Yr. A, Wk. 36: Visitation and Closure

Worship and Check-in
Scott led Evening Prayer in his living room where we all met in person for the first time since last June. As it was the feast of the Visitation, the reading of the Magnificat doubled as the Gospel reading.

We enjoyed a variety of dishes. Spinach lasagne, peach-and-bell-pepper salad (with Tabasco), green salad with a variety of sides, Brussels sprouts roasted with diced ham and white raisins, and watermelon with balsamic vinaigrette, Feta, and shredded mint leaves. For dessert, we had slices of a buttercream layer cake.

We caught up on Christine's recovery, children's literature, bees, dogs and cats, Marilyn's history with movie stars via her mom. We applauded the presentation of the diploma to Christine. She also received a book collecting blogposts from her four years with us. Then we took turns offering collects from a printed booklet of collects from the year.

All evening, Scott's dog Brandy had been reticent, shocked to see so many people in her home. When she approached Pete and licked his hand, it was time to go.

God bless.

Living Faithfully in Your World:
1st yr: Scott 2nd yr: Marilyn, Pete, Nuno; 3rd yr, Susan; 4th yr, Christine. Mentors: Susan and Scott. Absent: None.

Yr. A, Wk. 35: Liturgy Based on Revelation

(Scott drew praises and prayers from Revelation, to go with the Year 2 readings.)

LEADER: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness ALL: (on mute) the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. Amen. (1.4)

Confession SCOTT: To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

PETE: Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him,

SUSAN: every one who pierced him,

NUNO: and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him.

SCOTT: He loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.
(1.5-7)

Praise NUNO: Worthy art thou, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for thou didst create all things
and by thy will they existed and were created.

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power
and wealth and wisdom
and might and honor
and glory and blessing! Amen.

Lesson SCOTT: To the angel of the church of Laodicea, write... I know your works. ...Because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing; not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may be rich, and white garments to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see.

Those whom I love, I reprove and chasten; so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.(3.15-21)

Prayers (responses in italics) PETE: Father, we pray for the church; for those who serve within his temple, and for members of your church from every people and nation
that they may be made a kingdom and priests to our God.

PETE: We pray for those who sit upon the thrones of power and judgement,
that they may be aware of your presence and just in their ways.

PETE: We pray for those who suffer deprivation, discomfort, or violence from nature or humankind
That they shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore, but find springs of living water.

PETE: We pray for our own needs, our own work, and for those whom we name now, silently or aloud: Christine...Marilyn... are there others? (pause) May God prosper our handiwork, and wipe away every tear from our eyes.

Conclusion SCOTT: The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." And let him who hears say, "Come." And let him who is thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of life without price. ...He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

Short Class Without Christine and Marilyn, we laid aside our planned TR. Our discussion of Revelation brought out the hopefulness and promise in it, contrasted to the horror-movie aspects we'd absorbed from childhood church and the culture. Scott was delighted by Yee's discussion of Esther and Ruth (and Naomi) as taking over their stories, bringing children. Song of Solomon depicts a relationship of equals -- "Garden of Eden before the Fall?"

Next meeting May 31 will be at Scott's house. He'll have lasagna; side dishes welcome. Details forthcoming.

Yr. A, Wk 34: Jude, Sirach, and "Get Out of the Way"

Worship and Check-in
Pete led worship. He asked us what skill we would want if we could have it instantly? Our various answers were to fly a plane... to bake ... to paint what I see... to fix things... to make music.

Before we got into the readings and the theological reflection, we took a moment to pose a Zoom shot of the class that Christine would appreciate, as the setting involves her skill with framing artwork and her love of Halloween.

Living Faithfully in Your World:
1st yr: Scott 2nd yr: Marilyn, Pete, Nuno; 3rd yr, Susan; 4th yr, Christine. Mentors: Susan and Scott. Absent: Christine.

Discussion of the Readings
Year 2 readers responded to two short letters. Interest lay in the image of "wandering stars" with meanings that overlapped, of angels and unmoored believers. The tradition that Jesus had brothers named Jude and James is alien to the churches of Nuno's and Pete's childhood.

From readings in the Apocrypha, Scott recommended this from Sirac: Scribes shouldn't feel superior to neighbors who farm, hammer, make pottery -- "they keep stable the fabric of the world, and their prayer is in the practice of their trade." From the Wisdom of Solomon – ch. 13 – the beauty of nature is almost enough for a person to know God, yet so many still worship idols.

