Month: September 2018
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Notes on Genesis 3 (Part 1)
The text we are studying for Sunday, September 30 is Genesis 3:8-17 & 22-24, the part of the dire chapter 3 that follows the stomach-churning moment when the humans suddenly realize that they have made a really really bad mistake. I say “stomach-churning” because I have once or twice in my life had the sudden […]
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Pre-Rant on Genesis 3
The text we are studying for Sunday, September 30 is Genesis 3:8-17 & 22-24, the part of the longer story in chapter 3 about the first human disobedience that details its consequences. Yes, it would be easier just to say “the story of the first human sin.” And I generally even agree that the story […]
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Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
We didn’t even begin to talk about everything we wanted to in class. It was “New Song Sunday” in worship, so we sang lots of new songs, not necessarily brand new, but new-to-us. [This is one:] And we heard that “the kingdom of God is at hand” is something like … when you’re having a […]
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion – Genesis 2 18-25 and 4 1-2
The text we’re studying for Sunday, September 23 is Genesis 2:18-25 and 4:1-2, God’s specific creation of the first woman as distinct from the first man, and the birth announcement of Cain and Abel. Here are a few questions we might want to consider, on our own or together in class: What is our past […]
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Notes on Genesis 2 18-25 and 4 1-2
The text we’re studying for Sunday, September 23 is Genesis 2:18-25 and Genesis 4:1-2. In keeping with our emphasis on creation this quarter, our curriculum identifies this as “God creates the family.” We can talk about that. We’re looking at the narrative of God’s specific creation of “the man” and “the woman,” and then at […]
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Kinds of Outreach
True story: Saturday was Louisville Pride Festival on Bardstown Road. Louisville Gay Men’s Chorus opened the musical side of the festival with the Star Spangled Banner and other opening songs, and VOICES of Kentuckiana sang right afterwards, so I was there in the back row trying to sing newish-to-me music after having been out on […]
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Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
A long day, but a good one. We were fortunate to have Rev. Dennis Smith, with whom our congregation has had a mission relationship for many years, visit and come study the Bible with us and preach on Mark 8:27-38 and stay for brunch and fill us in on how things are going in S. […]
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion – Genesis 1 26-31, 2 4-7
The text we’re studying for Sunday, September 16 is Genesis 1:26-31 and 2:4-7, the initial creation of humankind in God’s image/from the dust of the earth. Here are a few questions we might want to consider discussing in class. [Warning: it seems to me that we could spend more time than we ever have discussing […]
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Notes – Genesis 1 26-31 and 2 4-7
The text we are studying for Sunday, September 16 is Genesis 1:26-31 + 2:4-7. This is that portion of the creation story or stories in Genesis 1 & 2 that deals with the creation of adam, which is variously translated (in the NRSV, anyway) as “humankind” (Genesis 1:26 & 27) and as “man” (Genesis 2:7). […]
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Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Presbytery of Ohio Valley* met yesterday, at Camp PYOCA. The times I’ve been there in the past, I was taking little girls to summer camp, or picking them up, so attending a meeting of “the wider church” there with a hundred or so grown-ups was a different experience. But the famous cinnamon rolls were […]
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion – Genesis 1 14-25
The text we’re studying for Sunday, September 9 is Genesis 1:14-25, the continuation of the account of God’s creation of the heavens and the earth. We’re on days four through six this week. [Some notes on the text are here.] Here are a few questions that we might want to give some thought to or […]
Matters of Interpretation 