Session 23 – Held on Sunday, Mar 25, 2012

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Dick

Highlights from Last Week’s Discussion

Mark mentioned sharing what we are doing with some of his friends.  This led to a discussion of what makes our gatherings meaningful.  I acknowledged the role that I play but what really seemed to matter was first a climate of openness in which people feel comfortable saying whatever is on their mind; a free exchange of ideas on topics that matter. That climate is a presence that all have made possible.  Tim observed that we have much more discussion than he had experienced in other bible study groups he had been a part of. Brandon observed that we feel free to raise the questions that matter to us.

We next discussed cultural issues that bible presents to us.  As we read these passages in Genesis, it is obvious they reveal a past that we don’t always approve of; most evident were the values in a male dominated patriarchal society.   For example, none of us approve of a culture in which men own women as their property.  But there is a difference between disapproving the values and condemning the persons who held those values or the book in which they are presented.  The question is more critical when that book is the book, The Bible, God’s word.  How do we handle that?  How would you answer that question.  Read on …

The bible itself spans centuries and reveals development.  From the very beginning the followers of Jesus looked into their scriptures to understand who Jesus was and why things happened as they did for him.  It is equally clear that both the Jewish and Islamic communities don’t select the same passages nor understand them in the same way as Christians do.  As Christians we believe that the this development is to be judged in the light of Christ.  But it is not a development that ended with the writing of the Christian Scriptures.

In fact, we are still struggling to change the values in our family, our community, our nation, and our church in the light of Christ.  Our group has recognized this challenge in the value issues around God and Country; we have recognized it as well in the value issues around our sexual life.  The real problem arises because the bible can and is used to argue for competing values. Thus there is a need for an adult understanding, a willingness to grow toward meeting the demands of being at the Level of our Times.  Our group is about this challenge.  Could you name one value issue in our family, and/or our community, nation, and church that is challenging us in the light of Christ?

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Session 22 – Held on Sunday, Mar 18, 2012

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Dick

Abram and Sarai in Egypt – Gen. 12:10 – 20

As we continue in our sojourn through Genesis the titles of the various passages hold more than we might first think.  Let’s begin, however, with reading the notes and the passage, http://www.usccb.org/bible/genesis/12.  It also helps to ask a few questions that allow us to stay focused on the passage.  We have a standard set of questions, Who are the characters in the passage?  What is the “when” of the story?  Always remember that there are at least three “whens;” the when in the story itself, the when of the author /editor, and our when, the now of our life.  Recognizing these different “whens” enhances our appreciation of God’s word.  The final question in our standard set is what is the plot, the story line, in the passage?  To help answer this last question it might help to ask in this passage who is reported as talking to whom?  And to ask what is the role that Sarai plays?

Our group has become so accustomed to asking themselves this set of questions that their answers are nearly spontaneous.  I did ask Carol in particular to see if she could identify who talks to whom and for Heber to wonder what role did Sarai play.

The list of characters was quite easy to enumerate: Abram, Sarai, Pharaoh, the Egyptians, the Lord, male and female slaves, the Pharaoh’s men and Courtiers.  Turning to the when question actually sparked a bit of discussion.  Tim pointed out that the sojourn to Egypt took place at the time of a famine in Canaan.  Tim’s observation brings up a point that the notes direct us to.  This story is actually told on three different occasions, not uncommon in an oral culture.  It also foreshadows the story of the people of Israel who were lead out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses.  The title gives a hint to all of this simply by telling us that this occurred “in Egypt.” Israel had, and in some sense, still has, an going relationship with Egypt.

But what is significant first is that there is a famine in the very land the Lord has promised to Abram.  What does this say about God’s promise to us?  By our time we wonder why bad things happen to good people.  Reflecting on this passage gives us some input into that disturbing question.

