Embracing an Adult Faith

Can't wait to start our new study, Embracing an Adult Faith, with Marcus Borg on "What It Means to Be a Christian." The first session is titled, simply, "God."

Again, we'll begin with Noonday Prayer, to be followed by about 15 minutes of sharing our answers to the pre-session reflection questions. If you attended last week, you picked a question to be prepared to respond to.

If you missed last week, here are the questions for tomorrow:
1. What is your experience of God this week?
2. What words best help you express the reality of God in your life?
3. In what ways have you experienced and understood God at various stages of your life?
4. What riches grow out of your relationship with God at this time in your life?
5. What hymns, prayers and other writings express most accurately your experience of God?

Everyone should be able to say something in response to at least one of these questions! I suspect, however, that the greater problem will be that we all have much to say about all of them.

Nevertheless, we will pause our discussion to find out what Marcus Borg has to say on the videotape, comment on that, I'm sure, then look at the reflection questions for next week.

See you Friday, 11:30, Walker 1-113!

Canterbury this Week!

The Original Fraternity

So... what do you say we use this for our t-shirts!

Last week, Fr. Whit and Garrett wrapped up our study of Brueggemann's Embracing the Prophets, but at some point, I'll invite us all to share a word about what the hope of the prophets--that with God, nothing is impossible--means to each of us.

I must leave Thursday afternoon to go to the national Archdeacon's conference and Fr. Whit is also away. President Garrett will chair a short meeting. He will hand out workbooks for our new study, "Embracing an Adult Faith," with theologian Marcus Borg speaking on "What It Means to Be Christian." The first lesson is titled, simply, "God."

We're going to approach this study a bit differently. For each of the 5 lessons, the workbook contains questions to reflect on before the session. I'd like each person to pick one of those questions (Garrett will record who picks which question) and come to our March 27 meeting prepared to share just one thing in answer to the question.

Now don't everybody run off because you're going to have a little homework! Believe me, these are questions you'll be able to respond to without breaking a sweat.

I think this will make our discussions better. It will help us make sure everyone gets an opportunity to speak instead of just the talkative ones. (Ahem. You know who you are.)

In addition, I'm sending a Comfort Colors catalog to pick t-shirts from. You will do Noonday Prayer, of course, and spend a few minutes planning our outdoor Eucharist next month.

And I'm anxious to be back with you March 27!

The Promissory Language That Breaks Despair

Is anything too wonderful for God?  (Isaiah 18:14)

 And so we have come to our last session of Embracing the Prophets with Walter Brueggemann. And finally, the words are not so hard!

President Garrett Boyte and Fr. Whit Stodghill will be in charge, as I will be out of town. Sorry to miss this last discussion, which I know will be wonderful.

Friday, 11:30 a.m. in Walker 1-113. Lent appropriate snacks provided.

The State We Live In!

This is funny, but should remind us to pray for the the homeless and those without adequate housing!

Be careful out there!

Lenten Eucharist and Supper

This week's Wednesday Lenten Eucharist and Supper will be held at St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, 3706 Bon Aire Drive at 6:00 tomorrow, March 4, 2015. The Rev’d William R. Easterling is the evening's preacher.

Enjoy the Eucharist and stay for a wonderful Lenten Supper and time of fellowship. Hope to see you there!

It's time...: Contentment

Nobody made it to Canterbury@ULM today except me! That's okay. Bound to happen occasionally! So... in the meantime, here's another Lenten message from the Brothers of St. John the Evangelist that is, indeed, quite relevant to our study of the prophets, and in particular the segment we will watch next week.

Question: Are you content right now?
Write your Answer - click here
Share: #ssjetime #contentment

Transcript of Video:

One of the ancient words in the monastic vocabulary is contentment, which is incredibly counter-cultural. Contentment: from the Latin contentus, which means enough, it means sufficient. It’s the opposite of a kind of appetite of acquisition. But it’s rather saying: now is what is most important, not what is new but what is now. One of the downsides of this capacity we have to be virtually present all over the globe is distraction actually pulling us away from where we really are now. But the Psalm says, "Be still and know that I am God." And the Psalm says, "My boundaries enclose a pleasant land." Contentment is about staying where you are, looking at it more deeply and realizing with deep gratitude that this is enough, and for this I am thankful.

-Br. Curtis Almquist

Embracing the Prophets: Grief

             
                

What do the prophets mean when they say, "Woe unto you...?" Do you ever feel "woeful"? When? About what? How would you feel if someone would say to you, "Woe unto you if you __________." (Fill in the blank with something you have rationalized to be okay, even though at some level you know it isn't.)

Today we are more likely to say, "Woe is me," somewhat in jest. But... given the use of this word, not only by the OT prophets but by Jesus, perhaps we should take it seriously!

Tomorrow's lesson with Walter Brueggemann is "The Grief of Loss as Divine Judgement." We will gather as usual in Walker 1-113 and I'll have Lent-appropriate snacks.

If you can possibly make it by 11:30, do. We'll get business out of the way, do noonday prayer and start the video a little earlier.

See you tomorrow!