Genesis 15:1 - 16:16 Discussion Topics and Questions

Covenant with Abram & the Birth of Ishmael

• What do you think it was like to live in a world where you believed there were many Gods, and then to have been visited by the One God and have Him say, "I am the LORD..."?
• Why did Sarai tell Abram to have a child with Hagar, even after God told Sarai and Abram he would grant to them many descendants?

Did you know...?

1. When God cut the covenant with Abram and he made Abram fall asleep so that Abram would not have to walk through the pieces of the animals, he was saying to Abram, "Even if you break this covenant, I alone will have to bear the blame and the consequences." This covenant was fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
2. The descendants of Ishmael became the Arab peoples and the descendants of Isaac (Abram's second son) became the Jewish peoples, but they are both referred to ethnically as the "semitic" peoples.
3. God will promise to bless the descendants of Ishmael and make a nation out of them, because he is a child of Abram. See Genesis 21:13.
4. The name Hagar gives to God, "El-Roi" means, "God who sees me".

-Fr. Ryan

The "Unforgivable" Sin

Last Wednesday night, someone asked a very good question. They said a teacher of their's had mentioned that to commit suicide meant that you were going straight to Hell, because God would not forgive a Suicide.

Roman Catholic doctrine teaches that suicide is one of the "mortal sins;"this means, according to strict Roman Catholic doctrine, that such a sin, is unforgivable. It has the consequence of cutting us off from Heaven. All "mortal sins" have this consequence. Some sins, in this way of thinking, do not prevent us from getting there but only stall our arrival. According to the same Roman Catholic doctrine, these are called "venial sins."

Not all Roman Catholics believe this way; this is simply the doctrine of their belief structure.

We are not Roman Catholics, however, but are Episcopalians. The Gospels only speak of one "unforgivable" sin, but do not define what it is specifically. Scholars and theologians have debated this as a favorite topic for ages. The two important passages are: Mark 3: 20-29, and Luke 12: 1-10.

Jesus is careful to remind us that whoever acknowledges Him, he will also acknowledge before God the Father in Heaven.

Now, while I want to be careful to say that suicide is a very, very, very bad idea - IT IS A LONG TERM SOLUTION TO A SHORT TERM PROBLEM - but it is not unforgivable. I also want to remind you of some very important scriptural words from St. Paul's letter to the congregation at Rome:

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

~Romans 8:37-40

-Fr. Ryan

Genesis 6:11 - :17 Discussion Topics and Questions

Noah and the Flood Cycle

• Why do you think God felt like God had to destroy the world?
• Why was Noah chosen out of all the people of the earth to be saved?
• If some animals were unclean, why did God tell Noah to save those animals too?
• God asked Noah to do a pretty big, impossible-sounding task. Has God ever asked anything of you that you felt you were not ready for? What happened?

Did you know...?

1. The story of the Flood not only appears in the Bible, but in the folk literature of many ancient cultures. The most famous of these is the Epic of Gilgamesh, an epic tale from ancient Sumeria that takes place roughly between 2750 and 2500 B.C.
2. The Epic of Gilgamesh was discovered in the ancient Assyrian capital of Ninevah by an archaeologist named Austen Henry Layard in 1853 A.D. It was discovered inscribed on twelve stone tablets.
3. On the 11th tablet was inscribed a story about a cataclysmic flood that went, in part, like this:

" Utanapishtim spoke to Gilgamesh, saying: "I will reveal to you, Gilgamesh, a thing that is hidden, a secret of the gods I will tell you! Shuruppak, a city that you surely know, situated on the banks of the Euphrates, that city was very old, and there were gods inside it. The hearts of the Great Gods moved them to inflict the Flood...O man of Shuruppak, son of Ubartutu: Tear down the house and build a boat! Abandon wealth and seek living beings! Spurn possessions and keep alive living beings! Make all living beings go up into the boat. The boat which you are to build, its dimensions must measure equal to each other: its length must correspond to its width. Roof it over like the Apsu...The boat was finished by sunset. The launching was very difficult. They had to keep carrying a runway of poles front to back, until two-thirds of it had gone into the water(?). Whatever I had I loaded on it: whatever silver I had I loaded on it, whatever gold I had I loaded on it. All the living beings that I had I loaded on it, I had all my kith and kin go up into the boat, all the beasts and animals of the field and the craftsmen I had go up. Shamash had set a stated time: 'In the morning I will let loaves of bread shower down, and in the evening a rain of wheat! Go inside the boat, seal the entry!'That stated time had arrived. In the morning he let loaves of bread shower down,and in the evening a rain of wheat.I watched the appearance of the weather--the weather was frightful to behold!I went into the boat and sealed the entry...Just as dawn began to glowthere arose from the horizon a black cloud...Stunned shock over Adad's deeds overtook the heavens,and turned to blackness all that had been light.The... land shattered like a... pot. All day long the South Wind blew..., blowing fast, submerging the mountain in water, overwhelming the people like an attack. No one could see his fellow, they could not recognize each other in the torrent...Six days and seven nightscame the wind and flood, the storm flattening the land. When the seventh day arrived, the storm was pounding, the flood was a war--struggling with itself like a woman writhing (in labor). The sea calmed, fell still, the whirlwind (and) flood stopped up. I looked around all day long--quiet had set inand all the human beings had turned to clay! The terrain was as flat as a roof. I opened a vent and fresh air (daylight!) fell upon the side of my nose. I fell to my knees and sat weeping, tears streaming down the side of my nose. I looked around for coastlines in the expanse of the sea, and at twelve leagues there emerged a region (of land). On Mt. Nimush the boat lodged firm, Mt. Nimush held the boat, allowing no sway. One day and a second Mt. Nimush held the boat, allowing no sway. A third day, a fourth, Mt. Nimush held the boat, allowing no sway. A fifth day, a sixth, Mt. Nimush held the boat, allowing no sway. When a seventh day arrived I sent forth a dove and released it. The dove went off, but came back to me; no perch was visible so it circled back to me. I sent forth a swallow and released it. The swallow went off, but came back to me; no perch was visible so it circled back to me. I sent forth a raven and released it. The raven went off, and saw the waters slither back. It eats, it scratches, it bobs, but does not circle back to me."

The entire Epic of Gilgamesh can be found by clicking here.

-Fr. Ryan

Genesis 1:1 - 3:24 Discussion Topics and Questions

God Creates; the Adam and Eve Stories

• What ideas did you bring with you about the creation narratives and how did those ideas change or get supported by reading the texts?
• What does the fact that there are two creation narratives have to teach us about truth? About God?
• What was the "first sin" in the Garden all about, in your opinion?
• What role did Adam play in the "first sin"? Eve? The serpent? God?
• What does the story of the "first sin" have to teach us about God? About ourselves?

Did you know...?

1. The name of the first man in this story, Adam, comes the Hebrew word adamah, which means "earth-creature
2. The name of the first woman in this story, Eve, comes from the Hebrew word for life, and in this context means, "life-bearer"
3. Two of the rivers the text mentions when talking about the location of the Garden of Eden are unknown to us now. But two of them are known, the Tigris and the Euphrates, which form part of what you learned about in your history classes as the Fertile Crescent and are located in modern day Iraq.

-Fr. Ryan

New Idea

I have no idea if this will work or not, but I have created this blog as another way for the youth group of St. Mark's Episcopal Church to engage one another, engage Scripture, and engage the world.

I'll post news and announcements about upcoming events here as well as discussion blogs about what we're doing or talking about in Youth Group.

We're about to begin a course of study on the stories out of Genesis and it promises to be very exciting! Stay tuned!

-Fr. Ryan