March 20, 2016 - Animate Bible / Genre - Rhythm of the Text - Jose Morales

Pastor Michelle led this session which was Genre - Rhythm of the Text presented by Jose Morales.

There were a few of us who had not considered the genre of particular books of the Bible until now.  The story of Jonah was a story Morales focused on and classified as satire. Those who were gathered could see the value in focusing on the framework in which the book of Jonah was written and that if we viewed as historical fact we would focus on the wrong questions.  We would be asking how someone could live in the belly of a fish without being affected by stomach acids.  

We discussed the Creation story as mythology and there was a comfort level with the group in differentiating this truth from the facts found in a scientific textbook.

Pastor Michelle then previewed the devotional we would discuss in the Council meeting immediately following this Animate session.  She expanded the worship's Philippians reading to Philippians 2:1-15 from 5-11.

I appreciated the fact that the expansion included verse 12, with the "fear and trembling" words made famous in the title of the book by Kierekgaard.  But to reconcile the first and second parts of this passage, as we later talked about later in the council meeting, is not as easy as it might first appear. the last two verses read:

Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world.   .

Verse 3 reads:

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.  Let each of you look not to your own interests but to the interests of others.  Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.

I have to ask would the mind of Christ Jesus think of an entire generation as crooked and perverse except for a few who shine like stars in the world?  Is this description of the generation together with the knowledge that some shine like starts in the world fit with the in humility regard others as better than yourselves that Paul asks of the Philippians?

A desire for or to be God's "gold star" can blind.  It can prevent the good news from being spread to others. Is this a preaching kind of "Listen to this, you who are part of a crooked and perverse generation"? Does it help telling the powerful story of Jesus to those who are not the "stars" but are a part of that generation being labeled?  Or does the label offering hope and an invitation to a way out to those who hear the good news?