The Last Week
Summer 2007 Bible Study

Chapter 3

"St. Joan of Arc Bible Study is an open and growing group that meets for fellowship and to discuss the Bible and other faith-centered literature. Our informal study group draws from biblical scholarship, historical perspectives, current events and personal reflections. We welcome honor and respect the personal ideas and spiritual journeys of all who join us."

Greetings

Record crowds continue to pour out to share Borg and Crossan's "The Last Week", the Holy Week story told in the Gospel of Mark. 25 members turned out for Chapter 3, "Tuesday". We opened with an original inspired prayer composed by the night's facilitator:

Jesus, our oldest brother (to use an African term), we are gathered here to study your life and the writings of your followers who came after you. From our readings we are beginning to realize that you were completely human as we are. We are becoming aware that your fully human life as an utterly remarkable 'spirit person' and 1st century Jewish mystic enables us to see the 'face of God', or in other words "the Incarnation of God."

We are learning that by your peaceful and sometimes impetuous actions (e.g. The cleansing of the Temple) you taught and preached a 'way' of justice and equality for all people, going directly against the established domination system of your time which was combined with a theology of divine power. You tried to center the lives of 1st century Jews and Gentiles to the one God, our Father and Mother.

Today we look to you, our oldest brother, our Pre-Easter prophet, healer, and mystic to help us cope with the domination system we live under now and we ask you for help to acquire a balance in our lives regarding the many pagan gods of consumerism.

We do this in confidence with the voices of the early Post-Easter Christian and God-fearing community where you are spoken of as "the light of the world, the bread of life" and as John said, "whoever has seen me has seen God." We now know you would never have said these things of yourself, if you were alive, but in unity with the succeeding 2000+ years of testament by our "living-church-faith" we ask you to come into our midst as you have promised. Help us learn more about you as a completely human, Jewish wisdom teacher, healer and spirit-person-mystic of the 1st century of the Common Era-our eldest brother, because through you we then know God.

Amen

Thanks, David T.

As the format for this evening was "open mike", we do not have notes to pass on. Instead, we were guided through the study questions in the back of the book. These questions stimulated much talk about the nature of inspiration, a wide range of belief in the extent and degree of inspiration, both in scripture and in other writings and oral stories, ancient and contemporary. While there was some skepticism whether certain passages and books were really inspired, a more common theme seemed to be how the creativity and imagination seen in many current stories is evidence of ongoing inspiration.

The Sadducees' puzzle about the widow who married 7 brothers (which would be her husband in the afterlife that Jesus and the Pharisees believed in, but the Sadducees did not), took on a life of its own as the group thoroughly debated the lack of a concept of an afterlife for so much of Jewish history, and the many interpretations of the Christian notions of life after death.

Treat time found a table groaning with cool summer time goodies: a lemon meringue pie, and a tray of Brie, crackers, and green grapes. Conversation on the topics of the session did not abate, but actually increased as people sought out members who had been across from each other, both in the sense of sitting on the far side of tonight's big circle of chairs, and in the sense of being on different sides of a debate. These were not opponents trying to convince the other of one's rightness, but as participants in a blessed event. Thanks, Denise and Sheila, for the tasty delights.

After the break, our facilitator elected to keep us assembled in a large group, since the interchange had been so productive. Just about everyone contributed something, and several were not afraid to present minority views. We continued through the Gospel stories of the prediction of the Temple's destruction and the Little Apocalypse. Only with great effort did our leader bring the session to a close, so spirited was the back-and-forth talk. Thanks, again, David T (initial given to distinguish him from David R and David B, other members).

Next week, August 7: NO BIBLE STUDY - many members will be participating in the National Night Out activities in their neighborhoods.

Next session: Tuesday, August 14 Chapter 4 "Wednesday"

• Facilitator: Vi
• Opening prayer: Peggy
• Treats: Margaret and Jay
• Closing prayer: Nancy