Journey with God, Wk. 12: What fills an empty vessel?

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Worship and Gathering
Jessica brought Compline from the New Zealand prayer book. She asked about our favorite childhood toy. For some, it was a bike that we rode to freedom. For others, it was the swingset in the back yard. You could swing yourself into anyplace in the world. Then, there were jigsaw puzzles... the ball on a rope that spun around a ring on your ankle... a certain stuffed pillow... laser tag and the Nerf gun... the record player for a kid with a mania for things that turned. ("You were well-rounded," said someone.)

Yr. D, 1st yr: Michael, Mason; 2nd yr: Lanie; 3rd yr: Joyce, Susan; 4th yr, Jessica, Rita; 5th yr "Wide Angle," Kaye. Mentor: Scott. Absent: Susan.

Respond
Joyce had sent this message to us a few days earlier:

1. What image comes to mind that might depict your reading this week? An image could be something in your surroundings, something from your imagination, a piece of artwork, something from online, or a metaphor.
2. If the people in your Engage assignment were to design a bumper sticker, what slogan and artwork would it contain? Would you want that bumper sticker on your car?

We discussed (1) in breakout rooms and shared these images: Luther as the "unyielding oak" even when unsupported by some of those branches... the arch that represents the rise and fall of Saul... happiness (a fleeting thing, like opening a present) v. joy (a lifetime commitment, such as the grows from the birth of a child)... how an 18-month-old child testing boundaries is an image of the way we learn virtue through experience.... Scott recommended Freeman on the woman at the well. Why was she there in the heat of the day? We can imagine she wishes to avoid the censorious women who gather there early each morning.

A brief time in smaller breakout rooms brought us these bumper stickers: "Don't tread on me" from a Medieval motto, "Noli me tangere" from the risen Jesus warning Mary Magdalene "Don't touch me!"... Faith's not a flight from life, but life in love with life (Chittister, p. 214, Y5)... "Wrath is misery with nowhere to go" (Multmann, Y3).

Reflect
We observed qualities of the bowl that Rita presented, then asked questions that opened up the background story. Her father loved the challenge of wood-working at his lathe. The bowl, unvarnished, atop the fridge for many years, was a homely "junk drawer" where the family could find fasteners and other doo-dads. Acquiring the object after her parents' deaths, Rita has stained the bowl that, empty, is now more precious than ever. Joyce gathered two threads of our conversation into a single focus: what used to be full and useful is now empty and more precious than ever, full of intangible memories.

Exploring the world of the bowl, we thought of Creation. Just a piece of a tree, but now something beautiful and lasting... transformation is possible in this world... there is joy in the challenge of shaping the bowl.

Sin would be breakage, or just tossing out the old bowl.

We connected this story to the Holy Grail, to Saul (originally "full" and left empty)... the ark of the covenant... the throne in the Holy of Holies, highly decorated, was intentionally left unoccupied, to show that God's "seat" is everywhere. Kaye picked up this theme from the banter between Jesus and the woman at the well -- one of them (she? he?) said, "God is not only in Jerusalem."

What else in our lives is like this bowl? We searched our memories in the Action source (i.e., our own experience), transitioning into insights and applications:

• We attach so much value to the lives we lead, but this life is only the first stage.
• From Revelation: The first things have passed away. See, I make all things new.
• An image for rearing a child: he fills up in the first part of life; with loving care, he grows into an individual who is much more than all those little incidents and possessions.
• You can be someone else's "junk drawer," resource for life.
• There's the "happiness" of immediate gratification (think of the bowl on top of the refrigerator, holding all the incidental bits) and the joy of lasting beauty and purpose.
• We are vessels, precious -- and needing to be taken care of.

Collect for an Empty Vessel

Lord of Splendor and Fullness, well of living water, presence over the empty throne, eternal life emerged from an empty tomb: as we rummage through chores and purchases that matter only for a little time, make us mindful how your hands shape and polish us so that, when our store of days is empty, we will be sturdy and beautiful vessels of your generous spirit, by whom, with the Creator and Sustainer, we pray. Amen.

For Monday, Jan. 5:
We will "engage" with materials for week 13 before we meet again January 5th. Be sure to read scripture! Michael will lead worship (and we'll be able to see him again, I hope!). Mason will choose two questions. Kaye will bring a source for a TR.

Merry Christmas!

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Journey with God, Wk 11: Can one snowflake change the world?

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Worship and Gathering
First things, first: we got to see Liam when Jessica held him up to the camera.

For worship, we recited the first and last verse of "O little town of Bethlehem." One is about a village 2000+ years ago and the other is about how we ARE that village, "still" waiting in "a world of sin" for Christ to be born in us and bring the hope of the world to fruition.

What have you been doing lately? Spending a lot of time between church and home; singing with the Georgia Symphony Orchestra; babysitting in Texas; recovering from illness; getting confirmed and healed; teaching a newborn the rhythm of day and night; getting ready to go to Florida; becoming a grandparent; and sobbing at movie theatres. (Scott's recs include Knives Out, III: Wake up Dead Man, Wicked II: For Good, and Hamnet.

Yr. D, 1st yr: Michael, Mason; 2nd yr: Lanie; 3rd yr: Joyce, Susan; 4th yr, Jessica, Rita; 5th yr "Wide Angle," Kaye. Mentor: Scott. Absent: None. (Yay!)

Respond
A couple of days before we met, Scott sent out these questions from the "Respond" section of EfM Pathwright web page:

• Hesed (kheh’·sed) is a Hebrew word that conveys God’s covenantal love, mercy, and compassion toward people and all creation. Hesed often describes acts of loyalty and fidelity that go beyond what would otherwise be required or even imagined. Where is hesed in what you studied this week? How has hesed been a part of your journey with God?
• Similarly: How was God active with individuals or movements in your assigned materials? How might that apply to how God works in your life? In the world?

We opened two breakout rooms, four people in each (one had five if we count Liam, who slept through the discussion). De-briefing, participants shared what they heard from others in their groups:

• Martin Luther's insight to grace had far-reaching impact, much of it ugly, but Joyce looked at the gifts he gave us, including "grace to yourself" and his courageous stand when a panel of judges ordered him to renounce his writings.
• That related to ethics: "Christ acted first" so that we can act well.
• For Michael, Ruth (and Naomi and Boaz, too) are case-studies in hesed, each of them doing good beyond what was expected of them.
• Kaye discussed Esther, a book that does not mention God, but implies God's guidance and "providence" (Scott's word).
• Joyce related Jessica's reflection on how a mother sacrifices her body, her time, and her own wants to respond to the calling of motherhood
• Lanie had a lot to say about Luke, the songs she has sung that come from the Gospel, and how Acts is a sequel. She was fascinated by the geneology, going all the way back to Adam, and including Ruth's husband Boaz as a great-grandfather to Jesus.
• Scott has been reading at breakfast, one chapter a day from Joan Chittister's book about the Benedictine rule (year 5). He wrote "LANIE" across the top of a page that tells us that the journey with God isn't about predestination, but about how He accompanies us and teaches us from the things that happen to us by chance. Chittister gives the example of cancer, an interaction of genetics with chemistry. It's not a test, she writes, but God is with us to learn from it.

Reflect
From the "position" source, Scott drew this pithy aphorism: "No snowflake feels a sense of responsibility for an avalanche." A ready-made metaphor, this prompt allowed us to skip finding a focus straight to exploring the world of the snowflake.

We did reach a turning-point when we thought about redemption. A snowpack, destructive as it may be in an avalanche, also provides the cool clear water that the land below depends upon in spring and summer.

We drew on our own experiences (the Action source of meaning in our lives) to think when we have been like the snowflake, carried along by a crowd. The stories were sobering.

