Readings: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18; Psalm 27; Philippians 3:12—4:1; Luke 13:31-35
God of our fathers and mothers,
Your faithfulness knows no bounds.
Your love is beyond measure.
So many times we stumble and fall.
So many times we lack faith.
Forgive us and strengthen us.
Help us to grow in Christlikeness and stand firm in Your love.
Amen.
During Lent here at Suburban Presbyterian Church, we are exploring the creative and liturgical arts, with classes and speakers dealing with storytelling, iconography, dance, visual art, writing, and so on. The theme is “A Beautiful Thing,” inspired by the story of the woman anointing Jesus and his declaration that “She has done a beautiful thing for me.” (Mark 14, NIV)
We are working on the notion that everything we do can be considered a beautiful thing–a creative offering to God–whether it’s gardening or scrapbooking or accounting or sorting clothes at the clothes closet or child-rearing. And so:
1. Would you call yourself “creative”? Why or why not?
Yes, there are a lot of things I do that are creative.
2. Share a creative or artistic pursuit you currently do that you’d like to develop further.
Writing and crocheting (see skirt in pic).
3. Share a creative or artistic pursuit you have never done but would like to try.
Calligraphy! I have all the things I need; I just need to get started.
4. Complete this sentence: “I am in awe of people who can _____________.”
Sing. I can’t, so it’s one of those great mysteries to me—especially people who can sing by ear.
5. Share about a person who has encouraged your creativity, who has “called you to your best self.” (I’m pretty sure that’s from the Gospel of Oprah.)
Most definitely Jenn. We’re both writers, and it seems she’s finding ways of egging me on to be the best writer I can be.
I have added a Women in Ministry category to the menu. It has several links that have wonderful articles, resources, and stories of women in ministry from the New Testament until now.
I’m sure most of you have heard about the special the Discovery Channel will have on a tomb found that could be the tomb of Jesus and his family. Ben Witherington has a series of posts on why this probably isn’t the tomb of Jesus and his family. He starts his critique of the special with this:
First of all, I have worked with Simcha [Jacobovici, one of the producers]. He is a practicing Jew, indeed he is an orthodox Jew so far as I can tell. He was the producer of the Discovery Channel special on the James ossuary which I was involved with. He is a good film maker, and he knows a good sensational story when he sees one. This is such a story. Unfortunately it is a story full of holes, conjectures, and problems. It will make good TV and involves a bad critical reading of history. Basically this is old news with a new interpretation. We have known about this tomb since it was discovered in 1980. There are all sorts of reasons to see this as much ado about nothing much.
Ben goes on to list those reasons in The Jesus Tomb? “Titanic” Talpoit Tomb Theory Sunk from the Start.
He has also posted two other posts as more evidence has come to him: Problems Multiply for Jesus Tomb Theory and The Smoking Gun—Tenth Talpoit Ossuary Proved to Be Blank.
The picture is from The Discovery Channel.