You are invited to the St. Martin's Episcopal Church Prime Timers Adult Bible Fellowship!

We meet in the Payne Education Center, rooms 207-209 each Sunday in between the 9 and 11am services from 10:10 to 10:50 Currently we are studying God's Living Covenant from the Old Testament. Don't forget, coffee and snacks are provided at all the St. Martin's ABFs!

Prime Timer Good News

The Prime Timers Good News chicken, Henny Penny, is always happy to hear members news at the beginning of class. This morning Sandy reported on a modern miracle. Her cousin Diana was diagnosed with a lymphoma, a particularly aggressive form of cancer. After treatment, Diana is now diagnosed as cancer free!

Seeking Renewal

Chris Hershberger led the Prime Timers today in our reading from the Old Testament, another in the cycles of falling out of grace, suffering and redemption. This time with a focus on leadership. The story takes place around 640 to 609 BC, about 300 years after the time of King Solomon. The Church was in disrepair, and many false gods had filled the void. Josiah was eight years old when he became King, and reigned for thirty-one years. (2 Kings 22:2) "He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left."

Josiah repaired the temple and in so doing found the Book of the Law, or Book of the Covenant with the Lord. He humbles himself, tearing his robes, and assembles the people from the least to the greatest, reaffirming the Covenant. He does all this despite the intention of the Lord to punish the kingdom of Judah for past faithlessness. The Lord promises Josiah will be "buried in peace" (2 Kings 22:20) for his efforts.

Josiah is killed in his thirty-ninth year in battle with Pharaoh Neco of Egypt. Whether this is a peaceful death is an issue debated by scholars. Perhaps his peace was not to have experienced the hard times to come. Nonetheless, Josiah made many reforms and cleared the kingdom of many false temples and priests, and his leadership in the face of hardship is notable.

Chris asked the class what things in our world divert us from service to the Lord. High on the list was 1) social acceptance, wanting to be in a group at any cost. Think of the pressure on teenagers, for instance. 2) Politics. In this election season as the passions of "red vs blue" dominated the press it is easy to lose sight of more enduring concerns. 3) Ritual. Sometimes we can cling to the trappings and ceremony of our faith, while missing the deeper meaning. 4) Alcohol, or other chemical substances. Think how many lives are consumed by abuse of these. And finally 5) leisure activities. How many times do our games, or vacations, or entertainments come to dominate our lives?

After determining these roadblocks to faith, Chris wondered who our leaders were. Who do we look up to or who changed the course of events in our lives? His example was Mother Teresa, who founded the Missionaries of Charity and stood as a shining example of selfless work for most of the last century.

Others cited teachers, scout leaders and others from their childhood who stood out in their minds and helped shape their futures. Louis Mattingly was singled out as a scout leader who produced one hundred four Eagle Scouts!

Certainly we can't forget Martin Luther King, who took his cue from Gandhi and the writings of Paul Tillich to bring his message of non-violent protest against inequality.

Our Bishop Wimberly was cited for bringing Episcopal priests together to begin reconciling some of the issues the church faces today. Finally someone mentioned former Secretary of State James Baker, for his ability to resolve conflicts in ways acceptable to divergent people.

Chris read our Healing Prayer, followed by a short benediction, after which he dismissed the class.

Prime Timers Contact names and numbers

Mentor

Rev. B. Massey Gentry
mgentry@stmartinsepiscopal.org

Leaders

Next week Ben Welmaker will teach the Prime Timers. Here he is at the Prime Timers Halloween Party with his wife Donna.

King Josiah smashed the temples of Baal and other false gods. This figurine from the 14th-12th century BC, was found at Ras Shamra (ancient Ugarit). Currently its in the Louvre in Paris.

The Lesson for Sunday, November 19th is titled "Making Wrong Choices"

Key Verse:  Psalm 137:1

Background Scripture:  2 Chronicles 36:15-21; Psalm 137

Focus of the Lesson:  Stubborn and prideful behavior often leads to painful consequences. What price is paid for such foolish choices? After Israel and Judah consistently rebelled against God, the people went into exile, where they longed for the relationship they had had with God.

The reading is 2 Chronicles 36:15-21; Psalm 137:1-6. This text is from the New International Version^®.

   ¹⁵The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. ¹⁶But they mocked God's messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the LORD was aroused against his people and there was no remedy. ¹⁷He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and spared neither young man nor young woman, old man or aged. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁸He carried to Babylon all the articles from the temple of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the LORD's temple and the treasures of the king and his officials. ¹⁹They set fire to God's temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed everything of value there.

   ²⁰He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power. ²¹The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah.

Psalm 137:1-6

   ¹By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.

   ²There on the poplars we hung our harps,

   ³for there our captors asked us for songs,
   our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
   they said, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"

   ⁴How can we sing the songs of the LORD
   while in a foreign land?

   ⁵If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
   may my right hand forget its skill .

   ⁶May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
   if I do not remember you,
   if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.

NIV®