January 13, 2013

This Sunday, we will focus on Disciples' History and Disciples' Future.  We will have hymns and readings by Alexander Campbell, and examine fond memories of Disciples; many of our congregants have a rich personal history with Disciples.  We will also begin to ask questions about our future and take a look at what is popularly known as "Emergent Christianity," or what some are calling, "Hyphenated Churches."
 
The church can be understood at two levels: (1) church as an institution and (2) church as the Body of Christ.  Prayerfully, the former reflects the latter, but this is not always the case.  Understanding the church as "universal," or "catholic" (as distinct from each particular manifestation of church) goes back a thousand years or so.  Sunday, we want to sharpen our discernment of the "Ideal," the "Holy Body of Christ," and ponder what it means to humbly reach for this archetypal model of perfection.