Next week:  Readings for Week 5. Bill and Lynne will provide food, and Mariel will lead worship.  Scott and Susan will introduce Theological Reflection through the "Wide Angle Lens" method, applied to our stories.  See p. 275 in the RRG.

Yr. A, Wk. 3: Ancient Worlds and Texts

Members:  Lauren, Thomas, Eugene, Mariel, first year;  Erika, second year; Scharme, third year; Bill and Lynne Lovelace, fourth year; Scott and Susan, mentors. Absent: None.

Lauren provided our meal of "sliders."  This week's worship by Erika came to us from a reading on her phone, and her question about the intersection of faith with technology brought answers of surprising depth.  

Each year's readings seemed to center on the ancient Greek / Roman / Hebrew  world.  An interesting observation was that the Jewish world in the time of Jesus was very different from the Jewish world of the Hebrew Scriptures, texts already centuries old in his day.  

St. Nick punches Arius

A side conversation concerned St. Nicholas as the one who physically stood up for the Incarnation against a flavor of Gnosticism that would deny it.   (Link to my summary of Fr. Daron's sermon on St Nicholas.)

Our fourth year students picked up on what they'd heard others say.  Lynne applied something that struck her in the reading, that we need a sense of the past to make sense in a time of cultural flux.  Bill picked up on the words "tradition" and "ritual," which can be "dry and dead," but which also anchor faith -- so that we don't seek truth just anywhere.  (He cited recent sermons at St. James.)  He liked the idea in theology of "dialogue" among eras, and that we shouldn't automatically go to the middle, NOR to one side.

After the break, we heard four spiritual autobiographies, each in a different form. We heard a completely - written short story about a single afternoon of early childhood that contained in it lifelong spiritual principles; a development of a metaphor from gardening (turning up soil); an account of the way that spiritual practice has been a source of strength, just as sports practice can be; and a story that reminded the teller of the prophet Jonah, who tried to get away from God, but God kept drawing him back.     

Next week: Readings and questions for 4th week as listed in the RRG.  Food: Scott. Worship: Lynne.  Four remaining spiritual autobiographies.

Yr. A, Wk. 2: "Faithful Living is Contextual"

Members:  Lauren, Thomas, Eugene, Mariel, first year;  Erika, second year; Scharme, third year; Bill and Lynne Lovelace, fourth year; Scott and Susan, mentors.  Absent: Eugene.

Scharme brought pizza for dinner, and cookies for dessert.  Bill provided worship from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, "f" and "s" confufed all the the way through.  On this evening after a weekend of Hurricane Irma, he drew a question about "frailty" from the collect.  We related recent events regarding parents, physical pains, and vulnerability to the weather.

We used the "mutual invitation" method to draw everyone into discussion of the reading.  We asked, "Why is it 'your' world?... Can we listen without thinking of what we want to say? ... Do I already divide things too much -- is context just another division?  ...What ministry will I be called to?  ... Can I listen to (my son) (my daughter) and not merely "hear"?... What can I draw from the image of water shaped by its cup? ... It's common sense how the contexts of our lives shape our views, but who knows that? ... How can I use "listening" as a teacher? ... What are the implications of the observation (p. 23) that 'God works in different contexts?'

Scott drew particular attention to rules on p. 22 - not to repeat someone else's story, even within the group, even to someone who was absent.

After the dessert break, we moved to the other room for two mentors' ten-minute spiritual autobiographies.

Next week: Lauren provides food, Erika leads worship, and the autobiographies will be shared by Mariel, Scharme, Erika, and Lauren.Year One, add to your assignment the final chapter of Powell's book to your reading assignment -- EfM participants agree that the final chapter makes clear why we read the rest of the book!

Yr. A, Wk. 1: World of EfM

Members:  Lauren, Thomas, Eugene, Mariel, first year;  Erika, second year; Scharme, third year; Bill and Lynne Lovelace, fourth year; Scott and Susan, mentors.  Absent: None.