We also found many examples of crowd misbehavior in scripture, not least the folks in Jerusalem who lauded Jesus one day and taunted him another. In history, there were many examples of vile crowd behavior when ordinary citizens felt they had safe cover to do violence. We did, however, remember brave people who resisted -- Dietrich Bonhoeffer and civil rights leaders.

Jessica volunteered to complete the collect that we began. She said, "I might as well, since I'm on maternity leave." Here it is:

Dear Heavenly Creator, In Your infinite wisdom, You formed each of us in Your image, and our differences reflect the beauty of who You are. Remind us that, as individuals, we are called to be the hands and feet of Christ in this world. Help us remember the words Paul wrote to the Romans: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. When the world pressures us to bend to its ways, remind us that we are called to live according to Your will alone. We ask all of this in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

For Monday:
We're preparing for week 12 in "The Journey with God" at the web site. I highly recommend the Bible Project video available under the Year 1 tab, and those of you who are reading the Bible, please make that your priority over the textbook commentaries!

Jessica will lead worship. Joyce will choose questions from the "response" tab and send those to us before Monday. Rita already has "kindling" for our next TR!

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Journey with God, Wk. 10: Four Explore

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Worship and Gathering
Several of us had sent word that they would be late, while others faced obstacles that made them late without advance warning. Waiting, those present had a lively conversation that ranged from scriptural and historical to personal and theological.

For instance, Joyce had a lot to say about what she read of Martin Luther in chapter 10 of the history text. She had his character nailed: "He was over-scrupulous," so he was very relieved to realize that forgiveness was a gift, not something he had to earn. This undermined powerful men whose earnings depended on people literally paying for forgiveness.

We also figured out the whole pre-destination thing. (Example: A young mother who brings her little boy to our church office can't foresee exactly what kind of trouble he'll get into, but she has predestined that, while he learns how to behave, he will feel loved and safe and clean no matter what.)

Lanie came to us stressed over planning a eulogy for her beloved niece. Starting from Sister Madeleine Mary's idea that faith should be about delight and discovery, we found delight with Lanie re-discovering memories through images. In no time, Lanie was laughing about times of grace. These included a reference to the Flintstones (that I won't go into, sorry).

After close to an hour, the group decided to call it quits and meet back again next week to cover week 11.

A question that Scott had wanted to ask was Sister Madeleine Mary's notion that we all thought theologically when we were little, when we responded to the world with feelings of awe and delight and asked "Why?" She writes that we all develop a sense of "layers" to existence when we're young. Is this what you remember from your childhood? This may be our "gathering" question when we come back together next week.

Yr. D, 1st yr: Michael, Mason; 2nd yr: Lanie; 3rd yr: Joyce, Susan; 4th yr, Jessica, Rita; 5th yr "Wide Angle," Kaye. Mentor: Scott. Present: Joyce, Lanie, Scott, Susan.

For Monday:
We move on to week 11. Scott will again handle worship, GQ, the response questions, and the source for a TR.

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Journey with God, Wk. 9: Grace & the Jeweled Frog

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Worship and Gathering
Susan shared the worship service with Scott, then forgot about EfM until minutes after the worship time was over. It went great, Susan: Compline is a beautiful little-used service in our BCP.

Kaye emailed this to us, too: "The last time we met, y'all had asked for the book from which I chose our Worship. It is Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human, by Cole Arthur Riley. We read the prayer 'For the Beauty in Impermanence' from her 'Mortality' chapter."

Yr. D, 1st yr: Michael, Mason; 2nd yr: Lanie; 3rd yr: Joyce, Susan; 4th yr, Jessica, Rita; 5th yr "Wide Angle," Kaye. Mentor: Scott. Absent: Joyce, Jessica.

Respond
One of Mason's chosen questions doubled as our gathering question this week: Where did you find grace in your reading, watching, and listening this week? In your own life?

Our answers took us through some personal territory -- mourning losses and rejoicing over baby grandchildren. One of us who keeps very busy most of the time took some "personal grace" to just laze around in pajamas all day. Another found grace in the boss's reaction to a serious mistake -- and the boss's approval of his employee's effort to make things right.

There were also answers linked to this week's materials.

Bretherton's chapter on "Finitude" seemed "disheartening" to Rita because he seems to see no way that we can be better. That same fatalistic attitude showed up for the Y1 guys at the end of Joshua: The Israelites promised to be faithful, and Joshua predicted, "You won't be." The OT books contain so much violence and so little morality to our way of thinking (including the sacrifice of Jephthah's daughter!), but Michael and Mason saw grace in God's continuing to care for his people despite the grief they cause him. Repeated comments in Judges about the horrific consequences when "each turned to his own way" are, for Scott, a sign of the spiritual growth of God's people, as later editors commented on the ancient stories.

We took a moment to answer a question that had gone unspoken: What do we mean by "grace?" Consensus formed around forgiveness that doesn't have to be earned, nor even asked for. Lanie came at this from a different angle: "It's a kind of permission," she said. You don't have to be afraid of making mistakes, so you're free to live and grow. Scott finds "grace" wherever the Sufi Muslim poet Rumi mentions laughter -- the top branches of trees at dawn catch fire with laughter; the poet at birth crossed from emptiness into laughter.... Lanie found an element of playfulness in Matthew -- including his mania for pairs and for coded numbers, which the author likened to the way that Shakespeare [may have] encoded his name in the translation [that he might have done] for King James's Bible -- "Shake" and "Spear" occurring 46 words from both start and finish of Psalm 46. So, we got some unexpected answers to our basic question!

Another question that Mason posed was about "great love, great suffering" as twin paths to change in life.

The book of Job came up, having been covered in both Y1 and Y5. For Kaye, the presentation of Job in Y5 opened her eyes to see this grim story in a new way. She and Scott both recommended to everyone that they see the short video about Job. Also, the book Bible Women gets at the core of Job in a fresh way by focusing on Job's wife, though she gets just 11 words to say in the whole book.

Rita, ruing how "mean" she'd been to Bretherton early in the hour, atoned by telling us an idea she liked about two kinds of time in Scripture, "temporal" and "eschatological," day-to-day time v. eternity. She quoted from EfM's introduction to Bretherton's chapter: "It is in the daily that we find God." That resonated with Kaye, who described a study of how often the word "path" appears in Proverbs [Smoot: like this year's theme of a "journey with God!"], the implication being that the path keeps going, and you can keep learning. That's an echo of Lanie's idea of "grace" as "a kind of permission."

Reflect
When Lanie showed us the image of the frog included with this blog post, there was a lot of energy in just noticing all the details. The diamonds; the eyes asymmetrical, wide set, and looking up; the apparent smile; the legs flexed as if ready to leap; the textures in the gold and the green stripes. Asked if there were any story connected to this, Lanie told us that this had been a gift years ago, long forgotten until recently; and that Lanie has feared frogs from a very young age. Lanie saved a secret for us until Mason guessed it: "Does he open up?"

That became our focus, "The Secrets of the Jeweled Frog." We explored the world of the jeweled frog through a few theological categories. Creation is wondrous, and recalls the long list in Job of creatures who display God's power and love in making such diversity. Sin is the squeamishness we feel about non-mammals and creatures unlike us. Redemption is what this frog represents, in itself being redemption for our squeamishness as we come to recognize a beauty and lovability in frogs through this little work of art.

Before we got into Connections, we took a moment to talk about "low-hanging fruit." In a creative endeavor such as this, it's not fun if we just go to "the Cross" or "be a good person" for our reflection. Look for something a little off-center.

