Way of Love: Pray

Posted on by harasprice

We began our bible study with a prayer, in the form of what we know in The Episcopal Church as a Collect. A Collect is a prayer to God which calls us together around a common intention, offered in the name of Christ. Last year, we worked to write a Collect for our bible study group, Faith from the Margins to the Web. We prayed this together, and reflected on the way in which our lives are shaped by prayer:

Gracious God who is made known to your people through your incarnate Word, we ask your prayers for those who study, reflect, and share your good news through Faith from the Margins to the Web. Be present in every conversation and through your Holy Spirit, carry the good news to all those who yearn to hear. Be known to us in each other across the divides of this world through sharing the eternal words given to us in the life of your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Each member of the group took a turn reflecting on the role of prayer in our lives:

Jamillah:

“I pray at home and in church; in church I pray to the Lord to show me things. At home, I pray with my hands folded before I do to bed. I think of words, you know, I’m actually studying the bible and I put my head down and pray and see what words come to me.”

Paulette:

“I pray anywhere and everywhere. I pray before I eat my food, to bless my food and to bless me. I could be walking along the street and things just hit you and sometimes, you know, you end up praying right there in the middle of the street.

I go to the park sometimes where I can be isolated from people, to get myself concentrating. I sometimes pray with my head down and my hands folded and sometimes I just speak to God like I was talking to my friend. I pray for safety, my health, my strength and for finance. I pray to keep all harm and all danger away from me. I just pray all the time; whenever I feel I need prayer I pray. Amen!”

David:

“Prayer to me is a cleansing. I’m a silent prayer. I might, you know, I might have to get to the point where I break down and then I get silent and that is when I really pray, pouring out myself.”

Marvin:

“I just pray to God like I’m talking to a friend. Just talk to Him, you know, and the Holy Spirit offers me feedback. There’s no specific time or place to pray, you just pray whenever you think about it. I was trying to think of a simple way to put it: you’re getting ready to do something and you know that maybe it’s a problem and all of a sudden you here, “hey hey, don’t do that.” You know, that is also prayer. That’s when I know that God is also talking to me. “

Arthur:

“I pray every morning and every night. That’s the way I was come up in Church to do, every morning and every night. My day say that everything would be alright if you do that. And you know, that’s right. When I keep with that it seems to me that things have a way of working out, or for me understanding them.”

Mrs. P

“I pray constantly. There is always something going on my life with my kids or my grandkids. So you know, I just realize that I pray all the time. Not always for me. But I love them so I pray for them. Anywhere and everytime, I pray a prayer. Pray when I’m happy, pray when I’m sad. Pray all the time.”

Sarah

“I sing; it’s how I most love to pray…there’s this saying that “those who sing pray twice” and for me that is true. There are some chants I sing every day, and sometimes it a song or a hymn that comes into my mind. There are other ways I pray, too. But my soul feels deeply connected to God when I sing.”

Way of Love: Learn

Posted on by harasprice

Psalm 119:33-42

Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes,
and I will observe it to the end.

Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
and observe it with my whole heart.

Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.

Turn my heart to your decrees, and not to selfish gain.

Turn my eyes from looking at vanities; give me life in your ways.

Confirm to your servant your promise, which is for those who fear you.

Turn away the disgrace that I dread, for your ordinances are good.

See, I have longed for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life.

Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord,
your salvation according to your promise.

Then I shall have an answer for those who taunt me,
for I trust in your word.

Our group read this psalm and then considered the question:

“Who taught you about God, and what did you learn?”

Jamillah began the conversation: 

“For me, ‘teach me oh Lord the way of thy statutes’ this tells me to abide, to learn the statues so that we can live life. My parents first taught me by taking me to church and to bible study, learning the then commandments. You have a lot of bible scholars, but also some people who try to take a verse and just put their own thoughts on it to press on you. I think what they taught me most was how to really read the Bible, how to discern the ways that God speaks to us through His Word.”

Mrs. P considered her own situation, “I know I’m an old lady, but my mother was the minister. We were brought up in Holiness, and that was a women’s movement. Women were the preachers and the teachers. So it was my Mother that taught people, and my mother who taught me. The Church and Family were one and the same for me. And we’re still all together.

Arthur added his recollections as well: “You know, we were made to go to Church because it’s where my Momma was. But, I learned that we have to live the way that Jesus wants us to live. I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that there are rules in the everlasting life. It’s isn’t love and do what you want. It’s that when you align yourself with the things that you want to do but the things that God tell your are the ways that your life should be lived in the world.”