Susan brought arugala lasagna, bread, orange-radish salad, and cookies.  After introductions, mentors and years 2-4 all spoke to what EfM is for them, and what EfM is not (see the Reading and Reflection Guide, Week One).

We shared personal goals, hopes, and fears for this year of EfM, using "the invitational method." These are some of the ideas that emerged:

I look forward to a resolution of my questions about the history of our church... 
I need a better understanding of the Bible, a formal way in... 
I don't want to be the kind of person who quotes Scripture at people ... 
I hope to make theology more than an academic exercise -- something to help me see miracles in my life and those of others ... 
Can I move from academic theology to personal philosophy and growth? ... 
I have a goal of listening to what everyone else has to say, to keep an open mind... 
I hope that we can find commonality in this ... 
I hope we continue to make good connections between readings and our theological reflections... 
I want us to write good collects to pull our lessons / reflections together.

After a review of p. 319, we discussed norms for the group, and then explored the metaphor of "worlds."  What emerged?  

Faith itself is the center, drawing us, nourishing us, enlightening us ("faith is a way of seeing").  Other qualities of the sun might apply to our faith as well:  it's too vast to apprehend at one time, a provider of energy that is constantly in motion, exploding, not defined the way a solid would be, intangible yet felt.
When we come together, we should keep focused on that center, shutting out the peripheral issues of our own worlds. 
Thinking of another kind of orbit of electrons around a nucleus, we remember the Heisenberg principle, that the orbits may be anything but circular, very unlike each other, and yet still centered.
What happens in our universe stays in our universe.
The orbits are regular in time, synchronized with each other; our studies and schedule are likewise cyclical, and we must keep up.
Being planets in motion, we should expect our perspectives on our faith to change with time.  
Each world exerts influence on every other one: we must be aware of the effects we have on others, and avert collisions. 
When we visit another's world, we should breathe deep the atmosphere.

There are stars beyond our system: this is a start, not the end.
It's beautiful.

After a break, we repaired to the Pilgrimage room for worship from the BCP, "for close of day" with a reading from Forward Day by Day which focused on the "brokenness" of Peter when the cock crowed and he had denied Jesus three times.  Scott asked, "How have you been broken, and felt somehow stronger for it?"  We shared some answers from our recent experiences. 

Next week, we read "Week 2" in the RRG.  Scharme provides food, Bill leads worship (and brings a check - in question).  For these first few weeks, the theological reflection will build gradually via spiritual autobiographies.  Scott and Susan will model with their own versions:  The "Worlds" of their lives, focused on a five-year period, lasting around 10 minutes. 

"Be the Kingdom": Ideas for the "Action" Part of our Theological Reflections

Jesus tells his contemporaries to stop looking for signs of God's Kingdom to come: "For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you" (Luke 17.21).   Today's meditation on this gospel, printed in Forward Day by Day, suggests that we "meet a simple need for someone today," to "Be the kingdom."

I thought instantly of my buddies Kitty and her mate Terry. Before she retired to Florida to be a full-time grandmother, she was my colleague at school for some fifteen years; together, they hosted me for countless get-togethers at their home, meals out, and concerts.  But Kitty also set an example of meeting a simple need for someone every day.   When she knew that my play rehearsals were going late, she provided me with ready-made meals to take home with me.  She provided treats for my dogs.  Sometimes, she just gave me a note of support.   All around me, others received similar gifts.  "Make someone's day every day" is her motto.  Or, as FDxD suggests, "Be the kingdom."

