Diacona Ministry: Kyria magazine

http://christianitytoday.imirus.com/Mpowered/imirus.jsp?volume=kyria11&issue=6&page=10Diacona Ministry: Kyria magazine

Violence

Violence is something that is hard to deal with. One thing in particular stands out and that is poor traits. I don't mean monetary gain and a house on the top of the hill. I mean spiritual character. Where one person thinks another person has some dignity about themselves and to leave them their space. We  know from culture that we give each other so much space to accept each others presence. Sometime people cross these boundaries without regard for others humanity. We can be spiritually transformed and ignore that behavior, or we can take action to minmize that behavior in our lives. Tolerance comes with the environment we are in which still holds us responsible to at least try to do better!


Involving Men in Efforts to End Violence Against Women 
http://www.xyonline.net/content/involving-men-efforts-end-violence-against-women-journal-article

Monica A Coleman

Monica A Coleman

The Dinah Project is a project based on hope for those who have been the victims of violence, sexual included. There is a wealth of data here and Violence Against Women month is soon to come..

Bishop

The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church has

recently opened a position for a woman bishop.

Much success to our zion and leaders.

The episcopal districts in Africa also have a

new bishop from among their zions. We live in hope.

"I have it all planned out - plans to take care

of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the

future you hoped for.

(Jeremiah 29:11 the Message Bible.

Afracentric Spirituality

Sunday school lesson eight teaches us about the Nazarite vow and its preparation. The hair in particular should never be cut. The 21st century school often quotes these verses as valid grooming rationale. Some people actually prefer their hair natural while others option toward maintenance. Samson's mother fulfilled her role in preparation of her son's mission to judge. Womanist in her relationship with her husband she most certainly filled a role in salvation history.

1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When either men or women make a special vow, the vow of a nazirite, F15 to separate themselves to the Lord, 3 they shall separate themselves from wine and strong drink; they shall drink no wine vinegar or other vinegar, and shall not drink any grape juice or eat grapes, fresh or dried. 4 All their days as nazirites F16 they shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins. 5 All the days of their nazirite vow no razor shall come upon the head; until the time is completed for which they separate themselves to the Lord, they shall be holy; they shall let the locks of the head grow long. 6 All the days that they separate themselves to the Lord they shall not go near a corpse. 7 Even if their father or mother, brother or sister, should die, they may not defile themselves; because their consecration to God is upon the head. 8 All their days as nazirites F17 they are holy to the Lord. 9 If someone dies very suddenly nearby, defiling the consecrated head, then they shall shave the head on the day of their cleansing; on the seventh day they shall shave it. 10 On the eighth day they shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting, 11 and the priest shall offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, and make atonement for them, because they incurred guilt by reason of the corpse. They shall sanctify the head that same day, 12 and separate themselves to the Lord for their days as nazirites, F18 and bring a male lamb a year old as a guilt offering. The former time shall be void, because the consecrated head was defiled. 13 This is the law for the nazirites when the time of their consecration has been completed: they shall be brought to the entrance of the tent of meeting, 14 and they shall offer their gift to the Lord, one male lamb a year old without blemish as a burnt offering, one ewe lamb a year old without blemish as a sin offering, one ram without blemish as an offering of well-being, 15 and a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of choice flour mixed with oil and unleavened wafers spread with oil, with their grain offering and their drink offerings. 16 The priest shall present them before the Lord and offer their sin offering and burnt offering, 17 and shall offer the ram as a sacrifice of well-being to the Lord, with the basket of unleavened bread; the priest also shall make the accompanying grain offering and drink offering. 18 Then the nazirites F20 shall shave the consecrated head at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and shall take the hair from the consecrated head and put it on the fire under the sacrifice of well-being. 19 The priest shall take the shoulder of the ram, when it is boiled, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them in the palms of the nazirites, F21 after they have shaved the consecrated head. 20 Then the priest shall elevate them as an elevation offering before the Lord; they are a holy portion for the priest, together with the breast that is elevated and the thigh that is offered. After that the nazirites F22 may drink wine. 21 This is the law for the nazirites F23 who take a vow. Their offering to the Lord must be in accordance with the nazirite F24 vow, apart from what else they can afford. In accordance with whatever vow they take, so they shall do, following the law for their consecration.

"Blessing"

The Lord Bless you and keep you

The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

from the bible crosswalk

Ephphatha Book Companion

Diacona Ministry: Ephphatha Book Companionhttp://www.google.com/books?hl=en&uid=10669873962227597567

Zipporah! Cushite Wife of Moses "Ephphatha Book Companion"

Daughter's of Dignity:
Zipporah narrative:

Moses rescues Zipporah and her sisters from a group of harassing shepherds. Reuel, her fathe gives Zipporah to Moses in marriage. The have a son Gershom and another Eliezer Exod. 2.16-22. Moses is under some type of spell where he is about to die and Zipporah saves him by circumcising her son Gershom. Later they are reunited in the wilderness.

Rev. Jeremiah Wright writes in "Africans Who Shaped Our Faith" emphasiizes Zipporah's role as the daughter of a priest and the wife of a preacher. Wright ascribes to her a spiritual wisdom and attentiveness to ritual and tradition that forms the foundation for her immediate response to Moses' attack by God. He paints a picture of a woman who is wise beyond her years, using the African rituals of her father to save the life of her husband. Thus McCain Gill supports Zipporah's role in salvation history. (Daughter's of Dignity, Laverne McCain Gill).
Elevated womanist status comes from domestic enterprise where they are the authority and decision making is done around the campfire in close proximity to the home site in rural areas or villages.

Moses was born a Herew slave and thrown into the water and rescued by a Egyptian princess. Later in life he kills a Egyptian task master and flees into the Midianite territory. These people were herders of Hamitic descent said to be descendants of Keturah and Abraham.

Women seem to have experience, prestige and self esteem. This status would gradually decline within a state sponsored system or centralized rule making authority; that did not value self expression.

Moses responds to God's call to be deliverer of his people. The circumsion rite is perfomed and they share a covenant with God. This text may be paralled with the blood rite of Moses in Exodus 24.3-8 and Zipporah's priestly circumsion Exodus 4.24-26
The sole exercise of POWER derives from a rite of passage; where the pattern is separation, threshold, and reintergration. Likely known as puberty rites, bith rites, martial rites and or life cycles across cultures.

Contrast this form to making prophetic proclamations on matters of public interest or direct participation in public affairs.

Described further as a social drama where there is a breach, crsis, redressive action, reconcilation or schism all processed as temporal regulation.

The woman has changed in this rite to one who makes ritual through her marginal character. Womanist priest has adopted the law from her father.

Certainly we are called and summoned by God to Awake and
help reveal sacred knowledge.

reading guide: Ackerman, Susan WHY IS MIRIAM ALSO AMONG THE PROPHETS? (AND IS ZIPPORAH AMONG THE PRIESTS?).Journal of Biblical Literature, Spring2002, Vol. 121 Issue 1, p47, 34p;

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