Yr. A, Wk. 14: The Dream of God, Part I

Worship and Check-in Susan led worship from the Northumbria Community website. We shared how the past week went, a mix of celebrations and sorrows. We'll be remembering in our prayers Christine's sister, Marilyn's healing, and Nuno's cat Falcon.

Discussion of the Readings We discussed what struck us most in Dozier's first three chapters, and then considered the questions posed in the RRG for this section. Dozier got some pushback in favor of Constantine and the institution of the church, though we all could see the truths in her ideas. Susan suggested that Dozier is making her point with an either/or proposition, when the truth is more of a both/and.

We bought into Dozier's emphasis on the mission of the laity, the "ministry" in EfM. We shared some strong examples from personal experiences with "ministers" of the Church who were not necessarily ordained, and with activities of our own that we can see now as a kind of ministry.

We appreciated Dozier's reminders that the Bible is not a book by God but a library of writings caused by encounters with God. Christine admitted that she herself processes history, poetry, letters and stories all differently -- so Dozier's reminder is helpful to her.

What is the Good of the Church? EfM sent out this link to a video series of discussions that might provide different perspectives on Dozier's doubts that worshiping Jesus in church is the same thing as following Jesus.

Living Faithfully in Your World:
1st yr: Scott 2nd yr: Marilyn, Pete, Nuno; 3rd yr, Susan; 4th yr, Christine. Mentors: Susan and Scott. Absent: None.

Theological Reflection Pete shared this photo from the Depression, one in a series by Dorothea Lang. After sharing our reactions to different aspects of the photo, we decided to set aside our thoughts about the techniques and intentions of the photographer to focus just on the world of the people in the photo.

Their world, we said, was harsh, day-to-day, unjust, exposed. Noting that each figure is clutching another, we imagined that forgetting each other or letting go would be a kind of sin. When we asked ourselves about "redemption" in the world of the picture, we found a softness in the family group, and Christine pointed out the care that obviously went into crocheting the baby's little booties.

We instantly associated this picture with the Holy Family, refugees from harsh conditions. Nuno also remembered the widow who had just enough flour and oil left to feed her son one last meal. But she serves Elijah, and the story has a happy ending. We thought of other prophets who spoke out against the rich and powerful on behalf of the poor and the "strangers." Dozier's thumbnail sketch of Luke's gospel emphasizes Jesus's ministry to the poor and outcast, and she relates love and justice.

There was a thread of judgement in our positions on this photo: what did they do to get into this predicament? What might they have done differently? Alternatively, we heard the position that the family you were born into can limit your choices.

For personal buy-in from the "action" source, Nuno shared some family history and also told us about an encounter he had with a homeless man who surprisingly turned out to be a tourist on a "walkabout," exploring the world.

We came back more than once to the way Jesus sent his disciples out into the world in pairs with no supplies, not even a change of clothes. They were dependent on each other and on the hospitality of strangers the way the figures in the photo are presumed to be.

We thought we might begin our collect with the story of the disciples' mission. As Dozier would point out, we are those disciples, or should be. We thought that we should be praying for understanding and empathy when we see others, compassion, strength, and courage. Nuno volunteered to collect the strands of our discussion(s) into a single prayer.

Collect
Lord Jesus Christ, you send us into this world not with material goods but rather filled with trust, clothed with love, and blanketed in your mercy. Help us to have understanding, empathy, compassion, strength, and courage to share of your bountiful gifts with all those who are in need, knowing that all that we have comes from your divine providence. Amen

We ended with a blessing and Marilyn's reading of the collect she wrote after last week's TR (which will be printed on that blogpost).

For Next WeekWe read the rest of Dozier. The TR will be drawn from the RRG. Scott will lead worship.