This coming Sunday we are lucky to host Dr. Carol Landis, President of the Green Interfaith Network, Inc (GINI). Carol and her family are immigrants to TN from Ohio, where she was active with Ohio Interfaith Power & Light. She is a retired science teacher who still works as the Education Outreach Specialist for the Byrd Polar Research Center at Ohio State. She and her husband have started a "nano-farm" to sustain their families with organically-grown produce, fruits, eggs, and meat.
GINI's vision is "to be a model for green faith communities in the Southern Appalachians and to become a spiritual voice for environmental sustainability in the Northeast TN and Southwest VA region." Please join us for a warm session on caring for our corner of the earth, and beyond.
As ever, we'll be delighted to see you, and remember, extraordinary childcare is provided.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Saving Jesus Redux: Who Killed Jesus?
This coming Sunday we'll view the chew on the 9th chapter of Saving Jesus Redux: Who killed Jesus?
I've thought the answer is: "We did," where the "we" is the collective membership of the dominant politcal, military power structure. Two-thousand years ago, that power was in the hands of the Romans. Today, it is in our hands. The extent to which we are a members of that group defines the likelihood of our killing him again, should he return. If this seems far-fetched, consider the Wisdom of Solomon 2:12-20 (NRSV):
“Let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions; he reproaches us for sins against the law, and accuses us of sins against our training. He professes to have knowledge of God, and calls himself a child of the Lord. He became to us a reproof of our thoughts; the very sight of him is a burden to us, because his manner of life is unlike that of others, and his ways are strange. We are considered by him as something base, and he avoids our ways as unclean; he calls the last end of the righteous happy, and boasts that God is his father. Let us see if his words are true, and let us test what will happen at the end of his life; for if the righteous man is God's child, he will help him, and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries. Let us test him with insult and torture, so that we may find out how gentle he is, and make trial of his forbearance. Let us condemn him to a shameful death, for, according to what he says, he will be protected."
Please be warmly welcomed to a thoughtful Sunday at 9:45. Loving childcare is provided
I've thought the answer is: "We did," where the "we" is the collective membership of the dominant politcal, military power structure. Two-thousand years ago, that power was in the hands of the Romans. Today, it is in our hands. The extent to which we are a members of that group defines the likelihood of our killing him again, should he return. If this seems far-fetched, consider the Wisdom of Solomon 2:12-20 (NRSV):
“Let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions; he reproaches us for sins against the law, and accuses us of sins against our training. He professes to have knowledge of God, and calls himself a child of the Lord. He became to us a reproof of our thoughts; the very sight of him is a burden to us, because his manner of life is unlike that of others, and his ways are strange. We are considered by him as something base, and he avoids our ways as unclean; he calls the last end of the righteous happy, and boasts that God is his father. Let us see if his words are true, and let us test what will happen at the end of his life; for if the righteous man is God's child, he will help him, and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries. Let us test him with insult and torture, so that we may find out how gentle he is, and make trial of his forbearance. Let us condemn him to a shameful death, for, according to what he says, he will be protected."
Please be warmly welcomed to a thoughtful Sunday at 9:45. Loving childcare is provided
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Saving Jesus Redux: The message of compassion
This coming Sunday we'll cover the 8th chapter of "Saving Jesus Redux: Jesus' message of compassion."
This one's kind of deep, and it strikes a chord that we know is true. From the reading, "Matthew Fox shouts it from the rooftops: '...there’s a whole agenda out there for us that we have to wake the Church up to serve, because the Church is busy sleeping on a sentimentalized Christ and not the prophetic Jesus who calls us to do justice! As Meister Eckhart says, compassion is just another word for justice. It’s not about feeling sorry for people—it’s about creating circumstances of fairness and equality and balance so that rivers of wisdom and joy can flow through our hearts—through our communities.'”
Please join us for this heart-warming session. We'll be happy to see you. Tender loving childcare is provided. Starts at 9:45
This one's kind of deep, and it strikes a chord that we know is true. From the reading, "Matthew Fox shouts it from the rooftops: '...there’s a whole agenda out there for us that we have to wake the Church up to serve, because the Church is busy sleeping on a sentimentalized Christ and not the prophetic Jesus who calls us to do justice! As Meister Eckhart says, compassion is just another word for justice. It’s not about feeling sorry for people—it’s about creating circumstances of fairness and equality and balance so that rivers of wisdom and joy can flow through our hearts—through our communities.'”
Please join us for this heart-warming session. We'll be happy to see you. Tender loving childcare is provided. Starts at 9:45
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Saving Jesus Redux, Chapter 7, The Kingdom
This Sunday we will continue with the "Saving Jesus Redux" series, and we'll focus on chapter 7, Jesus' Program: the Kingdom of God.
From the handout materials:
" Jesus begins his ministry, going about the countryside proclaiming the good news of God. Ask most people on the street what the “good news” of Jesus is and, after sputtering a bit, they might say something like, “that Jesus died for my sins?” Indeed, that’s what most people have been convinced is the “good news.” But how weird would it have been for Jesus to start his ministry with, “Hi! I’m Jesus—and I died for your sins!” Huh? People would have rightly looked a bit suspiciously at him. According to the text, the “good news” has nothing to do with sin or Jesus’ death or much of anything embraced by practitioners of pop Christianity. The “good news” Jesus proclaims is the Kingdom of God is here, it’s now. "
Please join us at 9:45. It'll be an interesting session. And as ever, loving childcare is provided
From the handout materials:
" Jesus begins his ministry, going about the countryside proclaiming the good news of God. Ask most people on the street what the “good news” of Jesus is and, after sputtering a bit, they might say something like, “that Jesus died for my sins?” Indeed, that’s what most people have been convinced is the “good news.” But how weird would it have been for Jesus to start his ministry with, “Hi! I’m Jesus—and I died for your sins!” Huh? People would have rightly looked a bit suspiciously at him. According to the text, the “good news” has nothing to do with sin or Jesus’ death or much of anything embraced by practitioners of pop Christianity. The “good news” Jesus proclaims is the Kingdom of God is here, it’s now. "
Please join us at 9:45. It'll be an interesting session. And as ever, loving childcare is provided
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