Summer 2017

Passage: Galatians 5:16-26 & Ephesians 3:14-21    

  Description: I was scrolling through my Linked In news feed earlier in the week and noticed a post by an acquaintance of mine, Tim Neubauer, who worked with Samaritan’s Purse as part of the recovery efforts here in High River. His post, asked the simple question, “How then, shall we live?” Which is a very significant question for us who choose to follow in the Way of Jesus. In fact, it’s the same question that rests at the very root of today’s passage from Paul’s letter to the Galatians. A close read of Paul’s letters to the early churches always starts with words of introduction like: I Paul an apostle… to the church at Corinth, Philippi, Ephesus, Galatia. Then words of greetings, blessing, thanksgiving. Paul uses the same formula every time. His opening words are always gracious and polite—every time in every letter… except to the Galatians where he skips the customary words of blessing and thanksgiving and instead expresses astonishment and amazement at their foolishness. Paul is highly frustrated with them. His letter to the Galatians is one of the clearest expressions of his theology and answers the question, “how then, shall we live”, perhaps better than any of his other letters. Why? Paul’s frustration is caused by some zealous agitators in the Galatian community who are arguing very convincingly that to be a good Christian, the Galatian men need to be circumcised. They need to make the same form of physical and outward commitment to the faith following the Jewish custom. This infuriates Paul, because on the one hand, the Galatians are not Jewish and don’t need to be, and on the other hand the agitators are saying essentially, “it’s up to us to prove we are worthy of God’s love as something to be earned by our doing.” Paul disagrees in the strongest possible language and argues that the agitators are operating from the wrong end of the relationship. It’s not about joining an ethnic group, or custom based on one’s capacity to produce merit. Instead, it’s all about God’s relationship with us as the provider of love that is unconditional and not something to be earned. In God’s love, as Paul argues, “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (3:28). Therefore, no need for circumcision. Period. Paul seems to calm down as the letter continues, but his passion does not abate. The answer to the question, how then shall we live? is to live according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh. It’s another way Paul goes after the bad theology surrounding circumcision. To understand the essence of Paul’s argument, we need to think like a 1st century Greek Christian mystic. Because, that is who Paul was.

Passage: Psalms 148:1-14 & Jeremiah 4:23-28    

  Description: When I read through today’s passage from Jeremiah, the image that came to mind was a pile of large ancient wisdom-filled books landing with a loud thud on my desk sending any dust around them into the air. Thud. The word of God lands and all around it shakes. No bird sings. We all wonder what life will be like when the dust settles. The book of Jeremiah is 52 chapters long. We need to know that there is no word of hope and reconciliation until chapter 30. From the description of Jeremiah’s call as a prophet in chapter One, the following 29 chapters are clear-shooting, poetic and poignant indictments against the people of Judah and their faithlessness. The consequences of their insincerity and disloyalty to God are prophesied to be catastrophic—politically, socially, theologically and environmentally. With a cosmic thud, Jeremiah’s prophetic prose lands in the midst of one the stormiest, most tumultuous times in the history of Israel.

Passage: Genesis 37:1-28 & Matthew 14:22-33    

  Description: Guest worship leaders: Marlene & Mark Podwysocki

Passage: Genesis 29:15-28 & Romans 8:26-39    

  Description: There are no outsiders in God's family. We are welcome with our eccentricities, our gifts, our abilities, our challenges. No one has any special standing or any bragging rights. We are all brought together by the redeeming love of Jesus.

Passage: Romans 12:3-21 & Romans 15:5-7    

  Description: Different people, different lives, different histories, Yet all lovingly created by the Source of all Life! In worship, we reconnect with each other and with Jesus our teacher.