Our spiritual development happens during our synchronous and asynchronous rituals. Many of us have found that our connection to the divine deepens in “pickup conversations” with friends, loved ones, even strangers. On this page, you will find asynchronous resources, conversation starters, suggested contemplative practices, etc. to have talk with loved ones.
Suggestion: Invite a friend and/or loved one to have a conversation about your mediations during any of our current series. Chat over coffee, tea, another beverage, a meal, a walk, over the phone or online. See where the conversation takes you and your loved one. Invite the Holy Spirit to that space.
Past Series
Iconic. The stories, moments, looks, people, and songs that change the world. Joseph and his technicolor DreamCoat, Moses parting the Red Sea, Nehemiah building a wall, Daniel coming out of the Lion’s den, Jesus feeding 5,000 – these stories are iconic. Changing our views of one another, the world around us, and how we understand ourselves in relation to these things. This year we are pairing the Faith We Sing with Pride Tide to celebrate queer history and queer culture where storytelling and song go hand-in-hand.
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In the text the following excerpt, Douglas A. Knight, Professor of Hebrew Bible and Jewish Studies, and Amy-Jill Levine, Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies, offer another perspective on the parable of The Good Samaritan. They provide another social context in which the parable is told by Jesus. Levine and Knight do not offer an interpretation of the parable. Instead, they use clues from the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) to explain the relationship between Samaritans and Judeans (another cultural marker to identify Jesus).
Self and Other: The Samaritans
How does this social context influence what you to believe to be true about the parable? The Samaritan? You?
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For this conversation, we examine what can be gained by encountering the divine. Douglas A. Knight, Professor of Hebrew Bible and Jewish Studies, and Amy-Jill Levine, Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies offer us lessons from Jacob’s encounters found within the story of Jacob wrestling at Jabbok and the subsequent stories. As you read Knight-Levine summation, discuss the following:
How have I encountered God/the divine (“as an external force, in the face of another, in the conscience of [my] heart”)?
How have I invited God/the divine to help me sort through consequences related to my actions/missteps? (the actions/missteps of others?)
None of us are expected to be exacting. Perhaps, God/the divine bestowing upon us free will is less about perfection, but more about engaging in a mutual relationship with God/the divine. Where can you invite God/the divine into deeper relationship?
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Past Series
Stories of Reversals
This is the surprising, beautiful reversal of the resurrection—where the least are lifted, the lost are found, and love has the final word.
Where we expect a "no," grace offers a "yes." Where we expect the powerful to take the seat of honor, we find instead a toddler with a messy face sitting on the throne. This is the surprising, beautiful reversal of the resurrection—where the least are lifted, the lost are found, and love has the final word.
Use the content below to feed your conversations about when the “status quo” is turned on its head based in the Acts of the Apostles.
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Here is commentary on the Acts of the Apostles that you can use as a reference throughout the series and in your conversations with neighbors. The commentary comes from the book Toward Decentering the New Testament: A Reintroduction by scholars Mitzi J. Smith and Yung Suk Kim.
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Pastor Eli pointed us to reconsider Saul/Paul’s conversion to include Ananais as the locus of “communal responsibility and accountability.”
Yes, fear is necessarily part of the story. To engage in conversation about fear join the TWYN group here.
Pastor Eli also noted Paul’s heavy influence on Christianity. The attached commentary is from Rev. Peter J. Gomes. His commentary, “The Trouble with Paul” an excerpt from The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart is meant to provoke discussion of Paul’s influence, especially with the treatment of those of us who are marginalized.
As you read and discuss with loved ones your thoughts and feelings. Do agree with Gomes? What’s missing from our conversation about Paul? How are we to hold our faith, theology, and faith spaces responsible and accountable for the wellbeing of us all?
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Dorcas/Tabitha’s resurrection is one of a few recorded in the Christian canon. In the Sunday, May 11 sermon, Pastor Lauren notes the impact of Docas’ resurrection on her community. This piece, written by Jamie T. Phelps, O.P., invites us to consider death and resurrection as a way to confront social sins and the structures that uphold them.
This reading is one worth reading section by section over a period of time. We encourage you to move slowly through the reading. Perhaps, at the end of each section you invite different friends to discuss your “findings.”
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Peter had a vision that challenges the assumption of who should be welcomed as followers of the Anointed One. The document for this week offers two rituals for our community that has been historically dismissed at the Anointed One’s table. You are welcome to conduct either or both of these rituals among friends. They come from a set of rituals found in Equal Rites: Lesbian and Gay Worship, Ceremonies, and Celebrations.
