February 26, 2017

Ephesians 5:6-14

Our scripture comes from Ephesians, one of the letters attributed to Paul, but which was most likely written by one of his disciples.  It is a general letter, most probably written to circulate among several churches rather than addressing one particular church.  I will focus on the instruction to “live as children of light,” or as Mary Oliver puts it “make of yourself a light.”  What does it mean to be a light in today’s world?

February 19, 2017

1 Corinthians 3:10-23

Thematically, as we continue in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, I will focus along the lines of Teresa of Avila’s poem: “Christ has no body, but yours. . . .”  Remember, Paul is addressing disunity and division within the early church—even as the church is called to resist and express a living alternative to the death-dealing efforts of the Roman Empire.  So, we must each choose with care—what we build, how we build it, where we invest our time and energy and resources, what we do with our lives.

February 12, 2017

1 Corinthians 3:1-6

This Sunday we continue our exploration of the letters of Paul, and this week we read from 1 Corinthians.  Remember, Paul is addressing disunity and division within the early church—even as the church is called to resist and express a living alternative to the death-dealing efforts of the Roman Empire.

February 5, 2017

Romans 8:18-27

This Sunday we continue exploring the letters of Paul, and this week we read from one of his latter letters—Romans. Paul writes about the “revealing of the children of God” in the midst of difficult times.  He is writing to a community that is called to resist the inhumane practices of the Roman Empire, which actively contradict their faith in the living Christ.  Our call is not much different. We will consider: What does it mean to be human, to be alive, to seek beauty here and now?