Yr. A, Wk. 14: Fighting with Bible and GPS

Members:  Thomas, Eugene, Mariel, first year;  Erica, second year; Scharme, third year; Bill and Lynne Lovelace, fourth year; Scott and Susan, mentors. Absent: Scharme.

Susan brought kale soup with Chorizo, and bread.  Erica's opening worship was a pair of readings from Acts and Ephesians, concerning Paul's reaching to the Athenians through their altar dedicated to "an unknown god," and his efforts to help all to see God :hidden in mystery."  Her question was about our new church year, "what's beginning anew for you?"  

We all discussed Donn Morgan's Fighting with the Bible: How Scripture Divides us, and How it Can Bring us Together.  

"North by Northwest": bus to nowhere

Gene brought a friend's childhood memory from a visit to the beach. As we explored the story and our own counter-stories, we reached a metaphorical situation:  Your GPS takes you to a cornfield and tells you, "You have reached your destination."  From the Tradition source, we found analogs in Saul/Paul on the road to Damascus, the disciples' feelings of loss and lostness in Jerusalem, and Jonah's finding himself in Nineveh despite his efforts to avoid it. Mariel saw trust in these stories, leading to unexpected revelation.  Gene agreed that the stories show God in control, taking the characters far afield. All our discussion is folded into our collect:

Collect for Direction
God, Who led the Israelites with the pillar of fire, Who blinded Paul so that he could see a new path: help us to recognize our own waywardness and to orient ourselves toward You, that we may lead within our community of faith, and carry your message forward into the world. 

Next Week:  

• Reading: We combine Wks. 15 & 16,  completing Morgan's book and also reading the essay that opens Unit Three, "The Spiritual Person" (pp. 78-93 in the RRG).   (Early, the essayist quotes Plato to say that we can "be" only in relation, and that "spirituality" is about the holy longing called eros.  See my reflection on a related book of that title, The Holy Longing.)
• Food: brown bag
• TR: Mariel. 
• Worship and a question: Tom.

Planning ahead: Tuesday, December 19th, we'll meet at the home of  Bill and Lynne. 
We'll discuss the readings for Wk. 17.

Yr. A, Wk. 13: Prayer Warriors?

Members:  Thomas, Eugene, Mariel, first year;  Erica, second year; Scharme, third year; Bill and Lynne Lovelace, fourth year; Scott and Susan, mentors.None absent.

Mariel led off with a liturgy called "Table Office: Gratia," focused on giving thanks. Some of us wanted to know about the book Venite, her source.    Scott's dinner was "Pasta Puttanesca."  While we ate, we responded to Mariel's question about "eternity."  

Tom led off the discussion with his reflection on the recurrent theme of God's punishing the Hebrews for disobedience.  Mariel shifted emphasis to the winning.  Scott brought up stories where the Old Testament God encourages faithful people to lay aside weapons and armies to let God do the fighting.  We thought of the stories Maccabees 1 and 2;  Scott later thought of David's laying aside the armor of Saul to fight Goliath.  Lynne remembered noticing in first year readings how often God gave His people choices. Gene was struck by the "voodoo" rituals such as the march seven times around Jericho, the magical aspect of it.  Erika highlighted another theme in Old Testament writings, "Remember, you were slaves once."

When Tom considered how much of the Old Testament is political -- such as the many passages that exalt Jerusalem as the sole place for proper worship, when other places had been fine before -- he said he questioned how much God is involved in writing the Scriptures.  Erica said that depends on whether one thinks the Bible is direct from God (as Muslims believe the Qu'ran to be), or whether one sees it as witness to a long-term relationship by a variety of voices and perspectives.

"Politics" gave Scharme a segue to discuss the French champion Charles Martel and his decisive victory over Muslim invaders in 732.  She went on to tell us about Charlemagne in 800, the earlier Clovis, and the development of the Celtic church.

The 4th year students read an essay by Coakley in our RRG that struck Lynne most forcefully with the observation that most modern Christians would not see their experience of God as "Trinitarian." She had not thought, before, how the Annunciation to Mary is a Trinitarian story:  God the Father elected Mary, mediated with the Spirit, to give incarnation to the Son.  Bill reported that "sustained prayer," supported by communal worship, helps us to experience the Trinity -- in part because we believe that we cannot feel the urge to pray without the Spirit in us.  

Bill brought for our TR a Youtube video that juxtaposed the Lord's Prayer, spoken in gruff, gutteral German ("Vater Unser"), and an aggressive techno-disco accompaniment (see photo).   Some of our initial reactions were very negative:  "You can't do that!" ... comparisons to martial chants in Nazi Germany... suspicion that the whole thing was ironic, male posturing.  Others were moved by the thought that "faith isn't always pretty," that faith can be compared to armed struggle.  

