A free online subscription that arrives with regularity is "My Jewish Learning" from which I enjoy learning basic things that every Jew should know; and although I am not Jewish, or maybe because I am not Jewish, what I'm enjoying learning is most illuminating and helpful to me in this vocation from which I'm finding it unnecessary or even impossible to retire totally, because curiosity never stops nudging me. One recent issue brought an essay on Genesis, a synopsis for lay persons that's easily the best, fifty chapters summarized in a ten minute read. Copy-and-pasted sans permission (scroll down), it may be as enjoyable to others as to me. "Tubal-Cain working in his forge," the art above, I pinched online from another essay on Genesis. ++++++++++ BIBLE Genesis Means Origins The first book of the Torah tells of the origins of the world and of the children of Israel. BY GEORGE ROBINSON The Book of Genesis (known in Hebrew as Bereshit) begins with the c...

  For the upcoming Sunday, 3 November, we have lectionary options: EITHER the Propers for the Sunday closest to November 2, Proper 26 Year B, OR those for All Saints Day Year B, November 1. It's the priest's choice, but seeing that All Saints Day is one of the seven principal feast days of the church year, we might expect All Saints to be celebrated, including singing memorable hymns for the occasion.  Both possibilities are out there, though, so I looked at the gospel readings for both, Jesus raising Lazarus at John 11:32f (scroll down), and Jesus affirming the two great commandments at Mark 12:28f (scroll down).  Focusing more on All Saints Day, the John reading is singularly significant, all of chapter 11. This includes the event that immediately follows, John 11:45-53, where the temple leaders resolve to put Jesus to death because his raising Lazarus has caused many of the faithful to shift their allegiance from them to Jesus (mind, Gospel John's story is differe...

  Nice morning out there. 63° and sunny, clear sky, 96% humidity. For early snack with my hot & black I'm having supper leftover from last evening: the rest of a PBJ, the other foldover. Being careful with the PBJ though, as I'm not wasting my grape jelly: the PB needed a bit more jelly, so instead of more grape jelly I mixed in a spoonful of the German raspberry jam from the Tyndall commissary. Works fine. This is Skippy's super-chunk, our household standard. Good, but not my preference. To find my own peanut butter preference I pick up those with the word "natural" and then check the label, looking for "contents: peanuts." Or, "peanuts and salt." If the contents includes sugar or some weird kind of oil, I put it back on the shelf. I don't appreciate it if there's so much oil on top that when mixed the peanut butter is liquid. Publix used to have the perfect peanut butter, but evidently it wasn't a popular seller, as it's n...

  This is an exciting story to me, a friend is in Athens this morning, and sent me pictures that are so totally familiar to me, but this Time making it as personal as if I were really there, the Areopagus from the parking side, and another, looking out on the city of Athens, Greece,  brings it all back to mind, studies, and lectures, and blogposts, and sermons from forty years ago. Telling it at Acts 17, Luke's story of St Paul's visit to Athens and the Areopagus is very exciting. He goes to the synagogue as always, then teaches and preaches to non-Jews, telling them about God and about Jesus. Athens is a city of many religions, where many different gods are worshiped and/or honored, and Paul notices shrines and other markers to all of them. Then, just in case they missed a god and don't want anyone's god to be offended, there's a shrine to "an unnamed god." In Luke's story, Paul picks up on this and declares that this unknown, unseen God is the God an...

Bibles, books, books and Bibles, I have well more than enough, so many in fact that every time I move from one place to another, most of them get left behind. In my last two offices, in the church office building across the way on 3rd Street, are shelves, rows,  stacks of books I've left behind, including various translations of the Bible. And I've been trying to purge what's in my one tall bookshelf behind the door in my study office den here in 7H, because it's overflowing.  And yet, it grows. Like an old man trying halfheartedly to lose weight: it's not working. A new study Bible has just been introduced - - the Westminster Study Bible. From Westminster John Knox Press, it's not a new translation but a study Bible for the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition.  Looks good. Prominent scholars and professors involved. The advance sales literature is really interesting, including it has lots of new essays on various topics, and in the advance stuff there ...