Program Sermon Opening In Same-Sex Unions in Pre-Modern Europe, John Boswell explains the problem with translation: “Only a naïve and ill-informed optimism assumes that any word or expression in one language can be accurately rendered in another.” This is the prelude to Boswell’s discussion of love. He makes the profound point that it’s not just the language that is confusing. …
John’s Church, Our Church: Love
We began this series by looking at John’s overall purpose of revelation. By reading the Gospel of John, and considering the character of Jesus within, we can know God. Over the next three weeks, we will look at the Farewell Discourse in chapters 14-17 to see what John’s Jesus has to say about what it means to be church. Specifically, …
John’s Church, Our Church (Program and Sermon)
Program When I initially planned this series, I did not realize it would start on Trinity Sunday. Probably no one else did, either. I’m sure many don’t know there is a Trinity Sunday. I’m certain that many don’t understand the doctrine of the Trinity. I certainly don’t and I’ve taken half a dozen classes on it. It’s all tied up …
John’s Church, Our Church
When we read the four Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – it is clear that one of these is not like the others; one of these does not belong. And, hopefully, if you went to four churches, including Church in the Cliff, you would think the same thing. I don’t think this is a coincidence. Maybe it is …
Be Not Afraid
But Yahweh doesn’t stop there. He also speaks to the objection in Jeremiah’s heart, the one too tender to name. Yahweh, firmly and lovingly tells him “Do not be afraid, I am with you.”
What is the relationship between fear and responding to God’s call? I think the two may be more intertwined than we realize.
Desires in the Darkness
Often what stands out about people in Bible stories is not their virtue but their very strong wants. Makes me wonder—do our desires propel us in ways that God can use?
Resistance Reading as an Act of Faith
Resistance Reading How do we make meaning out of scripture? How do we listen for a Word of Wisdom in this ancient library of manuscripts we call the Bible? This week we transition from the book of James into a three week series drawing from the gospel of Mark and dive headfirst into a challenging passage served up by the revised common lectionary. …
Feminist Reclaiming of Churching Rite
This week we conclude with the final verses of James, the lone Wisdom book in the New Testament (Chapter 5: 13-20) Join us this Sunday as we breathe new life into a Christian rite from the Middle Ages — The Churching of Women — and celebrate Teresha and Mandy and their recent birth into motherhood. Starting in the 11th century the Book of Common Prayer and later the first …
The Christian Practice of Right Speech
James is the lone book of Wisdom literature in the New Testament. According to this author, being Wise is all about learning to think carefully and act virtuously in complex situations. Specifically three things mark the Way of Jesus: taking care in how we speak, giving care to those in distress, and being careful about what we let into our …
Feast on the Word: Savoring Scripture in a Twitter World
We are launching a new paradigm for worship and study at Church in the Cliff this week. Come tonight and Sunday to learn more! As part of this new practice we will be drawing our scriptural lesson from the revised common lectionary (which provides four lessons for each Sunday). The worship team commits to engaging the scripture and seeing what …