Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, 'A great prophet has risen among us!' and 'God has looked favourably on his people!' (Luke 7:16)

The Summer Begins!

Welcome to Prime Timers, 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. You are invited to join us in the Parlor near the church offices, Sunday after the 9:00am service, 10:15am to 11:00. A warm welcome is available to all.

Elijah and the Widow of Zarapeth by an unknown Flemish master, 1500-20, oil on oak panel, at the Groeninge Museum, Bruges.

Prime Timers Good News

Each week we hear our members good news, but it costs a dollar! We collect these dollars and currently we donate the money to the Amistad Mission in Bolivia. Murray gave thanks that he and his wife returned safely from Europe and Jim thanked Marty for helping with the successful transition to a new computer.

The Monthly Dinner Fellowship is at...

Esacalantes on Woodway, same as last month. Everyone enjoyed this Tex-Mexican Restaurant so why change? Third Tuesday, June 15, at 6:30pm. Please let Lynn Swaffar know if you are coming, she's at (281) 495-3832.

Life Restored

Carol Hartland led the Prime Timers through this weeks readings on restoring life to the dead! No zombies, but examples from the Old and New Testament. The readings from 1 Kings is the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarapeth. Elijah is sent by the Lord to visit Zaraphath and encounters the widow. Widow's lived a very precarious life in those days, they had no inheritance rights and had to rely on family members or charity to get by. Elijah arrives in the middle of a drought with the widow just barely hanging on. He asks for food and drink, but assures the widow that there will be enough for everyone, and indeed there is. Later her son takes ill and dies, and Elijah asks the Lord to have mercy on the widow and bring back her son and the Lord listens to Elijah and restores the boy's life.

This is a story of a compassionate God and has parallels with Jesus' reviving the widow of Nain's son in Luke 7:11-17. Class members noted that while Elijah called on the Lord to revive the dead boy, Jesus directly called for the boy to rise.

Our reading from Galatians is Paul telling his story of being the bad guy but now after hearing from Jesus seeing the light! Thanks to Lynn's observation that Paul accounts for a good deal of the New Testament, and the church itself, Marty is reading a book on Paul called The Mythmaker, Paul and the Invention of Christianity by Hyam Maccoby. He is a Talmudic Scholar with a unique take on Jesus and Paul. He sees the Pharisee's as getting a bum rap in the New Testament, in fact he thinks that Jesus himself might be a Pharisee! The Pharisee's were kind of resident scholars who did not think much of the idea of a High Priest being the ultimate authority on religion. The Sadducee's, on the other hand, believed strongly in this idea of "the High Priest knows best." Maccoby uses the multiple accounts of some of the events in Jesus life to make his point. For instance, take this from Mark 12:28-34:

²⁸ One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, 'Which commandment is the first of all?' ²⁹Jesus answered, 'The first is, "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; ³⁰you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength." ³¹The second is this, "You shall love your neighbour as yourself." There is no other commandment greater than these.' ³²Then the scribe said to him, 'You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that "he is one, and besides him there is no other"; ³³and "to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength", and "to love one's neighbour as oneself",—this is much more important than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices.' ³⁴When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, 'You are not far from the kingdom of God.' After that no one dared to ask him any question.

Now contrast that with the same event as described in Matthew 22:34-40:

³⁴ When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, ³⁵and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. ³⁶'Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?' ³⁷He said to him, ' "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." ³⁸This is the greatest and first commandment. ³⁹And a second is like it: "You shall love your neighbour as yourself." ⁴⁰On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.'

In Mark you have religious scholars having a vigorous discussion, in Matthew it becomes lawyers and tests.

As Carol read Psalm 146, she noted how many Psalms are set to music.

Today if you heard of someone brought back from the dead you would think of medical miracles and how far modern medicine's come. Think of Jesus coming into a funeral procession and bringing the deceased back to life and it is a different story! Who are the prophet's today? Someone suggested that evangelical minister Rick Warren might be modern prophet.

Class discussion turned to how Bible study changes you. Someone said we are fortunate to have our faith because it means we are never alone. Lynn related the story of her mother's last days, and how this painful time had its share of "God moments." God moments are times when you have a revelation about something or understand something in a different way. Ladybugs! On the fifth floor of a building a class member in a difficult time sees of all things a ladybug, and treats it as the presence of "the other," or a reminder that God is with you.

Dr. Nyambura Njoroge is a distinguished alumni of the Lewisville Seminary, in fact the first woman to study there. She is from East Africa and an ordained minister in the Presbyterian church. She wrote in The Ecumenical Review (Oct. 1997):
"On the cross, as in Nain, Jesus turns to a grieving woman, his mother Mary, a widow who is about to lose her first son in a violent death, and gives her a son (Jn. 19:26f). Like a replay of what had happened at Nain, this great prophet, who is acknowledged while still in his mother's womb, aligns himself with those who are in pain; he reaches out even in the midst of his own suffering. Jesus acts to give life, life in its fullness. In Nain as well as at the cross and on Easter morning, Jesus lived out his own testimony: 'I came so that they may have life, and have it abundantly' (Jn. 10:10).