As the backdrop to the plot of this story Carol recognized that it was Abram who engaged Sarai in direct discourse and it was Pharaoh who engaged Abram in direct discourse.  Sarai remains a beautiful, but barren woman, named, but without speech; yet she plays a dominant role in this story.  The role of women is a developing reality in the biblical stories.

It became difficult to control matters once the group turned to the question of the plot, the story line of this passage.  Abram uses his wife to protect himself.  He asks her to lie.  He assumes the Egyptians and Pharaoh, in particular, are going to act in certain way; but, in fact, they don’t.  God punishes Pharaoh who appears to be an innocent victim and not Abram who, in some sense, is responsible for what takes place.  Abram makes out like a bandit.  Sarai is willing to do what Abram asks of her which in our world is a lot.

Michael identified a discrepancy in the story.  Abram asks Sarai to tell Pharaoh that she was his sister but Pharaoh asks why Abram told him that she was his sister. Ken remarked that Pharaoh would have been viewed as a god by the Egyptians and he himself would not have believed in the God of Abram.  On the other hand, it is the readers / listeners of this story who believed in the God of Abram.  Michael thought that from their point of view [the believing community for whom the story was written] its very telling confirms that God indeed does bless Abram. Time ran out so our conversation will continue  next week.

As we draw our conversation to a close, it is important to keep in mind a couple of things.  First and foremost, the bible tells a story that develops over time and is always immersed in its own historical times.  Just as the meaning of events in one time or period of our life can and often do have a different meaning because of events that occur later in our life; so too stories in the bible have a different meaning in the light of later events – this “when” factor is very important.  Equally important, we cannot simply take our “when” in the form of questions and moral perspective and project them backwards in time.

All of this makes clear to me the need for an adult community to engage in conversation together.  This is what happens when our group gathers, we laugh, we share, interrupt, respect, attempt to understand one another, don’t always agree, are sometimes surprised that we don’t agree, and through it all hopefully grow.  It is possible to do this on line as well, but a similar exchange of thoughts would have to occur.  What is your take on all of this?

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Session 21 – Held on Sunday, Mar 11, 2012

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Dick

Gen. 12:1 – 9: Abram’s Call and Migration

As should be obvious, putting things in context is both very important and makes all the difference.  Context, however, is a layered reality.  In our story of Abram’s call and migration one layer is archeological.  What do we know about this time in human history from sources other than the bible, this brief article on the website, “From About.com. Ancient / Classical History” present a summary that you might find of interest. http://bit.ly/zNWDOe.  A review of the article would show that Abram was not the only person to migrate during this period.  In fact, he probably was one of thousands.  However, only his story is told and told from a definite point of view.  There are psychological, sociological, economic layers too.  But, ultimately, there is a religious layer and that is what the Bible is about.  The other layers can help but they cannot replace the religious significance for us in our life.  To that end, it helps to read the notes and then the passage itself.  It also helps to have a few leading questions to prime the pump, as it were.  Who are the characters in this story?  What is the “when” of this story?  And, most important, what’s the plot?  Why is the story told?  http://www.usccb.org/bible/genesis/12.

So who are the characters?  We listed them.  Annette was quick to say Lot.  Dan mentioned persons and then read the note for us, “… servants and others who formed the larger household under the leadership of Abraham.”  This note gives further context to the story.  Abraham had a large household.  What does this say about his economic status, does it tell us anything else about Abraham that you might not have thought of? Tim mentioned Sarai and also pointed out that mentioning the woman’s name was a change in telling of these stories.

Ken brought to our attention the Canaanites, v.6.  Now in our versions of the Bible, verse 6 is in parenthesis.  Why is that?  What does it tell us?  Who did that?  The questions are only possible if there are parentheses. Yet these ( …) are evidence too of history, the original authors / editors didn’t include them; two marks and so many questions pointing to a larger context. Heber wondered if Abraham had a problem with the Canaanites.  Heber’s question itself unknowingly makes assumptions that need to be clarified.  Our author / editor write long after Abraham and often include information from their day that may or may not have even existed during the period of Abraham.  Unfortunately there are a number of different accounts of the history of the Canaanites and the Israelites that would take us too far afield.

