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Of course, as usual, we had a fun and lively and interesting discussion!
It was a smaller group than usual, but that made it possible for everyone to easily give input to our studies and discussion. Jo Ann, David, Dave, Karen, Odette, Diana, Alain, and Dan (while he was driving to Long Beach via his phone) attended. We missed Randy and Robin and Cindy and also some of the others that drop in once in a while.
We read the rest of Chapter 1 starting with verse 12 in James and all of Chapter 2.
Some things that stood out included verse 22 of Chapter 2 that talked about being doers of the word, not just hearers. David explained what “the word” is. It can be in reference to God.
Karen shared that she loves verse 25 in Chapter 1 which talks about just not hearing the word, but doing what it suggests.
We talked about verse 14 in chapter two that talks about faith without works. We compared the Orthodox Jewish acts of mitzvahs to the good deeds that are done by Christians.
In Chapter 3, there was a discussion about not elevating the well-dressed and rich over the poor. Jo Ann shared about how in the early part of her’s and Dan’s marriage, that when they shared a house, that they took in and fed strangers.
We talked about how Temple Israel does not favor anyone based on wealth or clothes and also that we can come to the temple dressed any way that is comfortable, but David did mention that at Torah study there had once been a time when certain people were given seats next to the rabbi. Odette explained now that we are under COVID restrictions, that the area by the rabbi is left open during Torah study.
David told us about the seven Noahide principles which are similar to the 10 Commandments. Dave read the seven principles to us out loud.
- Not to worship idols.
- Not to curse God.
- Not to commit murder.
- Not to commit adultery or sexual immorality.
- Not to steal.
- Not to eat flesh torn from a living animal.
- To establish courts of justice.
Alain brought up the term Father from verse 27 in Chapter 1 which refers to God. David helped us understand the different terms used when referring to God. We agreed the term “Father” is not used in Jewish settings. We also talked about how God is rarely considered a female.
Again, if there is anything I forgot in this summary, please add to it.
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