We thought of frogs in Tradition, a plague in Exodus, an unclean food in Leviticus (or so we vaguely recall). Then we recalled the serpent in Exodus hung on a pole that healed all who looked upon it. We branched out to include characters who were despised and feared, then accepted and even revered: Saul/Paul, young Moses, the prostitute Rahab, little tax collector Zachaeus: when you look at them more closely, their faults diminish in importance.

We put those in dialogue with all the cute cartoon frogs in our Culture. Frogs seem to be both good and bad -- or is it us? What are we projecting on this little creature?

For Insights, we saw a theme in "The Frog Prince," "The Ugly Duckling," and "Beauty and the Beast," all about repulsive creatures who become beautiful only after someone sees their inner beauty. This made us think of children, and those who are labeled "problems" in school. This jeweled frog redeems all frogs in our eyes in a way that calls to mind the way crosses can be made roughly or can be jeweled, too -- redeeming a horrific state-sponsored execution, drawing us all into that redemption.

We collaborated very well on this Collect on a Jeweled Image of a Frog:

Dear Lord, Creator of all things shiny and slimy, You have made the eyes of the frog far apart, able to see 360 degrees around it: help us to see beyond the surfaces of things, and to step outside of our own limited point of view , that we may find and be open to the surprise of inner beauty in all things and creatures. In Jesus's name we pray. Amen.

For Monday AFTER Thanksgiving:
Read Week 10. Scott will send questions, lead worship, and bring a TR. We pray for Joyce and her family, for Jessica, her husband, and little Liam (we saw a photo of him in a onesie that says "I am proof that God answers prayers"), and for Lanie's niece and family.

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Journey with God, Wk. 8: Detour ahead

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News Flash! Jessica's little boy Liam (Rita's grandson!) was born today. Mom and child are doing well. Thanks to Joyce and Susan for the news!

Worship and Gathering
Before worship, we checked in with each other about concerns and thanksgivings to keep in mind during prayer. We agreed to take next Monday off, to return Monday the 17th for week 9. We will also take off the Monday before Thanksgiving. (So we sort of "gathered" but I think we may have skipped Kaye's gathering question. Please accept my apology, Kaye! Maybe Susan will use your GQ when she does worship next time.)

For worship, Kaye brought us prayers about Autumn, change, and the beauty of impermanence, taking them from liturgies in a Y5 book. I was struck by this: "Things that decay become the dirt that sustains us."

Yr. D, 1st yr: Michael, Mason; 2nd yr: Lanie; 3rd yr: Joyce, Susan; 4th yr, Jessica, Rita; 5th yr "Wide Angle," Kaye. Mentor: Scott. Absent: None.

Respond
Joyce chose two questions, given to us in advance. How has the material "broadened... understanding of what it means to live faithfully?" What level of commitment did the people in our texts have toward "being at the table" with those who differed from them?

We joined our answers on a numbered grid shared to the screen, each comment relating to one above, beside, or beneath it. For an incentive to offer comments, a prize was promised to the person who chose "the secret square." Kaye was our winner of "shearling" slippers, $1500!!! Expect them to be delivered any day, now, Kaye.

These threads emerged:

• At a time when the Church was divided, in conflict with itself, and corrupt with power and wealth, Islam started with literally "sharing the table" with people of different sorts and hearing their stories... The church recently has recognized how our missionary work so often involved demeaning and punishing the indigenous people we "discovered," erasing their differences and coercing them to join us at our table. Jesus preached to those outside of Israel, and commanded his apostles to go even farther, to bring "all the world" into the merciful, just, blessed kingdom of God.
• The Enlightenment, seeking universalized ethics not connected to any faith, gave cover to collectivist ideologies such as Communism, Fascism, and the idolatry of "individualism." These ideologies exclude others from "the table."
• Neither collectivist nor individualistic, the Church has a long tradition of taking care for those on the outside -- or, at least that's one thread in our Scriptures and history. Deuteronomy commands landowners to leave the poor everything that falls to the ground during harvest, and commands to "love the sojourner" who takes refuge in the land. Monasteries that had been "inward looking" turned outward to take intentional care of the communities around them.
• Living faithfully… so many people left their lives for life of poverty – new orders for men and women – living a higher devotion in poverty, taking care of the poor. Like the young man in Matthew, give all you have to the poor… but these people really did that! ... From the start, believers have struggled with the twin "goods" of either devoting oneself to prayer and salvation by getting away from the sins and distractions of society, or else trying to remain faithful while engaging in that society.
• We humans seem to need something tangible to "glom onto," as the Hebrews made their golden calf when they could no longer see Moses with them.
• The harshness of some scriptures is something that many of us struggle with, including our 5th year author Evans.
• Israel's Shema (Listen!) that Jews proclaim daily is essentially the same as what Muslims proclaim daily. Are we all connecting to the same God? Jesus was a rabbi who sought to reform Judaism; Mohammed accepted Jesus as a great prophet and the Hebrew scriptures as holy books.

Reflect
For our Theological Reflection (TR), Michael told of experience / action about a prayer answered in an unexpected way. We shared similar experiences, and identified in common our feelings of need, desire, fear, insecurity, followed by a strong sense that God was behind a fortuitous resolution of our problem. Looking for a metaphor that covered what those experiences were like, we hit upon finding a path out of a wooded area.

When we explored the metaphor of the path, the focus shifted in a surprising way. Physically imagining ourselves there, we saw how the path may have been there all along. The metaphorical answer to our prayers was there beside us. Focused on our own steps over logs and leaves and brambles, we did not see it.

We further explored Creation in the world of the unseen path in the woods. It's beautiful, maybe distractingly so. Its beauty and fascination draws us on. Judgement comes when the sun is setting, the air is cooling, and you realize you haven't a clue how to get back home. Redemption happens when you stumble up the ridge to the path, and now you can enjoy your hike again.

Lanie pointed out that we had imagined an unintended detour, a long way around the path. She connected this metaphor to Steven Charleston's book that we read last year about the American Indians' "vision quest," The Four Vision Quests of Jesus. We thought of Greek mythology, too, with a decade-long detour by Odysseus.

Connecting to paths was easy; to paths that we just didn't see was a little harder. Hebrews got off the path in the wilderness, and God was patient with them (in the long run). John the Baptist went out to make paths straight. When we thought of detours in the Bible, the Prodigal Son came to mind. (Aside: Ask me or Susan about the Atlanta Ballet's recent performance of the dance based on that parable. I haven't managed to describe it without choking up!)

When we sought to apply what had come to us from our reflection on Michael's anecdote, we had these insights:

• Michael: When we're lost, God isn't. God is there, whether or not our prayers seem to be answered.
• Jessica: The popular poster about parallel sets of footprints that become just one trail: "Those were the times I carried you," said God.
• God answer our prayers but not in the way we expect. His way, we come to realize, was better.
• Rita quoted, "Thy will be done is the prayer that never fails!"

Kaye's closing worship was for All Soul's. She asked Jessica to read. We paused to think of those we love but see no longer. [Note: Friends, this is a good place for me to add that my mom died on November 6, one day after her 91st birthday. Link to Funeral Home Tribute]

For Monday November 17:
With delivery expected this week, we won't expect Jessica and her mom on the 17th. We're engaging with materials for Week 9, which include some challenging scriptures in Judges (don't assume that everything in scripture is supposed to be uplifting!), Matthew (who has a different approach from Mark, even when they share the same material), the 13th century plague (!), plague and politicking Popes in the 14th c., and wisdom.Y'all ought to watch this beautiful 3 minute overview of Job in a Video.

On the 17th, Susan leads worship. Mason chooses questions from the "respond" tab in Wk 9 at the EfM Pathwright web site. Lanie will bring us the source of a TR from experience, or a piece of literature, a story from Scripture, some lesson she has been taught, or some selection from our culture's books and movies, paintings and poetry.

