Fall 2021 Sermon Series: "New Beginnings"
This fall, we will return to the Narrative Lectionary in worship on Sunday mornings. If you aren't familiar, the Narrative Lectionary is essentially a four-year Bible reading plan that begins in Genesis each September, moves through the Old Testament until Christmas, and then moves through the life of Jesus in the Spring season. We are in Year 4 of the Narrative Lectionary, which focuses on the Gospel of John in particular.
One of the gifts of the Narrative Lectionary is that it helps us consider the grand arc of Scripture as a whole. Too often, when we read the Bible, it's as if we "parachute in," read what we want to, and then try to apply it to our own lives, without a deeper awareness of how a particular text fits into the broader narrative of the Bible as a whole. By beginning in Genesis and tracing our way through the Bible, we get to follow the story of God's work in our world from week to week, and gain a better understanding of how all of the pieces of the puzzle fit together!
The other gift of the lectionary is that it forces us to wrestle with texts we might prefer to avoid altogether! Our tendency is to only read Scripture that we like, but if we believe that all of Scripture is inspired, we believe that we should read even the parts that we struggle with, as we try to figure out what it means to be faithful to God's calling in our lives even today.
This year as we begin "In the beginning" with Genesis 1:1, it seems perhaps more appropriate than ever to reflect on the new beginnings in our own lives, especially as we've moved through the pandemic together. What have you had to leave behind? What is new to you? Are you new to our church or to faith? Do you have a new job, or has part of your identity changed in a significant way? In what ways are you yourself new?
What is new for us as a church? The pandemic forced us to re-think so much of our life together as a community of faith. In some ways we are still very much rooted in our historical identity, but in other ways, we are radically different than when the pandemic started in early 2020!
And what does it mean to follow the One who says, "Behold, I am making all things new"?
We'd love for you to join us for this sermon series as we move through Scripture together, starting with "In the beginning." If you find yourself in need of a new beginning, we especially hope you'll join us, as we reflect on what it means to be people of faith even today.
Starts Sunday, September 12th, 2021. Join us at 11am for worship!
See the list of lectionary readings for the coming year here.
One of the gifts of the Narrative Lectionary is that it helps us consider the grand arc of Scripture as a whole. Too often, when we read the Bible, it's as if we "parachute in," read what we want to, and then try to apply it to our own lives, without a deeper awareness of how a particular text fits into the broader narrative of the Bible as a whole. By beginning in Genesis and tracing our way through the Bible, we get to follow the story of God's work in our world from week to week, and gain a better understanding of how all of the pieces of the puzzle fit together!
The other gift of the lectionary is that it forces us to wrestle with texts we might prefer to avoid altogether! Our tendency is to only read Scripture that we like, but if we believe that all of Scripture is inspired, we believe that we should read even the parts that we struggle with, as we try to figure out what it means to be faithful to God's calling in our lives even today.
This year as we begin "In the beginning" with Genesis 1:1, it seems perhaps more appropriate than ever to reflect on the new beginnings in our own lives, especially as we've moved through the pandemic together. What have you had to leave behind? What is new to you? Are you new to our church or to faith? Do you have a new job, or has part of your identity changed in a significant way? In what ways are you yourself new?
What is new for us as a church? The pandemic forced us to re-think so much of our life together as a community of faith. In some ways we are still very much rooted in our historical identity, but in other ways, we are radically different than when the pandemic started in early 2020!
And what does it mean to follow the One who says, "Behold, I am making all things new"?
We'd love for you to join us for this sermon series as we move through Scripture together, starting with "In the beginning." If you find yourself in need of a new beginning, we especially hope you'll join us, as we reflect on what it means to be people of faith even today.
Starts Sunday, September 12th, 2021. Join us at 11am for worship!
See the list of lectionary readings for the coming year here.
"What does it mean to follow the One who says, 'Behold, I am making all things new'?" |
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Bonus Podcast: Introduction to the Hebrew Bible
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In this special podcast episode, our special guest, Rev. Dr. Amanda Miller (Associate Professor of Biblical Studies at Belmont University) walks us through the entire Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) to provide a general framework to the passages we will encounter in the Narrative Lectionary this Fall.
Dr. Miller is a sure and able guide in this task, and her conversation with our pastor, Rev. Dr. Art Wright, is lively and spirited! They discuss the historical background and context of the Hebrew Scriptures, the importance of reading sacred texts in community, and the idea that there are internal conversations among the various voices in the Bible. They also talk about contradictions in Scripture, what it means that the Bible is inspired, and how reading the Bible leads us into deeper wisdom and faith. It is a conversation well worth your time, and sure to enrich your understanding of what it means to read the bible as people of faith! |
Click the image above to head over to our podcast page!
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