Welcome to Week Five of the Bible Challenge. My name is Ann Butler. I’m married to George Butler, who most of you
know, though you may not know we are married because we are hardly ever together in
the same Sunday service. I am a graduate
of EfM (Education for Ministry) and
am very blessed to be co-mentoring the current group with Jane Kiefer. After graduating from EfM in 2003 (with Nancy Ries) I felt called to spiritual direction and attended training to
become a spiritual director at the Virginia Institute of Spiritual Direction
located at The Well in Smithfield .
As mentors for EfM
we read the bible along with the first and second year participants. Since EfM started in September we are further along in our reading
than in the Bible Challenge. It has been
interesting to play chase with the readings as it has given me quite a few aha
moments where something in Judges or Romans relates back to what I’ve just read
in Genesis or Exodus, I’m making more of a connection than just reading the
footnotes in my study bible.
This week we continue in Exodus and actually finish the
book. More of the law will be
introduced (yes, there is more than just the initial Ten Commandments). We continue reading about God renewing his
Covenant, not just with an individual, but with His Holy Nation and their
acceptance of the covenant, which they immediately find hard to keep. By the end of this week you will know more
about making an Ark
for the Covenant and a tent Tabernacle than you probably ever have before. We will also read about the “mercy seat.” (There is a connection between the mercy seat
and the passion of Christ, you might do some research on this.) The readings
in Matthew will take us through the story of Holy Week; the crucifixion and
resurrection of Christ, and then we will start the story of Christ’s life and ministry
all over again from Mark’s perspective.
Mark is a very energetic Gospel, everything is done with action and
immediacy.
I hope as we have gotten more disciplined in setting time
aside to the read the bible daily, that we have also made some time to reflect
on the readings, not just check off the box that we’ve gotten it read. (And to those of you who think watching the
History Channel's series, The Bible, counts as reading cliff notes, sorry, you’re
missing out on a lot; they never even mentioned Jacob and the 12 tribes last
week.)
I have a hard time setting aside
enough time, but I find on those days that I read in the morning, I have time
to reflect on the reading during the day when I’m walking the dog or doing
dishes. A friend at work told me one
time, “I’ve read the bible through from beginning to end, twice, and it didn’t
change. I see no reason to read it again.” One of the things I have learned over the years
is to ask myself as I read the bible: 1) What was the story trying to say? 2) What
did the story mean in the context of the culture at the time? and, 3) What does
it say to me in this day and age? When
we take time to make connections between God’s word and our lives it comes
alive and has meaning, otherwise it can just be a story that doesn’t change. I hope your reflections on Christ’s passion this
week, as we near the end of Lent, will deepen your awareness as you participate
in the services of Holy Week next week.
So here's my quandry about today's reading from Matthew. First we hear about the bridesmaids who waited too long to purchase oil for their lamps and they missed the bridegroom's arrival and were locked out of the banquet. I guess I get it that we're supposed to be prepared. But what about those seemingly selfish bridesmaids who refused to share? They were rewarded and had the bridegroom all to themselves. How does that square with the king who rewards those who feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the prisoners and curses those who did not respond to the needs of their neighbors?
ReplyDeleteI don't think the wise bridesmaids were actually selfish for not sharing. The bridesmaids knew that it would take time for the bridegroom to arrive. Usually the wedding ceremony was held for a number of days and would begin in the evening. Since it was a joyous occasion, the procession through the town not only let everyone know that the marriage was about to take place, having the lamps in the dark added an air of festivity. But those lamps were also needed for the wedding party to see where they were going. If the foolish bridesmaids’ lamps were low on oil, chances are good the wise bridesmaids’ lamps were low also. Depending on how far it was to the marriage ceremony, if the extra oil was shared among the ten lamps, there might be the risk that everyone’s lamps would not have enough oil and would go out. Then no one would see where they were going. They would have to choose between risking being harmed if they went on in the dark and having to wait until daylight to continue.
ReplyDeleteHaving been asked to be bridesmaids they had a duty to their bride and the bridegroom, however, the foolish bridesmaids could not be bothered to be prepared. It would be like a modern bridesmaid showing up late wearing jeans and sneakers to walk up the aisle in a formal wedding instead of a gown because she just couldn’t be bothered to get appropriately ready. Do you tell her, we’re sorry, you can’t walk up the aisle, or do you make someone else miss out because you give her their gown?
Modern lives are filled with distractions. If someone chooses to stay home on Sundays, not worship God, not study, not be part of a Christian community, because they’re too busy, is that not the same as letting the lamps go low? Do we stay home with them and do the same and risk being unprepared ourselves because they’ve asked us to keep them company?
Psalm 23 says God prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies. This is very different from the preceding Psalms that focus on domination and destruction of my enemies. Are my enemies invited to the table?
ReplyDelete