A Way of Hearing

Last Sunday we explored Lutheranism as a Way of Seeing. How do you see God? We see God in nature, in the sunset, in human love, in the enemy, in the prison, in the rain, in daily food, in the broken home, in outer space, in life and in death. Where do you see God?

See the list in Baptized, We Live: Lutheranism as a Way of Life, p 6. If you do not have a copy, call the church office and arrange to stop by and pick up a copy. (Call first, to arrange a time to stop by. Tell them Pastor Mike said you have a copy of the book.)

We see God in the midst of pain, suffering and death. The cross reveals to us that God comes close to us in these circumstances. We see God in the water and promise of baptism. We see God’s Christ in the bread and wine. Last week we shared our baptism stories.

This coming Sunday we’ll take a few minutes to share our Holy Communion stories. Can you remember the very first time you communed? What was that like? What did you feel? Can you remember the last time you communed? What was that like? What did you feel? What kind of thoughts and feelings have you had over the years as you have communed?

Then a Way of Hearing! If you have the book read chapter 2. Think of a favorite Bible story or passage to share with the group. Or bring a question (or two or more) about the Bible. We’ll talk about the Living Word of God that addresses and changes us.

You are always invited to share your thoughts and questions.

Remember this Sunday the clocks change. We ‘spring forward’ so set your clocks accordingly or you’ll arrive an hour late!

Lutheranism: A Way of Hearing & Teaching

This coming Sunday (Oct 12) Amazing Grace looks at HEARING God address us with a word of Grace. And, as time allows we’ll begin to look at how Lutherans TEACH the faith. See Chapters 2 and 3 of Baptized, We Live.

Come with a favorite bible passage of yours to share. And questions you may have about the Bible.

The way we understand the Bible is critical. Too often we’ve used the Bible in ways that have distorted God’s Word for us. Here’s a quote that may open up some discussion among us.

“The Bible, as I read it now, is not a catalogue of absolutes, as its champions sometimes imply. Nor is it a document of fantasy, as its critics charge. It is an ancient record of an ongoing encounter with God in the darkness as well as the light of human experience. Like all sacred texts, it employs multiple forms of language to convey truth: poetry, narrative, legend, parable, echoing imagery, wordplay, prophecy, metaphor, didactics, wisdom saying. In the Christianity of the modern West, we’ve largely left the vivid storytelling of the Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament, in Sunday school. We’ve consigned it to the world of childhood figuratively and literally. And in our time a superficial Christian rendering of these biblical texts underpins false dichotomies that plague our public life— chasms we’ve set up between sacred text and truth, between idealized views of the way human beings should behave and the complex reality of the way they do.”

Tippett, Krista (2008-01-29). Speaking of Faith: Why Religion Matters–and How to Talk About It (Kindle Locations 624-631). Penguin Group US. Kindle Edition.

What do you think? Comments invited! (Both here and at the class this Sunday.)

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