What have you learned about God, and who are the teachers in your own life?

(leave your comments below)

Way of Love: Turn

Posted on by harasprice

Romans 6:3-11

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

There are moments when a group has been working together that someone speaks truth, and others listen. After Paulette read this lesson, it was Mrs. P who gave us words to ponder in our hearts:

“Everything that we do is really there for God to help us. It isn’t that God wants to punish us; we might think that way but when we die to sin, we are asking for God to help us. God has given us every opportunity to know what it is to be pure, to have a relationship with God. But you have to get yourself out of the way!”

We took a moment there in the group to name the ways we each can stand in the way of God’s pull to turn from death to life, and the joys when we remember God’s presence with us and in the wise words of Mrs. P, get ourselves out of the way!

Way of Love: Bless

Posted on by harasprice

Ezekiel 36:24-28

I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all the countries, and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances. Then you shall live in the land that I gave to your ancestors; and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

What is one word that describes your blessing: the new spirit that God has put within you?


Here is the word cloud our group created of the new spirit alive in us.

What word describes the new spirit that God has put in you?

(please respond in comments)

Way of Love: Rest

Posted on by harasprice

Matthew 11:28-30

‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’

The question for the group was: Where do you find rest?

David, who logs miles every day on his bicycle running errands and tying together odd jobs was first to chime in: “When I kick my feet up and I finally get off that bicycle, when I put my feet up on that crate. That is rest!”

Mrs. P was thoughtful, sharing with several pauses:

“I should be really resting now as much as I want to, at this age, but I’m not at peace. I have it a lot of times, and I want to be peaceful. People don’t know that I’m not at peace. But, I carry it. For my daughter, for people I love. But, I have to remember to give it to God. Then, it’s an exhale, I can actually feel it releasing to God’s love and care.”

“When you give your burdens to God; when you really, really release that, then it is like a sigh”

“A mind that is stayed on Jesus is kept in perfect peace.”

Way of Love: Go

Posted on by harasprice

Luke 24:1-12

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

In our group, we pondered the questions: Where is love needed in this community or the world? Where do you see the hope of resurrection?

“I think with the resurrection, it wasn’t that people didn’t want to believe, it was just so hard to believe. To go and share something practically unbelievable is a risk. But that is how God’s love is.”

“Love is needed on the streets of this world; there are people who come from lives where they have no love. We have so much love to share, and there are people whose hearts need to be filled with that love.”

What are the corners of your world where love is needed?

(Please respond in comments)

Way of Love: Worship

Posted on by harasprice

Luke 1:46-56

And Mary said,

‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’

The day of this particular group happened to be the Feast of the Annunciation. So, the Magnificat was a particularly significant song of worship to reflect upon.

Jamillah really resonated with Mary’s song and with this question, “I mean, wasn’t she scared?” I acknowledged that I imaged Mary had emotions like any of us, but also (I believe) made a choice to trust deeply in God, and in this she found her steadfast hope. That, to me, is the incredibly significance of the Magnificat, with all its reversals of power and expectation. It is a song of worship, as well as the coming a life-changing, power-reversing intervention of God into our human lives. This brought another reflection from Jamillah:

“God deserves our worship; when we worship and pray it isn’t just about us; it is living into a relationship with God”

We moved together into our question for reflection:

Mary gave thanks to God in this song; what would be the song of thanks your heart sang to God?

This question brought such an amazing response from the group. Not only did each person have a song to offer up, we began singing them. It was easy for this group to become a sort of worship service in itself. For the online version, rather than just naming the songs, I’m posting links to the songs of thanks welling up from our Faith from the Margins participants; I hope this gives you just a hint of the deep faith and worship experiences of our participants:

Fishers of People

Posted on by harasprice

Faith from the Margins to the Web for the 5th Sunday after the Epiphany, Year C:

Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 

Luke 5:1-11
Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

 

“We’ve worked all night and yet have caught nothing!”

Well, isn’t that the truth.  If I had a dollar for every day that I felt like shaking my fist to the skies and uttering something like that…well, maybe I wouldn’t even need to work anymore!  It is our human experience, so many times, that we work to the utmost of our capacity and yet it doesn’t seem like we accomplish what we set out to do.

