When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.” The house of Israel called it manna…
Toward Sunday
We begin a new three-week worship series this week on Prayer. It is based on two books: Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers by Anne Lamott and Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home by Richard J. Foster. This series comes from the desires expressed in so many of our Deep Commitments regarding prayer. While we may not answer all the questions raised by our Deep Commitments, we do hope to focus on 3 areas: the history of prayer, praying in community, and the personal…
First time…again?
“And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time” ~ from T.S. Eliot’s “Little Gidding” from Four Quartets. As adults, so much of what we “know” of the Bible has been learned in settings that teach a “right way” of understanding. While this is not inherently a bad thing it does limit one’s understanding. If you have had the privilege of the initial moment of latching your…
Toward Sunday
We’re so grateful for Jackie Kortright’s leadership in worship on Sunday. We will continue our worship series this week called I Wonder… While Godly Play is our ministry with children, we have shared Godly Play with students at UC Davis and colleagues in various ministry settings. This worship series will be transformational for people of all ages as we wonder together about the stories of our Christian tradition through the lens of Godly Play. Outline for I Wonder… ▪May 31:…
Sunday School
My favorite Sunday school teacher was Bunny Matson. That was her real name. Bunny. She was born on Easter. Bunny welcomed us into our classroom at Clovis United Methodist Church. I was in 1st-3rd grade, if my memory is correct. She always smiled. She was sitting in a low chair with all of us. She greeted us by name and then I remember “doing art.” My favorite was something called “think and do.” There were egg cartons on the tables…
Paying attention to play.
“Theologians have been paying attention to play for a long time. Aquinas and Augustine wrote about it centuries ago. More recently, in the mid-20th century, Jürgen Moltmann’s Theology of Play created a short-lived stir by reframing play as a crucial aspect of our humanity, connecting play to human freedom. Moltmann suggested, contrary to those who view play as a way to pacify people and draw their attention away from the serious theological business of social transformation, that play (like art)…
Toward Sunday
We continue our worship series called I Wonder… this week at The Table. While Godly Play is our ministry with children, we have shared Godly Play with students at UC Davis and colleagues in various ministry settings. We hope this worship series will be transformational for people of all ages as we wonder together about the stories of our Christian tradition through the lens of Godly Play. Outline for I Wonder… ▪May 31: Godly Play Brought Me to Faith, a…
Toward Sunday
We’re thrilled to begin a new worship series this week called I Wonder… While Godly Play is our ministry with children, we have shared Godly Play with students at UC Davis and colleagues in various ministry settings. This worship series will be transformational for people of all ages as we wonder together about the stories of our Christian tradition through the lens of Godly Play. Outline for I Wonder… ▪May 31: Godly Play Brought Me to Faith, a Witness by…
Toward Sunday
Birth Stories will be our theme this week as we conclude our worship series, This Christian Life. Our worship series is inspired by the story telling curated by Ira Glass on National Public Radio’s This American Life. Each week we have looked at a theme related to the Christian life through the lens of several stories. The stories varied each week. Some were rooted in our own community’s story and some came from people far away. Some were humorous and some were…
Toward Sunday
Waiting Sucks OR Forcing It will be our theme this week as we continue our worship series, This Christian Life. Our worship series is inspired by the story telling curated by Ira Glass on National Public Radio’s This American Life. Each week we’ll look at a theme related to the Christian life through the lens of several stories. The stories will vary each week. Some will be rooted in our own community’s story and some will come from people far away. Some…
Toward Sunday
All Means All will be our theme this week as we continue our worship series, This Christian Life. Our worship series is inspired by the story telling curated by Ira Glass on National Public Radio’s This American Life. Each week we’ll look at a theme related to the Christian life through the lens of several stories. The stories will vary each week. Some will be rooted in our own community’s story and some will come from people far away. Some will be…
Toward Sunday
Unexpected Guides will be our theme this week as we continue our worship series, This Christian Life. Our worship series is inspired by the story telling curated by Ira Glass on National Public Radio’s This American Life. Each week we’ll look at a theme related to the Christian life through the lens of several stories. The stories will vary each week. Some will be rooted in our own community’s story and some will come from people far away. Some will be humorous…
Crossovers
“Whatever drew the crowd to Solomon’s Portico and to Peter and John that day, the chances are good what they received when they got there was not at all what they expected. They came to Solomon’s Porch wide eyed and astonished, lured by the mystery of healing, and what they got in return was … a sermon. They came drawn like moths to the ultraviolet glow of miracle, and what they got was the clear, steady light of a homily.…