Jesus told the crowds all these things in stories; without a story he told them nothing. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet: “I will open my mouth to speak in stories; I will proclaim what has been hidden from the foundation of the world.” Matthew 5:38

Many years ago, when I was Coordinator for the Network of Biblical Storytellers, I used a phrase from Psalm 78:2 as part of the organization’s logo: “I will open my mouth in a story.” Only now did I discover Matthew’s appropriation of Psalm 78:2 in his story of Jesus. Matthew used the Greek word parabolā which we translate “parables” or “stories.”

The parables to which the psalmist and Matthew refer are special stories from a holy source, meant for our spiritual growth. They are sacred stories, which is why we named our Circle of the Word with women in the jail “Sacred Stories.”

There were quite a few people in the waiting area for visitation at the jail this week. I was waiting for my co-Circlekeeper to arrive. I set down my heavy bag of materials, including a supply of Cheryl’s Cookies which I bring every now and then for a treat. Then I decided to sit down myself.

Now I have to make an embarrassing confession. Blame it on being an introvert, or the descendant of Norwegian stock, or because I was in a jail, but I was reluctant to sit down right next to a strange man. So, should I move my bag from where it was two seats down to the chair next to his so I could sit in the chair where the bag had been and not right next to him? Or should I pick up up my bag and go sit elsewhere?

Then I had a WWJD moment.

I sat down next to the man. He asked me, “Are you here to visit someone?” I said no, I was here to lead a program for women. I added, “We tell and teach stories from the Bible. This summer we are doing stories from the Gospel of Luke that feature women. Today we are learning the story of the woman who put two coins in the temple treasury.”

He recalled the story: “That’s the one about the widow who was poor. Jesus praised her saying she gave more than all the rich people.” He told me he had been in prison many years ago. Now he is part of a singing group at his church that goes to prisons in Ohio and Indiana to perform. We weren’t strangers any more.

Nine women came to Circle that day. Since our story was a short one I decided to try something new: invite every woman to tell the story for a cookie. I got out my box of Cheryl’s Cookies. There were nine wonderful, distinctive tellings. I wish I had a recording of them all.

The women filled out a survey at the end of class. They each gave permission to share what they wrote. Here are responses to, “Something I find meaningful about today’s story”:

• The lady giving her all
• It’s ok to put in your all, for Jesus is watching and appreciates it… You will be blessed in the end.
• Even if you don’t have it all together and don’t have nothing to give really, still give
• Jesus protected the widow
• Even the poorest person can be generous and God looks at your offering/gifts the best
• Even if you don’t have much still give
• The widow was taken care of
• Keep faith. God will always provide. And continue to help and give when possible.

The Holy Spirit is alive and active in the Montgomery County Jail. And in case you wondered, they really liked the cookies.

Our first story for the month was the parable of the Good Samaritan. Here are some of the things we wondered about that story and the background info about it which we read-around (see attached doc):

• If it was such a bad place to be, why were the priest and the Levite walking alone with no protection?
• Why didn’t the priest stop? Seems like he’s a man of God, a holy man; you’d think that he would be the one to stop.
• Do they still have temples in Jerusalem?
• Why is he walking down that road in the first place?
• I don’t understand the law about not touching someone who needed help.
• Are the priests supposed to pray for them?

Then there was the question that led to reflection that led to our Circle’s key take-away from this parable that day:

I was just wondering whatever became of the man who came to the inn. Did he get better?…I bet he won’t go down that road again…We should tell ourselves: “Don’t go down that road again!”

We all laughed at this sound wisdom. The spirit at work among us. Gave me a whole new take on this familiar parable.

Lk10_30-35_Good-Sam_about

Today was the second week of our February series of circles on parables of Jesus in Luke. Last week we did the story of the Good Samaritan; this week the parable of the Lost Sheep. We included the context: Jesus’ teachable moment with self-righteous, religious folk who grumbled about him hangin’ with sinners.

We had a full group of fifteen and a lively session, especially when we used the drama bag. Someone suggested it was a body bag, but I said no, it’s a DRAMA bag. Both the drama-bag mime and the volunteer storyteller did a great job.

We passed around our illustrated book of Life in Bible Times so everyone who wanted could read a paragraph. That’s a lot more interesting then one person reading. Plus I noticed how each woman helped the next person find the place to start reading. Such a gentle experience of group care, very dear.

We read the two page spread on shepherds and sheep. There were various references to scriptures where sheep and shepherds are mentioned. I was remembering both Moses and David as shepherds.

For connections, we told “sheep stories” or whatever came to mind in thinking of sheep. There was a wonderful variety of responses. We sorted ourselves into “country girls” who had some first-hand experience of sheep growing up, to “city girls” who only knew them from afar.

Some made spiritual connections like “Lamb of God” and others connected with being like a lost sheep, found and saved by Jesus.

I told about the time a sheep bolted for the barn door between my legs. Another Circlekeeper told how when she was young, she visited family in Indiana who lived on a farm. She asked, “What are those little raisins behind the sheep?” Her cousins got a good laugh out of that.

Several mentioned various unsavory sheep characteristics like their stinky smell, stupidity, and obnoxious vocalizations. Then there was the evil-face sheep that made REALLY loud, ugly noises (somehow that was very funny). Another woman recalled a time when a sheep chased her mother on Coney Island. She didn’t know her mother could move so fast!

