Year C, Ordinary 19, 2019 – Where to Put Your Trust
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Hey everyone! Welcome to the show! I’ve heard it said that birds will rest on the thinnest branches even when they are blowing about in the wind, not because they trust that the branch will hold them but because they trust in their wings.
All the passages for this week share the common theme of faith. In Genesis, God is reassuring Abram to keep the faith. Abram is getting a little anxious about the promised offspring and thinks Eliezer of Damascus will inherit his stuff, but God tells him to go outside and look at the night sky. The Psalmist and the author of Hebrews are also taking an eternal look at the story of God’s people. In Luke, Jesus tells the disciples to be aware that God may act at any time.
We have been linking to our show from the previous Year C cycle with the intention of giving you all some extra information for the intelligences we are not covering for the week. Hopefully, this has been helping, but this week it may not. We were on the road for a funeral three years ago and did not get much done. We had some very early thoughts on our worksheets that you can download here.
Smarts of the Week [01:58]
This week, we are looking at MATH and WORD smart. As always, the worksheets are available for download below!
Texts of the Week
Genesis 15:1-6 – [06:17]
As David contemplated this passage through the WORD smart lens, he heard in the verses Abram express strong desire for God’s promise to be fulfilled. He was eager for the child who would inherit from him and started thinking that his servant was going to get it all. God comforts him, telling him that God has not forgotten about the promise. The back and forth sounded to David like poetry. Below, you will find a link to different types of poetry; click through and try one of these options to re-present the story in these verses.
God has reiterated the promise to Abram that his own child will inherit from him. He then takes him outside and tells him to look at the night sky and count the stars, “if he is able.” While this is a fantastic NATURE smart element – think about what the night sky in ancient Israel must have looked like! – it is also the basis for MATH smart illustrations and special effects. The night sky is filled with stars that can be counted, or at least estimated, if you know some formulas and have some cardboard tubes lying around!
- WORD smart – [07:24]
- Here is a list by Rebecca Hussey from BookRiot.com of quite a few different poetic forms.
- MATH smart – [10:20]
- This website has some ways of grouping zeros to help “count” large numbers.
- This link will give you a fun way to count the stars that could be done as a homework experiment.
- Universe explained in 10 seconds plus the attending article in The Atlantic
Psalm 33:12-22 – [13:14]
The verse that first caught my attention for MATH smart, can also be used for EYE and NATURE smart. The Psalmist writes that God “looks down from heaven” and “sees all humankind.” I thought of the Overview Effect that we have referred to in the past. In short, astronauts have seen our home from 254 miles above the ground, and the experience has been life changing – which has some SELF smart flavor! The Psalmist also refers to God as our help and shield, which made me think of the ancient Macedonian aspis, a rounded shield used to great effect. Encourage your MATH smart people to design a shield for modern purposes.
This psalm made David think of the game of chess, which is very MATH smart for problem solving, strategy, and planning, but can also be very dramatic if told in narrative form. A bit of searching came up with an interesting list of writings with chess in either a starring or supporting role. The image that sparked this thought is of God, looking down on earth from heaven, pondering the fate of those who live there.
- MATH smart – [14:39]
- the Overview Effect
- the aspis – a round and domed shield made of wood
- WORD smart – [17:53]
- Here’s a list of chess related novels and stories.
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 – [20:59]
The word “faith” appears in these verses seven times, so the author of Hebrews wants us to pay attention to it! The word has a particular translation in Greek, and in English there are several definitions and synonyms for the word. For a WORD smart illustration (and special effect), try substituting one or more of the many definitions in English for the word as it appears in the passage. How does the different word change the way you hear the passage? Maybe have different people read the verses with the different translations.
The verse that caught my attention for MATH smart was the mention of foundations built by God. This past February, we used yoga blocks, duct tape, and a sturdy, flat piece of wood to “build” a demonstration for 1 Corinthians 13 (the link to that show is below). Pull out all that material again and rebuild the foundation of faith!
- WORD smart – [23:32]
- In most cases, pistei is translated as “in faith” or “in the faith,” but in Hebrews it is repeatedly translated as “by faith.”
- Webster’s definitions of faith
- John Calvin’s Institutes, 3.2.7
- MATH smart – [27:30]
- commentary by Amy Peeler at Working Preacher
- Civilblog.org has a checklist for constructing a foundation, with graphs!
- We suggested this idea a while back using yoga blocks, duct tape, and a flat piece of wood, so if you did not get to try it last time, do it this time!! (See COrdinary4x2019, 1 Corinthians 13)
Luke 12:32-40 – [29:46]
Part of working with MATH smart is to look for logic and reason and large concepts. Jesus provides an opportunity to engage with these as he encourages the disciples to sell possessions and give alms. In order to convince people to part with their “stuff”, you need a compelling reason. After a bit of a search, I came across something called effective altruism. In essence, it is a philosophical movement that encourages thorough and thoughtful philanthropy.
Do another word study for WORD smart! There are different characters in this story – the master and a thief. We usually think of Jesus as the master but the last verse could also be interpreted to show Jesus as a thief! He isn’t necessarily going to steal your silverware, but his appearance in life is often unexpected. Which image do we prefer? In which role do we most often experience Jesus?
- MATH smart – [31:56]
- Boston Review: an article about “effective altruism.”
- WORD smart – [35:40]
- commentary from Mark Davis at Left Behind and Loving It
Image credit: Photo by Anders Nord on Unsplash
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