Forward Day by Day lately has added a daily feature, "Moving Forward," suggesting action to go with each day's meditation. Some are actions for others, some for our own edification. Here are a few from the current and preceding issues that strike me as good ideas:

• Inspired by Psalm 108, "Write your own poem today and share" via social media.
• Inspired by three one-word prayers that comprise Anne Lamott's latest book Help! Thanks! Wow!, "keep a list of your 'Help! Thanks! Wow' moments to use during evening prayer time.
• Inspired by Mary's seeking support from her cousin Elizabeth, we're advised to send a note or give a call to the Elizabeths in our lives. (Kitty, are you reading this?)
• Inspired by Psalm 78, we're told simply to plan a dinner party for our favorite people.
• Inspired by the lines about fig trees, we're told, "Take a walk around your home today.  What needs to be pruned, cleaned up, or tidied to ensure a fruitful season ahead?"
• Offer concentrated time to someone you love, "no agenda or strings attached."
• Inspired by Deut. 7.6 ("God has chosen you...to be ...His treasured possession"), "set apart a treasure -- a material item, a story, or simply your time -- to share with someone you love today."
• Answer Jesus's question to his followers: "What are you looking for?"
• Inspired by what happened at Cana when they ran out of wine, think, "Do you feel like you are running out? Out of time? Money? Patience? faith? How does this passage speak to these moments of running out?"
• Inspired by John's saying, "He must increase, but I must decrease," contemplate if it's time "to take up less space in someone's life?
• Inspired by Abram's packing up and leaving home, we get the suggestion to "plan a tgrip today [to] visit a neighbor or old friend."
• As the cripple took up his mat to walk, think: "Think of one thing you can do today to take up your mat and walk, to begin to become unstuck."
• After Psalm 92.1, "Write at least five thank you notes today, or write a longer one to God.  Share" on social media.
• After Psalm 23, recall when you walked in the shadow of the valley of death.
• Responding to the institution of the Eucharist in John 6, we're told to "make a list of those who have fed and nourished you with their flesh and blood."

Yr. D, wk. 33: Esther and "Amazing Grace"

Present:  Scharme, Susan, Erica, Lynne, Scott.  Erica brought dinner; Lynne led worship from the story of the women coming to the empty tomb, with commentary: "We're not told how Jesus rose."  Lynne asked us about other "unseen" processes in our lives.

Students drew cards. one at a time, and explained the card before writing a phrase of summary. We found overlaps and connections among readings in Ephesians, Ruth, Esther, and the history of Protestantism pro- and contra- slavery.

We connected to the story of John Newton, slave-trader and convertwho wrote the words to "Amazing Grace," and to that line about God's Providence from Mordecai to his reluctant niece Esther, "And who knows whether you have not come to [prominence in] the kingdom for such a time as this?"  

The TR was a personal anecdote that everyone could buy into.  Our image for the thoughts and feelings was the plight of someone launched in a canoe who reaches confidently for the oars, only to realize they're back on shore; ahead, it's Niagara Falls.  [See Susan's illustration.]

Collect for the Unprepared
Most merciful God, You promised to give Moses and Paul the words they needed; You sent out the Hebrews and the Apostles without supplies:  Help us to accept our vulnerability so that we may outgrow pride and trust that You have prepared us for such a time as this. Amen.

Next week:  We're doubling up on readings to wrap up the year before Bill and Lynne's trip.  It'll be brown bag.  Scott will be out. Worship - Erica.  Lynne - TR.

Yr. D, Wk. 32: Job, Corinthians, and Anglicanism

All present.  Bill and Lynne brought lasagna.

Scharme led worship with the Magnificat and readings from Scripture for the day.  Coming on board, we shared moments of Holy Week that moved us to tears: Everyone had something!

After everyone filled in playing cards connected by suit to experience, tradition, culture, and position, we took turns connecting cards of different years to each other.  (See image)



The TR was a family story that all of us could buy into.  We expressed the feeling in a metaphor: Trying to clean up others' mess at the park, while they ridicule you for it.  (See image, right)  When we got to the part about what could redeem the situation, we ran into the idea that just one "second" person to leave the watchers and join in would bring the painful situation to a better place.  We thought of the boy whose sharing of his lunch helped to feed the 5000 - possibly by example as others shared;  Lady Bird Johnson whose gentle exhortations made littering unthinkable; of the boy Brian who shouted across the cafeteria to Peter -- clutching lunch tray, seeing no safe place to sit -- "Hey, Peter, I've saved a seat for you over here!"