"Like the people in Nain and the women at the empty tomb, all those who listen and turn to Jesus rejoice in hope, for he revealed the divine presence in the world—resurrection. The mourners and the widow were going through a ritual of shared grief on the way to the cemetery, thereafter to go on with their lives. But
Jesus interrupts business as usual and brings to birth something new. That is how Jesus deals with suffering. He does not ignore, trivialize or glorify it by telling people to persevere and to hang in there. Instead he confronts the cause of grief, the pain and injustice. He resists suffering, death and systems of injustice. He
is a witness to his Father that God has indeed 'looked favorably on his people!' God has turned to the people; and those who witnessed Jesus' presence and his power to bring back life turned to God, rejoiced in hope and acknowledged the fulfillment of God's promise."

Carol concluded class with a short prayer.

The Readings for Sunday, June 13th are from Lectionary Year Three, Proper 6-C, "Your Faith Has Saved You"

The Readings for this week are 1 Kings 21:1-10 (11-14), 15-21a; Psalm 5:1-8; Galatians 2:15-21 and Luke 7:36--8:3. The text this week is from the New Revised Standard Version.

1 Kings 21:1-10 (11-14), 15-21a

¹ Later the following events took place: Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of King Ahab of Samaria. ²And Ahab said to Naboth, 'Give me your vineyard, so that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house; I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money.' ³But Naboth said to Ahab, 'The Lord forbid that I should give you my ancestral inheritance.' ⁴Ahab went home resentful and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him; for he had said, 'I will not give you my ancestral inheritance.' He lay down on his bed, turned away his face, and would not eat.
⁵ His wife Jezebel came to him and said, 'Why are you so depressed that you will not eat?' ⁶He said to her, 'Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, "Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard for it"; but he answered, "I will not give you my vineyard." ' ⁷His wife Jezebel said to him, 'Do you now govern Israel? Get up, eat some food, and be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.'
⁸ So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal; she sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who lived with Naboth in his city. ⁹She wrote in the letters, 'Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth at the head of the assembly; ¹⁰seat two scoundrels opposite him, and have them bring a charge against him, saying, "You have cursed God and the king." Then take him out, and stone him to death.' ¹¹The men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. Just as it was written in the letters that she had sent to them, ¹²they proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the assembly. ¹³The two scoundrels came in and sat opposite him; and the scoundrels brought a charge against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, 'Naboth cursed God and the king.' So they took him outside the city, and stoned him to death. ¹⁴Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, 'Naboth has been stoned; he is dead.'
¹⁵ As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, 'Go, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.' ¹⁶As soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab set out to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

Elijah Pronounces God's Sentence

¹⁷ Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying: ¹⁸Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel, who rules in Samaria; he is now in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession. ¹⁹You shall say to him, 'Thus says the Lord: Have you killed, and also taken possession?' You shall say to him, 'Thus says the Lord: In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, dogs will also lick up your blood.'
²⁰ Ahab said to Elijah, 'Have you found me, O my enemy?' He answered, 'I have found you. Because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, ²¹I will bring disaster on you; I will consume you, and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel...

Psalm 5:1-8

To the leader: for the flutes. A Psalm of David.

¹ Give ear to my words, O Lord;
give heed to my sighing.
² Listen to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.
³ O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.

⁴ For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil will not sojourn with you.
⁵ The boastful will not stand before your eyes;
you hate all evildoers.
⁶ You destroy those who speak lies;
the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful.

⁷ But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
will enter your house,
I will bow down towards your holy temple
in awe of you.
⁸ Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness
because of my enemies;
make your way straight before me.

Galatians 2:15-21

¹⁵ We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; ¹⁶yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law. ¹⁷But if, in our effort to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have been found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! ¹⁸But if I build up again the very things that I once tore down, then I demonstrate that I am a transgressor. ¹⁹For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; ²⁰and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.

Luke 7:36--8:3

³⁶ One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and took his place at the table. ³⁷And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. ³⁸She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment. ³⁹Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, 'If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—that she is a sinner.' ⁴⁰Jesus spoke up and said to him, 'Simon, I have something to say to you.' 'Teacher,' he replied, 'speak.' ⁴¹'A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴²When they could not pay, he cancelled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?' ⁴³Simon answered, 'I suppose the one for whom he cancelled the greater debt.' And Jesus said to him, 'You have judged rightly.' ⁴⁴Then turning towards the woman, he said to Simon, 'Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. ⁴⁵You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. ⁴⁷Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.' ⁴⁸Then he said to her, 'Your sins are forgiven.' ⁴⁹But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, 'Who is this who even forgives sins?' ⁵⁰And he said to the woman, 'Your faith has saved you; go in peace.'

¹Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, ²as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, ³and Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.

NRSV