After gathering insights, traditional touchstones, cultural beliefs, and personal experiences suggested by the phrase "prayer warrior," we settled on a statement of insights rather than an actual collect, as follows: 

• Prayer Warrior:  We are amassed in Prayers of the People world wide.
• We thought of Jacob's struggle with God, or God's angel. 
• "In our church, we can hold two ideas in tension," resolving the positive and negative aspects of this "prayer warrior" idea.
• Our church's "Middle Way" is both/and, not either/or.
• We were reminded of the Third Year reading's origin story for many monasteries, as places to pray for the sins of soldiers who were too busy fighting to pray for themselves.  
• Both individual prayer of the angry, aggressive (or desolated) sort, and our controlled, loving communal sort, are both meaningful and legitimate.

Mariel concluded with a reading from Psalm 94 that related to the idea of armed struggle.


Next week: Susan will bring dinner; Erica will bring worship and a "coming on board" question; Gene will bring something to stimulate a Theological Reflection.  We all read what's scheduled for Wk. 14, a common reading by Morgan, preface and chapters 1-4.  Our RRG book has some recommendations to keep in mind as we read: see pp. 72-75.

Yr. A, Wk. 12: Joshua, Judges, Truth

Members:  Thomas, Eugene, Mariel, first year;  Erica, second year; Scharme, third year; Bill and Lynne Lovelace, fourth year; Scott and Susan, mentors. Absent: Gene, Susan.

We lit the candle with recitation of "O Gracious Light" in the evening service, led by Scharme.  Her question for us concerned preparation for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.  Lynne and Bill provided a dinner of ham, sweet potato casserole, and broccoli slaw.   

Discussing the readings, we started with a couple of perspectives on the violence in Joshua and Judges.  Tom saw a disparity between the God we honor in the New Testament and the God who encourages cruel and unusual punishments in Judges -- including the hacking off of kings' thumbs and the dicing of a concubine.  Mariel called Judges "Game of Thrones," but saw in Joshua a "strong moral character," a  "Moses 2.0."

To illustrate Ford's chapters on epistemology, Bill brought a glass apple.  With so many ways to "know" that object, how much more complicated is it to "know" God?  Lynne was struck by Ford's assertion that God is "in charge" of being known; we are not "in charge" of knowing God.  

Erica related that comment to the portion of John that says "no one comes to the Father, unless the Father draw him" (John 6.39)  Like Tom, she is uneasy about the line that suggests that Jesus somehow chose Judas to be the one to betray him.  We discussed the feeling that Jesus in John is "in control" more than in the other Gospels.  

Scharme related the theme of "epistemology" to what she read in third year about Church fathers' responding to the voices of anonymous children.  One called for a soldier / administrator Ambrose to be made Bishop; another child in a dream told Augustine to read a Scripture at random.  That Augustine landed on a passage about the flesh helped to shape the church's attitude towards sex to this day, as an aspect of original sin.

Erica's TR source was a children's book illustrating a year in the life of a desert town. Our initial responses were all positive, but the discussion veered towards strong negatives about an insular society.  Then we made the connection between this one small community and our own church.  With conflicting feelings, we came up with a collect, completed later by Scharme: (as homework!)

Collect for Those in Lonely Places

O gracious Father, when You came among us, You proclaimed the kingdom of God in lonely places. Grant that we might find comfort in Your vastness. Help us hear Your call and draw near that we may not be lonely in our solitude, but find fulfilment in our neighbors and in Your holy church. Amen

Next time we meet:  Do the readings for Week 13 for November 28.  Mariel will do worship; Scott will bring food; Bill will bring the TR.

Yr. A, Wk. 11: Interpretations, Foundations

Members:  Thomas, Eugene, Mariel, first year;  Erika, second year; Scharme, third year; Bill and Lynne Lovelace, fourth year; Scott and Susan, mentors. Absent: Tom.

For opening worship, Scott brought a pastiche of prayers from this week's assignments in Deuteronomy, John, and Islamic tradition.  While we enjoyed Gene's chili, we answered a question raised by the passage from John, "I am the good shepherd":  have you been more of a sheep or shepherd in the past week?

Our discussion of the texts coalesced around the 4th year question of interpretation, especially the idea that a later generation cannot help but have a new perspective on the past.  Mariel read from Collins an observation that Deuteronomy is itself a demonstration of this principle.  Erica, catching up to the schedule, commented on the elevation of women in the Gospel of Luke.  Gene related the case law in Deuteronomy and the issue of interpretation to our contemporary "originalist" movement among lawyers.  