Collect for Acting Alone
O Lord, when You called Your disciples, they dropped their work to follow You and changed the world; when the people mocked You, Simon of Cyrene stepped in to help You carry the cross; empower us to act alone in Your name, in faith that others will join us and make a difference.   


Next Week: Erica does food; Smoot brings the TR; Lynne leads worship.

Yr. D, Wk. 31: Wisdom and Enlightenment

All present.  Susan ordered pizza; Lynne brought worship for Tuesday of Holy Week from 40 Days of Lent by the Forward Movement company.

Using the playing cards format, we discussed the readings.  The first cards played were all spades -- for wanting to dig into the tradition more.  Then came a lot of diamonds, facets of our culture.  Clubs (for positions to fight for) and hearts ( personal connections) came later.

Susan's TR was presented in a form to combine lectio divina with the categories of EfM's TR. We looked at 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, concerning the folly of the cross.  Those of us who heard Bishop Wright speak on Sunday found a close relation between this scripture and his references to our Presiding Bishop's book about "Crazy Christians."

Collect in time of Doubt
Creator of Wisdom, You showed us strength and wisdom in the life of Your Son Jesus when he looked weak and ridiculous to the world:  Strengthen our resolves when our faith makes us feel ridiculous, wo that we remain God's people, holy and free, boasting only in our Lord.  

Next week: Worship, Scharme; Food, Bill; TR Lynne.

Yr. D, Wk. 30: Moral Truths from Nature; a Poem by Yeats

All present.  Scott brought dinner; Susan, worship; Bill, the TR.

We sat at one table and dealt cards in four suits, just three cards each:

• SPADE: What in the reading do you want to dig deeper into scripture to find more about? (In EfM - speak, the "Tradition" source)
• DIAMOND: What in the reading reflected facets of history, current events, fiction, or other arts? (The "Culture" source)
• HEART: What in the reading connected to you in some personal or emotional way? ("Action" or "experience")
• CLUB:  What in the reading made you want to fight to defend a belief, or to fight for a new cause? ("Position" or "belief")

[W.B.Yeats]

For a few minutes, Bill, Lynne, Erica and Scharme searched through the marks they made in the reading to find three for their cards.  Then, sitting at one table, they played their cards, one per turn, explaining what the reading said and how it affected them.  Each card had to connect by suit or subject to one on the table.  If Scott hadn't moved in to give the mentor's view, it had already been written out on cards by two others!

The TR homed in on a line from an early Yeats poem, "Ephemera," concerning the soul's loving and continuous good-bye.  Our discussion found cultural references in the 1970 film Harold and Maude (she teaches him how to love, then dies, to let him love on his own) and, in our tradition, to Jesus' ascension (a good-bye), and Abraham/Sarah's good-bye to their home in their nineties
.
In the end, we collected our thoughts, images, and references, in this way:

Collect for Loss
Jesus, Lover of our souls, by suffering with us, you taught how to love, before you departed: By your Holy Spirit, help us to recognize that we can grown through loss to create something new and holy.  In Your Name we pray, Amen.  

Next Week: Bring $5 for dinner that Susan will order; Susan brings the TR; and Lynne brings the worship.  

Mountaintop Experience: Mentor Formation Retreat

Susan and I returned yesterday from three days at EfM's HQ at the University of the South, Sewanee, near Chattanooga, TN. We joined Bob from Florida, Steve from Asheville (moving soon to KY), and Ethel Ware from All Saints in Atlanta.  Our mentor Sissie Wile modeled ways to formulate an understanding of spirituality through experiences that engaged our imaginations with all four of EfM's sources: action, position, culture, and tradition.

[PHOTOS:  Top - Sissie's home, where we visited with her dog and cat on Saturday, before dinner.

