Beth Scibienski
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This is a blog that covered three years of the Revised Common Lectionary. Go ahead and search for a topic or scripture. I pray it helps in your experience with the relentless return of the Sabbath.

Land

8/26/2014

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Finishing a series on elements of the earth: the meanings and metaphors found in the scriptures. This week is Land. The texts I've chosen are: Genesis 2:4b-15, Deuteronomy 5:32-6:3, Mark 4:26-32.  They provide a mix of the use of the word for ground, adamah in the Hebrew. In the first, man or adam, comes from the adamah, ground. And adam is given responsibility for working and serving the ground. In the second, the people are reminded of a promise that if they keep the statues of the Lord, then it will go well with them on the ground, or in the land. The last text is the parable of the mustard seed, small and yet with large potential when placed in the ground.

What does it mean to us, for us that we are from the ground? Created, as told in the second creation story, from the ground, of the ground. We share the DNA as it were of the earth beneath our feet. In the height of the farming season, August in NJ is lush. Everything is green and fruitful. Tomatoes are plentiful; sweet corn if available on every other corner. Peaches and cantaloupe are served for dessert.
We share the DNA of this fruitful place we call home. We have lost so much connection to this home of ours though. The earth and its land seem distant, they are separate from us. It seems we are runaways of sorts. We have created life and livelihoods away from the land. Our food goes through many hands, and comes to us often from distant factories. We drive through this home of ours in our individual climate controlled vehicles.

I would argue that not only are we disconnected from the land outside of ourselves, we are disconnected from the fiber of our own beings. Our physical life, our breath, our skin, our nerves and joints often go unnoticed or if noticed, medicated so as to be unnoticed. Stop for a second and breath a few times. Seriously, stop. Feel your insides. What's going on? Is your breath even, or is it choppy? Scan your body starting at your feet. Wiggle your feet. Roll your ankles. Bend your knees. Take a breath and imagine blood circulating through your legs. Shift in your seat. Twist your torso. Stretch your arms overhead and take another deep breath. As you breathe out, rest your arms at your side. Roll your shoulders - front and then back. Turn your head side to side. Breathe again. Close your eyes. Open them. Close them again for longer and imagine blood up your arms and around your heart. Feel for your stomach. Can you find it in your inner mind? Or how about your lungs? Turn your attention to your ears. Listen. What sounds are around you right now?

This body of ours is our home, made from the land.
Called to serve the land. Given the promise of the land. A land that is lush and fruitful. We are lush and fruitful. We have the potential to grow into more than we imagine. All we need is a proverbial mustard seed. What that might be for you and your community?








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Fire

8/13/2014

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I went off lectionary before Easter and then life got crazy and exciting as I led two churches to merge this past spring and summer. I'm back in the preaching saddle again, although the narrative lectionary doesn't start for a few more weeks. I'm in a four week series that teaches a form of literary interpretation called bricolage. Bricolage is the act of taking diverse things and allowing them to speak to one another to create meaning. I've chosen to use this method to look at how the scriptures speak about the elements of the earth: water, fire, wind and land. This week is Fire.
Picture
He led his flock out to the edge of the desert, and he came to God’s mountain called Horeb. 2 The Lord’s messenger appeared to him in a flame of fire in the middle of a bush. Moses saw that the bush was in flames, but it didn’t burn up. 3 Then Moses said to himself, Let me check out this amazing sight and find out why the bush isn’t burning up.

Stops
He was at the edge of the desert
He was looking around
Trips
Why was he at the edge?
Did he need a break?
Was it a burning bush, fire or red or what?
Openings
I'm interested in how he noticed something off the path - and that he was open to being at the edge of the desert. It's an edge of the world kind of story, maybe.
Perspectives
Moses
Sheep
the bush itself
the voice
the messenger
his sandals
the holy ground
Picture
This is the offering by fire that you shall offer to the Lord: two male lambs a year old without blemish, daily, as a regular offering. One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight; also one-tenth of an ephah of choice flour for a grain-offering, mixed with one-fourth of a hin of beaten oil. It is a regular burnt-offering, ordained at Mount Sinai for a pleasing odour, an offering by fire to the Lord.

Stops
offering is an everyday acrivity
morning, evening
animal, grain, oil
Trips
What does this mean to our world?
We don't have burnt offerings.
There is no temple cult anymore.
What am I to bring?
What or who is to consume it?
Who receives it and "burns it?"
Openings
The gift was for the whole assembly and then for the priests or servants of the temple. How we receive our offering in a typical worship service doesn't seem to do this text justice. A potluck is more similar.
Perspectives
Priests
People
Animals or grain
the grill/fire/bbq pit

Picture
Who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.


Stops
Life really does feel like a purifying process; the passage rings true.
Trips
I haven't seen silver refined since a field trip in grammar school.
I'm still wondering about right offering (or sacrifice from the previous passage) and in this case, a more perfect offering.
Openings
I really like this picture because the silversmith is taking great care with the piece. It's not a bulk job. She (and I like that part too) is an artist. How does God's judgement, correction and refinement of me change if I believe God to be an artist, perfecting me, her creation?
Perspectives
the silver or gold
the fire
the refiner
the old who remember the former days
the young who don't
the purpose of the silver or gold one refined

Picture
And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?” He answered, “An enemy has done this.” The slaves said to him, “Then do you want us to go and gather them?” But he replied, “No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’

Stops
seems chaotic
and unavoidable
I don't know what the difference of these specific plants are.
Trips
Who is the enemy?
Is there no concern for the weeds to damage the wheat? or perhaps we can't do anything about that.

Openings
I thought weeds were defined as plants that we don't have a use for yet. In the meaning of this parable, doesn't God have use for all? Or maybe it's not people that are the wheat or the weeds. Maybe its actions, attitudes, sacrifices and offerings.
Perspectives
Field
Sower
Good Seeds
Enemy
Bad Seeds
Sunlight
Water
Harvester
Bundle maker
Fire

I'm drawn to the Malachi passage along with the Numbers passage. But am stumped by the fire that calls us and the fire that ultimately devours us. I think I'm letting go of the "us." Perhaps the eternal fire with weeping and gnashing of teeth is first hyperbole and second not about individuals but about behavior, ideas, systems, and the aspects of our world that are not "good."

If so, then what of our offerings? What of our gifts to the alter? How are these behaviors, ideas, gifts and sacrifices from us (individually but moreso collectively) righteous or made righteous? One thing remains true, the purifying process is universally felt. But we may have been misinterpreting the purpose of the refinement, the goal of the sacrifice and how when we see something on fire, we are drawn to examine it.
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    These are weekly reflections mostly about the texts on which I am preaching this upcoming Sunday. My congregation is Grace Presbyterian Church and if you want to hear the final sermon, check out our youtube channel.


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