Breaking the Good News

When there is great news to tell, time seems to hold still for a moment. Life takes a dramatic turn in that moment when the mission call is opened, or you get that phone call that your child is getting married, or that first grandchild is here. Life will never be the same after that news is told. 

And so it is with the four gospels. These writers knew that they were telling a shocking story that would change the course of history. The Messiah had been born in obscurity, lived an inspiring and sinless life and touched thousands. Then he was arrested and died an ignominious death, leaving his followers devastated. But just when all seemed lost, miracle of miracles, he came to life again and was seen in his resurrected state by hundreds of people. No wonder the word ‘gospel’ means good news- there has never been anything to equal it!

How would you choose to present these glad tidings of great joy? Let’s start with the earliest gospel, Mark, then follow with Matthew and Luke, and see how the gospel writers chose to break the news to all of us.

Mark's gospel could also be called the Memoirs of Peter. Peter was his mentor, and Mark recorded Peter's stories about the Savior as faithfully as possible. Matthew used that as his main content, and Luke also used much of Mark's gospel, adding to it his personal interviews with some of the great women in Christ's life. Together, these three "synoptic" gospels give us a multi-faceted view of the blessed Lord.

We will continue to meet every Wednesday at 10am at the LDS Cardiff chapel, with the exception of November 22, and December 20th, and 27th, when we will take off for the holidays. 

See you there!

A Christian Gratitude Meditation

We are talking about the sacrament this week and it’s been fascinating to trace the imagery of eating and feasting all the way through the Old Testament (forbidden fruit, manna, etc) and then throughout Jesus’s life. He turned water into wine, fed thousands, and ended his mission with a supper that he invites us all to repeat. He was even born in a manger, an eating trough! So interesting, and to me it all leads up to the sacred feast of the sacrament.

Sometimes it's hard to know what to think about during the sacrament. I’m suggesting five things that people can do during that sacred time, and one of them is to offer a gratitude meditation. (To hear the other four, you will have to listen to the lesson)  A guided meditation can seem awkward at first, but it can really help us focus our attention on our blessings. Here is one just to get you started:

 Go at your own pace and change this any way you want to reflect your feelings:

•       Settle yourself in a relaxed posture. Take a few deep, calming breaths to relax and center. For a few moments, let your awareness move to your immediate environment: all the things you can smell, taste, touch, see, hear, right around you. Say to yourself: “For this beautiful place, these great people around me, and this beautiful day Lord,  I am grateful. 
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•       Now, bring to mind those people in your life to whom you are close: your friends, family, spouse, parents, …. Think specifically of a few ways that your life has been blessed this week by your loved ones. Thank the Lord for those special moments, and say to yourself, “Lord, I am grateful to be loved by wonderful people." Name them in your mind, and let your feelings of love well up for each one as you do. 
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•       Next, turn your attention onto yourself: you are a unique individual, blessed with imagination, the ability to communicate, to learn from the past and plan for the future, to overcome any pain you may be experiencing. Think of how the Lord has blessed you with the opportunity to live, and change, and meet your challenges. Your life is a precious gift. Think how you have been born into a period of immense prosperity, freedom, and that you have the gift of health, culture and access to spiritual teachings. Say to yourself: “Lord, I am grateful for my life, for my challenges and problems, for my joys and successes, and to live in this time and be a part of great things. 
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•      Finally, rest into the realization that you are connected to Jesus by covenants of love. Imagine his eyes, looking straight at you. Remember that He knows you, and loves you, and that your concerns are important to Him. Through his atonement you have the opportunity to become better, stronger and more full of love. He can give you the strength to meet any challenge, to forgive others, and to be filled with peace even in times of trouble.  Say to yourself: "Lord,  I am grateful for your love. I praise and adore you, and will be your servant. I know that gratitude is the heart’s memory, and I promise to always remember you, so that I can have your spirit to be with me every day.  I thank you humbly for the abundance of my life, for helping me overcome my sins and shortcomings, and for pouring out your spirit on my loved ones and me. Help me show that love to everyone I meet this week.” And then be quiet and listen.

The Sermon on the Mount is so familiar to us that it is easy to lose sight of how revolutionary its teachings are. We will do a close reading of this remarkable set of statements, as recorded in Matthew 5-7.

Our process of reading the gospels, carefully and prayerfully, must begin with the themes that are set out in this remarkable sermon. The Beatitudes, the Lord’s Prayer, and a whole new take on the Ten Commandments are just a few of the gems we find here. When we ask ourselves the question, “What would Jesus do?” we will often find the answer in these chapters.

Several members of our class shared insights on the ways that Jesus teaches us to love, pray, give, feel, act and, finally, whom to follow. 

Watch here for the link ~ coming in a couple of days.

The four Gospels are not exactly a biography of Jesus, though they do tell us many things about his daily life. Instead, these four documents are organized in a deliberate way as a masterful presentation of the mission of Christ. There are some pervasive themes that we studied in the Old Testament that we find in the gospels, yet presented in a new way. So, this time around, rather than study them in a linear fashion we will approach different events, parables and stories in light of those themes.

