Tues Summer Grad Study
Sacred Meals, Sacred Stories
Time: Tuesdays from 7-9, Dinner from 7-7:30 followed by discussion until around 9pm. Wesley Etc. Cafe.
We will spend 9 weeks together this summer taking time to reflect on the beauty of sharing a meal together in community. After a semester focused on sacrifice it is only fitting that we follow up with a summer focused on the unconditional love and grace of Jesus Christ. We will be looking at what it means to have an open and inclusive table, how we can still come to the table together with all our differences, what the costs of discipleship are, and we will also talk about what God's Kingdom here on earth looks like. Each week we will share a meal together and then spend time looking at scripture, rituals, and stories. It will be a summer filled with sacred meals and sacred stories. Please come out and join us!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Interactive Communion Service
Tuesday, May 12 – “Living Sacrifice”
We will celebrate Communion this evening with Pastor Rob and special music by Michael. The Scriptures for our interactive service will be
1 Corinthians 11:17-34
Romans 12:1-8
If you are following the group, please read:
Bruce Chilton, “[Chapter 8] The Sacrifice of Jesus,” The Temple of Jesus: His Sacrificial Program Within a Cultural History of Sacrifice (University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1992), pp. 100-111, 137-154.
and please bring the copy of the United Methodist Church Communion Liturgy from the back of your packet. All are invited to this table, and discussion in such a way that everyone can participate, even if they haven't done the reading.
We will celebrate Communion this evening with Pastor Rob and special music by Michael. The Scriptures for our interactive service will be
1 Corinthians 11:17-34
Romans 12:1-8
If you are following the group, please read:
Bruce Chilton, “[Chapter 8] The Sacrifice of Jesus,” The Temple of Jesus: His Sacrificial Program Within a Cultural History of Sacrifice (University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1992), pp. 100-111, 137-154.
and please bring the copy of the United Methodist Church Communion Liturgy from the back of your packet. All are invited to this table, and discussion in such a way that everyone can participate, even if they haven't done the reading.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Prayer Thread
I’ve taken Mary’s suggestion to start a thread for our prayer needs. Please feel free to post additions/deletions here, or email them to me to post. Private matters can of course go through the email list.
Anthony's Dad's heart health and his stress test this week
Caci's sister and father, who are biking cross-country!
Mary's school and laptop situation
Kristen's younger brother, Nathan, and his fiancee, Daniela
Anthony's old campus minister
Charmian and her aging aunts
Michael's aging family members
Cheryl's father and sister
Kristen's Grampa B. (peripheral neuropathy), Gramma B. (edema, osteoporosis), Grampa E. (Alzheimer's), and Gram E.
William
Maria, her unborn baby boy, her mother (hysterectomy), and her youngest brother (concussion)
Imy’s brother, Johnny, and his youth ministry
Imy's mother and her church
Kristen's Aunt Suzy's bone and breast cancers
Jason, who left for Iraq 5/11
Cunningham Children’s Home kids and staff
Wesley UMC, Faith MC, Savoy UMC—that they find ways to do Kingdom work despite or through human nature and failings
Peace and justice in the world: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel/Palestine, Mexico, Darfur/Sudan, Congo, Zimbabwe, Northern Ireland
Anthony's Dad's heart health and his stress test this week
Caci's sister and father, who are biking cross-country!
Mary's school and laptop situation
Kristen's younger brother, Nathan, and his fiancee, Daniela
Anthony's old campus minister
Charmian and her aging aunts
Michael's aging family members
Cheryl's father and sister
Kristen's Grampa B. (peripheral neuropathy), Gramma B. (edema, osteoporosis), Grampa E. (Alzheimer's), and Gram E.
William
Maria, her unborn baby boy, her mother (hysterectomy), and her youngest brother (concussion)
Imy’s brother, Johnny, and his youth ministry
Imy's mother and her church
Kristen's Aunt Suzy's bone and breast cancers
Jason, who left for Iraq 5/11
Cunningham Children’s Home kids and staff
Wesley UMC, Faith MC, Savoy UMC—that they find ways to do Kingdom work despite or through human nature and failings
Peace and justice in the world: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel/Palestine, Mexico, Darfur/Sudan, Congo, Zimbabwe, Northern Ireland
Friday, May 1, 2009
Angels and Principalities
Tuesday, May 5 – Christus Victor
Glenn M. Miller, “Christus Victor,” The Great Irruption: Christ’s Work on the Cross
This week we explore one final explanation of Jesus' work on the cross: that his death defeated the evil powers of the world. The reading is also the final installation in Glenn Miller's study. It is very very interesting, but you won't get the same effect if you just read around--between now and Tuesday, try to get all the way through it. I'm halfway done, and I'm learning a lot!
