Meeting 3 — Guides in Faith¶
Introduction for the facilitator¶
Tonight we will experience a seder. From the technical and substantive side, the preceding conference will introduce it. One of the key moments of the seder is the Haggadah - a story about God’s action. Each of the groups at the seder will tell a fragment of the History of Salvation. Our whole meeting is directed towards this - it starts from God’s desire for us to tell about faith ourselves, goes through the syndrome “how is it me? Others will do it better” and leads to seeing ourselves as guides in faith.
Who tells the faith?¶
Let’s open our notebooks to the course of the seder - there is a section “four questions”.
On all other nights we eat leavened bread and matzah, why on this night only matzah?On all other nights we eat various vegetables. Why on this night do we eat bitter herbs?On all other nights we do not dip food even once, why on this night do we dip it twice?On all other nights we sit on ordinary cushions, why on this night do we sit on soft cushions and lean on the left side?
What mandatory questions do we ask during the seder?
Who answers these questions?
Let’s read such a sentence:
Because I did this for You, you will open the Book of Moses every year at chapter 12 and read to your children what I did for my people
—Author unknown
How do I feel with such a command? Does it seem real to me?
However, the above fragment does not come from the Holy Scripture, but is an invention of the author of the outline.
Let’s read:
And you shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’
—Ex 13:8
How do I interpret the fact that God wants our story?
There is a temptation to look for a God who always comes with a clear way of dealing with tasks that stand before us. Our God assigns us the task of telling the story ourselves. He raises us to the rank of guides in faith. He does not choose only some of us - this is a task for everyone.
Relationships¶
Let’s go back once again to Ex 13:8
For whom does God want us to be guides?
Literally for his children, but in a broader sense - towards those with whom we have relationships.
[to everyone] What possibilities does such a context create?
Everything is accelerating - once lectures lasted 1.5h, then one had to “fit in” 15 minutes for anyone to want to listen. Currently we try to convey important things in 60s to fit the requirements of internet algorithms. We learn to evangelize in a few minutes of time devoted to us. Is it bad? No! But it is worth not forgetting that this is not the only way.
Conversation about faith based on relationship! Where time does not chase us. Where my interlocutor can ask questions, so we have a dialogue. Where the conversation is not public, so it can be intimate. Conversation adapted to the perception of the recipient. This is the desire of God Yahweh - “you shall tell your son”.
What do I appreciate most in such action?
For whom am I a guide in faith?
Resistance¶
Before accepting the role of “guide in faith” a natural resistance may be born in us. Let’s read into the story of Moses to see two sources of human fears.
Let’s read:
Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring forth my people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” […] But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either heretofore or since thou hast spoken to thy servant; but I am slow of speech and of tongue.”
—Ex 3:10-11 and Ex 4:10
Even Moses who was the guide of the nation was afraid to undertake this task. Maybe some of us when they heard the question for whom we are “guides in faith” felt exactly like Moses: “Who am I to be a guide?”.
This resistance is as old as the History of Salvation is old. It is natural and difficult at the same time. Often the error of false ideas is hidden in it.
Note
The animator takes out two “memes” located at the end of the outline. One of them serves as an explanation of the convention. The second is a canvas for sharing questions.
[to everyone] What ideas do we have for what could be placed in individual fields?
What does it mean to me to be a guide in faith?
What is difficult about it?
Concepts such as “faith”, “God” or “spirituality” are beautiful, good, warm, and above all great. Therefore, the impression is not surprising that every thing related to this must necessarily contain a “spectacular element”.
It does not have to contain it!
What fragment of the Holy Scripture, in which no miracle happens, do I particularly like?
“Others will do it better”¶
Let’s read:
But he said, “Oh, my Lord, send, I pray, some other person.”
—Ex 4:13
We come to the second “argument” to push away the role of “Guide” from ourselves - “Others will do it better”.
Who speaks beautifully about faith for me?
Who will speak better about faith than me?
Let’s read:
When he had washed their feet, and taken his garments, and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
—Jn 13:12-17
Note
This is a place for the animator’s testimony how they experience these contents. Thoughts for consideration [provided of course the animator agrees with them - if not then they should be adapted]:
The Gospel is not about miracles, but about relationships. Therefore Jesus in such an important moment washes feet, and does not perform spectacular miracles. Since the content of the Gospel is relationship, no one will convey it better to loved ones than me, who have relationships with them.
Note
This is a key moment of the meeting. If we don’t believe in this, then why do we have actors in the Chorzów Entertainment Theater, and do not watch all broadcasts from Broadway? If we don’t believe in this, then why do we sing songs in churches ourselves instead of using mp3 etc.
Do you believe that Your story here and now will be better for the salvation of others at the retreat than playing them “better speakers” from multimedia (e.g. Langusta na Palmie, Zielone pastwisko)?
In Christianity a “medium” answer of a brother or sister next to you is much better than an outstanding answer of an unavailable professor - Christianity is about relationship!
Application - Haggadah¶
During tonight our group will be responsible for telling a fragment of the Haggadah. Others will not do it better than us. Let’s stand before each other today as guides in faith. Just as we are. The Holy Spirit will take care that it is the best that could happen to us.
Our fragment of Salvation History that we are to tell others is the same fragment we worked with at the previous meeting.
As an application of this meeting let’s talk now about how we want to tell it (we all speak? Several people? One?). What seems most important to us in the story to highlight? Do we want to present it as a story? (“A long time ago, about 2600 years ago lived a very believing man named….”) What will be the introduction? It doesn’t even have to be a verbal story! We remember that originally Haggadah engaged and was directed to the youngest participants of the meeting. We can stage some dialogue etc.
We do not impose anything except one aspect - the time of the story. For organizational reasons we ask that our group’s story closes without exceptions in 4 minutes.