Resurrection Now Series 2020

Series Overview

Resurrection is for our life now.  It’s a gift from God that we choose and make our own today, not only after we die.  With insights from Fr. Richard Rohr, we will explore how to experience the resurrection in daily life.  In the present, we are joined to God’s eternity now and invited to share a life of goodness, beauty, and delight in partnership with Christ.  But first, we need to move through our stuff and do our salvation work, and that involves drinking from a deeper well of thought and teaching.  We seek to be centered on God and to let God do God’s job throughout our lifetime.

April 19 
RUNNING FROM RESURRECTION: In John 5:1-15, Jesus asks a man: “Do you want to be well?”  Sometimes we are attracted to the negative, and we let our fears, hurts, or limitations define us.  Yet, Jesus invites us to experience healing when we challenge our negative beliefs.  What does negativity bias look like for you?

April 26

A RESURRECTION PRESENT: In Matthew 5:1-16, Jesus offers blessings for those who mourn and urges us not to hide our light.  Jesus shows us the way to eternal life in this world and the next.  Who, in this life or the next, inspires you to shine your light?

May 3

IN CHRIST: In 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, Paul says that anyone “in Christ” is a new creation, which is a corporate reality.  In Christ, we discover our full humanity through loving relationship with God and our neighbors.  We become God’s ambassadors who engage in reconciliation.  What would you need to “unlearn,” so that you can love more fully?

May 10 – Mothers’ Day

FAST FOOD FAITH: In Colossians 1:3-4, 15-23, Paul says that affirms that we are part of Christ’s good creation.  Our minds and actions may stray from that goodness, but Christ is the image of the invisible God bringing us peace and reconciliation.  What is your image of God?  Does your image of God lead you to love or fear God?

May 17

READING LIKE JESUS: In Luke 4:14-21, when Jesus goes to synagogue, he selects a passage of Scripture to read and interprets it.  Consistently, Jesus avoided exclusionary, punitive, and violent passages, and he favored mercy, non-violence, and inclusivity.  As his followers, we should select and interpret Scripture the way Jesus did.  What passages of Scripture do you think should be ignored or set aside?

May 24

DISTORTED FILTERS: In Luke 6:6-11, when Pharisees try to trick Jesus with a question about healing on the Sabbath, Jesus responds by healing a man with a withered hand.  Sometimes our anger and fear drive us to behave badly toward others.  Jesus invites us to choose spiritual truth over self-righteousness.  When have you changed your mind because of an “evolution of conscience”?

May 31 – Pentecost

INDWELLING SPIRIT: In Romans 8:8-17, Paul indicates that the Spirit of God lives in us.  As human beings, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  On Pentecost, we give thanks for God’s presence in our lives.  In what ways can we share God’s Spirit through self-giving acts?