Lynne seemed to sum up a lot of what we'd said when she confessed that she has had "quite a journey" with her own understanding of Scripture she's read all her life.  She stressed Ford's  admonition to "ask about ourselves" when we interpret a text, to identify our own assumptions.

For a TR, Susan had us read the day's Old Testament reading in Nehemiah.  Our reactions to Nehemiah's memoir of dealings with doubters and schemers brought to mind phrases from current events: "Fake news," "Build the Wall," "Make Judah Great Again," and "Jerusalem First."  In Nehemiah, we found much to admire and much to deplore; we found personal analogies to his situation, especially when we've been placed in charge of new projects; and we perceived a motion in the story towards reclaiming national identity for God, with God.  We wrote notes that I've fashioned into this collect:

Jerusalem, Damascus gate (US Library of Congress)

Collect for Builders

Creator and Redeemer, Rock of our salvation, You establish foundations on stone that builders rejected: as Your ordinary, imperfect servant Nehemiah called to You for help to rebuild Jerusalem, we call to You for guidance through pitfalls and discouragements, that we may with patience and determination take part in building Your kingdom from the ordinary, imperfect elements of our world.  Amen

Next week

We do readings for Week 12.  Food: Bill and Lynne.  Worship: Scharme.   TR: Erica promises something unusual!   Susan will miss.



Note: Because we didn't get far into the process of writing this collect, I preserve these phrases from our rough draft:

God,
working through ordinary
imperfect people to restore...
established foundations on stones that builders reject
whose servant Nehemiah ...
Jesus heal the world w/ church
how firm a foundation
rock and cornerstone
recognize and avoid pitfalls traps keep us on task
that we may turn the world... transform
when we have suffered loss,
pick up ourselves from the rubble
rebuild and restore
unique
old law and new law

Yr. A, Wk. 10: Leviticus, Salvation, and Theology of Halloween

Members:  Thomas, Eugene, Mariel, first year;  Erica, second year; Scharme, third year; Bill and Lynne Lovelace, fourth year; Scott and Susan, mentors. Absent: Mariel, Erica, Scharme.

Bill led us in worship with a streamlined form of Episcopal evening prayer, with a refrain asking for comfort.  The question for "coming on board" was, "When have you felt comforted in the past week?"  We brown-bagged the meal.

While Fourth Year readings concerned salvation, First Year dealt with incredibly detailed cultic laws and the recidivism among Hebrew idol-worshipers.  Tom and Gene wondered, "Why do the Hebrews go back to idols and a golden calf?  Why do they rebel against Moses the day after the earth swallowed up rebels?" 
 
Susan answered by entering into the mindset of the Hebrews, fearful in the wilderness.  Bill and Lynne broadened the question to include their topic of salvation, more generally.   Tom wondered at the emphasis on crucifixion over resurrection in the chapter on salvation; all of us had some answers, including a passage from Ford's book about the way crucifixion connects to every aspect of life, "intensified" through narrative, imagery, and ritual (i.e., ritual death in Baptism, ritual sacrifice of body and blood in Eucharist). In this way, "salvation" is a personal experience within community -- each pathway individual within that context.

Scott presented the Celtic origin of "All Hallow's Eve" as background to a TR on "Halloween."  We used the wide-angle method, accumulating memories and associations with the holiday.  We were drawn to a theme of communities drawn together -- as we all had witnessed neighborhoods bonding for the occasion.  Looking back into tradition, we found several parallels to the Exodus event, including a grim one in the blood-strewn doorways and Death's going door-to-door.  We collected our thoughts in one prayer: 

Collect for Halloween

Creator of all that is, seen and unseen, You sent Your Holy Spirit to enlighten and protect us: help us find community with our neighbors and the souls of ages past, that we may overcome fear and differences to extend ourselves to the strangers among us.  Amen.

Next week

Readings for week 11 in the RRG. Scott will bring worship; Gene will bring chili; Susan will bring a TR.


(See Scott's personal blog for his more personal reflection on Halloween. )
.

Yr. A, Wk. 9: Jesus at the Door

Members:  Thomas, Eugene, Mariel, first year;  Erica, second year; Scharme, third year; Bill and Lynne Lovelace, fourth year; Scott and Susan, mentors. Absent: Thomas, Scharme, Bill.

Both Lynne's worship and the focus of her check-in question were, "God's presence."  Worship took the form of reading scriptures from old and new testaments on the subject.  We told our stories while enjoyed beef fajitas that Erica provided for dinner.

