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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.
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."
We shared our stories of pivotal companions on our journey with God.
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.
PS - Questions for Monday:
First:
Two themes from this week's Engage are different voices and interpretations of scripture and tradition.Second:
- 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?
“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?
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