Something missing?

Posted on March 4, 2009 
Filed under News

Lenten StudiesThe Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund of the Anglican Church of Canada has published a book of Lenten Studies with a brief comment on a Bible passage for each day.

The comments illustrate a liberal approach to the Bible. Here are some excerpts – see if you can spot what’s missing –

“Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.” — Luke 24:35

People need to talk when important things happen. We must make a story out of the events in our lives, and discern the manner in which they fit together to make sense of things. When terrible things happen including life-threatening things events demanding an immediate response—we need to make a story of it even more. There are many stories of suffering in the world, but some stories have a happy ending. … (Saturday, April 4)

or

“Listen and understand: It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” — Matthew 15:10

This is another one of Jesus’ little jokes. They all got it immediately, of course. It’s not being correct that commends us to God and one another. It’s being kind. That said, here is a good example of an instance in which we’re not supposed to take what Jesus says literally… (Saturday March 28).

or

“… a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.’ He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’…” —  Matthew 14:22-27

This not a story for people who need to think that Jesus always had it together, because it looks like we’ve caught him being mean to a lady because of her ethnicity. At first, he ignores her cries. Then he refuses to help her and compares her people to dogs.

But she challenges his prejudice. And he listens to her challenge and grows in response to it. … (Friday, March 27)

– Read them all (if you must) in the Lenten Studies, available as a PDF file (direct link). (h/t Anglican Essentials Canada blog and Anglican Samizdat.)