Benjamin introduces the Women in Scripture Summer Series
- Benjamin (the church mouse)
- May 8
- 4 min read
Hello again! It’s me, Benjamin, the church mouse. It’s been a couple of weeks since I introduced you to the Paschal Candle, so I thought I’d let you know a little bit about what else is going on at The Beloved Community at The Trees. Oh, yeah, I’m still hanging out there. They make me feel right at home, so I don’t think I’ll be leaving anytime soon. They have even taken to looking for me when they gather. You know, it’s really nice to have someone excited to see you, especially if you are a mouse.
Oh, back to what I was going to share with you. I’ve been observing this community for a while now, and for almost nine months, they have been reading from something called the Narrative Lectionary. From my observations, it seems that these readings are intended to tell the full bible story, from Creation through the early Christian church. I think The Beloved Community is using this lectionary to help people who have been hurt by the church to hear the stories in new ways so that they feel safe with scripture. I think that’s just wonderful. The only problem is that this year, the Narrative Lectionary hasn’t really talked much about the women in our Christian history. It seems like that’s always the case, doesn’t it?
But I have great news! I heard on Sunday that The Beloved Community plans to spend the whole summer focusing on women in scripture. I’m really excited about this. In fact, they have already started to focus more on the women in the bible. I’ll have you know that just this week, a new formation offering started. The community is exploring Womanist Midrash, Volume 1: A Reintroduction to the Women of the Torah and the Throne every Wednesday from May 6 to June 10. I’m already learning so much. We’ve already started to read scripture in new ways and have been invited to use our sacramental imagination to understand God more fully. I say we, because I feel like I'm part of the community now, too. We even read the Womanist Lord’s Prayer. I’m going to include it below, because it’s too good not to share.
Womanist Lord's Prayer
Our Mother,
who is in heaven and within us,
we call upon your names.
Your wisdom come,
Your will be done,
in all the spaces in which you dwell.
Give us each day
sustenance and perseverance.
Remind us of our limits
as we give grace to the limits of others.
Separate us from the temptation of empire,
and deliver us into community.
For you are the dwelling place within us,
the empowerment around us
and the celebration among us,
now and forever.
Amen.
~ Rev. Yolanda Norton
The community is also going to be watching a documentary called Inside the Manosphere on Friday, May 22, at 6:00 PM at The Trees. I heard our priest, Phillip, talking about this. This is a documentary about misogyny and our culture. It’s a part of The Beloved Community’s new "Documentary, Dinner, & Discussion" series. Misogyny is a big word for a church mouse, so I had to go to my old friend Merriam-Webster to learn about this. Here’s what I found out. “Misogyny is the hatred of, aversion to, or ingrained prejudice against women and girls. It acts as a system of enforcing patriarchal social orders through sexism, discrimination, and hostility, often punishing women who violate traditional gender roles. Misogyny can be seen as a widespread cultural custom, rather than just individual attitudes.” Now I understand why the community is going to watch this documentary. I get the sense that misogyny causes a whole heap of trouble for all of us.
This documentary isn’t for everyone, though. I overheard some of the adults saying that this documentary and discussion is for folks who are 13 years old or older. I’ll miss seeing the little ones that night, but best they skip this one. It may be a tough conversation, but do you want to know what I’m excited about? They are going to provide dinner! I’m sure I’ll find a crumb or two under the table. The community always has such great meals!
Oh, back to the lectionary. Like I said, we’ve been using the Narrative Lectionary for quite some time now. But over the summer, things are going to change. Apparently, over the 15 Sundays of the summer, the community will be exploring Women in Scripture each week. They are going to do a whole summer of Sundays focused on women. Isn’t that exciting! I even heard Phillip say that we are going to use the Womanist Lord’s Prayer all summer. I’m really looking forward to learning more about women in scripture. I’ve already shared my suggestions with Phillip. But, I’m curious. Who would you like to learn more about? Are there any women in the bible that you want the community to read about and discuss? I’m sure the community would love to hear your suggestions. Why don’t you share them below, and I’ll be sure to pass them along to Phillip.
Hopefully, I’ll see you out at The Trees sometime soon.
Benjamin (the church mouse)
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