'growing in faith' Tagged Posts (Page 7)
Words
This week we consider the words we might use to express our faith. We appreciated this video featured on RADIOLAB and thought you might enjoy 3 minutes of contemplation on “Words”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0HfwkArpvU
Talking about faith.
“A common misunderstanding is to think that talking about faith means getting our belief system all worked out in advance before we open our mouths. When we speak about our faith, we intuitively think that what we are doing is finding the language to say what we think we already believe. That is, we get our beliefs formulated in our minds and hearts , and then we search for just the right words to capture what is already fixed and…
Wondering
Frederick Buechner in his book “Peculiar Treasures”, gives us a glimpse of the two brothers in our scripture for this week. Read through his descriptions below and allow yourself to wonder about Jacob and Esau. Where do you see Grace? How might you frame a story like this in your own family? How are doing good and doing harm linked? Jacob: The book of Genesis makes no attempt to conceal the fact that Jacob was, among other things, a crook.…
The Trickster
“The Trickster may work as a kind of outlet for strong emotions or actions in which humans may not indulge….despite his or her flaws the Trickster often represents the introduction of good things to society.” (from Barbara Babcock) Learn more here: http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~mmagouli/trickster.htm For some it is uncomfortable to consider the role “Trickster” in the story of Jacob and Esau. We want a hero and a villain in which to place our security and our blame. Life falls into these neat categories only…
Toward Sunday
We conclude our worship series on The World Cup and turn our attention to Marion Grau, a German theologian who teaches in Berkeley at Church Divinity School of the Pacific. Grau’s writing invites us critical rethinking of binary concepts that have dominated much of Western Christian thought. Outline for World Cup June 15: Genesis 1.1-2.4a (Brazil – Ivone Gebara) June 22: Genesis 22.1-14 (Ghana – Mercy Amba Oduyoye) June 29: Genesis 21.8-21 (Croatia – Miroslav Volf) July 6: Romans 7.15-25a (USA – George Tinker) July 13: Genesis 25.19-34 (Germany – Marion Grau) Think…
Relatives
People ask George Tinker about the Osage view on non-violence. He replies: “We don’t have that word in our language because we know that we have to eat lunch. And you can’t eat lunch without perpetrating violence on our relatives. Whether it is corn, or buffalo or elk. We will disrupt the life of that relative in order to live. The end result is that we must find a way to restore the balance as we disrupt it. ” In…
Toward Sunday
We continue our worship series,World Cup, by focusing on the writing and teaching of a prophetic theologian/pastor from one of the countries competing in this year’s World Cup. We will turn our attention to George Tinker, a prominent American Indian theologian, this Sunday. Tinker teaches at a United Methodist seminary in Denver. His writing and work will challenge us to consider US independence very differently than it is commonly depicted in dominant tellings of US history. Outline for World Cup June…
Toward Sunday
We continue our worship series, World Cup, by focusing on the writing and teaching of a prophetic theologian/pastor from one of the countries competing in this year’s World Cup. We will turn our attention to Miroslav Volf of Croatia this Sunday. Volf teaches at Yale and is widely considered one of the most prominent theologians of our generation. Volf’s writing is rooted in his experience with war and ethnic cleansing in Croatia and invites reflection on reconciliation and forgiveness. Outline for…
Soccer
In his blog this week Jorge Rivas shared the make up of U.S. World Cup Men’s Soccer Team and wrote: “For a country where immigration reform is a such a hot button issue, it’s interesting to note that more than half of the team was born outside the U.S. or have parents who are immigrants.” Take a look at his post and consider how different our team would be without the diversity of cultures represented. How might the inclusion of various…
Abraham and Isaac
Our text for this week is the story of Abraham being tested by God. I found insight from a piece in the Christian Century by Melinda Hinners. “The test involves the sacrifice of his son Isaac. Isaac is the child who came to Abraham late in life…Isaac was God’s gift to Abraham and Sarah. Will Abraham trust and obey the Giver, or only adore the gift? This is the test question, says Walter Brueggemann. ‘At the beginning God is the tester; at…
Toward Sunday
We continue our worship series,World Cup, by focusing on the writing and teaching of a prophetic theologian/pastor from one of the countries competing in this year’s World Cup. We will turn our attention to Mercy Amba Oduyoye of Ghana this week. Mercy Oduyoye is a United Methodist pastor and theologian who has worked with the World Council of Churches, taught throughout the world, and organized women’s movements in Ghana. She currently directs the Institute of African Women in Religion and…
Practice
Soccer fever has arrived with the first match of the World Cup. Millions of us will be watching players run, slide, kick, and endure injury to reach their goal between now and July 13 when the new champion is crowned. One thing to notice is how the teams perform on the field. Coaches and trainers provide opportunity to practice but clearly players must take responsibility for their own growth as well. At The Table we hope that our Worship, Blueprint…