Journey with God, Wk. 14: Exiles and Grasshoppers

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Worship and Gathering

We listened to the collect from our TR last week that Mason made with help from his AI assistant. Susan assured him that the result was good and that the ideas and the creativity were clearly Mason's. (See Wk. 13)

Joyce chose beautiful prayers and passages for us on the theme of light.

Her GQ ("Gathering Question") was about our parents: do we see more of our moms or of our dads in ourselves? Our answers revealed a lot about us. Joyce, thank you for helping us to know each other better. (I have to wonder how Jessica and Rita would have handled that question!)

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: Jessica and Rita.

Respond
Questions for week 14, chosen by Jessica:

1. Who or what provided new knowledge this week? In what ways was your knowledge of something confirmed or challenged?
2. When a community or people have been exiled, disenfranchised, or sidelined and are given a chance to return, what becomes essential for survival? How do you decide whether to stay or return? When have you felt that way? What was vital for your survival, and who offered support?

We tackled question 2 first by listing examples of exiled or disenfranchised peoples: indigenous nations of America, the African diaspora, the diaspora of Jews both in the time of Nehemiah and modern times, Ukrainians, Venezuelans, Syrians, and the long-exiled community of Cubans in Florida. What's "essential" for their survival? Safety, assurance of being able to provide for families. Many of our examples left voluntarily in order to provide for family back home.

Michael and Mason reminded us that those returning from Babylon were contemptuous and even cruel to those who had been too low-class to have ever left the land. Kaye also pointed out that the Christian Jews and Christian Gentiles were doubly disenfranchised by the established authorities of Judaism and Roman Empire -- Paul tried to bridge all of these groups.

About question 1, we volunteered a wide range of things that were new to us. Lanie loved how "The Bible Project" made scripture clear to her in a new way. Mason was startled when the commentary alerted him to humor in Esther: the bumbling king so easily manipulated, stereotyped characters, layers of irony. Mike was struck by how foreign kings Darius and Artaxerxes do God's bidding more faithfully than God's people had done. Joyce was interested in the creation of the confessional box, and how it made the village churches and parish priests central to the lives of common folk. Kaye admitted that Paul is always a challenge for her, but Evans has softened her stance, as she can see Paul trying (successfully!) to create a larger community from groups in opposition. Like Mason, Kaye has learned to see some of Paul's writing as humor. (What the hand says to the eye, for example.)

Reflect
Susan brought the TR, a portion of the day's lectionary reading from Isaiah 40. We were drawn to the line about how God sees us: we're grasshoppers. It's clearly meant to be a disparaging comparison, accompanied by lines about the nations being dust and all the kingdoms "a drop in the bucket."

Our discussion really seemed to pick up when Joyce consulted Google to point out that grasshoppers can't see where they're going when they leap forward -- true "leaps of faith."

We connected that image to our own experiences (the "action" source of knowledge) of moving for a new job, putting ourselves out for a new relationship, improvising on stage. Culture brought to mind some big leaps of faith made by Indiana Jones (Raiders III) when he steps out into a dark chasm, Marty Supreme out in theatres now, about a young man with massive faith in himself. Tradition gives us a cocky young David who refuses armor and conventional weaponry, his self-assurance mixed with God assurance. Noah, Mary and Joseph, all the apostles, and Abraham all give up expectations and homes for dreams, visions, or just the call of Jesus.

Esther came to mind again, when she says, "If I perish, I perish."

Kaye and Susan explored the idea that Americans have leapers of faith in their ancestry: the ones who risked everything to come here, and those who were brought here against their will and built lives and families against all odds in a place and time where their personhood was denied.

We applied this "leap of faith" idea to our churches as well. St. James took a leap of faith on our new rector, and so did the rector! Kaye's church took a leap by overruling the frugal businessmen on the vestry and springing for new construction. 20 years later, the risk has paid off.

I think the grasshopper will join Lanie's jeweled frog as images that will inspire us when we're doubting. Looking back on the whole evening, I'm noticing that our talk about exiles was also about communities taking leaps, whether they were going back or deciding to settle in a foreign land.

