1. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13-14 A collaborative learning experience

2. Our goal: To spend time with God, through Scripture, contemplating the Trinity Practice and contemplation:  two poles of the underlying, ongoing spiritual rhythm  a gentle oscillation back and forth between spiritual “activity” and “receptivity”

3. First reading:  Entire text by leader  A period of silence allows for meditation upon the text as a whole Second reading:  Read together as a group  Leader reads the first sentence or a portion of the first sentence  In the silence, savor the words, turning them over in your mind  Listen for words or phrases that touch you, draw you closer to God or reveal God  Don’t worry about silence—recognize the presence of God in it  As you feel moved by a word or phrase, repeat it aloud within the order and context  As you feel so moved, speak aloud the next succeeding sentence/phrase word  Listen in silence and respond aloud as stated above  Repeat previously contemplated words if so moved  Continue cooperatively listening, sharing and moving forward until the end of text Final reading :  Entire text by leader  Listen and ponder your new insights from the group reading, thinking in terms of what is at the heart of the passage.

4. 13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" 15 Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented. 16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

5.  Consider what is at the heart of this passage  Using pencils, crayons, markers or a combination of the above, create an illustration that reflects your conclusion.  Stick drawings, abstract art, illustrated words, realistic sketches—all are great. We’re not after fine art here!  You have 15 minutes, and then we will share the results of our labors

6. Bartolome Esteban Murillo, 1655, Olga’s Gallery

7. Lorenzo Scott, 1987 Smithsonian American Art Museum

9. Alessandro Magnasco, 1740, National Gallery of Art

10. Cornelisza van Haarlem, 1600, CGFA