The good news of Christian faith and life is both encouraging and challenging: we are heartened to learn that God’s grace extends to each of us, and we are challenged to grow in showing that grace to others after the example of Jesus. This is a huge calling, a life-long process of growth and transformation aided by the traditions and practices of the faith.
As we grow in grace, we learn to jettison those things that separate us from God and God’s love and pursue those that help that love be made real in our world. In the new year, Rev. Ron will lead us through seven key turning points in his faith – sharing stories, experiences, and biblical lessons that have contributed to his ongoing growth as a disciple of Christ. These stories include personal hesitations about faith because of “Christian teaching” about Creation, learning to be more inclusive of differing perspectives, and even his some-time anxiety about death and “rapture.”
Join us to reflect on going deeper with Christ and Growing with Grace, beginning in January, 2025.
- 1/12: “Seeing Things Differently” (Luke 10:25-37) Having heard the familiar story of a legal expert “testing” Jesus since childhood, understanding the nuance of one word transformed how I read this story, and how I want to relate to others. Join us to hear how I’m learning to overcome my preconceptions about others
- 1/19: “In the Beginning” (Genesis 1) The Creation story of Genesis, and its conflict with commonly accepted science, was a huge stumbling block for me as a teenager learning faith. Hear how going deeper with that story has helped me to learn to more fully engage Scripture as a means of spiritual growth.
- 1/26: “Faith in a Frenetic World” (Mark 9:14-29) The world around us is filled with frenetic, chaotic energy, and sometimes it feels like my faith is so small in the face of it. Since hearing anew with a father’s ears about a man’s encounter with Jesus, I’m learning to overcome doubt and the frenetic energy of our time.
- 2/2: “God Was in This Place” (Genesis 28:10-19) Jacob had a vision of angels that seems to have transformed his life, as he set ego aside to worship God. Rabbinic midrash on this story has helped me in a process of learning to recognize God’s presence in the daily mundane.
- 2/9: “To See God!” (Matthew 5:8) Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount begins with the beatitudes, or “be attitudes.” I found a heart song in one of them, and am learning to love God with a pure heart.
- 2/23: “Holiness and Grace” (Luke 15:11-32) From the story of the prodigal father and the writings of John Wesley I have been challenged to pursue greater Christlikeness, which includes both holiness and grace. I’ll share how I’m learning to expect more of one’s self and give more grace to others.
- 3/2: “He will not leave us orphaned” (John 14) The concepts of “rapture” and the once popular Left Behind book series never sat well with my understandings of the Gospel; then one day the promise of Jesus took on greater import. To this day, I’m still learning to trust God even in the shadow of death.