So, I can relate to the fishers of fish in this Gospel lesson, out there on the Lake, lowering their nets and pulling back an old shoe or a few minnows.  Ugh.  So frustrating.  And along comes Jesus and says, “lower your nets.”  Simon is willing to do it, but if I could read sarcasm into the Biblical Greek, I can imagine it was with a bit of, “Ok, whatever you say, Jesus…”  Either that, or I’m projecting.  It would have been like that for me, at least.

But it occurs to me that Jesus knew that, too.

Jesus knows when we are exhausted, and frustrated.  Jesus knows when we have put that net into the water for the 10,000th time only to dredge up nothing worthy.  Jesus knows that when the still, small voice of our heart hears the nudge to try one more time, our exhausted frame says, “are you kidding?” even if our dutiful response is, “if you say so…”  It might be that the real love is casting that net even when we are filled with doubt.

I think that is what Jesus means here.  It isn’t a story of magic or “third time’s the charm.”  It’s a matter of engaging our skills to serve the world even when we aren’t sure that it will produce great things.  It is casting our cares on God who says, “one more time” and then being delighted by whatever emerges from that haul.

I also note that Simon didn’t try to do it alone.  Remember that, friends.

Here at Faith from the Margins to the Web, I haven’t been able to do it alone, either.  My nets have been filled to overflowing with God’s grace.  I’ve had participants and students and Patience my beautiful friend and photographer.  I have more people who want to participate than time to type and cut and curate and post what they have to share.  The haul has been greater than I anticipated, or that will fit in my boat.

That brings me to my point here, and why I’m writing this week’s reflection solo.  I have so many people who want to participate in groups and bible studies in my context that it’s gotten hard to manage.  I’ve decided to spend my time with them instead of managing the flurry of recordings, information and weekly blogging.  So, I’m asking my village: is it time for us all to fish for people?

Right now, I write a blog each week, but my hope is that this blog has inspired others to do the same.  We are all called to fish for people.  Maybe we are all called to bring our own sense of the Gospel to each other as well, crossing all the margins that could separate us so we can see Christ in each other.

So, I’m moving away from doing all the writing and the curating, and inviting this community of readers to help.  Pick a week…any week…and sit down with someone you know (or even someone you don’t) and read the Gospel lesson together (you can find the weekly lesson here).  Write down what you think.  Send it to me, and I’ll post it here (just tell me how you want me to give you credit and list your name!).   If you want a copy of the template we use for bible study, just ask!  I’ll send it to you.  I’ll still be engaging people in bible study here and posting from time to time as well as I’m able…but the boat is full, and I’m reaching out to see who else can help me with these nets filled with beautiful reflections on the holy scriptures that are yearning to be heard.

Contact Sarah or send a reflection by clicking here.

Let’s fish for people together and see what happens (note from the Gospel, “Don’t be afraid!”)

Stay tuned to see what happens next…

Grace and Peace,

Sarah

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The Spirit of the Lord is Upon Me

Posted on by harasprice

Faith From the Margins to the Web Bible Study

3rd and 4th Sundays after the Epiphany, Year C

The Gospel lessons of the 3rd and 4th Sundays after Epiphany are two parts of one event in the early life and ministry of Jesus.  In this Faith from the Margins Bible Study, we chose to read and study them together, pausing to consider what each tells us about who Jesus is:

 

Luke 4:14-21

 

Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

 

When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

 

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

 

And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

“Wow” said Mary, “I’m gonna tell you what I heard.  That Spirit of Jesus, it was gonna spread to all those countries all around.  But first, Jesus…he stood up, he took that scroll, and he wanted to set his people free.  But, the eyes of those people…all of them…in that synagogue just set their sights on him.  It was like a sign was brought to them, that they could see God through him.”

“He’s coming to do the things that we need someone to do in the world” said Willie.  “I think this was one of those times when he was…how do they say it…’about his Father’s business!”  The group chuckled as Willie continued, “I think that he took ahold of that opportunity and let people know, this is what I am about.”

“Sure, it was going to come out in the way Jesus did miracles, in the people that he was with…but no mistaking it, he was telling them from the beginning exactly what he was going to do” said Mary.

“You know, this shows me how awesome Jesus was…he hadn’t even done his ministry yet.  He was young, in the synagogue with the elders.  His Mom, Joseph…people who knew him wondering what he was doing standing up there.   I wonder what they were thinking about him?”