Middle - A branch finding a way through a manufactured space was, for me, an image of Incarnation - the Creator's sharing in our struggles and pain.

 Below - A "mandala" collage of images that help me to define holy]

Our sessions together began and ended with worship from the New Zealand Book of Common Prayer.  Hearing familiar texts phrased differently, we're aware of new angles to old sayings.  For instance, "The Lord be with you / And also with you" is re-stated as an affirmation for all:" The divine Spirit dwells in us. / Thanks be to God."

Before we'd even decided what we meant by spirituality or by related terms mystery, holiness, and the divine, Sissie had each of us choose a photograph from an array published by the Kaleidoscope Institute. I chose a view of an apartment building, ten rows and twelve columns of balconies defined by concrete slabs, iron rails, and glass doors. For me, there's a mystery in that each resident is an individual universe of experiences, pursuits, and hopes; yet even near neighbors may be unaware of each other. So much life is visible at a glance; how can anyone conceive of the fact that all the individuals on our planet are equally self-contained universes?

We also each selected one psalm among those identified by author Walter Brueggemann as psalms for seasons of orientation (8, 14,33, 37, 145, 131, 133), of disorientation (13, 25, 50, 74, 79, 81, 86, 137), or new orientation (30,34, 50, 74, 79, 81 86, 137), all connecting to EfM's  theme this year of new orientations in our "journeys in faith." 

I chose Psalm 124 ("If it had not been the Lord who was on our side...), feeling that my life has reoriented towards care for Mom, following my fifty-seven years of responsibility mostly to myself, my job, my own projects.  The Psalmist seems to be clutching to the knowledge that, "We held on through tough times before; God will be with us at the end of this time, too." 

Again, after sharing, we reflected on aspects of spirituality revealed by this effort.  What we saw was deep connections across time and culture between us and the psalmist; the experience of relating concrete reality to metaphors; the awareness that interior conclusions may not easily be identified as true or false. We agreed that psalms have different meanings for us at different times in our lives.

The most intense thirty minutes of the weekend, for me, were spent searching through magazines for images that spoke to my sense of what's holy, then fitting them into a circle -- to form a personal "mandala," an image of the universe, or the universal.  During that time, we all milled around the room, and I, for one, was nearly oblivious to others while I cut, rearranged, and pasted.  My own images include preparation of food - a holy activity when done lovingly to bring people together; a lovely tree at the edge of a lake, reminding me of days spent in such places reading, or, even more, riding my bike, occupied solely with the cycling and breathing, enjoying God's gifts; a bed, which I've come to see as a raft for a nightly journey through dreams, in which we find rest and meaning-making; the dog - for many of us, a veritable angel in life, example to us of unconditional love and life in the moment (see my article Dogs are Poetry); and the crossword puzzle, signifying for me horizontal existence in time intersecting with the vertical existence of mind, memory, and imagination (see my article Theology of Crosswords).

We also had assignments to design experiences in spirituality for each other.  Bob and Steve presented a combination of lectio divina with the movements of EfM's process of "theological reflection."  Ethel Ware sent us away to sketch or describe something that illustrates what we mean by "the divine." (I brought back a sketch of an open hand, palm up: able to reach out, able to hold, to let go, and vulnerable to rejection).  Susan and I sent everyone out at dusk to bring back images (perhaps on phone cameras) of intersections between what we call "nature" and the human-manufactured world.  In these, we looked for the Trinity:  images of the Creator's joy in creation; of the Incarnate Lord's sharing the pain of creation; and, of the Spirit that flows through all life like the wind.  We were inspired by the analogy in our RRG of a night hike by flashlight:  what we see by "light" of our manufactured world is limited, and we'll appreciate much more of the night life in a forest, once our senses become fully engaged for a walk in the dark.

For a short time before dinner, we accepted Sissie's invitation to her lovely home overlooking a bluff, with a view west across the valley.  Such a short time was still a powerful highlight, reminding us all of another holy quality of hospitality, by which patriarchs welcomed angels.