Sitting at one table, we had a free-flowing discussion of the different years' assigned readings, each person opening with just one striking idea from the texts, others joining in with texts that resonated.

In this way, we found a complex of ideas relating to the historical nature of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Lynne reported on David F. Ford's exploration of how we can assess the testimony to Jesus, 98% written by people of faith.  Erica cited what Jesus said in his parable of Lazarus and the rich man, "Even if I raised from the dead, they would not believe me."  Mariel was struck in Exodus by the Hebrews' need for something tangible and beautiful to assure them of God's presence, and, showing us artist's conceptions of the tabernacle and priestly garments, she admitted that she understood that need.  Eugene added from his law school days how witnesses see what they're predisposed to see, and how such basic words as "law" and "justice" are slippery, telling of the professor who told his class, "Law is not about justice, but dispute resolution."

Our TR grew from a story in Lynne's family background that conjured for us the uncomfortable metaphor of coming home to find the lock has been changed to keep us out.  For once, we had chosen an image that focused on the moment of "judgement," leaving us to backfill creation and sin.  What kind of redemption could there be?  Moving on, rebuilding, communication, empathy -- some long process.

From the "Tradition" source, we came up with the parable of the wedding guest locked out of the party, the angel with fiery sword preventing re-entry to the Garden of Eden, and "Beyhold, I stand at the door and knock."  Writing about this now, I wonder what we would have discovered had we taken on the perspective of Jesus standing at a door that we have locked against him?

Collect for those standing at locked doors:
Father, You stand at the door and knock:  We too, stand at a door, unsure why it is locked against us:  Help us to remember, whether we are to wait in patience to gain re-entry, or strike a path to a new home, that we always reside in Your loving presence. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Next week:  We'll miss Erica, Mariel, and Scharme.  For dinner, we're "brown-bagging" it.  Lynne volunteered Bill to do worship; Scott will bring a TR.

Yr. A, Wk 7 + 8: Mark, Exodus, Evil, and Scoring the Wrong Goal

Members:  Thomas, Eugene, Mariel, first year;  Erica, second year; Scharme, third year; Bill and Lynne Lovelace, fourth year; Scott and Susan, mentors. Absent: Scharme, Thomas

We shared the news of Tom's loss and Scharme's surgery, and Susan chose prayers for those absent and bereaved (BCP 830-1).  Her question picked up on last week's T.R., asking what in the past week we discovered by way of productivity or knowledge.  Mariel provided beef and vegetables with a unique cole slaw and rolls.  

Erica's sharing about Mark's Gospel highlighted the author's urgency in narration (how things happen "immediately") and the theory that the gospel, composed in the time of the destruction of the temple,  interpreted sayings of Jesus from decades before as prophesies of the temple's destruction.  Erica expressed relief at this, because it "makes more sense."

Responding to Exodus, 1 - 15, Mariel noticed that God presents Himself in Exodus as God of the Past, Present, and Future -- i.e., of the ancestors, of present liberation, of the pillar of fire that leads to promised land.  Eugene expressed sympathy with the Egyptian soldiers who died because God hardened Pharaoh's heart, and asked about God's not providing a name. Much discussion ensued!

Lynne and Bill spoke of evil, drawing everyone into discussion.  We were all struck by Ford's idea that it's people on the margins whose suffering exposes the idolatry (tantamount to evil) in any society.  Scott drew attention to the final pages of their chapter, where Ford lists meta-narratives by which Augustine, Iranaeus, Karl Marx, and postmodernists have tried to "explain" evil, before Ford reminds us that the Gospels present a story instead of explanation.  Jesus lived at the intersection of great goodness and terrible evil.   

After break, Scott read from Week 8 in the RRG, about approaching TRs as an artist approaches drawing: procedures, in order, matter (p. 49).  

For our TR, Bill offered an anecdote about a colleague who couldn't see in conflict with two co-workers who couldn't hear. His experience brought forth many counter-stories from our own lives, and an interesting metaphor:  It's like you're running with the ball down the field, unaware that you're heading the wrong way.  Looking for analogs in the tradition, we found that St. Peter exemplified this situation a lot.  

Jim Marshall runs the wrong way, 1964

Collect for Those Running the Wrong Way
God, guiding light in the wilderness, help us as You helped Peter to move from rash actions and foolish choices to patience, humility, and clarity, so that we may approach the fulfilling of Your goals. Amen. 

Next week:   We read Week 9's assignment, skipping the reading for Week 8, except as we may be curious about the theories behind TRs. Erica will bring food, Bill will bring worship, and Lynne will bring something for the TR.