As stated by the editors, Kittredge Cherry and Zalmon Sherwood, “Ritual is an integral part of life. It provides the actions and forms through which people meet, carry out social activities, celebrate, and commemorate. Whether the acts appear casual or dramatic, sacred or secular, they express a meaning and significance that extend beyond the particular event itself. Rituals, like myths, address the urge to comprehend human existence; the search for a marked pathway as one moves from one stage of life to the next; the need to establish secure and fulfilling relationships within the human community; and the longing to know one's part in the vast wonder and mystery of the cosmos.”
May these select rituals spark further imagination for welcoming many “others” to the fellowship.
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Womanist and feminist theologians are careful to point to the forgotten people who heavily influence the Christian narrative. Often, they are in plain view in the biblical text but are still hidden to us. In a sermon, Pastor Eli illuminates Lydia who is such a character in the book of Acts who supports the bourgeoning post-resurrection gathering of followers of the Anointed One. While we may be given precious little detail about a character like Lydia by the biblical author, often it is enough to prompt conversation about who is welcomed and needed for everyone’s liberation.
In this section, you’ll find an excerpt from Just a Sister Away: Understanding the Timeless Connection Between Women of Today and Women in the Bible, written by womanist biblical scholar Renita J. Weems. The chapter excerpt “Certain Women (The Women Who Followed Jesus)” addresses the treatment of female co-laborers of liberation during Jesus’ ministry, the early church, and through the experiences of African American women who have contributed to ministry and liberation on this soil.
Consider talking with loved ones using some of the questions posited by Dr. Weems:[1]
How might the account of Jesus’ ministry and teachings been written differently had one of the female disciples written it? [Additional question to author’s: What if any of the female disciples were same gender loving, trans, asexual, nonbinary?]
What other examples in history can you think of where women’s contributions have been overshadowed or ignored, whether in the church or the larger society? [Additional commentary to author’s: Consider the waves of resistance in the fight for freedom, especially on the soil you occupy.]
The Bible often speaks of people with mental and emotional illnesses as being demon possessed. Talk about how such a label has helped or hindered Christians in their understanding of mental and/or emotional illness. As Christians, how can we better minister to those who suffer from mental and emotional illnesses?
Certain Women (The Women Who Followed Jesus)
[1] Renita J Weems, “Certain Women (The Women Who Followed Jesus),” in Just a Sister Away: Understanding the Timeless Connection between Women of Today and Women in the Bible (New York: Warner Books, 2005).
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Pastor Lauren retitled her sermon “What are you looking at?” With the ascension of Jesus from Acts 1 as a backdrop, Pastor Lauren encouraged us to “Mind where we’re looking for God” and to “use all of our senses” to expand our experience of God. Our spiritual path includes the head, heart, and other ways that aren’t always readily accessible within our current social configuration. A way to expand our awareness is through meditation, an integral part of our spiritual development. Meditation is focusing on our breath and more. It is a legitimate and crucial opportunity to pause and make room for the Holy Spirit to tune our hearts to know where to place our attention to love more deeply. Meditation is simpler than we can imagine with benefits beyond our comprehension. Below is a link to a few guides to support our meditative practices that you can explore with a loved one or more:
A brief exposition on meditation as a spiritual discipline by Richard J. Foster, Quaker theologian.
Body/breath practice by Resmaa Manakem, MSW, LICSW, SEP
A wisdom saying on which to meditate by Amma Sarah, fourth century dessert mother, Christian ascetic
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The movement of the Holy Spirit during Pentecost in Acts 2 manifested like wind, fire, and multiple languages that were “‘…speaking about God's deeds of power.’” (Acts 2:11b, NRSV)
God’s deeds of power.
Further in the text are examples of God’s promised deeds of power reflected by the prophet Joel, King David, and the life of the revolutionary Jesus by which to follow. The people were not only amazed and filled with hope, but they also acted on their belief in the message of God’s deeds of power (hence “Acts of the Apostles”).
Read Acts 2. Try an embodiment practice (e.g., walking, working out, dancing, feeling the sun on your head) with a loved one to meditate on the scripture.
Pay close attention to the God’s deeds of power that are present. Consider the following:
How is God calling us to thrive in this moment and secure thriving for the rest of our existence?
Pray for the interpretation and wisdom to understand the language of love that shows up in unimaginable, attainable, whole-body ways.
Receive the power of the Holy Spirit during your walks with loved ones (including Rugged Spirituality), while you’re dancing at Pride, when you’re sharing a meal, in laughter and the warm embrace, as you observe the fireflies at Larson Park (thanks Pastor Lauren!), or feeling your own breath right now.