Welcome, once more, to The People’s Bible Study, wherein I invite you to Occupy the Good Book! THIS IS WHAT SCRIPTURAL SCHOLARSHIP LOOKS LIKE!!!! (I have to make a last-minute trip to the grocery store, so I had caffeine much later in the day than I normally allow myself to have it. It doesn’t show, does it?)

Today: Psalm 95: 1-7.

New American Standard Bible:

O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD,
Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving,
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
For the LORD is a great God
And a great King above all gods,
In whose hand are the depths of the earth,
The peaks of the mountains are His also.
The sea is His, for it was He who made it,
And His hands formed the dry land.

Come, let us worship and bow down,
Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.

And, the King James Version:

O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.

The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.

O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.

For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

Not many things are better than pumpkin pie. But that is one of them.

Cross-posted at The Inane Asylum. And, alas—the photo is clip art, as I have nothing very Thanksgiving-ey in my own archives at all. Unless you want an image from one of my own family holidays, which are filled with large numbers of very large people.

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It’s time, once more, for The Conservatory’s “bring your own perceptions” interdenominational Bible study. This week, we’re going to get out of our comfort zones, and into the formidable Book of Revelations.

Specifically, we’ll be checking out Revelations 22, verses 12-17 (the links will take you to the whole chapter, though; I’m all about context, Baby).

Here’s the New American Standard Version:

Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.

I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.

And let’s also look at the King James version:

And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

This is about the Kingdom of God, which is—depending upon one’s theology—strictly applicable to the Afterlife and/or the post-judgement time frame, or can be apprehended in little snippets on our current plane of existence, when we try very hard, or when moments of grace descend upon us.

At first glance the passage evokes a kind of tribalism, what with the allusion to the sinners outside the Gates—but the Holy City, remember, is either metaphorical or, if literal, part of a post-judgement existence. We know that the Gospel tells us to minister to the spiritually disenfranchised as well as the materially deprived (and we have Christ’s own example on both counts as well). So we are led, I suspect, to focus on the image of being within a protected circle—literal, perhaps, in the future, but something attainable in flashes of grace in the here and now. The focus is on God, and His gifts for those in the City, rather than getting clubbish with other believers.

What is it today that you “thirst” for in particular? Beyond the all-important fact of salvation, what can the Water of Life be to you in the here and now?

More on the various approaches to interpreting Revelation can be found here, but the overarching message is one of nurturance and the fulfillment of human needs. Is there a “God-shaped” hole in the human soul? Can it ever be completely filled? Or, as Mr. Spock might have told us, is “wanting” more satisfying, perversely, than “having”? So is it possible that withholding some of what we think we want—or even need—is part of a larger design to get us something that will satisfy that “thirst” in a deeper way?

Discuss.

NOTE: So far, every one of my “Weekend Words” has been illustrated with a picture I took myself, and I’m curious about how long I can keep that up. This particular one was taken from my uncle’s jeep in the dunes of Arroyo Grande, California—just out of sight of the ocean. My uncle has been negotiating those piles of sand in dune buggies for decades.

(Cross-posted at The Conservatory.)

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Welcome to Week Three of Little Miss Attila’s Reader Participation Bible Study! We are continuing our current theme of celebration and perseverence—and how the former can often facilitate continuing with the latter.

This week we’ll be looking at Psalm 118, 15-24. Let’s start with the New American Standard Bible:

The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
The right hand of the LORD is exalted;
The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
I will not die, but live,
And tell of the works of the LORD.
The LORD has disciplined me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.

Open to me the gates of righteousness;
I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the LORD.
This is the gate of the LORD;
The righteous will enter through it.
I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me,
And You have become my salvation.

The stone that the builders rejected
Has become the chief corner stone.
This is the LORD’S doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day that the LORD has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

I’d also like to see how that looks in the King James version:

The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.

The right hand of the LORD is exalted: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.

I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.

The LORD hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death.

Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD:

This gate of the LORD, into which the righteous shall enter.

I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.

The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.

This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.

This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

How has the Lord disciplined you? And in what way are you rejoicing and showing how glad you are today—and this week, and this year? It might be quietly, depending upon your temperament and the challenges in your life right now. God does not want us to be “Stepford Christians,” and yet He makes it clear that for most believers, happiness is a virtue.

If you have allowed Christ into your heart, are you taking pleasure in your redemption and the gift of grace? Are you fully appreciating the good news of the gospel? Do you nourish your faith? Do you try to find pleasure in the fact of it even when you’re having a “desert experience” in your prayer life or your scripture-reading? Is there a quiet way to celebrate your relationship with God at even those moments when you feel as if you are on a spiritual plateau?

Do you keep a “gratitude diary,” or is there a section on your prayer list that mentions your blessings, so that you will remember to offer a few of them up in thanksgiving every day? Or do you use the system of “one blessing recognized and prayed about, every day, with no repeats in any given year”?

Is there some commonality between this passage and the 12-step tenet that “we insist on enjoying life”?

And how can we do this without being dishonest about real problems and real struggles? When does “acting as if” create unreasonable standards for those around us? Where do you draw that particular line?

UPDATE: Let us now praise quick-thinking lady friends, the agency through which the Lord sometimes works. “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.” Huzzah, my friends.

Cross-posted at The Conservatory.

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This isn’t a passage that we need a lot of historical background to understand; it is part of an epistle from the Apostle Paul to some squabbling Philippians that spelled this out: to the degree that we are called to be good soldiers, we are expected to be happy warriors—not grim little grinds. And we shouldn’t be sniping at fellow Christians.

When things are tough, as they most certainly are for most households these days, we should look for silver linings in our situations; we want to rejoice in God’s handiwork, and make the time to count our blessings.

My links will take you to the entire chapter, which is worth reading in full; I’m giving you Verses 4-9.

The New American Standard Bible:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Here it is again, from the New American Bible—another top-notch translation that I also love for its simplicity and clarity:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you.

Cross-posted at The Conservatory.

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There’s one little thing about that: I’m Roman Catholic these days, and Catholics haven’t always gotten along with holy rollers. As you can imagine, my previous experiences with a cultic variation on conservative Evangelical Christianity means I’m having to drastically re-wire my brain for this.

And yet . . . we needed to get more involved at church. The series of gatherings we are attending were billed as Bible studies, and I’ve been wanting a good Bible study (in person, preferably, rather than over the internet). Yet the discussion of Scripture has been very superficial. What this is, instead, is something we needed even more: a series of exhortations to holiness and prayer, led by sophisticated laity—primarily Filipino, and primarily married folk.

So I am still looking for a good local place to get into the nitty-gritty of God’s Word. Yet the husband and I are really enjoying getting together with parishoners that we haven’t gotten to know as much in the past, and we’re hoping to use this momentum to start volunteering at our parish—something we talk about, but haven’t yet done.

It’s been three years that we’ve lived on this side of town; for all I know I’ll be an EM again, down here at the new digs. Eventually.

Or—it might be something entirely different from that. Let’s just see where the path leads, shall we?

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