Glenn M. Miller, “Christus Victor,” The Great Irruption: Christ’s Work on the Cross
This week we explore one final explanation of Jesus' work on the cross: that his death defeated the evil powers of the world. The reading is also the final installation in Glenn Miller's study. It is very very interesting, but you won't get the same effect if you just read around--between now and Tuesday, try to get all the way through it. I'm halfway done, and I'm learning a lot!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Jesus would have gone to Empty Bowls
Before we meet, let's eat! Please RSVP and organize rides below.
EMPTY BOWLS 2009
Empty Bowls is an international project that benefits food pantries around the world. Potters donate soup bowls that are available for purchase. People may purchase a bowl for a $10.00 donation and they will also receive a bowl of soup and bread representing a simple meal. The bowls are theirs to take home and are a reminder of the many empty bowls in our community. This year the Silver Creek Restaurant in Urbana will host the event which will take place in their beautiful greenhouse room. Their chef will provide the soup and bread. It will be on Tuesday, April 28th from 5 to 7 p.m.
Potters donating bowls this year include the Champaign-Urbana Potters Club, Parkland College students and professional potters, including Geoff Bant, Betsey Cronan, Susan Garner, Becky Johnson and Laura O'Donnell.
The Wesley Food Pantry, which serves Champaign county residents, will be this year's beneficiary of the fund raiser. Please join us and buy a beautiful bowl and help a very worthy cause while also enjoying a delicious bowl of soup. If you have any questions or suggestions please, call Susan Garner, coordinator, at 328-2397.
Tuesday, April 28 – Atonement
There are four short readings for tonight's discussion: Leviticus 16-17 and 23:26-32 about Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement; "Atonement" from The New Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible; Claude Beaufort Moss's essay "The Atonement in History," which gives you a brief survey of various theologies of atonement in Christian history; and a very interesting blog post from Robb McCoy, aka The Fat Pastor. Everything except the Scriptural readings is in your packet.
EMPTY BOWLS 2009
Empty Bowls is an international project that benefits food pantries around the world. Potters donate soup bowls that are available for purchase. People may purchase a bowl for a $10.00 donation and they will also receive a bowl of soup and bread representing a simple meal. The bowls are theirs to take home and are a reminder of the many empty bowls in our community. This year the Silver Creek Restaurant in Urbana will host the event which will take place in their beautiful greenhouse room. Their chef will provide the soup and bread. It will be on Tuesday, April 28th from 5 to 7 p.m.
Potters donating bowls this year include the Champaign-Urbana Potters Club, Parkland College students and professional potters, including Geoff Bant, Betsey Cronan, Susan Garner, Becky Johnson and Laura O'Donnell.
The Wesley Food Pantry, which serves Champaign county residents, will be this year's beneficiary of the fund raiser. Please join us and buy a beautiful bowl and help a very worthy cause while also enjoying a delicious bowl of soup. If you have any questions or suggestions please, call Susan Garner, coordinator, at 328-2397.
Tuesday, April 28 – Atonement
There are four short readings for tonight's discussion: Leviticus 16-17 and 23:26-32 about Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement; "Atonement" from The New Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible; Claude Beaufort Moss's essay "The Atonement in History," which gives you a brief survey of various theologies of atonement in Christian history; and a very interesting blog post from Robb McCoy, aka The Fat Pastor. Everything except the Scriptural readings is in your packet.
Friday, April 17, 2009
2009 Senior Banquet!
Our annual senior banquet will be held at Wesley on Friday, April 24th at 7pm. We will be having Za's for dinner. The meal will be free for the seniors we are honoring. For everyone else, the cost will be between $5 and $10.
We invite you to come and share your memories as we send off our 2009 graduates! A fun time is sure to be had by all.
We invite you to come and share your memories as we send off our 2009 graduates! A fun time is sure to be had by all.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Christ as Priest and Lamb II
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Please finish the book of Hebrews (you can skip chapter 11 if you want) AND read the pages in your reader from Bruce Chilton's book, The Temple of Jesus, about sacrifice (chapter 7 and the epilogue). Skip the chapter on communion (8) for now. These readings really inform each other, and I will use both for discussion, so please start reading now!
Here are some things to think about:
We will start by re-reading the 4 Gospels' accounts of what Bruce Chilton calls Jesus' "occupation" of the Temple: Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-17; Luke 19:45-46; John 2:13-22.
Chilton suggests that Jesus' idea about the Kingdom of God was heavily influenced by Zechariah 14, which is a passage about the Judgment Day, after which God is recognized and worshiped throughout the world. Non-Israelites come to the Temple to worship, but even ordinary cooking pots are as holy as those on the altar. This is where Chilton goes in Chapter 8 on communion, that even a regular meal could be holy. We might read that chapter later.
