Lent is not the only time we have multi-session courses, but it is a special time for study and reflection. Lent is derived from the Middle English "Lente" which means "springtime." It is the 40-day period of repentance and renewal preceding Easter. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends with the Easter Vigil. Holy Week commemorates Christ's last week of life on earth and is the final and most important part of Lent. Lent is a special time for meditation, prayer, and penitential practices. It is a time when we increase our understanding of sacrifice and resurrection. It is a time of renewal of baptismal vows and recommitment to the Christian life. It is a time of transformation. St. Jude's focuses much energy on this holy season by offering additional educational and worship opportunities. Please join us as we renew our commitment to follow Christ.
Paul (or a disciple of Paul) wrote this letter to a congregation in an insignificant town in what is now Turkey. The main issue of this epistle was the inadequate teaching of the Christian faith, a theosophical mixture of asceticism, Gnosticism, and ritualistic practices. Pastor Karen leads a bible study in the fireplace room during the month of July from 9:15-10:15am to discuss this book of the bible. The goal of this study is transformation, not just information. Reading Colossians each week is the required homework if you decide to attend this class. It takes about 10 minutes to complete.
July 9th: An introduction to the Letter of Paul to the Colossians
July 16th: Challenges to the Good News in Christ: Gnosticism, asceticism, and ritualism.
July 23rd: The Cosmic Christ and what it means to be disciple.
July 30th: Relationships: How does being a servant of Christ change the way we interact with one another?
Click HERE for session notes and discussion questions.
The purpose of this course is to equip you with insights, necessary for healing and wholeness so that you will be better able to engage in the spiritual journey of transformation and love. Thomas Keating says: “We are called to this journey not just for our own personal growth, but also for the sake of the whole human community. As this book will show, one of the biggest impediments to spiritual growth is that we do not perceive our own hidden motivations. Our unconscious, pre-rational emotional programming from our childhood....are the sources from which our false self...emerges. The influence of the false self extends into every aspect and activity of our lives, either consciously or unconsciously. Centering Prayer, and more particularly contemplative prayer...brings us face to face with this false self in several ways.” [Pg.3]
There are no right answers to the questions. The aim is to get us thinking “theologically.” You may or may not agree with Keating. That is fine. The object is to begin thinking the faith and working toward a life of love.
Click HERE for session dates and reading assignments for Pastor Karen's Invitation to Love course.
We have chosen the term “conversations” to focus, not only upon conversations among leaders and members of the group, but also the tendency of scripture to engage the reader with both questions and answers relevant to the reader. It is possible for reading to become a conversation. We hope to treat our approach to scripture in a manner that encourages participants to attend to this conversational quality of Mark. In this sense, Conversations will be a sort of personal and group exploration.
Click HERE for readings, session notes, and discussion questions.
'Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth…And the one who was seated on the throne said: See, I am making all things new.' (Rev. 21) Do you want to be part of a new nucleus of humanity who sees the world through the lens of love and acts in this world through a posture of grace? If so, please join us in this program of spiritual transformation.
Making All Things New: We are not our thoughts!
Thoughts can be powerful and lead to actions. Why, after 2000 years of Christianity, is the world in such bad shape? Could it be that we have not learned to change our pattern of thinking? Could it be that we have not gone deep enough in our spiritual journey to experience the life transforming power of God in Christ? This session is an introduction to thoughts gone awry (i.e. afflictions) that hinder us in the spiritual journey toward wholeness.
Making All Things New: Thoughts regarding the Body.
Thoughts about food, sex, and things can have a profound effect on our physical health, our intimate relationships, and the priorities in our lives. When thoughts about food, sex, and things become distorted, then gluttony, lust, and greed result. This session is an examination of the way we think about our physical desires and what we can do to begin the process of transformation.
Making All Things New: Thoughts regarding the Mind.
Thoughts regarding anger and depression can have a profound effect on our mental heath. Anger can lead to aggression, alienation, and harmful actions. Depression in America has become epidemic in recent years. What is the connection between the way we think and these afflictions of the mind? This session is an examination of the way our mind works and how we can move from a place of pain to a place of peace.
Making All Things New: Thoughts regarding the Soul.
Acedia (weariness/sloth/giving up), vainglory (doing the right thing for the wrong reason), and pride (doing the wrong thing for the wrong reason), are afflictions that hinder personal transformation and thus the Kingdom of God. This session examines thoughts regarding the soul and methods of dealing with these afflictions so that we can become the people God longs for us to be.
Making All Things New : Conclusion and Spiritual Tools for Transformation.
Within the Christian tradition, there are many spiritual tools to help us on the journey towards wholeness. This session will present some of these tools so that we may "put on the mind of Christ."
Renovare: (means "to renew")
"It is becoming clearer every day that the most urgent problem besetting our Church is this: How can we live the Christian life in the modern world?" [Dietrich Bonhoeffer]
God is inviting us to go on a journey into the heart of God and into the good life that is available through Jesus Christ: "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." [Jn. 10:10] But entering into this abundant life takes more than wishful thinking; it takes a well-thought out, feasible plan.
