Drop in to this first Monday gathering for conversation about the intersection of life and faith in each of our lives. Anyone (at CUCC or beyond) is welcome; Life & Faith isn’t a “group” but a “whoever shows up.” As usual, we are open to a life/faith question raised by anyone who comes; if none emerge, we will be discussing this back up question from Jane.
August back up question
First, a little context:
Genesis 50:24-26 Then Joseph [great-grandson of Abraham] said to his brothers, “I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” And Joseph made the Israelites swear an oath and said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place. So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.” [NIV]
About 500 years of generations pass (slavery, plagues, wilderness wandering, battles) and the Israelites eventually make it to their promised home.
Joshua 24;32 And Joseph’s bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the tract of land that Jacob [Joseph’s father] bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph’s descendants.” [NIV]
At the Wild Goose Festival this year, Rev. Brit Barron preached the opening sermon suggesting how people of God might move through these difficult times continuing to do the work we are called to do. While the sermon had three parts, my imagination was captivated by the first: That we who work for peace and justice carry with us the bones of the ancestors who have brought us this far. We are not the first to do this work, and we will not be the last; some day, the next generations will carry our bones with them into the imagined future of fulfilled justice and love.
Which made me wonder: Whose steadfast bones are you carrying as you do the work of the kin-dom? How do specific ancestors (literal or in the movement family) strengthen you for this work? Can you imagine saying to specific people in the younger generations “Carry my bones with you as a blessing and so that I, too, may finally come Home”? How might you move through these difficult times differently if you brought to mind regularly those whose steadfast bones you carry?
[FYI The other two parts of their sermon: Do the work that is yours to do. Work as part of a community.]
What is Life & Faith?
Life & Faith is a monthly opportunity to have those conversations over a glass of your favorite refreshment. We bring our questions and our stories, receiving ideas from each other. Jane Smith, the convener, brings a back up question if needed to get us started.
We gather every first Monday at Transfer Co. Food Hall. When the weather is too hot/cold or wet, we meet inside in the sunken section of the main floor. If the weather is NC balmy, we’ll sit on the patio. Those who want dinner or a beverage should arrive at 6:30 PM to buy your own. There is a free water station near the restrooms under the stairs. Parking is abundant, free, and well lit.
Conversation runs 7-8PM. You’ll find us at the table with our Life & Faith comma. Friends are welcome!
We have two guidelines – What is said at Life & Faith stays there AND we tip generously.
If you would like to receive the email reminder with the back up question and confirmation of our location, contact Jane Smith at smithjeg@mindspring.com.