As a reading assignment I'm inviting everyone to read the four Gospels by Christmas, taking notes and writing your thoughts as you go. Our objective is to have each class member experience what Bruce R. McConkie described when he said: "The Gospels are where we go to fall in love with the Lord." And to ask ourselves, what can I learn from the gospels about how to live these principles today? I look forward to sharing this experience with you.

The first two lessons of the year are available now on YouTube. Lesson One explores the theme of Forgiveness and Reconciliation by looking at the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Lesson Two explores the theme of Grace with a close reading of the Story of the Good Samaritan. Here are the links:

Forgiveness and Reconciliation: The Parable of Two Sons

How Grace Works in Real Life: The Good Samaritan

Summer Reading

The Old Testament is a big, long book, and we didn't quite get finished with it by the end of our course! I hope that you will read the rest of the text this summer. Meanwhile, I will be working on a book based on our class sessions, (The User-friendly Old Testament) and I will be recording some additional lessons for the YouTube channel. If you subscribe to the channel you will automatically get an email whenever a new lesson is posted. Here is the link: Del Mar Sisters in Scriptures.

And just in case you have a burning desire to learn even more about the Old Testament, I will be teaching at BYU Education Week again this year. There will be four new lectures on the Old Testament ~ now doesn't that sound more fun than a week on a lake somewhere? (Don't answer that.) If you can, join me August 21-25 for as much fun as you can possibly have while actually reading the scriptures!

Love to you and yours, and have a great summer!

Marilyn

It's All Greek to Me

One of the most striking landmarks in our community is the beautiful Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church on Manchester in Encinitas. Many times as I have passed this sparkling white building with the golden dome, I have wished I knew more about the people that worship there. What does the Greek Orthodox church believe, and in what ways does it differ from the traditional Catholic Church? Do only Greek people belong? And how do they get that cross to appear when sunlight hits the dome? Since we had so much fun getting to know Rabbi Wright of the Temple Sol El, I thought it might be a good idea to go and meet Rev. Father Michael Sitaras, the Priest who leads this congregation. On a recent Sunday I attended the Divine Liturgy there, and it was fascinating. Father Michael is a third generation priest and has a great manner of connecting with his parishioners. (By the way, in case you are wondering how one becomes a third generation Priest, Orthodox priests are allowed to marry, and Father Sitaras and his wife, Presbytera Mary, are the parents of four children!)  Father Michael graciously accepted the invitation to teach our class last week. When I asked him what he would like to teach us, he suggested that we might be interested in learning how about the ancient music and iconography (painting of the altars) is used in their worship. Along with his divinity training, Father Michael also has a Master’s Degree in painting. He has been involved in creating works of art for the different congregations where he has served. The beautiful icons and mosaic dome of the church took my breath away, so I was anxious to know more about them.   Father Michael offered us a unique opportunity to peek inside a world of worship that is different than ours, but beautiful in its own way. Byzantine art is highly stylized and full of symbols that are meaningful to all Christians. I'd invite you to watch the YouTube lesson: It's All Greek to Me: Father Michael Teaches Us About Byzantine Art.

Psalms: Unlocking Your Inner Poet

The Old Testament is about one third poetry, though none of it looks like  traditional western poetry, with our familiar stanzas and rhyming. When is scripture poetry, and why? Why so many symbols and allegories and metaphors? Why not just tell us what we need to do and get on with it?

Poets themselves find it a challenge to define poetry. William Wordsworth said, "Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: emotion recollected in tranquility." John Keats maintained that "poetry should… strike the reader as a wording of his own highest thoughts, and appear almost a remembrance."  Emily Dickinsen watched for a physical response: "If I feel physically like the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry." Dylan Thomas felt it in the other extremity, defining poetry as "what makes my toenails twinkle." Geraldine Brooks summed it up in four words: "Poetry is life distilled."

   

Sometimes ordinary prose doesn't quite capture our emotional and spiritual response. When Jesus knelt and prayed among the Nephites they couldn’t find words to describe it. “No tongue can speak," they said, "neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father.” (3 Nephi 17:17)

Faced with the challenge of expressing the inexpressible - our deepest love, gratitude,         sorrow, grief or faith - we turn to poetic language.   This overflow of feeling (and twinkling of toes) resulted in the Psalms. Though many of the psalms were probably used in temple       worship and for other ritual purposes, many of them seem to be a simple overflowing of the heart toward God. We might try writing a psalm that expresses our own personal love for     the Lord. Doing so will be meaningful for those we love, as we dig into the details of our daily walk with the Lord.

Here is a modern psalm from a Korean Christian writer named Ku Sang: 

Mysterious Wealth

Feeling today like the Prodigal Son

just arrived back in his father’s arms,

I observe the world and all it contains.

June’s milky sky glimpsed through a window,

the sunlight dancing over fresh green leaves,

clusters of sparrows that scatter, chirping,

full-blown petunias in pots on verandas,

all strike me as infinitely new,

astonishing and miraculous.

