Sunday 1stAUG 2021(‘03): 18th SUN in ORDINARY: B
1. Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15
- Read 16:1-35! The strange story of the ‘man-ha?’ that fell from ‘heaven’ for 40years!
& the more serious ‘Resentment-towards-Yahweh’ behind it!
- What was the ‘real freedom’ that was being offered by Yahweh?
What was the cost involved? &the benefit? &Was it perhaps rejected in the end?
- If each narrative divinity(eg Dionysus Aphrodite Hermes Artemis) is offering a particular ‘freedom’, maybe Yahweh’s is just too demanding?
- In my local community, is there too much, or too little, ‘complaint’?
- How could ‘Egypt’ conceivably appear more attractive than ‘The Wilderness’?
2. THE PSALM: 77:3-4, 23-25, 54 (Hardly a suck or a sip of this great song!)
- Read-with-inseeing 77(78):1- 72! This ritual song is called a ‘parable/dark-sayings’ at the beginning! Can I glimpse the lurking dark truth?
- Shredding the psalm to derive a ‘theme’ surely obscures the overall ‘parable’!
- How are TheDarkSayings&Doings-of-Yahweh-inJesus’ being passed on to me?
- The general non-reference to ‘Yahweh’, has this made our ‘religion’ shallow?
- ‘Cos, isn’t the challenge of TheChallengeBible, ‘Yahweh’sCovenantWithTheOpressed’?
- ‘BreadFromHeaven!’: What’s my current experience of this ancient myth-theme?
- ‘HisHolyLand!’: To imagine He gave them Canaan, ‘saved’ them from ‘Wandering’
3. EPH4:17, 20-24 (Boo-hoo! Aren’t vv18-19 the nails in their coffin!)
- ‘The aimless kind if life pagans live!’ Who? Not Christian? Whew!!
- What areThe3Priorities that give consistence&direction to my life?
- ‘Self!!: What is this, that can be corrupted by illusory desires?
How is it replaced by ‘TheNewSelf’ created ‘in God’sWay’? &OurMindRenewed’?
- What 5Aspects of ‘MyOldWay-of-Life’ am I prepared to ‘GiveUp’ for Christ?
- ‘TheGoodness&Holiness-of-TheTruth’! But what-is-truth?
Unless it is the full embodiment-in-my-world of TheAspirations-of-Yahweh-in-Jesus?
4.JN6:24-35
- ‘Eternal Life!’: A new lifestyle mirrored to me by the narratives of Yahweh-in-Jesus! Not merely for contemplation&exegesis, but for actual embodiment!
- What food cannot last, &in what sense? What food endures? &How?
- What nourishment&support do I need, so as to live a ‘Jesus’?
- Will even ‘Reception-of-TheEucharist’ ‘work’, without further ado?
Cos maybe the current ‘theology’ is encoraging illusory claims&hopes!
- ‘BreadThatEndures/BreadFromHeaven/Bread-of-Life!’: Yahweh-in-Jesus ritually&dynamically present, in ways that best-nurture CovenantLove!
5. RIDDLE Which is the most important bread?
That received devotionally in EucharisticCommunion?
That eaten-with-gratitude in family rituals?
That given-with love- to the poor?
That allowed with-inadvertence to moulder?
Refections and comments can be emailed to adbi@chokmah.ie