We continued listing the characters when Annette mentioned Abram himself and the Lord.  Ken concluded the list by pointing out that Abraham’s kinfolk and his father’s [Terah] house.

We felt that the story doesn’t really tell us when other than to say that Abram was 75 years old.  Reading the article on the “From About.com. Ancient / Classical History” website will give a plausible answer to the question, though.

By far the most important question, what is the plot of the story, its story line?  Reading the first three verses might be sufficient for today.  The Lord, without need of introduction, promises; one word that can hold so much of our life.  Forgot for the moment what is promised but simply focus on who is doing the promising.  What is the role of promise in our life?  Pointing to a future … Filled with expectation … Hope … A statement in our distant past, addressing our unknown future.  We are caught in the in-between [Metaxy – Greek for in between – and emblazoned on my license plate.]

Land, descendants, name, blessings – not merely for Abraham or his land, or his descendants, or his name, but “All the families of the earth will find blessing in you.”  And today the three great monotheistic religions share in Abraham.

Does this story resonate?  Our group went on to talk about migration, the migration of our ancestors many of whom came from Italy, our own personal migrations.  Beyond and in some sense within all the layered reasons for all of us to migrate, move on, there is the one supervening meaning, the promise of the one who is faithful.  The story points to the center of our life and gives that movement meaning but to discover the meaning is to believe, to allow the fundamental question of why am I here to be answered.

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Session 21 – Held on Sunday, Mar 11, 2012

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Dick

Why am I here?  Why do I go to church?

Perhaps because of my leading questions, our group’s discussions can be divided into two general topics; a response to what happened the previous week and the scripture passage for the present week.  So you can note that there have been two separate posts over the past month or two.  The same is true for this week’s post.

Last week I noticed that Tim, Roseann, Heber, and Michael shared a common theme that was worth pursuing.  Tim reminded us of his struggle when confronted with concrete decisions concerning what can be termed God and Country issues.  Roseann was aware that she has matured over the years.  As she reflects back she is more critical of the thoughts she had as a younger woman.  Michael responded that growing older doesn’t necessarily mean becoming more mature; sometimes persons actually become harder, meaner, smaller.  Heber realized that going through the RCIA process had made a profound change in him, clarifying the proper relationship between God and Country concerns. In the concluding paragraph I attempt to identify the common themes that emerged from our discussions.

Roseann felt that we have to choose whether to become bitter or not in response to what life presents you with.  She felt that we have to learn in her words, to let go, let God.  That phrase reminded Rosemarie of a book with that title.  Although she didn’t agree with all of it content, Rosemarie thought that the key word is adjust.  “I believe that everyday of our lives we adjust.”  We need to recognize that God is in control and that is what is underneath the phrase, let go and let God.  But it is easier to say than to do. Being in control seems to lie close to the heart of the matter.  Life doesn’t offer conclusive proof that God is in control which leads us to want to control.  There is an real issue at this juncture of control, us, and God.  Let go sounds easy enough but is it?

Tim shared the question that headlines this post.  At age 25 he realized that he had been coming to church more out of habit than anything else.  This caused him pause and led to asking himself a very fundamental question, Why was he at St. Anthony?  Why did he attend church at all?  This was a genuine, personal question for him.  And that made all the difference.  In response to that question he went back to the Book and ultimately was to read most, if not all of it.  He wanted to find out the basis for his faith and turned to the Bible as a primary source.  Do these profound personal questions happen to everyone?  Why do some of us search for an answer and others do not?

