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11/16: Psalms 9-11

Psalms. I'm not a poet by nature, but I like psalms. always have. 9 and 10 are two different psalms, but the footnotes in my bible suggest they may have once been the same piece, and they flow so well together in theme and construction I can buy that. So, I'm going to cover them in one go.

9-10 express faith that God will not let the wicked prosper, but will deliver the psalmist from his enemies. While the words are appropriately petitionary, I noted a tone of...reminder, if you will, that the wicked were currently prospering, but that the psalmist was, of course, quite sure that God would not allow this to continue.

11 is in a similar vein, praising YHWH's love of justice and expressing confidence that justice will be done to all. (especially Israel's enemies...)

I sometimes feel like I'm just scratching the surface of the psalms--I look forward to concluding this 1 year re-acquaintence to the canon and taking up the lectionary reading schedule, when I can go through things at a more leisurely pace and spend more time meditating on the psalms and finding deeper levels of meaning.

11/15: Joshua 16-20

This is one of those thrilling passages that explain why nobody ever successfully reads the bible in sequence fron Genesis to Revelation. The first half of Joshua (which i read before I started blogging here), was gripping, bloody, fascinating, and troubling. Here we get into a roll call of the tribes, who are being assigned the bits of canaan they won after smiting the inhabitants, burning cities, killing every caananite down to the women, children, and cute puppies, etc. (Per the story anyway--being the episcobrarian I am I dd some extra research in some journals and found some interesting exegis and historical context that help my little bleeding heart wrap around this battle epic, but I'll save that stuff for another post).

But anyway, I think this would be more useful if I had a map of the apprtionments, but even then, I think this may just be one of those sections you read through and move on. *shrug*

Genesis 12-15, or: That Sarai was a bloody patient wife, eh?

So, lemme get this straight. You're Abram. A nice upstanding, reasonably wealthy rancher living in scenic Ur of the Chaldees. God speaks to you, and tells you to move to Canaan. Being that one generally listens to Deity, and Ur's starting to have urban sprawl issues, why not? So you move to Caanan with your black sheep cousin Lot, and when a famine hits you decide to hang out in Egypt for a little while. Here's where it gets interesting.

You've got a wife, Sarai. A barren, but undeniably HOT wife. You don't want to get killed by pharaoh for having the temerity to have a sexy wife (doesn't the incarnation of osiris have better things to do that worry about some random nomad's cute woman anyway?), so instead, you tell everyone that she is your SISTER, even when the pharaoh's procurers--ah, I mean retainers, come get her to come, ahem, "serve" in the palace. You continue to keep your mouth shut while pharaoh showers you with gifts and royal favors in return for being so nice about handing over that hot "sister" (possibly at Sarai's suggestion, but who am I to speculate on the pillow talk of a king of egypt?).

However, Pharaoh's household is suddenly stricken with unspecified "plagues", calls you to account, and the game is up. You return to canaan with your tail between your legs, fortunate that you were allowed to leave with your cattle, your retainers, and your wife.

Patriarch you may be, but I don't see you winning the husband of the year anytime soon.

Today's bible study and link to my other blog

1st--for anybody who would like to see my non-theological natterings, feel free to peruse my LJ at your leisure.

2nd--If I'm going to return to christianity, it'd probably be a good idea to get better acquainted with the source material. to that end, I started one of those "bible in a year plans" a few weeks back. I'm journaling my thoughts, but I thought I'd use this new spot to post particular things I'd like feedback on as well as to create a certain amount of accountability. Today's reading is: Romans 5-6.

to simplify vastly, Ch. 5 is a summary of the docrine of Justification by grace. (I don't want to bore everyone here with long paraphrases, and I'm taking a wild guess that if you read this blog you own a bible, and can look up the text.) However, the corollary of this is answered in the next chapter-if everyone already has an a priori relationship with God via grace, then what's to stop us from sinning? (And why, as one fellow student in my inquirer's class this morning put it, did Jesus need to die if we're all "saved" anyway?)

