“You sound Norwegian!” was not said of me, but Oda said it to Anya today. They were working on a group project, where Anya and Oda were the only ones working seriously on it. Anya is trying to use as much Norsk as she can, and Oda has been gracious and patient with Anya’s efforts. Today, Anya said something that included the Sandness “R” sound, which is rough or aspirated, almost a gutteral. (In Hebrew, the R, resh, is often treated like a gutteral!) So, something Anya said today nailed the Sandness “R.” It is awesome to have encouraging moments as the immersion experience is lots of hard work for Anya.
I am also in the hard work of writing. I’m integrating other scholarly voices to corroborate what I’ve learned about the Ten Commandments and my awareness of all the scholarly arguments. The additional point I’m discussing is how salvation history is understood by the Maasai. God’s rescue plan started way back in the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible), and the covenant with Abraham is considered pivotal–a response to the self-inflicted depravity of Genesis 3-11. So, the blessing of the nations is fulfilled in Jesus. However, if the Maasai, like many African Christians, see a continuity with their understanding of the divine creator with Elohim (God), then how do they understand salvation history? If redemption starts with Jesus, then the Old Testament is just a book of ethics, and often represents a wrathful God punishing people who don’t follow the commandments. That’s a skewed view. I think this is why so many Christians also see–incorrectly–that the OT God is the God of wrath and the NT God is the God of love. There’s lots to disprove this, like Isaiah 5, Psalm 136, and Nehemiah 9 (just off the top of my head).
I also am writing a bit today about the law/gospel reductionism that Lutherans have tended to do. Lutherans tend to see “Torah” in the OT and translate it “law.” I am convinced that this would be better translated “instruction,” like the Jewish Publication Society translation does. Torah is used multiple times for the instruction of a loving mother! If we see it as law, then it becomes a courtroom/punishment thing. That’s not what God’s covenant is all about. The Ten Commandments and the covenant are intrinsically linked. God’s steadfast, faithful love endures forever! Period.
As you can guess, this is the elevator speech (30 second summary) for the general public. There is a ton of stuff that has to be demonstrated to undergird this.
There was a bit of an OK afternoon where I got out for a few minutes and dug out some weeds in the yard. Perhaps I was just avoiding the ton of stuff to be demonstrated, but it was good to get the dandelions out of the small patch of lawn. Yes, how strange that the weeds are so similar.
What is interesting is the tree pruning around here.
This tree across the street has been pruned, like many others around the area. I’m waiting for some signs of spring, like other signs of spring around us; daffodils, dandelions, bumble bees, and birds. But perhaps this looks a bit like my day feels–a bit awkward and not very productive–but it is alive and full of potential!
With blessings,
Beth
Preach it sister! I like the analogy of the tree. They prune trees in China a lot like that. Sometimes a grove of trees turns into a grove of trunks before winter!