Genesis for the Summer

Last week, I was looking ahead at the Sunday scripture readings for the summer. In summer, Episcopalians get a choice between two Old Testament Readings and two Psalms. In casual language, we refer to these as "Track One" and "Track Two." As I looked at the possibilities, I decided to focus on the first book of our scriptures, Genesis, because we'll get stories from Genesis all summer long.Reading Genesis This SummerIf you have never read the book of Genesis, maybe this summer is a good time to do that. Genesis is full of amazing stories. It begins with Creation, the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve. It ends with Joseph's death (and Chapters 37-50 are the only "novella" in Holy Scripture.)  In between, we get murder, incest, drunks, betrayals, deception & lies, big promises, arranged marriages, covenants, criss-crossing trips from the Mideast to Egypt and back again, love, vivid dreams, deaths, and some near-death experiences. Why no, you can't make this stuff up--and who knew all of this was in one book in the Bible?My Merriam-Webster dictionary (yes, I am a Luddite and I still have a big dictionary on a dictionary stand!) defines the word GENESIS as following:So in the book of Genesis, we get the origins of our humanity, the origins of our relationship with the Holy One who created us. Many of these stories are not easy to read, nor easy to tell--never mind to preach! And of course we'll only get a few of these stories on Sundays. Yet they are important glimpses into human struggles that you and I still continue to have today--with the possible exception of the Binding of Isaac in Genesis 22 (arguably the most difficult chapter in the entire Bible, and one that is rarely preached.) Note here: Thank you, Dr. Ellen Davis, who taught this chapter at Virginia Seminary in fall of 1996.Salvation in GenesisIn her book A Guide Through the Old Testament, Celia Brewer Marshall says this about patriarchal history in Genesis:"The view of persons found in this literature is highly realistic. We see strength and weakness, evil and nobility, saint and sinner intertwined in these very human actors in God's drama. Abraham is more interested in protecting himself than keeping his wife (twice this happens, once with the pharoah in Egypt and once with a king named Abimelech). His grandson Jacob becomes a man of integrity, but he was first chosen by Gd when he was a thief. Jacob's son Joseph cannot resist making his brothers miserable in order to prove his opint--that God has turned their evil actions into good. Patriarchal literature is not concerned with heroes, but with very real persons who were chosen despite who they were."This brings us to the understanding of the deity, or the view of God, found in these chapters. The German term for this type of history is Heilsgeschichte: the story of salvation. We see God choosing a people and leading them throughout the ancient Near East." (p. 35.)

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Plan for Reading Genesis this SummerIf you have never read the book of Genesis, I am going to suggest a plan I found in a study Bible, one that will take you seven weeks to read. If you do not have a Bible,  we have some here at the church and you are welcome to borrow one. If you order one, I encourage you to get a Study Bible like the Oxford Annotated Study Bible, since that has wonderful study notes on passages, as well as articles on historical and archeological aspects of scripture. If you order one, please use the portal www.smileAmazon.com and designate St. Philip's as your charitable organization. That way, we'll get a donation.Here is the suggested schedule (taken from Marshall's book):Week One:    Genesis 1:1-2:3           CreationGenesis 3:1-4:6           FallWeek Two:    Genesis 5:1-10:32       Flood & followingGenesis 11:1-32         Tower of BabelWeek Three: Genesis 12:1-14:24     Abram's CallGenesis 15:1-19:38     Abraham's CovenantWeek Four:   Genesis 20:1-23:20     Abraham TestedGenesis 24:1-27:40     Isaac's BlessingWeek Five:   Genesis 27:41-31:55   Jacob's Story & Jacob's LadderGenesis 32:1-36:43     Jacob Wrestles with AngelWeek Six     Genesis 37:1-41:57     Joseph's Story & Being SoldGenesis 42:1-47:31     Joseph in EgyptWeek Seven  Genesis 48:1-50:26     Joseph's Kindness & ProvisionIf you take on the discipline of reading this powerful book this summer, I promise you that you will not be bored. You may end up with many questions. You will likely be disturbed. You will also be reminded of why so many cinematographers have made movies of some of these passages (although please remember that said cinematographers and theatre producers often take poetic license with them. . .think Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, for one, or East of Eden, for another--something our own Kevin James Logan starred in last year at the Olney Theatre.)

Pic above Accessed at Google images

I intend to preach on Genesis readings this summer. I've never done that, and I think these stories are worth a focus and exploration. So join me in reading Genesis. You will not be bored--or disappointed.  And if you're in town on Sundays, and not on vacation or taking a weekend trip, please join me in worship and think with me about these amazing stories. ~Sheila