Theological Reflection
In Scott's story, he had to sit in isolation and cool off while his brother and a friend took care of re-building the set for Hamlet. With buy in, our metaphor was "get out of the way" and let the experts do it. We ended with these prayers for ourselves:

I pray that, in those moments where I find myself in sudden crisis, I am able

• to look for the helpers, and to trust God that they will always be there;
• to ask for help when I need it. I often do need help...but living alone makes help not that readily available. I will try to reach out more, and fret less;
• to listen more carefully, accept help more readily;
• to be open-hearted and accepting of the help, and to be more generous in my offering of help to others.

For Next Week
Scott will bring worship; Susan will bring a TR.

Yr. A, Wk. 33: Calling Out All People in Uniform

Worship and Check-in
Marilyn presented us with prayers in rhyme by poet Helen Steiner Rice. She asked us for anything we'd seen in the past week that was new or inspiring. We offered: evening trees in a cathedral-like arch, the rush of a family emergency and the way it ended well, the estimated bill for thousands that the company paid fully, the sight of a tall teenaged brother bending over to kiss the top of his little brother's head while they stood in line for communion, and the maintenance man at the hospital who laid aside his mop to escort an elderly couple where they needed to go.

We discussed that last one, and Scott observed that the Greek word ecclesia, "a gathering," is formed from a prefix and verb that suggest being "called out," as in "called out to help." Theologian Richard Rolheiser used the Good Samaritan to show the way that all members of the church are "called out" to serve as Jesus in the world. Pete dropped everything when he was called out for a family emergency, as that man at the hospital dropped everything to answer a quiet call for help. This theme would re-emerge later in the evening.

Living Faithfully in Your World:
1st yr: Scott 2nd yr: Marilyn, Pete, Nuno; 3rd yr, Susan; 4th yr, Christine. Mentors: Susan and Scott. Absent: Susan could see us and hear us but could not be seen or heard. The miracle of Zoom.

Discussion of the Readings
Part of our discussion also had to do with being called out, as the Maccabee rebels in the 1st year texts stepped out in front to rebel against the Greek tyrants. Scott had been reminded of the ranch family who have been in open rebellion against the Bureau of Land Management for years, now. Pete observed that anyone who's "called out" to respond in such dangerous circumstances can be said to be a bit crazy.

Marilyn has had hard time about those who deny prayer for particular sinners in the letters of John. Marilyn likes the testimony section… spirit of water and blood… Trinity of three elements, and so did Pete. He was interested in the history of the letters and the evidence this way and that. Nuno liked the idea that the three letters may have originally been sent together as a pack of communications to different audiences and individuals. Scott picked up on the authorship idea in relation to the book of Daniel, supposedly written in the time of the Babylonian exile, but evidently written centuries later -- when, under the domination of the Greeks, the Jews needed such stories to boost morale. Scott's own morale was boosted, reading those stories.

Christine was moved by stories in My Neighbor's Faith. One outstanding example was a story of fathers from two opposing faiths who bonded through annual meetings for parents of severely disabled children. Another story concerned a father's suicide and the son's understanding that his religious community condemned the man. In adulthood, he found ideas in Hinduism that helped him to deal with his deepseated need. We had some views of our own about that story.

Theological Reflection
Christine told us of her red "power shirt," which she wore out over many years of putting it on to meet challenges. We could all identify, with stories of clothing, stuffed animals, a certain cocky walk, and a pillow case.

When we asked what it's like to have such an object in our lives, we agreed it's like a uniform – all encompassing but also limiting, you don’t have a choice in it – also restricts – you don’t have to think about it! It’s freeing.

From our culture, we thought of "red shirts" in Star Trek but also in sports; police, medics, soldiers; dress codes -- "Dress well to work well!" Christine said --and the codes of conduct that go with wearing a company's brand.

In our tradition, we thought of these: being called to wear the priestly uniform… Ornate vestments v. simple robe and belt: juxtaposition is interesting… Priestly garb in OT… “Wear a simple tunic, simple shoes…) (Jesus had a dress code!) … Soldiers (like the Maccabees)… Scott also brought up Paul's image of the "armor" of faith and the hymn "St. Patrick's Breastplate." We thought again of the faithful being "called out" into service in the ecclesia.

Our insights tended to these thoughts: Costume is a pretend identity; uniform is a DEEPER identity. Uniform is a role bestowed by authority – it says you have the training, knowledge, ability (and backing of the authority) – unity in the uniform. "Hopefully our faith is a uniform, not a costume."