[Note from later in the week: Thursday's commentary in Forward Day by Day focuses on "leaps of faith" made by apostles Philip and Nathaniel (Jn 1:43), who follow Jesus, no questions asked. The author wonders, would he follow Jesus, or stick to his own schedule? He finds reassurance in Thomas Merton, who wrote: "I believe the desire to please [God] does, in fact, please [God]. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing." The author concludes, "Would I go with Jesus? I don't know. But I want to. And that, in itself, is a leap of faith."]

The grasshopper reminded Kaye of poet Mary Oliver's greatest hit, "A Summer Day," in which the poet's awe and awareness of life's passing are prompted by close observation of a grasshopper eating sugar from her palm. This blog contains that poem in the context of a worship service I made from Oliver's poetry. See Liturgy adapted from poetry.

Joyce prayed for Jessica and Rita before concluding with a collect from the prayer book.

For next time: We are all engaging with materials for both Wk 15 and Wk 16. We will not meet, however, on Martin Luther King day. When we meet again on the 25th, Lanie will lead worship, and Mason will bring a source for the TR. Instead of answering questions this time, we're going to bring those quotes and ideas that ABCD us - Amaze, Bother, Confuse, and Delight.

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Journey with God, Wk. 13 = Joy + AI + (20+C+P+M+26)

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Worship and Gathering
Having read Kings and Chronicles, Mike drew prayers that spoke to the theme he saw of God's faithfulness despite his people's unfaithfulness.

His gathering question was, "What's something in worship that makes you feel close to God and to others?" We answered: Singing, kneeling at the altar rail, the congregation at St. Theresa holding hands for the Lord's Prayer, the prayers of the people (especially in one congregation where the leader stood up from the midst of the people), the passing of the peace (their faces... and prepping your own heart and mind), and "all of us under one roof as we say the same prayer, 'Our Father who art in heaven....'"

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
One of Mason's chosen questions began, "Place yourself in the world of your assignment." What joy do we find in that world?

Mike found joy in God's own delighted reaction to Solomon's request for wisdom, though the king's subsequent apostasy and brutality belie the whole story. Lanie and Scott both spoke of joy they found in noticing how the author of Luke and Acts parallels his stories of Jesus and Paul to follow a similar arc, one towards Jerusalem, the other towards Rome. Violence and persecution in the name of religion made the 16th and 17th centuries in England joyless for Joyce, as each new administration reversed all the policies of the previous one. (Just imagine!) Kaye loves reading Evans, this times about the joyful responses the apostles made to their callings; and Kaye also recommends a joyful video of early Christian art (see the Year 5 tab).

There is still no joy in Bretherton, Rita sighed, though Scott got a kick out of that author's very Episcopalian emphasis on finding a middle way between legalism and relativism. Susan found joy in Y1's cartoon "Bible Project," so succinct, elegant, and creative. Scott also appreciated a little humor in Bretherton's admonishment to consider "the Other" in our moral decisions -- to be, he said, "Otherwise." ("Wise" about the "Other" -- get it? Ha? Rita? Jessica? Anybody?)

Looking for joy "in the world of the assignment," we found it. While we ourselves would have had no joy living in England under Queen Elizabeth I, we remembered that their culture flourished in music, poetry, theatre, and visual arts that still fascinate us today, and our prayer book in its latest edition is still shaped by the distinctive Anglican theology developed during that time. About Luke and Acts, Scott recommended Huston Smith's history of the world's great religions, while representing each religion in terms its adherents would be proud of, begins the story of Christianity with the observation that joy is what strikes a student of religion most strongly.

I wonder if we could find more joy in Kings and Chronicles? Remember, the temple priests who wrote about the "abominations" of kings would have used "abomination" to describe a shrimp salad. Put ourselves in the sandals of those ancient kings, with their heterogeneous populations to care for, their necessary dealings with neighboring kings, and then ask, what's joy in their world? What's a threat to joy in their world? Their choices may not have been so clear-cut as the priestly writers would have us think. Perhaps their world and their choices are more like ones we face, and there may be more for us to find in Chronicles than what we've been taught to find there.

Answering Mason's AI question, we shared our own experiences with AI.