“Well it’s interesting that you asked that” I said, “because the next lesson picks up right at that place”

 

Luke 4: 21-30 (picking up from the previous lesson)

 

All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.'” And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.

 

“Wow” said Beth.  “Jesus had courage!”

“He was speaking some tough stuff.  He had no fear of flesh and mankind to preach and get that word out” said David. “I mean he must have had no fear.”

“It goes to show you how strong it is” said Mary, “that there wasn’t going to be any backing down.”

“It’s kind of a complicated, deep and beautiful pictures of Jesus, isn’t it?” I asked. “How do these lessons tell us more about how Jesus is?”

Jamillah responded, “I think I’m beginning to really see the meaning of this, of how Jesus is Father and Son and Holy Spirit.  Not just one thing, but so many things.”

“You know, its so interesting” said David, “We all come at this in different ways but it keeps coming back to this same place where we learn something new from each other, and it brings us back to seeing and knowing Jesus.”

Jesus:  courageous, prophet, speaker of truth.  One and yet so many things to so many people.

We closed our Epiphany bible study with Mary offering up a prayer:

“Oh merciful, Heavenly Father, we come to you at this hour thanking you for this time to get to know you better.  God we just give you thanks, in this day and every day.  We love you no matter what, because we know you are here for us no matter what.  And I bring this is the holy name of Jesus to you.”  

And all the people said, AMEN.

 

 

Water and Wine

Posted on by harasprice

Faith From the Margins to the Web Bible Study

2nd Sunday after the Epiphany, Year C:

Opening Prayer:

Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

John 2:1-11

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Faith from the Margins to the Web Bible Study Group

This week, we continue our exploration into the ways that the Gospel lessons of the Sundays after the Epiphany reveal to us something about the nature and person of Jesus.

Jamillah read the Gospel lesson of Jesus’ first miracle at the Wedding at Cana aloud to the group.

“Well, this passage tells us that Jesus obeyed his mother!” said Beth, which created some some good natured laughter among the group.

Jamillah said, “Well, he’s still showing examples of how he is not inferior, how he is showing people examples of how he is human, not some holy God who demands attention.

“A normal and regular person” said David, “Jesus is trying to show us that he is like us, that he needs to help give us a lesson that just like us, he is human with a family and he has challenges and he has to decide who to listen to.  Yeah, that’s what I’m getting: challenges.  Trying to decide who to listen to is a challenge that we all have.”

“In the Gospels, this is the first miracle of Jesus” I added, “and it’s always stood out to me that the first miracle was at a very human event, a wedding…something that crosses cultures and brings us joy.”

“And he didn’t stand up on stage and do it” said Beth, “he just did it quietly.”

“Isn’t it from a human standpoint that he made the water turn into wine?” asked Jamillah.  “When I think about that, it was like Jesus who was a human knew, ‘I need to do something from a human standpoint’ and to show people a sign that is something they can see, which was the wine.”

“And that water and that wine, it goes back even to Moses” said David.  “You know, remember that story where Moses strikes the rock because the people, they demanded for him to give them water.  And he begs God, and gets angry and strikes the rock and then all that water flows.  Now, it’s water into wine.”

The group began to talk about this, and wondered about water and wine and the symbolism, in the Old and the New Testaments.  As a newly ordained Deacon, I couldn’t help but share with the group about what this Gospel lesson brings up for me:

“You know, I know that many of you have different churches you go to on Sunday and that customs might be different from place to place.  But here, when I serve as a deacon, one of my jobs is to set the table for communion.  And when I’m doing that, I prepare, as you would when you have guests.  Holy communion is a holy meal.  The way we have a tradition of serving that meal in the Episcopal Church is to use a common cup.  So, when I am setting the table and I pour the wine into that cup, we always add a little bit of water.  That’s a symbolic action, not a magic trick.  It reminds us that in this holy meal, there is all this symbolism around the bread and the wine.  But, this is one of the stories that I think about when I’m setting the table, and the way that Jesus was also preparing that holy feast for the wedding guests but giving us a symbol, too, of that wine which becomes for us the blood of Christ.”

“Thank you for that!” said Dale.  “I didn’t know any of that and it gives me a whole different perspective!”

Jesus: obedient to requests made in love, understanding our human joys and longings, preparer of the gift of love for all humanity.

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Photo of stained glass window of the Wedding at Cana from St. Mark’s, Berkeley CA