Week 4

Person 1:

• Substitutionary vs. participatory atonement? - difficulty understanding what participatory means.
• sacrifice of Lamb - people are saved; becomes food for journey
• comparison: Passover & Last Supper 
• participation: living out His words in our actions; feeding the 5000 - loaves & fishes (disciples participation)
• distributive justice - new testament

Person 2:

• 4 rich meanings of Last Supper
• meals as worship & way of breaking social boundries
• Echo of feeding 5000
• Exodus
• Body & Blood
• Not an eyewitness account
• Daniel
• Participation with Christ
• Meals
• Distribution Justice
• Compassion does not create community
• If you distribute - God will multiply
• We have to honor who we are

Person 3:

• NOT eyewitness - could have been a "hearing"
• Bread of presence (shekinah) from another source (=anybody's side of it is as good as another
• participation = communion
• bread = material basis of existence
• = central to survival (along with debt)
• = justice
• Messiah = Kingdom of God = challenge to empire = Mark's message
• Messiah - Son of Man - anti-imperial

After Class #1

We Begin

We decided that we did not want to meet on Easter. Given that, we set the readings by chapter for each Sunday between now and then.

for 3.16 - chapters 1 - 2
for 3.23 - chapters 3 - 4
for 3.30 - chapter 5
for 4.6 - chapters 6 - 7
for 4.13 - chapter 8

For each class, Rev. Mark is asking that people write down something that they thought needed sharing, was confusing, was provocative, or they wanted some more discussion about. 

If you are not meeting with the class, but are reading along, and you have something you want to add to that list, you can either send it to Rev. Mark or post it as a comment under that chapters reading. Then people can respond.

Of course, anyone can respond and be a part of the conversation if they want to. Please keep it relevant and posted under the correct chapter (if it is clear).

Here is what people noted after a Hello session and look into the preface.

"Jesus teaching was not based on a desire for external validation."

[Which is good considering how the week went...]

"Multiple definitions of: passion; justice"

[passion can be 'suffering' but it can also be 'what a person really cares about'

justice is even more varied:

•  everything gets back to whom it first belonged, 
• everybody gets what they need,
•  a written code]

"Dogma?"

[Not being sure why this one is here, but let me say that the authors are not especially traditional in their theology. What we might take for dogma, they take as an interesting question. 

• How comfortable are you about hearing a challenge to things you have just always known to be true about God, scripture, Jesus, and the Holy Week Story? 
• Does there need to be only one 'good, right, and true' answer? 
• What things need to be true in order for you to think something is Christian?
• How well do you think you know the stories of Holy Week?]

This Sunday, we might want to sit at the big table to accommodate everyone in comfort.

Announcing

Lenten Book Study

Starting on March 9 we will be looking at the book "The Last Week" by M. Borg and J. Crossan. The book's subtitle is "What the Gospels Really Teach About the Jesus's Final Days in Jerusalem." Starting with Palm Sunday and ending with Easter, the books looks at what the bible says and doesn't say while looking for the metaphorical meaning of what is actually said. We will discuss what we learn and what it means for us.

Discussion/class will be on Sundays from 11:30 ish to 1:00. If you sign up during Hospitality, we will order a book for you. You can also buy a Kindle version or get the book yourself. Rev. Mark will lead the discussion. You do not need to sign up to attend. But, please read the chapter for that week.

BUT WAIT THERE IS MORE! If you want to be a part of discussing this book, but can not make the class (ever or every time) there will be an On Line component for those who wish. There you can read what the class thought important and add your own comments and questions. There is a link on the website and you can go here: reddoorroomtable.blogspot.com/. 

AH, well, it looks like you are here. Bookmark it and come back on Ash Wednesday.

Early on that morning the women gathered.