On the more positive side, there were reminders of the lanolin of sheep wool that makes the hands of shepherdesses so soft. And the tasty cheese that comes from sheep. Or was that goat cheese?

We could all easily find ourselves in this classic little parable–recalling times when we have been lost, not knowing which way to turn, all alone with regret about how we messed up. I encouraged us all to be confident in God’s steady determination to find us, and bring us home.

Great story; great Circle. Thank you, ladies. Thank you, Jesus.

Wow, it’s almost not the new year any longer. The Journey to Bethlehem series went fine–I didn’t try to capture feedback or storyboards until the final session and then Christmas took over. Will try to post some of that before too many more weeks go by–at least before Lent! Also want to get all those docs in the Stories section. Who knows when. Now working on a Facebook group for women who have been in the class and others interested in joining an online version of Sacred Stories.

During the second week of Advent we learned the story of “The Annunciation to Mary”—“annunciation” being just a fancy word for “announcement.” The story is recorded in Luke 1:26-38. After we got through all the administrative stuff (nametags, attendance, how-to-use-the-talking-piece, etc.) we did a Circle round to describe our familiarity with that story.

There are three options: This story is…(1) brand new to me, (2) somewhat familiar (3) a story I could tell, more or less. I had modeled the “more or less” very well, having mixed up words in a couple of places and completely leaving out Mary saying, “How can this be?”

For three of us the story was brand new. Five of us were somewhat familiar, and seven of us felt we knew it well enough to tell, more or less!

Last month I attended the American Academy of Religion – Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting held in Atlanta, Georgia. I bought a 2015 edition of The Social Media Gospel: Sharing the Good News in New Ways by Meredith Gould and read it as soon as I got home.

It’s not a deep read, but it got me thinking about creating an online faith community for the women who lead and attend Circle of the Word—AKA Sacred Stories class—at the jail. For community formation, Gould strongly recommends Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter over blogs.

I asked the women on Dec. 2, “How many of you use the Internet when you’re not in here?” Immediately all hands shot up. Then at the end of class I asked about Facebook. Most were on it. I told them my idea of a Facebook group for us. They were quite enthusiastic and offered suggestions. So I am continuing to mull that possibility over with a growing sense of calling.

A next step is to discuss the idea with people engaged in jail ministry and reentry work. Is there a down side? A security concern?

This is the last in my series of posts from the December 2 Circle about prophets and Isaiah 9:2-7. December 2 was my 65^th birthday. Here is a final “illustrated manuscript” from that memorable Circle. It captures the spirit our time together.

This illustrated manuscript of Isaiah 9:2-7 includes a boot, a bloody garment, a king’s crown, a child, and a yoke (the first brown figure in the left margin).

Before we illustrated our manuscripts, one of the women inquired, “What is a a yoke?” One woman suggested part of an egg. I said that was a sensible guess given how the word sounds, but that this was a different kind of yoke and actually was spelled differently. I had never really noticed the similarity or the silence of the “l” in “yolk.” We all enjoyed that detail about our language.

I passed around a picture of a pair of oxen yoked together and we discussed the concept of being yoked. Someone brought up marriage, a couple being yoked.

How rich are the associations and nuances of these stories, and how perceptive are the women who engage them at the Montgomery County Jail in our weekly Circle of the
Word.

The women had only heard the Isaiah prophecy once when they were asked to name a word or phrase that caught their attention in the “Word I Heard” activity. I was amazed at the range of responses they offered. They are printed on colored cards, pictured below with their “illustrated manuscripts.”

The skill of paying attention facilitates both prayer and storylearning. The “Word I Heard” cards and illustrated manuscripts provide evidence of how well the women in Circle paid attention, both to the prophecy and to the reading about how it would have sounded to original audiences 2700 and 2000 years ago.

For example, the first graphic below includes an illustration of God calling light into being, out of darkness, from the first creation story in Genesis. That detail was included in our reading handout “Listening to the Story” as one association for darkness/light of people listening to the story long ago (the other association being oppression/king-who-ends-oppression).

The second graphic includes the boots and bloody garments being burned “as fuel for the fire.” It as shows names for the new king, interpreted as baby Jesus. Our handout mentioned how the original audience heard this prophecy as a celebration for the coronation of a king, while early Christians heard it as being about another “anointed one”: the Christ child.

Last Wednesday when Circle was done we had to wait for what seemed like a very long time, first for someone to answer the buzzer so I could tell them class is over, and second for a C.O. (Corrections Officer) to come unlock the door and let us all leave.

While we waited we chatted about this and that, including the current shortage of jail staff which causes the kinds of waits we were experiencing. The women talked about how most C.O.’s are really okay, and don’t make things harder on them then they already are. They expressed understanding and compassion for those who aren’t so agreeable. They told us about the nightly Bible studies they hold in their cells and the Gospel stories they were discussing.

As the waiting extended beyond ten minutes I said we might as well sit down and relax. This was as much for my benefit as anyone else’s.

Then someone said, “Who has a song?” Another tried to lead us in a contemporary hymn (“Our God Is an Awesome God”) but nobody knew it well enough. Then I led us in a couple of the song-prayers we do in Children’s Worship: “Lord God We Adore You” and “Blessed Be the Name of the Lord.” I told them about learning songs in West Africa and they were interested in what I was doing there and what it was like.

As I started to do the greeting song, the C.O. came. I promised we’d do that song today and we did! Now that I think about it, the waiting last week was a most appropriate beginning of the Advent season.