"How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!" (Psalm 133:1)

Prime Timers is a Christian Education group at St. Martin's for Episcopalians aged fifty and above. We are following a course of study based on the Revised Common Lectionary, the three year cycle of Bible readings used throughout the Anglican Communion and by many Protestant denominations worldwide. Next week's readings are right here, at the bottom of the page! You are invited to join us in the Parlor near the church offices, Sunday after the 9:00am service, 10:15am to 11:00.

Joseph makes himself known to his brothers. By Francois Pascal Gerard, 1810.

Prime Timer Good News!

A Prime Timer tradition is hearing what others are up to, and charging a dollar for the privilege! Currently we donate the money we collect to the Amistad Mission in Bolivia, helping underprivileged kids. Marty gave thanks for the ministry of Rev. Dick Elwood, who is retiring to Fredericksburg.

Valuing God's Kingdom

George Laigle led the Prime Timers today while our leader Carol Hartland is out recovering from knee replacement surgery.

Today we all walked on water. Well, maybe not, but our reading centered around the story of faith tested by Jesus appearing to the disciples by walking on the sea. After feeding the five thousand Jesus retires to a mountain to pray, while the disciples head out to sea. When Jesus appears it is quite a shock, but after Jesus reassures the disciples telling them "it is I" (a phrase our notes tell us serves as a divine name in the Old Testament) it is Peter who asks for Jesus to let him, Peter, walk on the water as well. Peter does but gets distracted by the storm and begins to sink. Jesus pulls him out but critisizes Peter for his little faith.

As a metaphor for how faith can be tested in an extreme situation the class allowed that this is a great example. George mentions the old expression "if you want to walk on water you have to get out of the boat." Murray uses this story as an example of the idea of who we are (as Christians) in relation to everyone else.

We are following the Genesis story of Jacob, now Israel, and his sons. Joseph the favorite is sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. It turns out ok, of course, as Joseph becomes a prophet for the Pharaoh and a person of some power in Egypt. Class cannot figure how this relates to the story of Jesus walking on water! Many stories in the Old Testament follow the cycle of people being in favor of God, then doing bad things that put them out of favor, followed by terrible consequences and eventual repentance and redemption. George tells us "you can't out give God." That is whatever you can do or give to someone else, God can do so much more.

From our Class notes, Madeleine L’Engle was an author who wrote over sixty books. She wrote in her book Walking on Water:
“If Jesus of Nazareth was God become truly man for us, as I believe he was, then we should be able to walk on water, to heal the sick, even to accept the Father’s answer to our prayers when it is not the answer that we hope for, when it is No. Jesus begged in anguish that he be spared the bitter cup, and then humbly added,
‘but not as I will. Father, as you will.’

“In art, either as creators or participators, we are helped to remember some of the glorious things we have forgotten, and some of the terrible things we are asked to endure, we who are children of God by adoption and grace. … The chief job of the
teacher is to help us to remember all that we have forgotten.”

Murray concluded class with a short prayer.

Lectionary readings

The Readings for Sunday, August 14th are from Lectionary Year One, Proper 15-A, "The Wideness of God's Mercy": Genesis 45:1-15; Psalm 133; Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32 and Matthew 15:(10-20), 21-28. The text this week is from the New Revised Standard Version.

Genesis 45:1-15

¹Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, ‘Send everyone away from me.’ So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. ²And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. ³Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?’ But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.

⁴ Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come closer to me.’ And they came closer. He said, ‘I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. ⁵And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. ⁶For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither ploughing nor harvest. ⁷God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. ⁸So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. ⁹Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, “Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. ¹⁰You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. ¹¹I will provide for you there—since there are five more years of famine to come—so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.” ¹²And now your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my own mouth that speaks to you. ¹³You must tell my father how greatly I am honoured in Egypt, and all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.’ ¹⁴Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, while Benjamin wept upon his neck. ¹⁵And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.

Psalm 133

A Song of Ascents.

¹ How very good and pleasant it is
when kindred live together in unity!
² It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down upon the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down over the collar of his robes.
³ It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion.
For there the Lord ordained his blessing,
life for evermore.

Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32

¹I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. ²God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.
²⁹for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. ³⁰Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, ³¹so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. ³²For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.

Matthew 15:(10-20), 21-28

¹⁰ Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, ‘Listen and understand: ¹¹it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.’ ¹²Then the disciples approached and said to him, ‘Do you know that the Pharisees took offence when they heard what you said?’ ¹³He answered, ‘Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. ¹⁴Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.’ ¹⁵But Peter said to him, ‘Explain this parable to us.’ ¹⁶Then he said, ‘Are you also still without understanding? ¹⁷Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? ¹⁸But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. ¹⁹For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. ²⁰These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.’

²¹ Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. ²²Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.’ ²³But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’ ²⁴He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ ²⁵But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ ²⁶He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ ²⁷She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ ²⁸Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly.

NRSV