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Journey with God, Wk. 7: Wayfaring Strangers Like Us

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Worship and Gathering
Inspired by Y4's chapter about relating to people unlike us, Rita searched writings from other nations and faith traditions to select prayers and wisdom for us. We found that the selections resonated strongly with our own faith and experience.

Rita's GQ extended the theme: Tell us about someone MOST unlike yourself. We heard about the rough-and-tumble boy down the street, the reclusive neighbor in a rural community, the Italian freshman, the shy daughter's outgoing mother, the sophisticated upper classman, the self-confident guy with the gift of putting everyone at ease.

Yr. D, 1st yr: Michael, Mason; 2nd yr: Lanie; 3rd yr: Joyce, Susan; 4th yr, Jessica, Rita; 5th yr "Wide Angle," Kaye. Mentor: Scott. Absent: Kaye.

Respond
In breakout rooms, years mixed to share an image or metaphor they found while engaging with the material for this week, and tell how it influences their understanding.

• Joyce shared what Mason said about holiness codes in Leviticus: Playing the instrument, you don't become the instrument, and practicing the holiness codes does not necessarily make you holier. Mason shared Joyce's summation of early Church history in the years after Constantine: "Too many chiefs and not enough Indians."
• Jessica told us how Michael related to the strong and strange image of the community's sins poured with blood on the horns of a ram expelled to the wilderness. Michael got a kick out of Jessica's use of the comedy Trains, Planes, and Automobiles to demonstrate how we can find common ground with strangers.

Scott shared the image he took away from a photo in a Y3 chapter showing an ancient church's interior, every inch of it decorated with Biblical pictures in tile and paint. On a tangent, we discussed images and icons, and the long tradition in some Christian circles of deploring all such artwork as idolatry Susan explained that the Eastern Orthodox theology reasons that God, embodied in Jesus, has sanctified our bodies, so that making images of living beings is no longer to be considered idolatry. Some of us shared good experiences with beautiful images in church, and also a dissatisfaction in a worship space where no cross appeared.

(Note: Some churches reason that Resurrection means never having to dwell on the crucifixion -- which many consider a morbid practice of Roman Catholics, as Susan pointed out. Our prayer book keeps both the crucifixion and the resurrection before us every day, reflecting our awareness that our world continually crucifies God. Georgia's great Catholic writer Flannery O'Connor observed that many Christians only liked to hear uplifting stories about nice people doing good things, to live in what she called "a state of false innocence, which strongly suggests its opposite.")

We answered the "respond" question about any song or poem that connected to the theme of "the stranger." Billy Joel's song "The Stranger" has always moved Lanie, with this line: "We all have a face that we hide away forever." That called to mind "Eleanor Rigby" who is "wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door." We agreed that these are powerful images of alienation -- feeling like strangers even with the people around you. Michael recalled a hymn we often sing during communion that expresses the hope that people who kneel at the communion rail as strangers will rise as friends. Lanie remembered the folk song "I'm a Poor, Warfaring Stranger," and Rita said that traveling and being a stranger is a familiar theme in Country Western songs.

So what can we draw from these examples? While these song examples show a painful side to being a stranger, Scott looked back over our responses to the GQ and saw that those whose ways were so unlike ours stretched us and made us grow.

Reflect
We all shared objects that were meaningful to us, including Dad's gift of a Kabuki figurine 500 years old, the dozen sonograms of a "little gummy bear" in the womb, a painting of the cross given as a gift, a pocket New Testament that belonged to an uncle who died by his own hand before he reached adulthood, a fancy camera that always brings to mind the thoughtful brother who gave it, a striking papier maché mask from a trip to Puerto Rico together with sister and mother, and an adage beautifully rendered on wood by a close friend: Accept what is, let go of what was, and have faith in what will be. Of all these, consensus formed around reflecting on the patch that Joyce's late husband Gene wore on his annual motorcycle treks. As he crossed the continent, he colored in the states that he visited. (See the photo.)

We explored the world of the patch, which is also the world of the man who made it:

• Looking at that world in its Creation, we surmised that the patch must have been a great way for a stranger on the road to make conversation. The spreading colors of the patch are an image of connection. Patches are earned by scouts and officers when they fulfill a mission -- and this lone traveler seems to have a mission, too. And the colors do sort of form a rooster!
• But in our theology, even a perfect world breaks down when Sin enters in. Things go wrong, too, with the vehicle or health or weather. We imagined that a traveler will see a lot of disturbing things on the road, and there may be places that wouldn't welcome such a stranger. "Shake the dust of their homes off your feet," Jesus said when he sent his disciples on missions to distant places.
• The quote from Jesus bumped us into the "connect" phase. But we came back later to ask about the theological concept of redemption in the world of the patch. We realized that a patch is a symbol of mending and restoration! And there's a lyric about the heart that beats behind the patch on the pocket of a traveler.

So we were already Connecting to Scripture and Culture. Other examples from Scripture included how Paul wrote that even strangers should recognize Christian by their love. Paul was himself a wayfaring stranger. The Hebrews wandered 40 years. Then, of course, this connects to Dorothy's making friends of strangers on the Yellow Brick Road. How often in our lives have we realized, "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."

Running out of time, we wondered what insights and applications we might take away from this discussion (perhaps to use in a hypothetical sermon). Through all his adventures, Gene knew that he had someone to come home to... It's okay to shake the dust off your feet... Going strange places and meeting strangers are joys worth the risks.

For Monday:
On the Wheel of Worship, it's time for Kaye to lead. (Is that okay, Kaye? Let me know. - S) Joyce will be looking at the four questions under the "respond" tab to choose two for us to discuss. Michael bravely accepted the charge of bringing us a source for a TR. He could default to what's in the "reflect" tab for week 8, where EfM suggests a theme from a video sermon by Barbara Brown Taylor about vocation, the call that "makes your heart sing."

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Journey with God, Wk. 6: Doubt and Trust

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Worship and Gathering
Mason picked up the theme of "doubt" from questions Susan had chosen for discussion. He paired readings of doubt with trust.

The gathering question was, "Do you have a favorite prayer? a favorite place to pray in?" For some of us, it's a conversation with God that can happen anywhere (often in traffic). Forward Day by Day came up a lot. The prayers we love and know by heart included "those who work and watch and weep this night," the prayer attributed to St. Francis, everything in compline, the post-communion dismissal, and the General Thanksgiving (which Scott shares with Brandy: "We thank you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life." That's her cue to wag her tail.)

We took a moment to review our covenant. Trust is a strong theme in that, too, with "care" and "kindness" for our "brothers and sisters." How are we doing? "Thumbs up" was the consensus.

Yr. D, 1st yr: Michael, Mason; 2nd yr: Lanie; 3rd yr: Joyce, Susan; 4th yr, Jessica, Rita; 5th yr "Wide Angle," Kaye. Mentor: Scott. Absent: Joyce.

Respond
We discussed "doubt" in breakout rooms, and Scott was delighted to see that everyone came back smiling, as usual! These aspects of "doubt" emerged in the various discussions:

• EfM has turned what I learned in grade school "topsy-turvy" and the new perspectives have been positive
• new to see more ways that we should "listen to creation" while we also listen to Scripture
• differences of interpretation were life-and-death matters in the time of the Nicene Creed's development
• the Hebrews keep falling into doubt and fear despite clear signs of God's presence
• "Textural criticism" and some of the "backwards" laws of Exodus were a challenge, but, "People will find what they want in the Bible."

