Sunday, February 8, 2009

church

I don't often write much about church but today I was inspired twice in church to read my bible more...that is a rare inspiration for me and I also feel like it's a bit of a rare inspiration for most people to get from an episcopal church (I say this because lately I've noticed all the people carrying their covered bibles to the Presbyterian church I have to pass at the end of our block on my way to our church, without my bible, where no one will have brought their bibles...it's just not an episcopal thing as far as I can tell) Anyway.
Our adult forum this morning was about Paul's teachings/prophesy on the Jews based on Romans 9-11. The woman leading is a professor from Princeton and it was interesting to hear what she had to say about context and language and the way people interpret the bible, it made me think back to classes in college where I used to have to study and write papers about passages. It made me want to remember more of what I've read about the bible and it made me want to understand the wider context better, which would require reading (a great amount of reading I think).
But all of that is nothing compared to how this morning's gospel reading made me want read the bible; were you in church today?
The gospel was Jesus healing a sick woman who immediately gets up to serve all the men in the house. My friend Sara and I turned to each other with thinly veiled looks of skepticism...this is not Jesus like behavior. I could just hear all the men..."What there is no woman in the house to serve us?" But wait...we've got Jesus "Never fear, I'll heal her" and the second she's well she's up and serving all of them?  All I could think was this is not the Jesus I know...not the Jesus who is kind to those others despise...the Jesus who hung out with women, the kind of women other men paid to be with...
Somehow I did not remember ever hearing this particular story, I cannot imagine I would have forgotten it or missed the connection.
Anyway it made me think, maybe there are other stories I'm not remember correctly or didn't hear properly, or maybe there's more to the story and I just don't know it because it wasn't part of this morning reading, but if I were reading on my own as well...well.
Now to find the time... 

3 comments:

  1. Come on down to Bible study on Wednesday nights at 6. We always have rousing conversations on just this kind of thing. You'd be welcome! Speaking of which, I better get going!

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  2. the only Bible or Christian-related book I've bought in the past few years is called "escaping Eden- Feminist perspectives on the Bible". i haven't read most of it, of course, but I have it.

    You're right- I think we had a different view of these stories back in our Gordon days. It's interesting to hear where you're at w/ some of this.

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  3. Hey Jennye! It's been awhile since I visited your blog so am reading some older posts and smiled at this one! I recall having the same reaction when I first heard the story. Nowadays, I hear it differently. I see this woman who is celebrating her healing by doing what brings her energy and life and is an expression of her love. It's sad that the opression and abuse of women over the centuries have caused us to suspect Jesus of being chauvanistic when he so clearly wasn't. Keep reading and talking, you have a great way with language.
    Love, Bette

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