After centering ourselves by listening to Wa,Wa, Wa, Emimimo, we began our session by reading Psalm 139:1 -14. The Psalmist describe God as Protector, All knowing, Within, Goodness, Guide, Comforter, Creator, Graceful, Genuine, Strength, Teacher.
We engaged in the spiritual practice of saying these names at random and completed it with a prayer.
Other names that we added to the list included Father, Friend, Higher Power, Almighty, Holy One, Lord, and Baby Jesus.
Scriptually, metaphors for God vary. One metaphor is too limiting.
Isaiah 42:4 - Woman in labour
1John !:5 - Light
Psalm 68:5 - Father of orphans, Protector of widows
Revelation 15:3 - Lord God Almight, King
Isaiah 66:13 - Mother
Psalm 18:2 Rock
Hebrews 12:29 - Fire
Exodus 3:13-14 - I AM
2 Corinthians: 3:17 - Freedom, Spirit
Deut. 32:18 - Rock
Psalm 23:1 - Yahweh, shepard
Matthew 6:9 - Father
Psalm 84:1 - Protector, King
Isaiah 64:8 - Potter
Psalm 40:17 - Lord
1 John 4:8 - Love
Psalm 61:34 - Spirit
Hymns are other ways that we express our faith. The context in which they are sung can be powerful ways that God speaks to us. We looked at the following hymns:
430 - God is omnipresent
260 - Joyful Joyful We adore Thee. - God is goodness, joy. Musically, the tune is joyful.
232 - God is described as immortal
When singing hyms, we may want to ask "What is the picture of God in this hymn?" Can I say yes to this image of God?
Small group discussion topics were:
How do you experience God in your life?
What experiences have you had, or what data do you possess, that persuade you toward the religious or non-religious worldview?
What descriptive words have meaning and power for you as you think about your concept of God?
On a continuum from 1-10 between these two extremes that describe the character of God, where would you put yourself? How has this changed during your lifetime?
We ended with a blessing from Isaiah 43:1-3a. We arranged ourselves in three circles. One at a time, someone entered the center of the circle, and we spoke their name in the following blessing.
But now thus says God who created you, _________,
God who formed you ______________:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, ________, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you:
and through the river, they shall not overwhlem you;
When you walk through the fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am your God.
We are to read Chapter 5 Jesus: The Heart of God
We engaged in the spiritual practice of saying these names at random and completed it with a prayer.
Other names that we added to the list included Father, Friend, Higher Power, Almighty, Holy One, Lord, and Baby Jesus.
Scriptually, metaphors for God vary. One metaphor is too limiting.
Isaiah 42:4 - Woman in labour
1John !:5 - Light
Psalm 68:5 - Father of orphans, Protector of widows
Revelation 15:3 - Lord God Almight, King
Isaiah 66:13 - Mother
Psalm 18:2 Rock
Hebrews 12:29 - Fire
Exodus 3:13-14 - I AM
2 Corinthians: 3:17 - Freedom, Spirit
Deut. 32:18 - Rock
Psalm 23:1 - Yahweh, shepard
Matthew 6:9 - Father
Psalm 84:1 - Protector, King
Isaiah 64:8 - Potter
Psalm 40:17 - Lord
1 John 4:8 - Love
Psalm 61:34 - Spirit
Hymns are other ways that we express our faith. The context in which they are sung can be powerful ways that God speaks to us. We looked at the following hymns:
430 - God is omnipresent
260 - Joyful Joyful We adore Thee. - God is goodness, joy. Musically, the tune is joyful.
232 - God is described as immortal
When singing hyms, we may want to ask "What is the picture of God in this hymn?" Can I say yes to this image of God?
Small group discussion topics were:
How do you experience God in your life?
What experiences have you had, or what data do you possess, that persuade you toward the religious or non-religious worldview?
What descriptive words have meaning and power for you as you think about your concept of God?
On a continuum from 1-10 between these two extremes that describe the character of God, where would you put yourself? How has this changed during your lifetime?
We ended with a blessing from Isaiah 43:1-3a. We arranged ourselves in three circles. One at a time, someone entered the center of the circle, and we spoke their name in the following blessing.
But now thus says God who created you, _________,
God who formed you ______________:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, ________, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you:
and through the river, they shall not overwhlem you;
When you walk through the fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am your God.
We are to read Chapter 5 Jesus: The Heart of God
1 comment:
Denise...you have done a fabulous job with the blog.... very accurate re-caps of each session. I love the photos!
A question for the group...
We have spent most of our time together reflecting on our own faith experience, which we want to continue doing.
Would it also be useful for me to go over the contents of the chapter we are looking at, from Borg's book. I know that some / most of it is quite challenging.
Let me know... any and all feedback welcomed regarding any aspect of our sessions!
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