SESSION FOUR: BELOVED COMMUNITY
READ CHAPTER TEN GONZÁLEZ
III JOHN
KEY VERSES: 1:4
Contact Week Assignment (issued prior to conference or at end of Session Three):
Think about a time when you experienced incredible joy and love within your congregation. On
a piece of paper, describe briefly the situation and think about how you might make that
experience tangible to others. A poem? A story? A drawing? A short skit? Put your creativity
to work and bring your expression to share in our final session. Feel free to work with other
members of our learning community on a joint expression!
Centering Moment [3-4 minutes]
In this exercise, you will establish a sense of sacred space through ritualized movement. Your
worship table/space should be clear of all items. Turn off the lights in the room; since you have
done this exercise at the beginning of Sessions One and Two, participants should know to stop
talking and focus on the table. Slowly and methodically locate the multi-colored cloth and place
it on the worship table. Use your hands to smooth the cloth. Next, place the Christ candle on the
table and light it. Locate the chalice, lift it upward, then place it on the table. Place the basin on
the table and slowly pour the water from the pitcher into the basin; place pitcher on table. Place
either a cross or the new UMW logo (that has a cross) on the table. Take a moment to stand in
silence, focusing your eyes on the table. Look at the participants and say: “We are starting our
last session of the study. We will be exploring III John, one of the shortest works in the Bible.
But what it last in length it more than compensates for in expressions of love and joy. What does
it mean to you to show hospitality to the stranger? What obstacles, fears or feelings inhibit your
ability to reach out to others in love? Take a few moments to contemplate these questions.
Welcome.” [Option: You may introduce soft, instrumental music at this point, or just allow
silence.]
Contemplative Exegesis [40 minutes]
[Since III John consists of only 15 verses, it lends itself to a great experience of
Meditation Mapping:
A. Print a single verse on a note card or small piece of paper. Make sure you print enough for
each participant to have a card. Also provide each participant clean sheets of writing paper.
B. In silence, hand out the note cards.
C. Then say: “In this exercise, we will practice a type of Christian Mediation used on scripture
for hundreds of years. First, read your scripture verse slowly. Next, allow insights, ideas and
thoughts to come quickly and freely to your mind. On a sheet of paper write it all down. Do
not bother to edit or think about what comes to mind, just record it. Let this process go for
about five minutes.”
D. At the end of five minutes, say, “Look at what appears on your paper. Do you notice any
themes or reoccurring words? Identify them by writing them on the back of the paper.”
E. After three minutes say, “Now, look at your verse again. I invite you to rewrite the verse,
incorporating your themes and reoccurring words.”
F. After three minutes, say, “If you had to express your new verse visually, what would it look
like? Draw a quick sketch on a sheet of paper.”
G. After a few moments, say, “I will now read aloud each verse from III John in the order it
appears. After I read a verse aloud, I invite you to read your own rendering to the group.
H. At the end of the exercise, ask persons to form small groups of 2-3 persons to discuss the
exercise. In this small group, invite members to share with one another their drawings as
well.
[BREAK]
Mini-lecture [10 minutes] These points could be used in the construction of a Power Point Presentation.
Points to make on III John:
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We do not know the author, who is only identified as “the elder” (as in II John).
Written in the standard form of a Greco-Roman letter.
Lacks any mention of ideas of doctrine or teachings, making it different than I and II John.
Written to his “beloved Gaius”. Interesting, “Gaius” was a common personal Roman name
fathers would give their sons on the ninth day after their birth and reinstated when they received
their first toga (around age 14). [Yes, I know p. 101 of the commentary states the opposite; given
the New Testament examples of the name, I believe the word “not” in the fourth sentence of the
second paragraph must be an editorial error] “Beloved” is a general term associated with
adoption. Given the number of times it appears in III John, one should assume deep feelings
between “the elder” and this character.
Gaius is being praised for showing hospitality to strangers who seem to know the elder as well
and told him of Gaius’ good works.
Gaius is reminded that such strangers should always be supported since they cannot accept
support from “the Gentiles” (NRSV translates the term “non-believers”. A more acceptable,
Southern way of translating the term might be “them other folks who we don’t care much for”)
Another church leader, Diotrephes (literally “fed by Jupiter”) has engaged in actions that differ
from the instructions of the elder. Apparently, Diotrephes does not recognize the authority of
either the elder or Gaius.
Diotrephes, in contrast to Gaius, welcomes no stranger, and prohibits others from doing so.
Perhaps the character Diotrephes functions as a literary device to continue to heap praise on
Gaius. So it is possible the episode functions in a rhetorical fashion; such a usage would not be
uncommon in writing at the time.
Demetrius (a male name that relates to the Greek goddess of the harvest and hearth, Demeter) is
briefly mentioned. It remains unclear if he is somebody Gaius has sent to the elder or vice versa.
Regardless, he is practices “proper” hospitality to the stranger as well and, as a character, serves
as another means by which the elder can praise Gaius.
Welcoming the Stranger into the Beloved Community [30 minutes]
This should be a time of celebration during which participants share their artistic expressions of their
experiences of a beloved community. Your task: offer brief, positive statements about each expression,
linking it to the ideas of III John. By offering affirmation, you encourage participation.
Closing Worship
The Blessing and Sending Forth (Study Guide, pp. 38-39)
Invite participants to come forward and take a stone [remember Session Three?] as a reminder of
this community and our time together. You might add a few stones of your own prior to
this session to ensure that A) everybody has a choice of a stone and B) some stones are
left behind.
Closing Song or Liturgy (Study Guide, p. 39)