An entire chapter devoted to the purchase of a burial plot! Why so much detail? Why is it in there at all? It speaks to the honoring of Sarah, Abraham’s wife. The negotiations Abraham engaged in speak to his desire to respectfully complete Sarah’s final ritual. Even though he was initially offered land for free, he ‘did it right’ by agreeing to a fair price with the owner. And the outcome of the purchase was that Abraham then owned land in Canaan, what would eventually become the promised land for the nation of Israel. A formal ritual of life, the burial of his wife, continues the working out of God’s promises to Abraham, to be a father of nations and to possess the land God set aside.
Are there rituals you are avoiding in your classroom? Has some part of your program, perhaps an old tradition, ‘died?’ Don’t be reluctant to acknowledge change. Formally recognize and finish the rituals (or paperwork) required to honor who/what has gone before. You may realize on the other side of the process, that you have moved closer to your overall vision for your program.