As we reflected on our conversations we realized that we share many common themes in our life.  Life comes at us everyday, it never stops until we die.  During our life we can grow and become more mature, more balanced, etc., but it is also possible that we will become bitter, small, mean over what life has thrown our way.  It can happen that we raise very fundamental questions about the meaning of our life as we are living it.  Why do I go to church?  Why am I here?  Again it is not inevitable that we ask ourselves these kind of questions or asking them take the time to respond to them.  Events can make a different, change the course of our life.  But, like a refrain, such changes are not inevitable.

As we turn our attention to the call and migration of Abraham, another layer of interpretation of the meaning of our life comes to the fore.  We can come to realize that our response matters but God is faithful even if we are not.  Have we discovered that truth in our life?

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Session 20 – Held on Sunday, Mar 4, 2012

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Dick

From Terah to Abraham – Gen. 11:27-32

As always I encourage you to read the notes first and then the passage. http://www.usccb.org/bible/genesis/11.  This is another genealogy.  Compare it with previous one’s to see if you can detect what is similar and what is different.  The differences are startling.  What is the role of these genealogies that form markers, as it were, from the beginning Adam to Noah, then Shem to Abraham, and now Terah to Abraham.

At this point in Genesis although some things remain constant, namely God and his care and concern, some things change.  For one thing God’s strategy becomes clearer.  I ask you to attend to two simple words that might hold this transition.  The first is promise.  Next week we will read the promise that God makes to Abram.  It is a remarkable event in human history.  God promises.  From then on, despite the concrete facts in the story which makes it seem impossible that the promise can or will be fulfilled, despite the fact that the family in which the promise emerges is anything but perfect, the promise shapes Abraham’s life.

In a startling way, we too are persons whose lives are shaped by promise.  We too emerge out of families that are far from perfect; we emerge out of nations that are far from perfect, we emerge out of a church that is far from perfect.  Despite all of this our life is shaped by a promise and as Christians that promise is fulfilled in Christ Jesus.  In some way this one man, Abram, perhaps more than 3000 years ago, has become a beacon for three great historical religions.

Which leads us to the second word, faithfulness.  The story of Isaac is seared into our memory that resonates with conflicting yet incredible resonance of faithfulness.  We must also be clear though, that God’s promise is at one and the same time dependent on Abraham’s faithfulness and is independent of it.  In fact Abraham proved faithful; in fact faithlessness was to mar the life of his descendants to our own day.  I am a Christian because of the fact of Christ’s faithfulness in response to which God the Father raised him from the dead.  Our faithfulness lies in his faithfulness though we too are summoned to be faithful.  Life in its radical terror has been overcome by his promise of life eternal.  If Christ has not risen, we are the most to be pitied.

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Session 20 – Held on Sunday, Mar 4, 2012

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Dick

God or Country / God and Country

I asked our group this question, which of these two statements most adequately expresses how you think Catholics actually act?

  1. I am a citizen of theUnited Stateswho happens to be a Christian.
  2. I am a Christian who happens to be a citizen of theUnited States.

Which of these two statements reflect your own position?  My question might have been understood differently by some members of the group.  The outcome though was that eleven members selected the first statement as expressing not what Catholics that they know think but how they act; while four selected the second statement.

Once again the comments were revealing.

Tim shared how he went back and forth as he attempted to apply the two statements to himself.  He loves his country and has been taught from his earliest age to put God first.  For him this choice is a struggle.  I was taken by the fact that Tim acknowledged the struggle involved.  That seemed genuine to me.  What matters from my point of view is the very fact of the struggle.  There certainly isn’t anything wrong with patriotism unless patriotism takes the place of God.  Then we have lost both God and Country.  But to make those choices in the concrete is a struggle.

Ken said that this struggle is clear when it comes time to vote.  The teachings of the Church are clear on some points but there are others things that affect our country.  And to evaluate a particular candidate or issue is complex and he is not always sure what the right thing to do is.

For Heber it was clear to him that going through RCIA had definitely changed his perspective.  Before that experience he would have clearly chosen the first statement but after that experience and attendance at these scripture gatherings he has changed and would choose the second statement.

