February 2008: Hagar
1. intro
about this being a difficult passage - nobody behaves well
2. reading
genesis 16 - sarai gives hagar to abram and the consequences
plus poem - part of section 5 of 'The Waste Land' by TS Eliot
[sarah to invite readers from the congregation]
3. what would you take for the journey?
three large rucksacks, paper and pens beside each one
write the one item you would take, put into the rucksack
then go to the water jug
drink some water and read the holocaust story
[sarah][sarah/steve/sue to each bring a large rucksack]
4. reading
genesis 17 17-21 isaac is chosen
plus poem - part of section 5 of 'The Waste Land' by TS Eliot
[sarah to invite readers from the congregation]
5. chosen and not chosen
get people into small groups
hand out envelopes - inside each is a note to say 'chosen' or 'not chosen'
also questions:
how do you feel about being chosen/not chosen?
why do you think god dealt with humanity this way?
what's the downside of being chosen?
discuss
[ishmael and isaac - with and without the promise
the psychology - feeling good if chosen, angry if not chosen - like ishmael
but the one who isn't 'chosen' doesn't get nothing
chosen for what?
the responsibility of being chosen]
6. reading
genesis 21 1-21 the birth of isaac, hagar and ishmael are sent away
plus poem - part of section 5 of 'The Waste Land' by TS Eliot
[sarah to invite readers from the congregation]
7. god's provision and the kingdom
pages from magazines on the floor
bibles marked with post-its to read the passages:
matt 6 25-34 [do not worry about clothes etc] and 7 -12 [ask and it will be given to you...]
john 2 1-11 [the wedding at cana]
exodus 16 [manna]
1 Kings 19 [elijah flees to the desert]
cross, bread and wine among the magazines
printed questions among the magazines:
god provides for the 'mistake'
god looks after something that wasn't meant to happen
god provides material needs and a path for the future
what has god provided for you?
has god ever given you water or a path in the desert?
what would you like god to provide that god isn't providing?
is god saying wait or no?
how do you deal with the absence?
god's provision is a sign of the kingdom, of the values of god
how much of what we have comes to us through kingdom ways?
which of these things are in god's kingdom?
what are we providing for ourselves,
that is not in god's kingdom?
8. the god who sees us
[in spite of being a foreigner and a nobody, in spite of being both the agent and the victim of a moral mess, in spite of not being the mother of the chosen one, hagar is one of the few people in the bible to be able to say, "i have seen god!"]
when we are enslaved in a foreign country
you are the god who sees
when we are the victims of domestic strife
you are the god who sees
when we give birth to disputed children
you are the god who sees
when we are thrown out of our homes
you are the god who sees
when we mock other people's sorrows
you are the god who sees
when our familes reject us
you are the god who sees
when we cannot provide for ourselves
you are the god who sees
when we despair of life itself
you are the god who sees
so may the god who sees hagar and ishmael
the god who sees outsiders and mistakes
the god who sees the ones who are not chosen
watch over us and provide for us
through our wanderings, exiles and errors
this lent and always
amen
Photos
<< swipe left
