Telling our Stories: Weeding a Garden

On my own personal blog, I've preserved some ideas from Forward Day by Day that pertain to our program, in an article I call Seeds and Weeds in the Gospel of Matthew: Images for your Inner Gardener. 

Wk. 34: Daniel, Maccabees, 1-3 John, "Travelers," and Labyrinth

Present:  SC, JK, BL, LL, JM, SR, SS, ST.

The Karkulas brought dinner, Smoot brought poetry from hymns for worship, and we answered a question suggested by Thomas Merton's contention that we experience a kind of "violence" in our need to do more for more people.  Sarah suggested that "violence" and "violate" must relate in meaning.

Our discussion brought out questions about Apocrypha, Hanukkah, the sole references to afterlife in the Hebrew testament (both in Daniel), and the meaning of "God is love" in the epistles of John.  Fourth year has come to appreciate stories in My Neighbor's Faith.  

For a TR, Scharme asked us to consider Philippians 4 -9.  The image that this suggested to us was the labyrinth -- knowing that the twists and turns will lead us to the center, that others are there with us.


Collect for Walking Labyrinths
God, you set aside one day of rest for six of work.   Keep our hearts and minds on You, the center of our labyrinthine lives and work.   Let our faith not become over-verbalized and under-experienced, but grant us that peace that passes all understanding.  Keep our hearts and minds on Jesus.  Amen.




For May 3:  We skip April 26, and read lessons for Week Thirty-five. Scharme brings food; Sarah, worship; Susan, TR.

Wk.33: Ruth, Esther, Ephesians, "My Neighbors," and the Stage

Present:  SC, JK, BL, LL, JM, SR. SS, ST.

Sarah provided dinner; Jane, worship.  We answered questions from our pack of cards to cover our responses to the readings.

Sarah's TR started as the story of a birth, but, through the process of reflection, we imagined instead a director watching young performers on a stage.   Before we were finished with this image, we were wondering, "Where is God in this picture?"  We could see God as the director who presented the players a script and then watched with a mix of pleasure and anxiety to see how they act their roles.  But there was also the possibility of the reverse:  We are observers, not in control, as God "performs" our world.



Collect for Life's Rich Pageant

O Creator of all, you have created our stage and the story of our universe, allowing us the freedom to play our parts as we will; give us the grace to recover from our miscues, and teach us to trust in your direction, so that we may partake in your holy performance to the final curtain call; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen.

Next week, we do lessons for week 34 (on 4/19). Jeff (and Sally) provide dinner; Scharme brings a TR, and Scott does worship.  The week after, we'll take the day off (as it's Mystery Dinner Theatre week).  Week 35 will be May 3rd.

Wk. 32: Job, Corinthians, and Boundaries

Present:  BL, LL, JM, SR, SS, ST.  Absent:  SC, JK

We met at the home of Bill and Lynne, enjoying the garden and a candle-lit dinner.  On the anniversary of Martin Luther King's assassination, worship by Scott took off from Dr. King's The Power to Love.   As King asserts that "only love can turn an enemy to a friend," we searched our memories for examples of such transformation in our own experiences.

Our discussion of readings started with the blurring of boundaries chronicled by writers collected in My Neighbor's Faith.  In Corinthians, Paul seems to be setting boundaries, though we came to see that some of his strong objections to false leaders has to do with their building walls where Paul would knock them down.  (Update: I blogged about My Neighbor's Faith on April 8.)

Starting late, we postponed Sarah's TR for next week.  Sarah will also provide food.  Jane will lead worship.

Note:  We are nearing the end of our program.  Week 33 is April 13, Week 34 is April 20, and Week 35 is April 27.  Our final meeting for closure will be sometime shortly after that.  Bill and Lynne have invited us back for that last meeting. 

Wk. 30-31: Proverbs, Galatians, and Our Neighbors' Faiths

Present:  SC, JK, BL, LL, SR, SS, ST.  Absent:  JM

Susan brought dinner.  Scharme read from Psalms for worship, and asked us to share what had stood out for us during Holy Week.

Our discussion, springing from the question cards, concerned readings in Proverbs, Galatians, and My Neighbor's Faith.  

For the TR, we parsed a dilemma that came to a choice between a defense of our own integrity and the preservation of a relationship. 

Our collect:
God of Wisdom, you commanded us to render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar;  Help us to discern what will honor your will without being a stumbling block to those in relationship with us, so that we may grow closer to You and to others.  Amen.

For April 5:  We will meet at the home of Bill and Lynne Lovelace, 5664 Harbormist Dr., Powder Springs, GA 30127. 

Weeks 28 & 29: Thompsett, We are Theologians

Present:  SC, JK, BL, LL, SR, SS, ST.  Absent:  JM 

Scott brought dinner.  Lynne's worship, from a song lyric, became important to our collect; her question concerned our legacy.

We all contributed comments to the board covering each of the chapters in Thompsett's We Are Theologians.  

Our TR was a story from Jeff that led us to a provocative word, "cronyism."

Collect for Community with a Hierarchy
Dear God, generous and just, You made us part of Your Kingdom not based on our merits.  We pray that our choices will be made with You in mind, so that, putting ourselves aside, we may be examples for those who come behind us, for the sake of Your kingdom.  Amen.  

Next:
We won't meet during Holy Week.  For the next week, we'll be reading the essay for Week Thirty (pp. 130-136) and the readings assigned for Week Thirty-one.  Susan will prepare the meal; Bill will provide the TR; Scharme will provide worship.    

Week 27: Psalms, James, Sacraments, and Cows

Present:   SC, JK, BL, LL, JM, SR, SS.  Absent:  ST

Scharme brought pizza, Jeff, worship, and a challenge to use the initials in our names to come up with words to describe our weeks.

We all enjoyed remembering favorite Psalms, savored outstanding passages from James, and considered from Sedgwick how practices of piety even beyond Eucharist can be sacramental.

TR:  Bill brought us a line from Powell's comment about James and "the rich":  "No one wants to be the plumpest calf in the stall when the butcher arrives." (457)  Our collect includes a quotation from James, along with the idea of sacramental "hospitality" found in Sedgwick.

Collect for the Privileged
God, who blessed the poor and brought Lazarus to paradise, and who loved and challenged the rich young man; bring us humility and wisdom.  Make us doers of your word, not hearers only, who practice the discipline of healing and serving without partiality.  Amen.

Next week:  
We're going to skip next week, in order that we may be free to attend the harp concert at church.  Our homework is to read Thompsett, We Are Theologians in its entirety for March 15.  Dinner that night will be Scott; TR, Jeff; Worship, Lynne.