To apply our reflection, this week we're going to submit the image that comes to mind when we imagine what the "uniform" of faith looks like. Pete has hinted that he'll be showing us actual military uniforms; we hope Christine will show us her famous red shirt.

• Scott: Detail from Mary Cassatt's painting of a mother and child. "The uniform we were born with seems to be a good image for faith and it's corollary vulnerability."
• Christine: "My concept photo is a collage of my photos over time illustrating 'the Light' of faith as a sort of uniform. It surrounds us and reminds us of the light of Christ. These depict light in natural and 'man made' forms…"
• Nuno: "Morning prayer is to me the ritual of donning the armor of God- uniting our hearts and minds in common purpose in daily life."
• Pete: "One page [of photos] has more of a military bent to it, but the other page concerns the marriage uniform & covenant."
• Marilyn: "The Cross is what I think of when considering the 'Uniform of Christianity.' It is known all over the world as a symbol of Love, Peace, and Connection. In its truest sense it brings together the human and the divine into a family. From all directions, from North to South, from East to West; it stretches out its arms, like Jesus on the Cross, reaching out to, and calling all people to remember the center…the Christ…where Christians meet the One Love…calling us to a Christ-centered life…reminding us to live like Christ wherever we may go and whatever we may do. I believe the united form of the Christian faith, its uniform, is the Cross…a sign of our union under God…a true sign of love - the form from Christ's suffering and the promise of eternal life for those who choose to live by his example - and truth - after all, it is a 'T,' what could be more fitting for a uniform than that? (Pardon the pun!) "

For Next Week
Pete will lead worship. Scott will bring a source for theological reflection.

Yr. A, Wk. 32: New Beginnings and Old Dishes

Worship and Check-in
Christine found for all of us some scriptures with themes of spring or new beginnings, and then composed or adapted prayers that went with each one, tailored to our personalities. She asked us about any new beginnings in our lives: The end of a semester is also a much-desired new beginning... starting a bee colony ... a new battery for the car ... an improvement in mood now that diabetes has been diagnosed and treated.

Christine offers the photograph of clematis from her garden to go with her theme.

Living Faithfully in Your World:
1st yr: Scott 2nd yr: Marilyn, Pete, Nuno; 3rd yr, Susan; 4th yr, Christine. Mentors: Susan and Scott. Absent: Pete.

Discussion of the Readings
Variously, we were "Delighted" by aspects of the readings. Christine got more deeply involved with the readings of My Neighbor's Faith than she'd expected. Marilyn found beauty and reassurance in passages about how we all feel like exiles on this earth -- life is supposed to be hard, and we can follow Christ through it, especially by listening. Nuno was delighted to notice puns on the name "Peter" in many stone-and-rock references. Scott was delighted that Collins, after a survey of scholarly wrangling over the political intentions behind the book of Ruth, dismissed a lot of it by observing that they don't do justice to the "gentleness" of the story. He was also delighted by the theme of providence in Esther, e.g. the idea that Esther, in a difficult position, was the right person in the right place to save her people.

Susan was bothered and challenged by the reactions of Protestant and Catholic churches to their diminished authority beginning with the Englightenment: both retreat into individualistic religion and a defiant doubling down on institutional authority. Susan noted that this was also the start of a scientific approach to Biblical scholarship. Scott (and Collins) were bothered by the Jews' slaughter of their enemies at the end of Esther's story. Christine was appalled to read how Canadian institutions beat indigenous culture out of students in recent decades. Nuno confessed that an overused passage about a beast roaring for its prey got a new meaning when he was out west hearing a cougar howling as it prowled around his cabin.

Theological Reflection
Marilyn brought photos of two serving dishes from two centuries of her family. After we admired the designs, we focused on what those plates said about hospitality. They do more than just serve the food, and the food is more than just nourishment. We were reminded of the vessels used in communion, and many meals in the Bible, some with bounty at the table, some with just a morsel or two that somehow satisfies.

Nuno offered to write a collect from the notes we made during our discussion. Here it is:

Collect for HospitalityLord of Hosts, who we sit before united at your heavenly banquet table, may we be imitators of your self-giving love, considering the nourishment of others rather than ourselves, in your service holding back no good thing, that all may partake in your bountiful providence. Amen.

For Next Week
Marilyn will lead worship; Christine will bring a source for the TR.

Yr. A, Wk. 31: Wisdom and Other Gifts

Worship and Check-in
Susan brought worship from the Northumbrian community. Observing that she was glad to see a lot of people at the Easter service whom we haven't seen in a long time, she asked us to share our impressions of Easter. Pete, with his sore back, stayed home to cook the dinner was grateful for the family time. Marilyn had to zig-zag across the apse because she participated in every aspect of the service, and loved it. Christine was glad that she and her father were able to take food to her mom in the library. Nuno really enjoyed ushering for such an abundant congregation.

