The Adult Forum meets on Sundays at 9:00am in Wilkinson Hall
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St. Paul’s Adult Forum
Winter 2018 Bread of Angels Schedule This winter we will be reading together Barbara Brown Taylor’s collection of sermons titled Bread of Angels. Date Reading to be discussed on that date Jan. 7 Chapters 1 - 3 Jan. 14 Chapters 4 - 7 Jan. 21 No class—Annual Meeting Jan. 28 Chapters 8 – 11 Feb. 4 Chapters 12 – 14 Feb. 11 Chapters 15 – 17 Feb. 18 Chapters 18 – 21 Feb. 25 Chapters 22 – 25 Mar. 4 Chapters 26 - 29 No class on March 11. We will resume the Forum on March 18 with a new unit. |
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St. Paul’s Adult Forum
Winter 2018
Bread of Angels
Chapters 1 – 3
Before we discuss the first three sermons, let’s stop to think about the title of the book.
- What does the phrase “bread of angels” bring to mind for you?
- What does the image of “bread” mean for you?
Chapter One: “Glory Doors”
- What do you think of the image of both Moses and Jesus shining after their encounters with God?
- How do we allow God’s light to shine through us? Do you agree with Taylor that this is a choice?
- Here is the final paragraph: “By the power of our beliefs, we choose what kind of world we will live in—a porous world, full of glory doors leaking light, or a flat world where everything is exactly what it seems. I leave you with the stories to make up your own minds.” (p. 7)
Chapter Two: “Bread of Angels”
- What makes something “manna”? What makes it a miracle?
- What do you make of this quote from pg. 10? “If, on the other hand, you are willing to look at everything that comes to you as coming to you from God, then there will be no end to the manna in your life.”
- And this from p. 11: “Jesus is God’s manna in the wilderness…”
Chapter Three: “You Are the Man”
- This sermon focuses on the method that Nathan used to get David to understand what he had done wrong. How does she say God uses this same method with us?
- What do you think is the central message of this sermon?
For next week: Read chapters 4 – 7.
St. Paul’s Adult Forum
Winter 2018
Bread of Angels
Chapters 4 – 7
Chapter Four: “I’m Sorry, I Don’t Dance”
Chapter Five: “No Rewards”
Chapter Six: “God’s Daring Plan”
Chapter Seven: “The Wilderness Exam”
No class next week (Jan. 21) – Annual Meeting
For Jan. 28: Read chapters 8 – 11.
Winter 2018
Bread of Angels
Chapters 4 – 7
Chapter Four: “I’m Sorry, I Don’t Dance”
- Taylor argues that even if God had not saved the three Jewish princes in Daniel’s story, she would still think the story is significant. On p. 20 she writes “According to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the point was to obey God no matter what. No matter if they died. No matter if anyone ever knew they were right.” Do you agree?
- Has there ever been a time you have refused to “dance,” even knowing there could be negative consequences? What makes us able to do this? What stands in our way?
Chapter Five: “No Rewards”
- What do you think Taylor means by “spiritual seduction” (she lists the desire to be effective, to be respected and obeyed, to be rewarded)? Do you agree that these are in some way wrong to desire?
- On p. 27 she writes, “On Palm Sunday, you can walk into just about any church in the land and hear the story of what happened to God’s best friend…yet we line up to worship him, which is a very puzzling thing. How—with a Lord like that—did we ever get the idea that our faith should win us respect, influence, or protection?”
Chapter Six: “God’s Daring Plan”
- This is an imaginative retelling of creation and of God’s decision to take on human form. What aspects of the story were most interesting to you?
Chapter Seven: “The Wilderness Exam”
- How does Taylor’s own experience in the desert help illuminate Jesus’ experience?
- Here is an interesting quote—have you thought of the story in this way? “This is the story in which everyone finds out what being the son of God really means. This is the story in which Jesus proves who he is not by seizing power, but by turning it down…he will remain human, accepting all the usual risks.” (p. 39)
No class next week (Jan. 21) – Annual Meeting
For Jan. 28: Read chapters 8 – 11.
St. Paul’s Adult Forum
Winter 2018
Bread of Angels
Chapters 8 – 11
Chapter Eight: “The Trickle-Up Effect”
The point of this chapter seems to be that true power comes from below—from service--and not from above.
Chapter Nine: “High-Priced Discipleship”
Chapter Ten: “The Hidden I Am”
On p. 53 Taylor writes, “There are those of us who like to think that we could walk right into any room and pick him [Jesus] out, and that there is something wrong with anyone who could not, but I wonder. All we really have going for us is hindsight.”
Chapter Eleven: “The Prophet Mary”
For Feb. 4: Read chapters 12 – 14.
Winter 2018
Bread of Angels
Chapters 8 – 11
Chapter Eight: “The Trickle-Up Effect”
The point of this chapter seems to be that true power comes from below—from service--and not from above.
- How do you view power?
- How does Jesus fit this view, or not?
- Do you see examples of this in your own life?
Chapter Nine: “High-Priced Discipleship”
- Do you agree that Jesus would not have made a very good parish priest? Why does she say this?
- If discipleship is so costly, why do it? Do you think it’s as costly as she says?
- Near the end she writes, “I think he just wants us not to take it for granted.” (p. 50) What was your reaction to this?
Chapter Ten: “The Hidden I Am”
On p. 53 Taylor writes, “There are those of us who like to think that we could walk right into any room and pick him [Jesus] out, and that there is something wrong with anyone who could not, but I wonder. All we really have going for us is hindsight.”
- Do you think it’s easy to recognize Jesus in others? Do you agree that sometimes we don’t realize it until after the fact?
- What was your reaction to her story about the man she encountered at the Red Table Café in seminary?
Chapter Eleven: “The Prophet Mary”
- Why does Taylor identify Mary as a “prophet”? What does this mean? Do you agree?
- What is unusual or significant about identifying Mary in this way?
For Feb. 4: Read chapters 12 – 14.
St. Paul’s Adult Forum
Winter 2018
Bread of Angels
Chapters 15 – 17
Chapter 15: “The Shepherd’s Flute”
Chapter 16: “Deep in Christ’s Bones”
In this sermon, Taylor explores the concept of Paul’s image of Christians being the “body of Christ.”
Chapter 17: “The Silence of Angels”
Taylor uses the story of Zechariah to help us reflect on the importance of silence.
For next week: Read chapters 18 – 21.
Winter 2018
Bread of Angels
Chapters 15 – 17
Chapter 15: “The Shepherd’s Flute”
- When you think of Jesus’ as the “good shepherd,” what does it mean to you?
- Taylor proposes a different way of thinking about ownership, what do you think of this? “I begin to think of ownership as a certain kind of relationship, one that is created between people and other people, or animals, or things. Then ownership in not about mere possession, but about being bound to something beyond ourselves, about identifying with it so strongly that it becomes part of us.” (p. 81)
- At the end of the sermon, Taylor reminds us that Jesus charged his disciples to be like him—what does that mean for us?
Chapter 16: “Deep in Christ’s Bones”
In this sermon, Taylor explores the concept of Paul’s image of Christians being the “body of Christ.”
- What are the challenges of this image?
- What does is tell us about living in community?
- What did her story about marching and encountering the Ku Klux Klan make you think about? How would you have felt?
Chapter 17: “The Silence of Angels”
Taylor uses the story of Zechariah to help us reflect on the importance of silence.
- Why does she think we need more silence? Do you agree?
- When is it difficult to be silent? Why?
For next week: Read chapters 18 – 21.