We also discussed the related ideas that there are many keys to interpreting Scripture, and that the end of it all is love for God. We gave some examples of "keys" such as historical context, noticing the form (e.g., poem + sermon + court propaganda), and getting into the story imaginatively. If we read stories only for moral instruction, we miss the richness of them -- Jacob's wrestling with that being overnight, for example. The author said we should not reduce Scripture to do's and don'ts.

Our rector at St. James, preaching on the Jacob story, said, "Live the story, don't decode it." Fearing to face the consequences of his malfeasance, and yet driven to ask his brother forgiveness, Jacob's night time wrestling match is a great image for doubt!

Kaye recommended the 5th year book by Evans, who writes that it's never "whether" to pick and choose the Scriptures you trust -- that's been done since the very beginning (and literal readings have been a recent innovation, Susan pointed out), but it's how you choose.

Reflect
Our last chapters of our spiritual autobiographies focused on grace and/or forgiveness. While the specifics were for our EfM family alone, I'll observe that we trusted each other when we shared some very strong feelings.

Mason's closing prayers were gentle benedictions after these stories of loss, resilience, forgiveness, discovery, blessing, and "a Pentecost moment!"

For Monday:
We engage with the texts and media laid out for our various years. Rita will lead worship and ask the GQ. Remember that Kaye will be on her way to Texas to see her precious grandchild (whom we got to see on her phone). Scott will choose the questions for discussion. Scott is also responsible for bringing a source for our first full-fledged Theological Reflection (TR), and has asked everyone to bring an object that is meaningful to them. If it's not an object that you can hold up in your hand, then it could be a picture you share on your screen. We'll ask for a brief explanation.

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PS from Monday, 27 October - For today's discussion time, I've chosen the second and fourth questions under the "respond" tab. I'm paraphrasing them here:

Images: What metaphors or images (both pictures and mental pictures) did you find in your reading, watching, and listening this week? How does imagery influence your understanding?

The Stranger: In some of the readings, the theme of the "stranger" (a.k.a. "foreigner") arises. We are asked to think of any songs or poems that relate to this theme. I think we can open this up to movies, too. EfM asks how we see in this theme of 'stranger' a connection between God's work in us and the world?

If you don't have a song in mind, yet, you're not alone. The only one that comes to my mind is "Strangers in the NIght."

Journey with God, Wk. 5: Sunsets, Tensions, and Companions on the Journey

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Worship and Gathering
Lanie brought each of us a prayer to read, accompanied by awe-inspiring photos of sunsets in Florida from her recent visit. Where do we find awe and closeness to God? Mountains, shores, and woods all got votes; also, the solitude of a long run, and the eerie calm before an impending storm.

Yr. D, 1st yr: Michael, Mason; 2nd yr: Lanie; 3rd yr: Joyce, Susan; 4th yr, Jessica, Rita; 5th yr "Wide Angle," Kaye. Mentor: Scott. Absent: None.

Respond
Mike chose the question about tensions between religious groups and societal structures. We all contributed to a list of examples, from the materials we engaged with, from history, and from fiction, too:

Mason – in Exodus, the conflict over who will be the master over the Israelites – Pharaoh v. the Lord – the Pharaoh’s magicians could duplicate the Lord’s plagues at first…
Jessica – reading in 4th year – what we now call the separation of church and state was originally intertwined but “church” – authority came from God
Joyce – from book – Roman church struggled – Diocletian and then Constantine – released slaves, took away widow
Kaye – 5th year relates to the tension over midrash, how to struggle with scripture… Video on approach to scripture – in community with God participating --- Plus the tension of Jacob struggling with Israel
Susan – example of the archbishop of Canterbury a woman and rejection
Mike – examples of denominations struggling with queer and non-binary believers, lots of conflict in the church leadership (personal experience)
Lanie – Stephen King THE STAND – the end of days, a wise old woman, and a satanic figure – nuclear war
Struggle over slavery in America – spearheaded by Quakers and other religious groups – white and black as early as the first years of the USA
Tension between societal norms and acceptance of science v. Christian Scientist families that refuse to seek medical attention
Tension between some communal religious groups and the way they separate their children and women and selves from surrounding structures, institutions… Example: Mormons…

We voiced our reactions, and stopped there: we don't have to reach a conclusion or find a solution. It's enough to know that there's no single simple resolution to the tension.

Another question was about any life experiences that came to mind as we engaged with this week's materials? Kaye relived how the story of Abraham's near-sacrifice of Isaac made her feel when she was a child -- and we had a side-discussion about midrash (what Scott called "ancient Rabbi fan fiction") that tried to take the horror out of that event by conjecturing that Isaac was actually a willing participant. Mike identified with the self-doubt that Moses experienced when called to be a leader: he wanted to remain in his comfortable life. Scott responded to the way that the church in the British Isles grew around monasteries (which were also libraries, schools, hospitals), more so than in other places where Bishops held stronger control. Joyce enjoyed learning the reasons behind the rituals and labels she has encountered in her training to be a verger. Susan responded to the cyclical patterns we see in history, and to the humanity of people that her students would have dismissed as primitive and boring.

Lanie's fascination with Mind the Gap got a big response, as she's "struggling to let go" of some of the things she learned as a child. Kaye brought up lectio divina as a way for Lanie and us to get into Scripture.

Scott teased a sneak preview of next week's material. The measure of a good interpretation isn't in its clever arguments and analysis, but in something else. "If you want to know more, you'll have to look at the material for Wide Angle."

Reflect
We shared our stories of pivotal companions on our journey with God.

For Monday October 20 -- taking off Monday the 13th:
Mason will lead worship at start and close, with a Gathering Question. Susan will choose two questions from the "respond" tab for us to think about in relation to the materials we engage with for week 6. All bring our fourth "stepping stone" on the journey: an experience of grace or love.

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PS - Questions for Monday:

First:

Two themes from this week's Engage are different voices and interpretations of scripture and tradition.

• How does doubt play in these different themes?
• How can you support one another with your doubts?
• What roles do you see doubt playing in our culture?

Second:

“Reading Scripture for moral principles or ethical paradigms is reductive. The primary point of listening to scripture is to cultivate intimacy with God.” (Bretherthon 2023)

“The best advice for budding Bible interpreters is usually this: try to obtain as full a set of keys as possible.” (Powell 2018)

How can reading scripture for moral principles be both limiting and expansive?
In what ways might your approach to engaging with Scripture shift toward listening or fostering intimacy with God?
What keys would you use to unlock scripture?
What keys would you want to add to your keyring, or perhaps remove?

Journey with God, Wk. 4: Themes and Challenges

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Worship and Gathering
Joyce turned Ephesians 3:16-21 into a prayer for us to recite. Paul's theme that faith gives power to us turned up again in the spiritual autobiographies. For the Gathering Question (GQ), Joyce asked if any of us had been thought "crazy" or ridiculous because of our faith. We heard

• the employee mocked for "turning the other cheek" to a bullying boss, until the boss was won over
• exasperation from passengers rushing to make a plane when their evangelical driver (me) stopped for traffic signals with no other cars in sight (and Joyce had a very amusing variation on the same story!)
• ridiculous camp skits that did, however, make a teenager feel "on fire for the Lord"
• remaining a calm adult when your older brother baits you like he did when you were kids
• vindication when ridiculous-looking efforts to maintain hair during chemotherapy worked -- and how the elaborate process gives the patient a much-needed sense of control.

Yr. D, 1st yr: Michael, Mason; 2nd yr: Lanie; 3rd yr: Joyce, Susan; 4th yr, Jessica, Rita; 5th yr "Wide Angle," Kaye. Mentor: Scott. Absent: Lanie.