Jodie observed how the group talked in terms of “should” but thought that how we actually act doesn’t always match the “should.” In fact, she though that it was not possible to be a perfect Christian and a citizen of theUnited States.

Mark brought up the conflict between personal decisions and social decisions, especially concerning war.  Should I as a Christian become a solider?  Be trained to kill?  But should our country not have an army?  What are we to do?  And if you are responsible for our country, say like the President, and as President you are a Christian, what are you to do?  What do you think he should do?

The greatest thing is the very fact that a group of adults can have an open and honest discussion of what are important, passionate and complex matters?  Doesn’t that attract you?  You can join us on line or every Sunday at St. Anthony All Saints from 9:15 – 10:45.  You would be more than welcomed.

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Session 20 – Held on Sunday, Mar 4, 2012

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Dick

Results of Biblical Quotes Survey

If you read Session 19 http://rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com/?p=387  and scroll down to the Biblical Quotes section, you can review the five quotes from Scripture that were the basis of our group’s exercise.  People regularly quote the scripture often to bolster their argument.  But they often are not conscious of the fact that the scripture develops over time.  And because there is development previous passages acquire new meaning in light of that development.  Our group performed an exercise which I asked you to do as well.  Read each of the five quotes and rank them according to how you would evaluate their more or less adequate expression of what a Christian should be.

Below is a chart of our group’s responses:

Quote / Value

1.00

2.00

3.00

4.00

5.00

1.00

2.00

2.00

4.00

6.00

1.00

2.00

1.00

3.00

6.00

5.00

0.00

3.00

0.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

12.00

4.00

4.00

6.00

3.00

2.00

0.00

5.00

8.00

3.00

1.00

1.00

2.00

To help you understand the chart, the first column lists the quotes in the order that they appear, the first row lists rankings from 1, most expressive, to 5, least expressive.  So in our group, for example,

  1. Two persons selected the first quote “You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal.” – Ex. 20:14 – 15 as most expressive and one as least expressive.
  2. Two other examples: twelve members selected the third quote “Do not show pity. Life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot!” – Dt. 19:21 as least expressive
  3. While eight members selected the fifth quote, “Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’“ – Mt. 15:34-40 as the most expressive.

Here are a few other comments that group observed from the exercise:

Ken remarked that we think we think like others but in this exercise we find out others don’t think like us.  Diversity of thought is a given but we still tend to think that others think like us.

Roseann observed, as other did as well, that as she has grown older her understanding has grown, she is more critical of the thoughts she had as a younger girl.

Michael responded back though that we don’t always grow wiser as we get older.  It also happens that life can harden us.  We can become smaller, meaner.

If you were to force rank our five quotes how would you rank them in terms of more to less adequately expressing what a Christian should be?  How does your ranking compare to our group’s responses?  What have you learned from this exercise?

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Session 19 – Held on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Dick

Gen. 11:10 – 26 – Descendants from Shem to Abraham

It is generally acknowledged that the book of Genesis shifts its focus in Ch. 11 or so.  The 1st 11 chapters are written with the whole world as its backdrop, its creation, the flood, and its repopulation.  But now we are shifting focus as the writer directs us to a single city, a single family, and ultimately to a single individual, Abraham.  God remains active but his strategy becomes clearer.  As we move forward the differences and continuities will become even clearer.  The notes provide a wonderful way to expand our horizon, allowing us to read the text in a more intelligent manner. http://www.usccb.org/bible/genesis/11.

We are presented with the genealogy from Shem to Terah that mirrors the genealogy from Adam to Noah.  The parallels are evidence of the literary art of the writers / editors.  We are confronted by writers who have something to say, yet it is critical to hear the writers as persons of faith writing to your faith for the sake of your faith.  It is equally critical to realize that the writers cannot escape the historical times in which they wrote with its given cultural reality.