• AI hasn't much value for Mason at his work except for its help with refining his own writing.
• Susan wondered if all Mason's best ideas are now in AI's bank of material?
• Kaye finds AI's "help" to be intrusive and not helpful most of the time.
• Scott reported a study on writing with AI: those who explored a topic first with pen and paper wrote more meaningful and memorable work than any who used AI to write. Those same pen-and-paper writers later used AI in interesting and distinctive ways to improve their work. The group that started with AI didn't remember anything they'd produced, their work was all the same, and their pen-and-paper results were dismal.
• Mike got pretty good songs from AI in seconds, with the prompts "Give me a Heavy Metal song about FAX machines" and "Give me a Gospel song about a bar fight."
• Lanie's nephew used AI to write an obit for his sister.
• Jess says AI is "all the rage" in the medical world, doing a lot of time-consuming work in an instant, but she's dubious: Do we want AI deciding who should be admitted for treatment?
• The AI robot on Scott's phone has settled the issue for now by addressing a moral question, "What is an ethical response to climate change for an American?" The robot told us to vote, to stay informed, and to engage with community -- undoubtedly true, and unremarkable.

Reflect
Kaye brought us the tradition of "chalking" homes for Epiphany, new to many of us. We especially liked a distinctive chalk design from 2023!

Lanie told how a neighbor thought the chalk marks were evidence of gang activity. Jessica asked about the difference between a "tradition" and a "superstition" when the intent is to bring blessings upon us in the new year. Mason and Jessica wondered if the placement at the door is meant to keep things out (like Puerto Rican masks on Susan's walls) or to show welcoming. We wondered about differentiating custom - superstition - tradition - ritual - practice - habit. We focused on habits as habitations, i.e., things we live in that shape us (an idea Kaye took from Evans, and Susan took from Aristotle).

We explored the world of the House/Habitation. By Creation The home is clean, structured, safe, comfortable, a sanctuary. If not, yet, you can "fake it till you make it." Sin is coercion (the dang Home Owners' Association!!) and standardization. Judgment is the chaos of a disordered habitation, or its opposite -- a house so orderly that you can't live in it. We shared how disturbing it is when the tiniest thing goes wrong -- a leak in the skylight, the pitter-patter of tiny feet in the attic.

We Connected our idea of "habitation" to Tradition. Joyce related chalk marks over the door to blood on the lintel of the Hebrews' dwellings in Egypt. Rita started us on a list of house-related parables by Jesus, such as the one about building on a foundation of sand. The first healing in the Gospels takes place in the house where Jesus resuscitates Peter's mother-in-law -- "and then she gets up and serves them," Joyce said. Mike and others named the temple, the tabernacle, and the House of David. What would a TR be without a connection to Culture through the movie that ends with the words "Auntie Em, there's no place like home!" The joy of building came through when Scott's 7th graders "built" structures for the game Minecraft.

Insights In our focus on our houses, have we forgotten the neighbors? Community is the point. It's dangerous to think we can be just in our homes. We have to surrender complete control -- to leave a space for the Lord (as the Shumanite woman dedicated a space for Elijah) and cooperate.

Thanks to Mason for volunteering to try his hand at a collect for this TR. He not only fit a meaningful prayer to our discussion, but he also extended our AI discussion by consulting AI for it! Here's the collect:

Collect for our Homes

Creator God, fount of every blessing, who laid the foundation of the world, you provide us with shelter: sanctuaries for companionship, meals, and restoration. We pray you enter our homes and bless them with your presence so that we may be faithful stewards of these spaces. As our dwellings shape our daily lives, embolden us to step across our thresholds into the world to love and serve our neighbors. This we ask in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Mason explains how he used AI: "I used an AI writing tool to help improve the flow of the sentence of transitioning from our home life to the way we serve our neighbors in keeping with the image of the door and the point Susan brought up at the end of our meeting."

For Monday:
Here are our questions for week 14 - from Jessica:
(1) Who or what provided new knowledge this week? In what ways was your knowledge of something confirmed or challenged?
(2) When a community or people have been exiled, disenfranchised, or sidelined and are given a chance to return, what becomes essential for survival? How do you decide whether to stay or return? When have you felt that way? What was vital for your survival, and who offered support?

Joyce leads worship; Susan brings something to spark a theological reflection.

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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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Interested in joining us? Link to our Visitor's Center.

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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