 There were no audible groans--ICJS Preaching Colloquium participants
are too polite for that--just an exchange of knowing looks of
mild pain when Peter Pitzele asked us to pair off to study the
chronology of Genesis 11.
Chronology? All those "begats!" He wanted us to find out who was
alive in Ur of the Chaldees to say goodbye to Abram and his clan
when they left. But what did this have to do with Genesis 12,
the great passage on the call of Abram, a key Lenten text?
As my partner and I scanned the list of "begats" in Genesis 11,
I recalled a divinity school teacher encouraging us to pay attention
to such material for three reasons: the Bible is inspired; "God
is in the details;" and all that begatting was pretty sexy stuff.
As we plowed through the chronology and the begatting, one could
hear little cries of "aha" all over the room as a common insight
illuminated the participants. We were discovering what our teacher
wanted us to see: that according to Genesis 11, no one "in the
family" had died since the time of the flood except for Abram's
brother, Haran.
Pitzele then asked us to imagine ourselves at a farewell dinner
for Terah, Abram, and the family on their last night in Ur. What
would people say to each other? Some of us noted how crowded it
was with all those generations stacking up; that there were unfulfilled
dreams to pursue; that Haran's death was a curse upon us all;
that it was time to move on. I was sure that Abram would have
said something like, "I've got to get out of here. I can't stand
to hear Noah tell one more flood story!"
Thus did our teacher masterfully lead us into the text, positioning
us to interpret the pivotal passage which followed: Genesis 12,
the call of Abram, the Hebrew scripture lesson for the Second
Sunday in Lent.
The session was typical of the fresh and imaginative approaches
to scripture that participants have come to expect from both the
Advent and Lenten Preaching Colloquia. Sponsored by the ICJS in
cooperation with the Baltimore Chapter of the American Jewish
Committee, this programming initiative was created in response
to requests by Christian clergy who had become increasingly troubled
by the formidable challenge of preaching Lectionary texts that
have traditionally generated misunderstandings of Judaism and
the Jewish people.
Previously, at the Advent Colloquium, refreshing new insights
emerged as Ken Byerly, Bob Albright, and Bobbie Scoville gave
voice to the familiar stories of John the Baptist, Joseph, and
Mary. After they presented monologues charged with the emotions
of rage, puzzlement, awe, and longing for peace, rabbis and pastors
continued the conversation exploring the meaning of this critical
liturgical season.
At the end of each session I was encouraged to see ways to do
justice to Advent and Lenten texts without sinking into the old
traps of supersessionism and anti-Judaism. The ICJS Preaching
Colloquia make for better exegesis, better theology, and better
preaching. |