Religious values and cultural values are not identical, discerning their differences frequently occurs only over time and such discernment is a function of intelligent, authentic questioning.  The differences are not always clear until much later in time.  And when the differences emerge, they emerge in real personal and social settings that cause clashes.  We are living in one of those times.  If you’ve been following this study, you can recognize some of the clashes in terms of religion and science, in terms of relationship with women, in terms of the modern world with both its tremendous advances and its clear declines.  We don’t agree on these matters at this time and that is why there is a great need for adult education if we are to rise to the level of our times.  Otherwise we stay mired in a past that no longer exists and worse create a future that does not honor that past.

So what does this passage have to say?  Here are some of the thoughts that emerged from our group.

I reflected on the fact that God begins with establishing a relationship with Abraham and a promise rooted in faithfulness, his faithfulness and Abraham’s.  But there is something troubling, here is the God of all of creation narrowing down his attention to one person, eventually to one people.  Over time with its actual history of triumph and collapse we come to learn that this one person, this one people are for the sake of all the people.  I concluded my remarks by reminding the group of Paul’s incredible words in Gal. 3: 28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”  For Christians, the fulfillment of this story breaks down all the barriers among human beings in the person of Christ.

Tim pointed out one difference in this genealogy, the age of the fathers gradually declines as well as the age at which they gave birth to their son.  There continues to be a focus on the male descendant but the age of the father more closely resembles our own experiences.

Ken assumed correctly though the text did not actually state it, that the age of marriage seems to hover close to what we experience.  His reference to “marriage” once again raised the cultural issue of it be written in a patriarchal society.  They took wives.  Jodie pointed out from her Humanities course that such was the case in the cultures of other peoples of the time, it wasn’t limited to the Israelites.

Topics quickly emerged from marriage, to polygamy, to concubines, to adultery.  We moved from the time of biblical account to our own time only to note how much change has gone on in our own life time.  Roseann pointed out that when she went to work out side the home, family life had to change.  As she reflected the woman who works outside the home cannot be expected to carry on all the same functions as she might have done before.  She divided up roles for the kids and it took a while for her husband to get use to it.

Carol pointed out how the Canton police would do a bust onCherry Street but only charge the women but that has changed too.

It seemed evident to me that we have lived through incredible social change.  We have different evaluations of those social changes.  And whether we agree or not these social changes impact us as individuals and we as the church; a church that cannot escape from its own time.  This is the context in which we often express our different and at times clashing opinions.  The biblical stories allow us to confront ourselves and our times in the context that God has revealed in Christ Jesus.  The challenge is multiple but it begins in part with an understanding of the biblical context.

Your thoughts, questions, etc. are welcomed.

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Session 19 – Held on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Dick

Catholic Identity – Understanding Needs to Occur Prior to Our Agreeing or Disagreeing 

In session 18 I was struck by a comment made by Rosemarie.  These are not her words but the gist of what she said in our conversation about women priests.  She remarked that the all male priesthood is a part of our Catholic Identity.  On the other hand in our conversation about relationships with women as we think it exists in Muslim countries.  Michael said that if they [Muslims among others] experienced their wife as a partner, they could realize the value of this and it could change them.

I am not asking you to agree or disagree with either of these statements or even if they are correct.  The point is that it is possible to think of our Catholic identity as being marked by an all male priesthood.  But would we ever think that the relationship of Muslim men and women is also a part of their identity.  Individual and social identity is a very powerful force in our life.  Here are a couple of questions to ponder in each case.  Do these two cases have a history?  The answer is obvious, yes.  Should that history continue? And is your answer the same in both cases?  If it is the same, why, and perhaps more telling, if it is different, why?  How do we discern our authentic identity?  Rising to the level of our times is to discuss these types of questions with understanding, passion, and sympathy.  What’s your  take?