My grandson, too, rushing round the living-room

and chattering away for all he’s worth,

my wife, with her glasses on,

embroidering a pillow-case,

and the neighbours, each with their particularities,

coming and going in the lane below,

all are extremely lovable,

most trustworthy, significant.

Oh, mysterious, immeasurable wealth!

Not to be compared with storeroom riches!

Truly, all that belongs to my Father in Heaven,

All, all is mine!

Weakness Is Not a Sin, So Give Yourself a Break!

Erma Bombeck described guilt as "the gift that keeps on giving,” and most of us know just what she meant. If you tend to be too hard on yourself about your mistakes and failings (and who isn't?) join me this week for an hour that will help you look at life in a new way. Our guest teacher was Wendy Ulrich, PhD, therapist, motivational speaker and author of several wonderful books, including her latest, "Weakness is Not a Sin."

Through her books and seminars Wendy has helped thousands of people let go of unnecessary guilt and open themselves up to the love that God is anxious to have them feel. We are very fortunate that she is in the area for a few weeks, and has agreed to be our guest teacher at SIS this Wednesday. I love Wendy's books - she has taught me a lot about how the atonement can be a part of my daily life in an enabling and positive way - and this lesson inspired us all. 

Revelation 201: Hearing the Voice of God, Part 2

The subject of revelation seems central to the book of Samuel, and it is such an important topic that I feel it deserves two sessions. Samuel’s story begins with a remarkable manifestation from God to a little boy, and throughout his life Samuel as known as one who receives communications from God. The scriptures say of this great man: "The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground.” 1 Samuel 3:19

 Do you feel like most of your words fall to the ground? I certainly do! How do we become people who know how to receive and follow the voice of the Lord?As Samuel’s story progresses we learn more about the principle of revelation. Joseph Smith describe this process as a set of skills that can be cultivated with practice:

“A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon; (i.e.) those things that were presented unto your minds by the Spirit of God, will come to pass; and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith)

Join some of our most inspired class members for insights on how they have learned to hear the voice of the Lord.

Should You Listen To That Voice in Your Head?

Hushed was the evening hymn,

The temple courts were dark,

The lamp was burning dim,

Before the sacred ark:

When suddenly a voice divine

Rang through the silence of the shrine 

The story of the boy Samuel, awakened in the night by the voice of God, is one of the sweetest and most moving tales in the Old Testament. It also introduces one of the most interesting topics in theology, namely, how do we discern the voice of God from the other other voices that clamor for our attention?

We did a close reading of the first few chapters of 1st Samuel, and examined the (sometimes subtle) differences between inspiration, hallucination, divination, and revelation. 

As a special treat, we were privileged to have Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, PhD, professor of history at Harvard and winner of the Pulitzer Prize, as a part of this lesson. Dr. Ulrich’s latest book, A House Full of Females, is a study of polygamy in the early church, and I asked Dr. Ulrich to share some experiences from the lives of these early pioneer sisters, many of whom testified that they were guided by the voice of God.

What Does a Prophet Do?

Each week we film our lesson and it appears on my YouTube channel, Marilyn Green Faulkner.

Elijah: What Does a Prophet Do? 

This lesson looks at several stories in 1 and 2 Kings. Elijah and his protege  Elisha have some remarkable experiences that have much to teach us about how the Lord works through his servants on the earth. From causing a drought to raising the dead, they have a tremendous impact.  (I’m still not quite sure what to think about the thing with the bears. Apparently you don’t want to get them mad at you…) 

What does it profit us to have a prophet in our midst? In addition to our Old Testament favorites, I studied the lives of our modern-day prophets in preparation for this lesson, and I have a new appreciation of the benefits of prophetic power in our lives. 

The subject of revelation seems central to the book of Samuel, and it is such an important topic that I feel it deserves two sessions. Samuel’s story begins with a remarkable manifestation from God to a little boy, and throughout his life Samuel as known as one who receives communications from God. The scriptures say of this great man: "The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground.” 1 Samuel 3:19

 Do you feel like most of your words fall to the ground? I certainly do! How do we become people who know how to receive and follow the voice of the Lord?As Samuel’s story progresses we learn more about the principle of revelation. Joseph Smith describe this process as a set of skills that can be cultivated with practice:

“A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon; (i.e.) those things that were presented unto your minds by the Spirit of God, will come to pass; and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith)

Join some of our most inspired class members for insights on how they have learned to hear the voice of the Lord.

The Reading Schedule

Sisters in Scriptures Reading Schedule: April/May 2017

Here is the schedule through the end of the course:

March 29 ~ Esther: Queen for a Day

April 5 ~ Job: When Bad Things Happen to Good People

April 12 ~  Finding Christ in the Psalms (Easter)

April 19 ~ Real Life Lessons from Proverbs and Ecclesiastes 

April 26 ~ Isaiah: An Old Book for a New Day

May 3 ~ The Power of One: Daniel/Jonah

May 10 ~ Turning Our Hearts to the Fathers: Malachi