Sunday Morning

[jenk]

I got through my reading this morning. Argh. Yes, I was nervous, but I'm always nervous. Yes, the nave of St Mark's echos like crazy, but that's why I practice in the ladies' room beforehand. Yes, I had to say 'circumcised', 'uncircumcised', 'uncircumcision' - plus 'circumcision' *thrice* - but I had to speak slowly anyway, and that helped. It wasn't even that I'm not allowed to edit, so I got to start with 'However that may be' (what, there wasn't time to read the stuff right before so we'd know what we were 'however'ing?)

No, the real problem is that I'm not supposed to make the editorial comments that St Paul so richly deserves.

Where you a slave when called? Do not be concerned about it.

Jesus fucking Christ on a raft! What do you *mean* 'do not be concerned about it'?

Even if you can gain your freedom, make use of your present condition now more than ever.

Even if? So what, exactly, do you mean here? That even if I could gain my freedom, I shouldn't? Thank you *very* much, Mr Pharisee.

For whoever was called in the Lord as a slave is a freed person belonging to the Lord, just as whoever was free when called is a slave of Christ.

So if I'm a 'freed person' now, can I just move wherever I want and go into business for myself? No? I see.

You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of human masters.

Um, excuse me, but slaves *are* slaves of human masters, and you said we shouldn't be concerned about that - even if one could one's freedom. So which is it?

Grr. Argh.

I *did* make sure to emphasize the 'my' in, "This is my rule in all the churches" - and 'my' in this passage is the writer, not God.

For the curious, the reading was 1st Corinthians 7:17-23, NRSV.