Our Next Meeting April 21 7-9: Recap of themes in Isaiah so far - and onward

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Hi Everyone

Welcome to spring, at last!  I'm looking forward to seeing you all at our meeting this Tuesday evening, 7-9 at Rodman House, on the campus of Holy Comforter Episcopal Church.  I'm told our meeting space is now back in order so it should be comfortable again.

We will be welcoming Austin Almaguer, the pastor of Vienna Baptist, and his wife Allison, as guests - and also I hope a newcomer, Sammy Dhaliwal, who found us online and is (I hope - Sammy?) planning to come.   I'll bring our usual light refreshments, and plan on doing a bit of "where have we been and where are we now?"  around our ongoing study of the book of Isaiah and where it turns up in the New Testament. This will help as we turn our attention to the last part of the Book of Isaiah, which reflects among other things about what it means to be the "people of God" -- and we'll see what New Testament writers have made of parts of this. This will be a kind of "re-entry" into our focus on Isaiah after last time's slight but appropriate  detour into Easter themes and the Road to Emmaus story.  We may also encounter some more Easter themes as we look back and forth between Old Testament and new - you never know! 

Hoping to see most of you on Tuesday! 

KATHY

Happy Easter - and meeting April 7

Alleluia! Christ is Risen! Greetings to all. 

 Just a reminder to all that the Young Adults group is  meeting tomorrow -- we will be back in Rodman House, though may need to meet on the upper floor as they say they haven't quite gotten around to moving the furniture back where it was downstairs -- I said we could help with that and they said that would be great if we can though the furniture is pretty heavy - but if you can help with that, great! 

We will be looking at the story of Jesus and the disciples on the Road to Emmaus and also some parts of Isaiah we've looked at before , Isaiah 49, and especially 13-20.   The story of how the risen Christ "opened their eyes to understand the Scriptures" seems especially relevant to our study of Isaiah and we can plan on taking seriously, this time, the idea of how these texts we have been reading were understood as prophecies of Jesus' death and resurrection and what they say to us today.  Also Isaiah 49:8 and 2 Corinthians 6:2 "Now is the acceptable time. Now is the day of our salvation!"  We'll focus this time on how it all comes together in the New Testament Easter stories.

Next Meeting: Tuesday March 3, 7-9 : Isaiah 58

Here's part of the text from Isaiah, Chapter 58 that we'll be looking at this week, and relating it to some of the sayings of Jesus in Matthew 25.   It comes up just as we're being given an opportunity to participate in a service project, so it should be an appropriate time an way to study and pray with this chapter.  We have also been invited to join members of Holy Comforter in collecting groceries for families in need in the Fairfax area through an organization called "Our Daily Bread." Most needed items include:

Canned fruits, Juice/juice boxes, Pasta sauce (plastic jars or cans), Rice, Dinner kits, Macaroni and cheese

Crackers/cookies, Toilet paper, Shampoo/conditioner, Toothpaste, Coffee/tea.

Please do some shopping and bring what you can Tuesday night.  There are also opportunities to help with packing and delivering food to families this weekend. Let me know if you're interested-  and we'll have more info on Tuesday.

Hope to see many of you at our gathering this Tuesday evening! 

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Pancakes for Mardi Gras! -Tuesday Feb 17, 7:30 at IHOP

So the consensus seems to be that the group will meet for pancakes at IHOP, on Blake Lane in Fairfax --     At 7:30 Tuesday evening, February 17.

Why pancakes?  Why "Shrove Tuesday?" As we discussed last time, this is an old custom in northern European Christian churches, especially (the southern celebration being "Mardi Gras" or "Fat Tuesday") -- the old custom was that during Lent  people would fast from meat, fat, eggs and dairy products -- so the night before Ash Wednesday, when Lent began,  was a time to have a great feast to use up all those ingredients that would not be consumed during Lent.  Hence pancake suppers on Shrove Tuesday. (It's called Shrove Tuesday after the word "shrive/shriven" -- meaning to be given forgiveness and absolution from one's sins, referring to the Catholic custom of making a confession the day before Lent begins in preparation for the season of penitence.  

Meeting this Tuesday February 3 7-9PM

Hi everyone - hoping to see many of you  this Tuesday evening, 7-9 as usual, for light refreshments, Bible study, prayer, and good time together.   At Rodman House on the grounds of Holy Comforter Episcopal Church (see earlier post for directions in case you've forgotten).  We'll be continuing our study of conversations between the book of Isaiah and the New Testament, looking at what's known as the "First Servant Song" in Isaiah 42 and where that takes us (I like to read all of Isaiah 42-43 for context  and recommend this if you have time to read ahead a little!)  We'll see what this passage has to say to us, both about the experience of Israel as the "people of God," trying to work out what that meant after a time of great struggle,  and also what it has to say to us as Christians 

For the New Year - continuing with Isaiah, the gospels, and the "servant songs"

Hi again everyone.  We had a great experience visiting with the participants in the FACETS hypothermia shelter at Holy Comforter last time (if you look closely at the photo you'll see Tyler & David working with some of the youth from Holy Comforter, helping to serve.  

1/20/15  Isaiah’s “light to the Gentiles” and Christian interpretation (celebration of Epiphany and the coming of the Wise Men)

2/3  Isaiah 42:  1^st “servant song” and shifting understandings of what it means to be “God’s people”

2/17:  Shrove Tuesday/ “Mardi Gras” – Social event TBA????

3/3  The “servant songs” in Isaiah 52-55– how NT writers understood these in telling the story of Jesus.  Isaiah. We’ll be working through these, and New Testament parallels, throughout the season of Lent

3/17:  Servant songs 

4/7  Isaiah 55 and God’s promises

4/21  The end of Isaiah, reflected in the book of Acts and in Revelation.  New understandings of who God wants to be for God’s people

In May and early June could shift focus to a bigger theme, e.g. what does it mean to be “God’s people?” looking at key passages in Old and New Testament – or we may find we have more to say about Isaiah. 

After a summer break,  for fall of 2015 I’m thinking maybe a New Testament focus again – maybe a thematic approach:  the parables?  The miracles?  Think about it. . .

Happy New Year! Meeting this Tuesday January 6 - FACETS hypothermia shelter at Holy Comforter

Hi everyone - as we agreed, we will be spending this week's meeting with the homeless folks who are sheltering this week at Holy Comforter as part of the FACETS hypothermia shelter program. (Read more about it here  and here.

Tuesday is the feast of the "Epiphany" -- celebrating the coming of the Wise Men to see the child who is born to be King.  We will talk perhaps this time, definitely next time, about how this story of the kings coming to visit the newborn Christ child is connected to prophecies in Isaiah.  This week we'll look at the story if we have a chance.

But it will be, mainly, an evening to improvise and welcome new people and experiences. Here's how it will go:

We will gather for dinner at 6:30 in the main parish hall building at Holy Comforter -- i.e. NOT at our usual meeting place in Rodman House.  I've signed us up to eat with the guests.  There will be a service to celebrate the feast of Epiphany from 7:30-8:30  in the church, and we may want to plan on attending it with the guests. If there's time afterward, I will come prepared to lead an informal Bible study that guests can also participate in with us in case that looks like a good idea.  Mostly, though, this will be a chance to offer hospitality and join in a good ministry to folks who need shelter and good company while they're going through a rough time.

Please confirm with me if you can whether you're planning to come so I can make sure I've given them about the right numbers for dinner -- come any time between 4 and 8:30 to join in our part of the "shift" if you want.

Looking forward to a special experience.  Hope to see you all on Tuesday night!