The first part of this plan is a balanced vision, which we find when incorporating into our lives, the practices seen in Jesus' life and the history of the Church. These practices, or spiritual disciplines, mature us in the traditions and faith. They include: Contemplation, Holiness, Charismatic, Social Justice, Evangelical, & Incarnational. The second part of this plan is to implement a practical strategy that helps us stay on course: participating in a Spiritual Formation Group.
Renovare can help us on our journey towards wholeness/holiness by providing a balanced vision and practical strategy of the formation of Christ-like character, with the ultimate goal of learning more and more to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and your neighbor as yourself.
An Introduction to Renovare - A spiritual formation program that concretely helps in the renewal of the heart so that we can grow up into the likeness of Christ.
Contemplative (the prayer-filled life) - Focuses upon intimacy with God and depth of spirituality. This spiritual dimension addresses the longing for a deeper, more vital Christian experience
Evangelical (the world-centered life) - Focuses upon the proclamation of the good news of the gospel (i.e. the evangel). This spiritual dimension addresses the need for people to see the good news lived out and hear the good news proclaimed.
Holiness (the virtuous life) - Focuses upon personal moral transformation and the power to develop "holy habits." This spiritual dimension addresses the erosion of moral fiber in personal and social life.
Social Justice (the compassionate life) - Focuses upon justice and shalom in all human relationships and social structures. This spiritual dimension addresses the gospel imperative for equity and compassion among all people.
Charismatic (the spirit-empowered life) - Focuses upon the charisms of the Spirit and worship. This spiritual dimension addresses the yearning for the immediacy of God's presence among his people.
Incarnational (the sacramental life) - Focuses upon making present and visible the realm of the invisible spirit. This spiritual dimension addresses the crying need to experience God as truly manifest and notoriously active in daily life.
Conclusion: Implementing a practical strategy for your life using the Renovare Spiritual Program. - Focuses on how to train for a life in Christ and how to hold onto the vision of abundant life.
Request CD of one or all five sessions.
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How do Episcopalians discern God’s will in this changing world? Episcopalians rely on Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience . This approach to understanding our faith forms the outline of this three-part course. Intended audience is all Episcopalians; the oldtimers got as much out of it as the newcomers. Presented in October 2003.
Three parts:
Tradition of the Episcopal Church: Theology, Beliefs & Doctrine
Experience of God in the World: Piety, Spirituality, Prayer, Worship
Reason - Discerning God’s will for the Church, Ethics, Canons, Polity/Structure of the Church
Request CD of one or all three sessions.
“Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our leaning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life.” (BCP 236)
Do you want abundant life? Do you want to experience the transforming power of the Scriptures? Then this is the program for you! God speaks to us in many ways. One way, is through our sacred story also known as the Bible. For Episcopalians, the bible is authoritative in our search for truth and meaning because our experience tells us that its stories best explain who we are as a believing people and provide a record of our timeless relationship to God. Other stories fall short on both counts. The Bible constitutes the Christian community’s history, faith, life, and conduct. However, the Bible is not a science, history, or medical book and to approach our sacred writings as such will only disappoint the reader. How do we Episcopalians read and understand the Bible? How do we apply it to our daily lives? How do we experience the voice of God through its reading? How can the scriptures transform our lives? What is the general content of the Bible and its purpose? Presented during Lent 2003.
Five parts:
The Torah. Learn about bible basics, a theology of God, and an understanding of the first five books of the Bible which contains the core teachings of the Jewish Tradition.
The Prophets. The Scriptures are not static but evolving. We will analyze the context of the bible, its overall theology, and the role of the prophets in our tradition.
The Wisdom Tradition. How do we know when God speaks? Explore the Wisdom tradition and how the Holy Spirit informs us through reason, experience, and the wisdom that is passed on from one age to the next.
The Gospels. What is the difference between the historical Jesus and the Christ of faith? What are the different Christologies (i.e. theologies of Christ) and how do the four authors of the gospels understand and present the teachings of Jesus?
The Epistles. A reflection on the meaning of Jesus’ life, his relationship to us, and our proper response to the revelation of God in Christ. The letters of Paul will be our focus.
Request CD of one or all five sessions.
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Those of us who are fortunate enough to live until "old age" go through eight stages of life. In each stage of life, we learn skills, virtues, and healthy ways of relating if we are privileged to be brought up in a healthy and wholesome family. Unfortunately, most of us did not have all of our "vital needs" met while growing up and because of this, we are wounded. The goal of the Christian life is to move from a place of woundedness and fear to a place of wholeness and love. How do we do that?
Using the insights and techniques of Father Thomas Keating (a specialist on contemplative prayer) and Dr. Fred Luskin (a specialist on forgiveness), our Lenten program will examine the Eight Stages of Life as described by psychologist Erik Erikson. Erikson (like Jesus) believed that "there is little that cannot be remedied later; there is much that can be prevented from happening at all."
Over the period of five Wednesday evenings, we talked about the 8 stages of life and how we can use the process of forgiveness and contemplative prayer to heal those stages and to become the person God wills for us to be. Presented during Lent 2002.
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