lent readings week 1

Gen 9:8-15 is the ending of the Noah's Ark story, where God makes a promise not to destroy man and animals by floor, and sets the rainbow as the ongoing symbol of that covenent. I'm not sure how to relate to this, or what the larger truth is. I see the Noah's Ark story mostly as a premier example of the literalist trap. Whatever meaning is in the story is, for me, obscured by the fog presented me by literalism. At a christian meeting I went to in college, the teacher presented the Noah's Ark story, in full inerrent fashion, and I was blown away. How could such a seemingly intelegent man tell me that a 600 year old man built a 450 wooden vessel which then housed two of each of all the species on the plantet and enough food and water to keep them sustained for 40 days?

Here are the discussion questions from liturgy.slu.edu
1. Does the fact that God made a covenant with us, and included every living thing and being, reconfigure your attitude toward creation? How?
2. Explain how this Genesis story of Noah and the flood is a foreshadowing of Christian baptism.

Ps 25:4-9 is poem which speaks to me of belief in ongoing and ever possible change and improvment. It speaks of the learning of the Lord's ways, and how forgiveness is such an intergal part of that teaching, and asks God to teach, to instruct. I like this passage.

1 Peter 3:18-22. This is the so-called "Harrowing of Hell". According to old english christian tradition from middle age writers and painters, Chirst, after the crucifiction and before the resurection, journeyed to Hades and freed all the just who had been waiting there since the dawn of time. If one accepts that Christ is the only password into heaven, then all the good people who lived before Christ never got into heaven until he invited them and opened the door. The Harrowing of Hell story is when that happened. This was, at one point, a part of the apostles creed, but didn't make the cut into the nicine creed. The sole and unparralelled biblical mention of this event are two passages in 1 Peter (3:19-20 and a repeat in 4:6)

Here are the discussion questions from liturgy.slu.edu
1. How does your life as a Christian parallel Jesus’?
2. Baptism is about dying and rising. Do you have any Lenten plans that might impact your dying to self or, figuratively speaking, rising from the dead?

Mark 1:12-15. This is an odd division of passages. It follows the baptisim by John the baptist. Jesus goes to the desert to be tempted by the devil, a story more fully recounted elsewhere, then he starts gathering the apostles. But the gathering of the apostles goes on in 1:16-20, so this division doen't make a lot of sense.
According to one website, the restling with evil "confronting evil and undergoing repentance" is part of the experience of Lent.
Here are the discussion questions from liturgy.slu.edu
1. “My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to finish his work”. What was Jesus’ work? How can you participate in his work?
2. Jesus let the Spirit drive him into the desert to prepare for his public ministry. How do you prepare for important events? Do you let the Spirit “drive” you?
3. What is the food that sustains you? Does fasting or emptying yourself in some way help sharpen your spiritual appetites?

The ZADDD method 2-25-06

I was recently listening to a book on tape discussion of smiling. The author encouraged smiling at somebody at least once per hour. He said it was perfectly acceptable to force one’s self to smile if it did not come naturally. A forced smile, he proposed, can be just as good as an involuntary smile. The forced smile will be contagious, and will force the smiling person’s face into a physical representation of happiness and caring.

There was a quote in the book from William James, telling how the mental and physical states of a person are related and either can effect the other. I recognized a truth in this relative to my own experience. Elsewhere, I have heard it called “thinking one’s self into right action” or “acting one’s self into right thinking”, the latter being accomplished by the forced smile.

This discussion reminded me of a technique that I learned a few years back.

If you’re ever feeling dull and grim, or having a bad day at all, here is a method that will lift your spirits and help you find something positive to focus on.

Sit down in a comfortable chair. Let your back be straight, and your chest out, with your neck long shoulders relaxed. Take a deep breath in. Hold for a moment. Slowly exhale. Take another deep and slow breath in. Hold it for a moment.. and slowly exhale.

Now, begin to sing this tune:

Zip-A-Dee-Do-Da,
Zippadee-ay,
My oh my,
What a wonderful day,
plenty of sunshine,
Heading my way,
Zip-A-Dee-Do-Da,
Zipadee-ay

Mr. Bluebird's on my shoulder,
It's the truth,
It's factual,
Everything is satisfactual
Zip-A-Dee-Do-Da,
Zippadee-ay,
Wonderful feeling,
Wonderful day,

Repeat it two or three times. Allow you head to from bounce side to side if you feel the urge. Allow yourself to smile at the complete silliness of it. Go ahead and imagine that bear who sings it. Clap if you like.

I’m not sure where I heard this method, but I did not originate it so I cannot take credit for it. It is, however, I have found, a wonderful way to start a day either at home or at work. Two or three rounds of Zip-A-Dee-Do-Da will usually set your attitude in a positive direction. If there is sadness in your life, it will point you twards gratitude. If there is anger in your environment, it will point the path twards forgivness and reconciliation. Try looking at something or someone that you hat and singing it. You may find the importance of the resentment fades to the importance of recognizing the joy of living in this moment.

I recommend that the act of singing Zip-A-Dee-Do-Da be quite absorbing. If I let it fill my whole concentration, it has amazing results. I think it is physically impossible to sing this silly song at the full volume and correct tempo in a dreary mental state. I’ve tried, and it’s very difficult. So sing it heartily and with feeling, and allow it to induce the feelings that it sings about.

Call it “The Zip-A-Dee-Do-Da method” if you like.