Wednesday, January 6, was Epiphany on the Christian calendar. Epiphany literally means "revelation" or "sudden insight". As celebrated in the church, of course, it specifically refers to the revelation that Jesus is both divine and human.
But the events of January 6, 2021in our nation's capital probably led to some moments of epiphany around issues related to our country and our public life together. Moments of revelation about who we truly are as a nation "under God".
For many, this Epiphany was deeply troubling. Sometimes moments of revelation can be troubling. They almost always call for pause. True epiphany propels us to honest pondering and communal dialogue. It's really not a revelation without this side effect!
There are times for the church to be silent. And there are times for us to speak directly to our shared circumstances. Join us as we host an honest conversation around Epiphany in 2021...and the revelations it brought to us - the church.
What does it mean for us when our old ideas and pictures of God no longer work? When we experience doubts and seemingly unanswerable questions? Is our only option Agnosticism? We offer another option - and invitation - that’s so often not discussed in the church. It’s the option (and invitation) to reimagine God…and reimagine our faith. Together we explore how re-imagination is not only an option, but a healthy season of maturing faith by examining, of all things…the Bible. Join us as we look at the Bible itself as a template for deep re-imagination.
“Evangelism” has become a dirty word for some in the Christian church. Too often connected with unauthentic salesmanship and emotional manipulation, many of us have abandoned the idea all together. But, what if we take a step back from what evangelism has become, and attempt to recapture the spirit of proclaiming “good news”? Together we explore what evangelism can look like to three people groups: “Outsiders”, “Insiders” (us), and, finally, to our own children.
Join us in our conversations around “Why Lent Matters”. Why does the church traditionally mark off a significant amount of time to focus on loss? Why is it important to linger with the dying Jesus and not skip to Easter? These are great questions and we look forward to exploring some answers together.
We live our lives according to certain rhythms…beats and syncopations that help us consciously - or subconsciously - order our lives. Our culture provides a beat that calls out for all “healthy” people to sync-up with. God’s Kingdom provides its own, distinctive beat, and its rhythm is often not the same rhythm as the dominant culture. Join us as we converse around syncing our lives up with four dynamic and crucial beats we inherit from God’s culture.
Conversations about money are often avoided in the church. We don’t want people to feel uncomfortable. But…what if the church is the exact place where we ought to feel uncomfortable (at least, sometimes)? Money is one of the most important things about us…Jesus talks about it so much because it competes for our hearts - the center of our affections and drives. This conversation provides our community with a space to discuss what it looks like to care about finances while allowing Jesus to be our Master and Lord.
Romans is a wonderful doxological letter meant to inspire great joy and even excitement at the grand, gracious, and cosmic size of the work of God in Christ. In many modern evangelical circles, however, this letter is largely misunderstood and reduced to a handful of verses which lay down a “law” of sorts about how to get to heaven. Join us as we take a closer look at Paul’s intention in writing what we today call “Romans". Together we deconstruct the narrow “Romans Road” in order to open up the amazingly unifying message of this inspiring letter from a frustrated pastor to a congregation divided.
No subject was on the lips of Jesus more than the Kingdom of God. This kingdom is central to our understanding of Jesus’ Gospel message. But where is God’s Kingdom? If it’s true that God’s Kingdom is here now and in our midst, how do recognize it? Join us as we host a conversation around searching…and seeing and experiencing God’s Kingdom on earth.
Before Jesus began his teaching on what his Kingdom is like, he made sure to identify who his Kingdom is for...and that revelation was (and is) shocking. Rather than for the spiritual insiders...the folks who alway seem to "get it". Rather than for the people who can seem so confident in their life understanding and who continuously feel close to God, Jesus says his Kingdom is for the Misfits...the rest of us. Using Jesus' priceless Beatitude language, we're defining some of our own Beatitudes, and carrying on the conversation of who the lucky misfits really are!