We are praying for members who have had to endure physical and emotional pain this past week, and for some family stress over homework.

Living Faithfully in Your World:
1st yr: Scott 2nd yr: Marilyn, Pete, Nuno; 3rd yr, Susan; 4th yr, Christine. Mentors: Susan and Scott. Absent: None.

Discussion of the Readings
We all read a short essay in the RRG about gifts. What's "mission" for the church is "gifts" for individuals. Our personal comments all included surprise and joy at discovering the intersection of our (secular) gifts with the Church's mission.

The Epistle of James dovetailed nicely with the first year readings in wisdom literature. Here are some of our observations:

• Do not listen to the spirits not from God ...James seems to know a lot about temptation from within… not from God…
• In fact, not a whole lot of Israel God or story in Proverbs or Ecclesiastes – controversy about letting these books in
• The tongue is a restless evil – tongue of fire. Compare tongues of flame at Pentecost – quite different
• “Proverbs” seems common sense, where James is talking of God-given wisdom
• Being “worldly” is NOT a good thing in James, compared to our culture’s idea of worldly sophistication Lots of "secular" imagery in James -- we decided to call it imagery from God’s creation
• James is kind of mystical text – it has more levels. Powell tells us about 12 tribes having double meaning – Christians as the tribes in metaphor.

Scott recommended the new translation of Job by Hebrew philologist Edward Greenstein. Reading it, Scott got a stronger sense of Job's personal development over the course of the book. For instance, Job develops empathy for his tormentors: "I'd say the same things if I were in your place."

There was an important thread of the conversation that had to do with how much or how little we do to help our communities. Christine told about “Neighbor’s Faith” experience she read by a young woman who was so emotional about her own faith experience, but closed-minded (at first) to have her Christian experienced compared to a Muslim woman's. Nuno talked about St. James’s property that the Zone is using so well. Question: "Do I affect my community much? I don’t feel like I do." We discussed.

We discussed another line of James that stands out: Faith without works is dead. When Powell helps us to see that Paul and James have different meanings of faith, their “faith v works” debate goes away. Right faith is really more like right relation with God and neighbor as reflection of Christ in the world, with love, by love, through love.

Theological Reflection
Nuno shared with us some clips from a Disney movie he has seen many times recently, Encanto. In the story, Mirabelle is the one member of her extended family who does not have a supernatural gift. When crisis hits, Mirabelle emerges as the one person who can pull all the others together.

We naturally focused on this cultural example of the "gifts" we've been reading about in Scripture and essays. Mirabelle's gift was variously described as "glue" and a "basket."

We thought of people in Scripture who appeared to be less exalted than others, who had a gift for pulling people together: Paul, Jesus, Moses, David, Joseph. When we put their stories in dialogue with Encanto, these figures in Scripture all put their confidence in God when they may have lacked confidence in themselves; the Disney movie takes God out of the picture and tells us to believe in ourselves. [Could we reconcile those by identifying the best parts of ourselves as expressions of God's working in us?]

Insights included Marilyn's thought that gifts show most "beautifully" in times of difficulty. Marilyn also observed that time is a gift when we give it to others (e.g., sitting with patient). Christine observed that the character Mirabelle seems to be able to recognize the gifts in others -- as Jesus did when he gathered his disciples from among society's lowest and least popular, and when he told stories about those despised by Judean men of his time. Nuno observed (from the rest of the movie) that gifts can become a handicap, a distraction from what's important. Mirabelle is a kind of "medium," both in the sense of someone who channels other spirits and in the artistic sense of a means by which others express themselves.

Scott drew on our discussion and Ephesians 4 to create a collect:

Collect for the Use of GiftsGiver of all good gifts, you lifted up your humble servants Moses and David to draw your people together; teach us we may use our own gifts to build up our church and bring your love to our larger communities, through Jesus Christ and your Holy Spirit. Amen.

For Next Week
Christine will lead worship. Marilyn will provide a source for our theological reflection.

Link to EfM Tuition and Textbook info for 2022-2023

Video about EfM at St. James Episcopal Church, Marietta

At the end of last year, participants recorded this video about what the program has meant to them. We are accepting applications for 2022-2023. Here's a link to the video. If you've already participated in EfM, consider sharing this with your favorite social media (links below).