First Sunday - Unconditional Love
This is the first Sunday in January, and because of weather, our morning service was cancelled. This is, I believe a good thing, as the wind is kicking up once again; and our main concern has been the physical safety and well-being of the people we welcome in our regular worship time. I believe we can trust our spiritual well-being and safety to God who dwells in the space between us - in that space that connects us as living beings.
I did say on our facebook page, when we cancelled our service, that I would try to post something inspirational - that is, something to sustain us and nurture our souls in the week ahead. I don't know how inspirational this post will be, but I hope it connects with you in some way.
On our Christian calendar, this is the day after Epiphany (January 6) and the beginning of the season of Epiphany in our round of readings. It is also Baptism of Jesus Sunday, which means there was a choice of readings for this week (or I suppose I could choose something completely different if so inspired). However, I chose to go with Baptism of Jesus Sunday as it is a good way to begin a new year; not only remembering the baptism of Jesus, but also recalling our own baptismal vows and reflecting on them.
I also paired the readings with the beginning of a five-week series on Forgiveness. What better way to begin the year than with learning how to forgive? Anyone who has experienced an egregious affront to their person knows that forgiveness is not any easy task, nor should it be. Forgiveness requires self-awareness, clarity over who or what is the object of forgiveness, and a commitment to the reality in which forgiveness exists. For this reason, the topics to cover in teaching forgiveness require five weeks, and it is my hope and my prayer that the series will be of benefit.
The first topic, the starting place, for forgiveness is Unconditional Love. Unconditional love is a basic precept of the Christian faith, yet it is difficult to understand and even more difficult to achieve in practice. Unconditional love does not require change from the other in order for them to be loved, nor does it require change from us. We are loved because we are. This does not mean that everything we do or say or that others do or say is o.k. It means that we begin loving in the present reality, and we begin with ourselves with the belilef that we do this because God is love. Unconditional love is the nature of God.
So we learn to love, without conditions, ourselves and others. Unconditional love is easy to say, but it takes a lifetime to understand and achieve. This is our challenge - to open ourselves to love. This is our prayer - to open ourselves to love. This is our practice - to open ourselves to love. Love is the essense of God, and if we are be the image of God in the world, then, when we are at our best, love is our essence.
To love is the final commandment Jesus gave to his disciples in his infamous farewell discourse in the Gospel of John, and he names love as the signature mark of his followers.
John 15:10-11
There are also five forums (group discussions) that go with the series, but I will reserve the forums as a Lenten series once I discover which time will accommodate those who are interested in being part of this in-depth look at forgiveness.
At that time, I will provide copies of this current sermon series to those participating. The sermons won't be posted, because the material is based in work I have been doing as part of the Appreciative Inquiry for Congregations in Transition teleconference and is copyrighted but available for the use of those participating in the teleconference.
I did say on our facebook page, when we cancelled our service, that I would try to post something inspirational - that is, something to sustain us and nurture our souls in the week ahead. I don't know how inspirational this post will be, but I hope it connects with you in some way.
On our Christian calendar, this is the day after Epiphany (January 6) and the beginning of the season of Epiphany in our round of readings. It is also Baptism of Jesus Sunday, which means there was a choice of readings for this week (or I suppose I could choose something completely different if so inspired). However, I chose to go with Baptism of Jesus Sunday as it is a good way to begin a new year; not only remembering the baptism of Jesus, but also recalling our own baptismal vows and reflecting on them.
I also paired the readings with the beginning of a five-week series on Forgiveness. What better way to begin the year than with learning how to forgive? Anyone who has experienced an egregious affront to their person knows that forgiveness is not any easy task, nor should it be. Forgiveness requires self-awareness, clarity over who or what is the object of forgiveness, and a commitment to the reality in which forgiveness exists. For this reason, the topics to cover in teaching forgiveness require five weeks, and it is my hope and my prayer that the series will be of benefit.
The first topic, the starting place, for forgiveness is Unconditional Love. Unconditional love is a basic precept of the Christian faith, yet it is difficult to understand and even more difficult to achieve in practice. Unconditional love does not require change from the other in order for them to be loved, nor does it require change from us. We are loved because we are. This does not mean that everything we do or say or that others do or say is o.k. It means that we begin loving in the present reality, and we begin with ourselves with the belilef that we do this because God is love. Unconditional love is the nature of God.
So we learn to love, without conditions, ourselves and others. Unconditional love is easy to say, but it takes a lifetime to understand and achieve. This is our challenge - to open ourselves to love. This is our prayer - to open ourselves to love. This is our practice - to open ourselves to love. Love is the essense of God, and if we are be the image of God in the world, then, when we are at our best, love is our essence.
To love is the final commandment Jesus gave to his disciples in his infamous farewell discourse in the Gospel of John, and he names love as the signature mark of his followers.
John 15:10-11
10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 12 "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 11 I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.
~~~~~~ ~
In addition:There are also five forums (group discussions) that go with the series, but I will reserve the forums as a Lenten series once I discover which time will accommodate those who are interested in being part of this in-depth look at forgiveness.
At that time, I will provide copies of this current sermon series to those participating. The sermons won't be posted, because the material is based in work I have been doing as part of the Appreciative Inquiry for Congregations in Transition teleconference and is copyrighted but available for the use of those participating in the teleconference.
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