Respond
Before entering breakout rooms to discuss "themes" in our lessons, we took some time to discuss what "theme" can mean. "An underlying meaning... what a story is about... a thread that runs through material -- something that recurs." We took a couple of minutes more to gather our thoughts.

Reporting back from the small-group discussions, we heard of these themes:

• when you hear, also act (and, BTW, how amazing it is to re-read Genesis after many years)
• Christians looked "crazy" to the world of the Jews and Romans, by how they took care of each other regardless of status (a tie-in to Joyce's GQ)
• betrayal
• God's promises
• The connectedness of the ancient world thanks to the Roman empire
• Criteria for choosing which books were holy and which ones were not
• How Jesus's message about The Kingdom of God morphed into a message about "personal sin management" (Kaye, cf. Richard Rohr, Original Blessing)

We also discussed what we learned from the materials' discussions of "context." The historical perspective shows meanings that wouldn't occur to modern readers and also clues to the writers' different purposes for writing. Things that seem random to us make sense when we read critically -- i.e., read for context and purpose. In particular, we discussed why Genesis presents several stories in two or three different versions. The answer? The editors of Genesis compiled sources that were viewed as ancient and authoritative -- even if the sources didn't agree with each other. Like books in a library, these different versions all have something to offer us.

Realize, when we read the people of God in dialogue with each other over centuries, that we are part of that same conversation!

Reflect
We told our stories of challenges to our faith. A recurring theme was that the "challenge" was more like a re-awakening, development, or maturing of faith. Some of us told of challenges to our childhood fear of God. Another theme was trust through long seasons of pain, illness, and loss.

Scott's challenge was a question: what does church add to the believer, beyond the courtesy, curiosity, integrity, and kindness shown by a secular institution such as NPR? Is faith just what Kaye said (after Rohr), a machine for personal sin management? The answer Scott found was in Joyce's opening worship, the POWER that gives believers endurance and boldness to stand up even to autocratic governments and threats from neighbors.

For Monday:
Lessons for week 5. Prepare the third "stepping stone" of your spiritual autobiography, this time telling of a companion along the way who was pivotal to your spiritual journey. Lanie is up on the Wheel of Worship; Mike will tell us which of the four "respond" questions to focus on.

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Journey with God, Wk. 3: Favorite Hymns and Stepping Stones

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Worship and Gathering
Michael chose prayers for opening and prayers about light and darkness for the closing, giving everyone a chance to read. The GQ was about our favorite hymns or spiritual songs. We got Joyful, joyful, Lift high the cross, I sing a song of the saints of God, Easter processionals and This is my Father's world, Abide with me, Be Thou my vision, the 1st song of Isaiah, and Christ, whose glory fills the skies. Most of these were favorites for reasons of association (with a loved one, with a tough time in life) beyond what they say or how they sound.

Yr. D, 1st yr: Michael, Mason; 2nd yr: Lanie; 3rd yr: Joyce, Susan; 4th yr, Jessica, Rita; 5th yr "Wide Angle," Kaye. Mentor: Scott. Absent: Lanie.

Respond
In breakout rooms, we considered "context" in the materials for the different years that engaged us this week. Then we considered themes that emerged from our readings. We found that there was a meta theme, too -- a theme of "growth" in our own responses.

Reflect
We practiced active listening, inviting each other to tell about a stepping stone that contributed to our present understanding of God.

For Monday:
Joyce is up for worship and a GQ (Gathering Question); Rita will let us know which of the discussion questions from the "Respond" page to be ready to discuss. All of us are preparing to speak 5 minutes about another "stepping stone" in our journey of faith: a time when our faith was challenged.

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Journey with God, Wk. 2: An appealing convent and a creepy hotel

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Worship and Gathering
Jessica brought prayers, Psalms, and readings for all of us. At least some of the readings were personal to members.

Her gathering question about upcoming life events brought a host of answers: moving an aged parent for probably the last time; the chance for a promotion; retirement coming; a newborn granddaughter; surgery; a big birthday ("when I'm 64..."); and fingers crossed for a new medication.

Yr. D, 1st yr: Michael, Mason; 2nd yr: Lanie; 3rd yr: Joyce, Susan; 4th yr, Jessica, Rita; 5th yr "Wide Angle," Kaye. Mentor: Scott. Absent: None.

Respond
In breakout rooms, we discussed questions that Kaye chose from the "respond" page of this week's lesson. After each discussion time, we met together to share what emerged. I was very pleased to see that participants shared what they heard from the others in their group!

What struck us? We were struck by the phrase "listening with the ear of the heart," by how active listening is more than just waiting to speak but an engagement of empathy, by lectio divina, by "stability" in the life of the convent, by the ideal of ora labora (to make work a prayer), being aware of how we use our time, and by the admonition to "keep death daily before your eyes."

Another question that Kaye chose for us concerned the way community supports Sister Hannah: "When has community supported us?" Answers that were discussed in breakout rooms included EfM itself, verger training (and now Joyce is joining Jessica as a verger!), outreach from members when we were new to the church, and the Cursillo Community.

Reflect
We took some time to tease specific practices out of last week's exploration of "covenant as family." Read Scott's edition of the results in the previous blog post.

Picking up on what Mason had said about his experience visiting St. James for the first several times, we explored the metaphor of a hallway. Scott had suggested a hotel, which resulted in some creepy images [see photo]. Mason said that this was an image the C. S. Lewis used. Susan suggested an alternative, such as a cafeteria with tables, or a hallway of classrooms with different kinds of activities in each one. "Don't forget that some of us are introverts who don't want 'activities,'" she said.

As this was a truncated TR for the purpose of exercising our ability to "explore" a metaphor, we skipped ahead to "apply" the metaphor to our actual practices at church. We don't want newcomers to feel as if the doors are all shut to them -- that would be "brokenness" in the world of the metaphor. We don't want to pull them unwillingly in to rooms, either. We found a healing answer in hospitality, in some kind of table offering that would draw people out of their rooms, where everyone could see others' faces.

We realized that we had imagined Communion! This unlocked a flood of stories from our own experiences. We reflected on the unifying effect of seeing all these people from all walks of life getting to the altar rail by skipping, or holding little ones' hands, or gripping the arm of a younger adult, or staying seated for the priest to come out to the pew.

For Monday:
Each year has its own tab for the material they're going to "ENGAGE" this week. There's an overview "setting the stage" each week, and one or two videos, and then one or two chapters in printed text. Under "RESPOND," there are questions for all of us to discuss during our meeting. Lanie was voluntold to choose two of those, so I recommend that we all take some time to think of our answers to those questions, so we'll be ready for her choices. Michael will lead worship.

Spiritual Autobiographies begin this week: you each have five minutes to tell the group of a "stepping stone" in your life that contributed to your current understanding of God. (Subsequent stepping stones will be about a time of challenge to your faith, about a companion on your journey, and about an experience of grace.)

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Journey with God: Covenant for our EfM Family

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Jeremiah’s promise that the new covenant would be “in our hearts” (31:31-33) gave us the idea that a covenant could be like family relationships (as contrasted to, say, a contracted business transaction). As we explored what families are like, our ideas of our own group’s special covenant took shape.

You don’t choose your family, but you’ve got to take care of them.
• Hopefully we can all feel free to express ideas and/or concerns without being judged or ostracized. open to all ideas - safe to express our thoughts and/or ideas in a loving and caring way.
• Actively encourage others to speak… Don’t speak twice until all who want to speak have spoken.
• We take care of our little brothers and sisters, we help them grow…

As all members of a family have expectations, we must not be selfish about what we want a session to be.
• Let’s not manipulate others.
• Allow give and take.
• Practice active listening… respect our conversation, respect our time together… not multi -tasking on our various screens

We trust each other not to share our brothers’ and sisters’ personal stories outside of the family.
• We’re not hiding any secrets in EfM, and we want our excitement to go out into the world — but what we share about ourselves is confidential.
• When we tell stories that involved other people we know, we’ll leave names out – because we don’t want to violate their privacy either, or prejudice our brothers and sisters towards them.