Well, Paul then argues that those who fully understand Jesus's life, message, death, and rebirth have been presented with a road map to/ role model of godliness--to enlightenment if you will. Those who reach that level of understanding of the story will naturally want to live their lives in as much conformity to the two commandments as possible, which means they will naturally strive to commit fewer sins and become more christ-like in their natures. By learning of and accepting both the "sacrifice" of the cricifixion and the "making-sacred" of the resurrection, you will also understand that you are called to seek wisdom, do justice, love mercy, and speak truth to power--whether or not the legalistic mucketymucks particularly like you calling them on their hypocritical dogmas.

How I got here, part 1.

So, who is this wierdo anyway?

I'm Sarah, 28, married, and one semester away from finishing my Master of Library Science. My spiritual life has been...varied, to say the least. I grew up in a very nice methodist church here in the buckle of the bible belt, and quickly became the chatty little kid in the front of the sunday school classroom who asked the uncomfortable questions about the day's lessons--Envision Hermione Granger with a theological bent and you have the general notion. For personal reasons too...well...involved to get into here, I've never doubted the existence of god. My whole life I've felt a burning need to understand as much about the nature of Deity as possible, and do something Big to repay a massive debt I instinctively felt like I owed by virtue of my IQ, my outgoing nature, and just the fact that I existed at all.

My church, while not fundamentalist by any stretch of the imagination, had quite a charismatic streak in its youth group (my confirmation teacher was the sort of guy who could talk about laying hands on his wonky carbureator with a straight face), and I jumped headlong into christian rock concerts, "end times" bible studies, mission trips and church camps. I was going to be the best christian I could be, pray hard, and I would be rewarded. This phase of my life climaxed in the summer after 7th grade, when I was simultaneously wrestling with depression, and feeling guilty that I was having so many problems fitting in with the other "christian" kids. I was at bible camp, and the rest of the popular girls in my cabin were having a makeup fest and gossip session inside. I didn't want to go in to be shunned, so I was standing out on the porch on that warm tuesday night after evening service, praying as hard as i could to be told what i was supposed to to in order to stop hurting and be good enough for myself and my peers and God.

What happened next is beyond words.

The camp was set at the bottom of a red rock canyon. At the top of the ridge across from my cabin was an illuminated cross, about 10 feet high. The full moon had just raised above it. All I can explain was that my cry was answered, and for the first time I understood that God was something to be loved not feared, and that perfect love was given to every one of every faith.

And then God spoke, and called me to ordained ministry.

I was a 13 year old female geek from inner redneckia who FINALLY had a great testimony and was ready to tell it to anyone who would listen. My life was about to become very interesting indeed.

Next week: Part two, in which our heroine is quoted 1 Corinthians 14: 34-35 ad nauseum by the cute baptist boy in geology, gets hit up by the local mormons, falls in love with the high school bible club president who won't dance but is all for pre-marital sex, and hangs out with the club VP, a "cured" homosexual who sings Chaka Khan in a falsetto voice in the lunch line...

That's it for this week, from
The Episcobrarian

The Episcobrarian

The Episcobrarian

Test...have patience, I'm normally an LJ-girl.

New Blog...

Hello all!

I plan to use this blog to chronicle my faith journey as a new episcopalian (technically still episcopalian wannabe). Why the name "Episcobrarian?" very simple. Mostly because I work in a university library and am about to start the final semester of my MLS (woot!) Also, it's to chronicle my attempts to reaccustom myself with the Bible, the key document of my childhood faith as well as the denomination I plan to become a part of. I'll share bits and pieces of my scholarly musings ,and will happily open up my theological take to any wiser than me who would like to engage in a little debate. (note: anybody who engages in ad hominem attacks, tries to move from the religious to the political, or who expresses opinions about the state of my immortal soul will be summarily banned.) With the ground rules laid out, I'll be back in a bit to write up a slightly more detailed intro.

Yours in Wisdom,
Sarah the Episcobrarian