Worship, shared by the mentors, consisted of the Beatitudes, read responsively by half verse, followed by a question, "Which of these beatitudes speaks to your experience since our last meeting?"
As I arrived, discussion had brought out some connections between the epistles I,II Peter and the Russian Orthodox church. All saw a connection between physical isolation of churches and a preservation of orthodoxy; we also saw that isolation made local clergy influential.
For a TR, we tried something new: We simply considered an iconic figure of contemporary culture, "James Bond." After considering many aspects of the character, we focused most on his unorthodox approach to his duty, how he sometimes disobeys orders, blows up things, and comes back to fight another day. In fact, several times, he has come back from the dead.
After considering what constitutes wholeness, brokenness, reorientation and restoration in the world of Bond, and connecting this icon to our own experiences, our beliefs, and our tradition, we then answered this question: "How do your personal gifts apply to the Bond-aspect of our world?" Our answers, listed in lieu of a collect, were these:
- Perseverance, a kind of stubborness: "Close enough for government work is not good enough for me."
- Empathy - Bond always loves and tries to rescue those "Bond girls" who are caught in unhealthy relationships with super-villains; one of our gifts is this kind of empathy and an ability to work with people who are suffering with tough emotions
- Strong sense of duty - and won't let go
- Analysis, an ability to find patterns, to survey the situation and make decisions
- Being a team player, feeling enlisted in "His Lordship's Secret Service," the Church.
No comments:
Post a Comment