As a family encourages individual growth, members must respect differences.
• Avoid topics that are known to likely be sources of disruption. Partisan politics off limits
• If a disruption occurs within EFM group, we should take time to recognize/acknowledge the disruption, and then agree to move on so that we can reconnect to the point of the class or topic at hand.
• Willingness to be open and receptive to the support of others. Open to resolving differences in theological views –
• Be careful: none of us is in a position to say “That’s wrong” – part of EfM is to open up more than to shut down – not to judge -- never say “But” or "no" – instead, say, “yes, and...” --

What else do we find in family life that pertains to EfM life?
• personal value ("dearness") of each member – and practice “kindness” (from “kindred”)
• We do our chores and meet our individual responsibilities.
• We come to dinner on time!
• We pray for each other.

Every family has its inside jokes, its favorite movies, its fun places they all like to go – let’s allow ourselves to enjoy each other and our time together.

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Journey with God, Wk. 1: Beginning our journey

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Worship and Gathering
Scott read the collect for the day, then asked three things: What do you like to be called? What drew you to EfM this year? And: what is special in the place you're Zooming from?

We learned the EfM tradition of "mutual invitation," and also learned a Zoom feature that helps us to sort those who have spoken from those who haven't yet been heard.

We were zoomed in from all across the nation: Georgia, Alabama, Texas, and New Mexico. One room had been a beloved aunt's den, and is now full of the aunt's spirit. Another was surrounded by photos and even a statue of family. Another was visiting the home of her first grandchild, born just two days before. For some, what was special was outside, and one zoomed in from the outdoors, with dogs in attendance.

Reasons for joining EfM this year included those with a strong sense of commitment to finishing what they've started; a longing for deeper spirituality; and curiosity to explore theology.

Yr. D, 1st yr: Michael, Mason; 2nd yr: Lanie; 3rd yr: Joyce, Susan; 4th yr, Jessica, Rita; 5th yr "Wide Angle," Kaye; Mentor: Scott. Absent: Mason sent word that hand rehab was going into O.T.

Respond
We offered reasons for beginning every EfM year with spiritual autobiographies. We took some time to list some "stepping stones" in the development of our own sense of God.

Reflect
After the break, we looked two weeks ahead to the first lesson when we'll all be "engaging" with different materials. Though the materials are different, the discussion questions are for all of us.

We also scrolled to the bottom of the "Journey with God" path and found "Appendix for Everyone" after Week 36. It contains dozens of helpful resources, including a file of gathering questions and another with suggestions for worship. Jessica volunteered to bring worship and gathering question for next week.

Then we read what Jeremiah wrote about "covenant" Jer. 31.31-37. Scott read aloud from his Oxford Study Bible, and then Rita read from the Complete Jewish Bible.

• Identifying a focus: covenant's personal nature distinguishes it from a contract, give and take, and, from Jeremiah, this sense of dearness and love. When Susan suggested that Homeowners' Covenants aren't voluntary, we looked at how "family" isn't voluntary, either: You don't choose your family, but you love them, said Joyce. The Covenant of a Family became our image/metaphor.
• Exploring the image, we broadened our idea from "Father" to include both parents and older siblings, loving and protective at their best. Disruption comes about many ways, from smothering overprotective love, from death or divorce, from abandonment, conflict, and loss of trust. How do you know it's gone wrong? Sometimes you don't. Kids grow up thinking, "This is just the way things are." We all agreed to loathe the saying, "It is what it is." Redemption / restoration may require intervention from someone "outside the circle" who can "reassure the child that they're worthwhile."
• Connecting these ideas to other sources of wisdom in our lives. From Culture, we had the inevitable comparison to Oz, where she's not getting the attention and protection she feels she needs -- and Toto, too -- and it takes the tornado crisis and a journey to re-connect. From experience (or "action") we had the unhappy story of the outside mediator whose intervention was not helpful for the university department, because there wasn't "buy in."

To Apply our reflection, we wrote in chat. These ideas, and more from our reflection above, will become the basis for our formal covenant next week. From Joyce: We have to be protective of each others personal stories that are shared within the group.

From Jessica: If a disruption occurs within EFM group, we should take time to recognize/acknowledge the disruption, and then agree to move on so that we can reconnect to the point of the class or topic at hand. We should approach each conversation with respect and confidentiality.

From Lanie: Hopefully we can all fee free to express ideas and/or concerns without being judged or ostracized. Maybe a better way of saying something, open to all ideas and knowing we are safe to express our thoughts and/or ideas in a loving and caring way.

From Rita: Willingness to be open and receptive to the support of others. Avoid topics that are known to likely be sources of disruption. Another cliche, Be Kind.

For Monday:
CORRECTION: Jessica volunteered to lead worship and bring a gathering question. CORRECTION: Kaye volunteered to choose one or two of the questions for discussion found at Week 2's lesson on the "Respond" page. She'll let us know which ones to think about. All of us are going to share a "stepping-stone" from our spiritual autobiographies, one that illustrates what has contributed to our current understanding of God.

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Smoot 2025-26 is getting ready for the year of "Journey with God"

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We're ready to register for this "cohort" (not "class") called Smoot 2025-26. I'm letting Jessica try out the process before I subject anyone else to it.

Here is a link to a PDF about the registration process. EfM typically overexplains things, but you will probably find what you need.

Except for the 2nd year text, everything else is new. Also, our material will include videos with every lesson.

We are responsible for obtaining any books. I recommend Amazon, and these are all available on Kindle. I bet used copies are available, too. EfM promises that the cost will never be more than $100.

The following link should get you to a PDF listing the texts with descriptions. EfM Book List. Added August 7: We will all read a book that isn't in the list for any one year, God's Joyful Surprise: Finding Yourself Loved by Sue Monk Kidd, published by Harper San Franciso. Here's a screen shot of the PDF, just as an appetizer:

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Mentor Training 2025: "Foundations" with Kay McCall

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I'm energized after 16 hours of Zoom meetings spread out Thursday-Saturday. The group -- all self-identified introverts or at least partly introverted -- was made up of kind people determined to make each discussion "work." From New York, Texas, Colorado, California, we worked with trainer Kay McCall in Washington State.

Kay started us with worship that moved us via video: Eric Whittacre's "Sing Gently" ("as one"), created from 17,000 singers' separately recorded tracks. We saw those faces on digital tiles with irregular edges that come together two-or-three at a time, until we saw something like a couple of continents as viewed from space. Guessing where this was going, I was still taken by surprise and moved to tears. So that was the first couple minutes of our time together.

We discussed a group covenant, always one of the first things that EfM has a group do, but Kay took us on a surprising turn. We went right into a Theological Reflection on what "covenant" means to us. We settled on a surprising image: Michaelangelo's depiction of God's hand reaching out to animate Adam. Alice was surprised to notice for the first time how God is backed up by angels, a community in support of the "covenant." God's hand doesn't take Adam's -- Adam is free to turn away. Applying our insights took the form of listing elements of our group covenant.

Then we did a collect that we used for prayer several times.

Kay underlined the importance of "application" to the whole EfM endeavor. It's about "transformation, not information," she said. The texts support the TR, not the other way around. She offered the idea that applications could be done in a journal after a TR, and the accumulated journal entries could be used near the end of the year to help in discernment -- what themes do you see repeating in your journal? Questions for the journal could be just filling in the blank with 3-4 words: I experienced... learned... felt... I will...)