Chilton argues that Jesus, like the Pharisees, was interested in Israel's ownership of pure sacrifices; he was also against trading in the Temple. For Chilton, Jesus came to reform the sacrificial system, NOT to replace or supplant it. (Meanwhile, Mark R. Bredin argues that Jesus wasn't interested in purity but was the sacrifice to end all sacrifices.)
Everything changed when Jesus was killed. Between c. 30 CE and 70 CE, it was easy to continue to be Jewish, but it was relatively hard to be Christian. Remember our discussion of the Epistles and how Paul and other early church leaders were trying to essentially make things up as they went along. They were creating the scriptures and theology and traditions we can now rely on as part of what we call the Wesleyan Quadrilateral (scripture, tradition, reason, experience).
After the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, it was hard to be Jewish but suddenly relatively easier to be a [Gentile] Christian. We'll continue this week the discussion we started last week about how Christianity changed and developed in the fifty or so years after Jesus' death. This is where the book of Hebrews fits in, because the writer reimagines Jesus as the new and last High Priest. See especially the parable of the Temple, (Chilton, p. 156). Hebrews is a foundational document of the doctrine of Sacrificial Atonement, which has been important in most parts of Christianity for a very long time. (There are of course other ideas, which is why we're reading Chilton and Bredin, and more stuff for next week.)
If we have time, we'll close with where this leaves us today, modern Christians without a Temple.
Kristen
p.s.- For those who missed it, on Tuesday Caci did some research on King Melchizedek, who is mentioned a few times in the Bible. His name means "King of Righteousness," and he is said to be king of Salem/ Jerusalem (City of Peace). We finally decided he is a fictitious character, an ideal type, who may even foretell the other King of Righteousness (Jesus). The important thing to keep in mind about Hebrews is that the writer presents Jesus as a High Priest. We discussed how this was different from Matthew's Jesus, maybe closer to Luke's version of Jesus. So one thing to consider is how Christianity changed after Jesus' death and again after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (70 AD or CE). This is important for next week's discussion--see you then!
Please finish the book of Hebrews (you can skip chapter 11 if you want) AND read the pages in your reader from Bruce Chilton's book, The Temple of Jesus, about sacrifice (chapter 7 and the epilogue). Skip the chapter on communion (8) for now. These readings really inform each other, and I will use both for discussion, so please start reading now!
Here are some things to think about:
We will start by re-reading the 4 Gospels' accounts of what Bruce Chilton calls Jesus' "occupation" of the Temple: Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-17; Luke 19:45-46; John 2:13-22.
Chilton suggests that Jesus' idea about the Kingdom of God was heavily influenced by Zechariah 14, which is a passage about the Judgment Day, after which God is recognized and worshiped throughout the world. Non-Israelites come to the Temple to worship, but even ordinary cooking pots are as holy as those on the altar. This is where Chilton goes in Chapter 8 on communion, that even a regular meal could be holy. We might read that chapter later.
Chilton argues that Jesus, like the Pharisees, was interested in Israel's ownership of pure sacrifices; he was also against trading in the Temple. For Chilton, Jesus came to reform the sacrificial system, NOT to replace or supplant it. (Meanwhile, Mark R. Bredin argues that Jesus wasn't interested in purity but was the sacrifice to end all sacrifices.)
Everything changed when Jesus was killed. Between c. 30 CE and 70 CE, it was easy to continue to be Jewish, but it was relatively hard to be Christian. Remember our discussion of the Epistles and how Paul and other early church leaders were trying to essentially make things up as they went along. They were creating the scriptures and theology and traditions we can now rely on as part of what we call the Wesleyan Quadrilateral (scripture, tradition, reason, experience).
After the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, it was hard to be Jewish but suddenly relatively easier to be a [Gentile] Christian. We'll continue this week the discussion we started last week about how Christianity changed and developed in the fifty or so years after Jesus' death. This is where the book of Hebrews fits in, because the writer reimagines Jesus as the new and last High Priest. See especially the parable of the Temple, (Chilton, p. 156). Hebrews is a foundational document of the doctrine of Sacrificial Atonement, which has been important in most parts of Christianity for a very long time. (There are of course other ideas, which is why we're reading Chilton and Bredin, and more stuff for next week.)
If we have time, we'll close with where this leaves us today, modern Christians without a Temple.
Kristen
p.s.- For those who missed it, on Tuesday Caci did some research on King Melchizedek, who is mentioned a few times in the Bible. His name means "King of Righteousness," and he is said to be king of Salem/ Jerusalem (City of Peace). We finally decided he is a fictitious character, an ideal type, who may even foretell the other King of Righteousness (Jesus). The important thing to keep in mind about Hebrews is that the writer presents Jesus as a High Priest. We discussed how this was different from Matthew's Jesus, maybe closer to Luke's version of Jesus. So one thing to consider is how Christianity changed after Jesus' death and again after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (70 AD or CE). This is important for next week's discussion--see you then!
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