Biblical Quotes –

I’m not sure exactly how our group ended up discussing this but they did.  Eventually we were to recognize that quoting the bible is often ambiguous, sometime down right wrong.  Nonetheless, the bible is the written source of our identity as Christians.

Some background, Steve told us a couple of stories of how other cultures that take the Ten Commandments seriously deal with stealing and adultery.  But, for Steve, here in theUnited Statesit’s a very different culture that tends to leave nearly all moral decisions to the individual.  As part of the discussion and to bolster their opinions Steve, Michael, and Heber quoted the scriptures.  I offered the reflection that it is dangerous to quote the scripture.  The Jewish and Christian faiths are historical faiths.  And as Christians Christ is the ultimate standard by which we are to understand the authentic development that exists within the bible.  I offered two biblical quotes myself.  It was only afterward that I realized I had done the very thing that the other three guys had done, quoted the bible.

Below you can read all five of the biblical quotes in the order that we heard them.  What I would ask you to do is to force rank each biblical quote; 1 being the most expressive of who a Christian should be and 5 being the least expressive of who a Christian should be.  Good luck.

1.  Ex. 20:14 – 15 – You shall not commit adultery.You shall not steal. 

2. Mt. 7:1 – “Stop judging,that you may not be judged.

3. Dt. 19:21 – Do not show pity. Life for life,eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot!

4. Gal. 5:22 – The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

5.  Mt. 25:34 – 40 – Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’

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Session 18 Part II – Held on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Dick

Tower of Babel – Gen. 11:1 – 9

This story is one of the most memorable; one which we might recall even from our childhood.  My memory is reinforced by the heading “Tower of Babel.” But the story is a building of a city which is named Babel.  Reading the notes will allow you to hear the story afresh, hearing what you haven’t heard before and discovering that your memory’s account of the story might very well have added a point or two not in the original story or a different focus as mine did.  http://www.usccb.org/bible/genesis/11.

If you’ve read the notes you might be able to detect the literary devices in this passage. As Tim was to point out later in our discussion Ch. 10 Table of Nations and this passage really deal with the same thing, an account of the fact that people after the flood were everywhere.  But the accounts are quite different and reflecting on the differences brings out the diversity, depth, and power of the Bible.  What are some of the differences in these two accounts?

There is a definite structure to this passage.  In vs. 3 -4 the people talk in direct discourse saying what they are going to do, why, and their fear, what they want to avoid.  Then in vs. 7 – God in direct discourse says what he is going to do with the result that the very thing the people don’t want to happen, happens. The opening phrase “the whole world” is a reference to its generality, not a single individual is named.  The author is reporting what is common to his human experience.  And what is that commonness?

What do you make of this?  What is so wrong with what the people not wanting to be “scattered?” And why is God so insistent that he is going to scatter them?  Tim helped us have a possible answer when he identify the time of the editor. The editor is writing after the people of Israel have returned from their exile in Babylon.  Perhaps the author / editor is helping his contemporaries to come to grips with their exile and their God.  Tim’s suggestion certainly opens up this passage.  How often don’t we struggle with what life deals us and our relationship with God?  We ask, why, especially when bad things happen.  Being exiled, feeling alienated, suffering loss are all very powerful human experiences that cry out for explanation.  And in this story what is the explanation?  Is there an explanation?

As the conversation continued Rebecca thought their act was an act of pride.  She saw pride in their wanting to make a name for themselves.  In my typical devil’s advocate role, I asked, well what is so bad about wanting to make a name for yourself.  Wouldn’t Tim want to make a name as a geologist; Ken, as a programmer; Fr. Tom, as a priest?  It seems to me a good reputation is a good not a bad.  The very tension in possible ways to understand the Bible is itself both a challenge and a blessing.

Once again, you might recognize the wealth that emerges in a faith group’s discussion on matters of importance in our life.  There is always more that goes on than is recorded on the website.  If you add your own observations, thoughts, questions, then the pages of the website itself can become all the more rich.

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