Spiritual autobiographies were to be 5-minute "stepping stones" to our present understanding of God. I shared how Chris Allenburger, in the conversation that turned out to be our last before he fell into a coma, telling me, "Mr. Smoot, you've GOT to take composition lessons!" My composition teacher, never judging my music but helping me to make it more like what I wanted it to be, changed the way I saw teaching, and the way I understood God.

We followed each story with silence and then this line: "For the journey that brought you here, for the journey we share, for the journey yet to come, thanks be to God."

Kay again surprised us during our debrief on the autobiographies when she asked what was valuable about this exercise, and what image might express it? (We settled on the image of those digital tiles in the virtual choir.) So this chapter, too, turned into a TR.

I led worship early on, using my liturgy pieced together from Mary Oliver's poetry. Many others brought poetry for worship. I was especially impressed by a book of blessings by John O'Donahue (1956-2008), made into a liturgy by Alice.

We did some work in the new curriculum by pretending we were students. I was assigned to be the class's one "Wide Angle" participant. This was our first experience with the new online curriculum, which "sets the scene," offers readings, and assigns short related videos. The video I saw was slam poetry from the woman at the well. Kay nudged me to get beyond telling WHAT I saw to HOW I connect to the woman at the well. (The poet/performer had emphasized that Jesus had "really seen" her -- a phrase that first registered with me when a former student commented about me in a Facebook thread - "I loved Mr. Smoot's class. I always felt seen." I'm not sure what I had done -- but it's something to live up to as a mentor and as a fellow human being.)

I worked with Alice, who has little experience of leading a TR. We chose an "evocative" word to stimulate the TR, "home." When Alice pushed people to say more about sounds, smells, sensations of the "home" they think of, the image that emerged was of the kitchen. The group took off with so many ideas, so many connections to Scripture, that Alice and I had to push the group into the Applications part. We did get a lot of applications, and had time left to write this collect -- a new experience, for some of the group:

COLLECT FOR OUR KITCHEN MINISTRY
Dear God, Bread of Life who feeds the multitudes, you create such abundance in our world. We pray that, recognizing hunger in our community, we may build longer tables for our dining halls to invite others to share the abundance you have offered us, so that in the world around us, no one will hunger for food, companionship, dignity, or belonging. In the name of the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, Amen.

Someone then quoted St. Teresa, "GOD IS IN THE POTS AND PANS." Sounds like something she'd say! At St. James on Sunday, the Gospel was about Mary and Martha. Our rector Mother Mariclair said that Jesus wasn't denigrating Martha's service, but pointing out that his presence is like the "hub" of a wheel: while work, paying bills, following the news, etc. etc. are the spokes of our lives, God is not just another spoke.

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Yr. D, Wk. 35-36: Together Again for the First Time

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Worship and Gathering
We met at St. James under an unexpected barrage of hammer strikes, as roofers were replacing shingles over the nave. Still, we recited Evening Prayer, augmented by our selections from a booklet, Collects, Prayers, and Insights from Theological Reflections.

Then we walked a few doors down Church Street to a new restaurant, 7 Tequila. Donfred showed up and made our group whole.

We paused for the photo just before breaking up.

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Yr. D, Wk. 34+35: Revelations through a glass darkly

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Worship and Gathering
Susan led us in worship from the Nurthumbrian community. Then we shared our plans for the summer. Daniel has three weddings to attend, none of them his, plus a mission trip to Mexico. Scott's riding his bike virtually to India, now virtually in the middle of the Indian Ocean with 800 miles to ride on the local Silver Comet Trail to reach his goal. Donfred (whose son just graduated and will be heading to KSU for education and history) lit up at a reference to NYC. "I always do," he smiled. He's going to see family in Maryland. Lanie goes to England, Wales, and Ireland with the GSO chorus. Joyce is getting a new car!

Appropos of Scott, Daniel related his Silver Comet Trail story. It involving his brother, a hike, a very large beer, and an elder from their strait-laced church riding a bicycle.

Yr. D, Living Into the Journey with God, Unit 1 Spiritual Autobiography and Listening: 1st yr: Lanie, Daniel; 2nd yr: Donfred, Joyce, Susan; 3rd yr, Jessica; 4th yr, Scott. Mentor: Scott. Absent: Jessica.

Discussion of the Readings
We had a lot to say!

Daniel re-read the final chapter of Collins, along with all the peeved notes he wrote in the margins at the start of EfM. "My biggest take-away" he said, "is that I'm okay with a fish story, even if I now know the facts aren't straight." Lanie said, "What he said."

Scott distinguished the meanings of "factual" and "true."

Joyce enjoyed Powell's summary of Revelation more than she has ever enjoyed Revelation in all its confusing imagery. Powell highlights all the color and noise in Revelation that we rarely get in other scriptures. Susan quoted Powell's analogy -- Revelation is a kaleidoscope of repeated images rather than a linear story. "God has the last word." Donfred's takeaway is the vision of "a new heaven and a new earth." Daniel added the line about "the place of God is with us," as emphasized so memorably in the Vision Quest book. Lanie and Scott both had trouble when they've had to recite or sing the lines, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes," because it makes them tear up.

Scott compared the strange and inconsistent imagery of Revelation to political cartoons. If the opposing party is pictured as a dragon eating up the people, that's not meant to be taken literally. "A good story!" Daniel added. Scott concluded that our use of figurative language and metaphors during TRs is similar, a way to explore the truth through imagination and to intensify an abstract thought. Lanie was reminded how "we see through a glass darkly," but will eventually see clearly "face to face."

Theological Reflection
Jessica, on the road following Memorial Day visits to family, sent us two Rembrandt paintings of the same story, what happened at the inn in Emmaus. We gradually narrowed the focus to the Jesus in silhouette, and, more, on his body language. We detected a bit of aloofness, plus a bit of amusement at the cluelessness of his companion.

We explored that aspect of the image with theological perspective questions about creation, sin, redemption.

• The world is chaotic – that’s what’s so HUMAN! We exasperate each other … we’ve all been on this side of the picture, but we’ve also been the person in the chair…. We’re all in the dark on some things. We all have incomplete picture Multiple points of view --
• Sin : When the other person stubbornly remains “in the dark” When someone doesn’t get outside of their point of view. Sometimes we’re so deep into what we’re doing that we can’t see past it… For whatever reason, the travelers have been prevented from seeing.
• Redemption: Family / Jesus / friend accept you – with amusement, with eyes rolling, and they are ready to break bread with us…. Simply sharing an experience helps them to see each other's perspective…

We connected these ideas to tradition and culture. A kind of blindness to the obvious: Pharaoh hardened heart; or antithesis of that with SAUL / PAUL eyes opened… Jesus mud cures blindness… “Their eyes were opened and they knew they were naked” (Adam and Eve). Sherlock Holmes: “You see, Watson, but you do not observe!”

Insights

• There are ways that we keep ourselves from seeing.
• Let’s notice that Sherlock Holmes never abandons Watson… and Jesus doesn’t abandon his fellow travelers… When we’re in the know, we must not forget to bring the others along! Imagine political discourse if our leaders knew this… acted like this!
• Jesus also does not let them see his eye rolling…. He’s more gracious than we would be!
• This reminds us of the last supper, and also the unity as we share together as one… Even though we’re all in the dark on some things. We all have incomplete picture Multiple points of view --
• Donfred and Scott: this is the way our world is now: “When are you guys going to get it??” We see through a glass darkly… (Lanie got this before the TR!!!)

We meet next Tuesday 6:30p at St. James, 161 Church Street, Marietta GA 30060. Scott will prepare worship, and then we'll walk to dinner at a nearby restaurant.

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