Love Carved in Stone:A Fresh Look at the Ten Commandments Lesson 6: EXODUS 20:14; GENESIS 2:18-25; JOHN 8:1-11 Many years ago, a large group of us gathered at a church to watch the black and white movie, “It Happened One Night,” on a large screen. It starred Clark Gable as a reporter looking for a story, and Claudette Colbert as a runaway heiress. The characters were well developed and there was not a risqué moment in the film. There was almost a kiss, but the couple’s moment was interrupted. In disappointment, the audience said, “Aw.” Today, we would be hard pressed to find a television show or movie as innocent as the film we viewed. Instead we are exposed to dating couples who move from a passionate kiss to intercourse almost immediately. Sex is portrayed as casual and adultery as common. In actuality, infidelity is common to about 20% of Americans. The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy reported: “National surveys indicate that 15 percent of … [Read more...]
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Commentary 22 hours ago
Community dinners: Matthew 25 in action
Guest commentary by Linda Dickerson On Mondays, you would hardly think that on Sunday mornings worshippers gather to sing, pray, hear the Word read and proclaimed, and worship God in this place. It’s Monday night, the night of Northside Presbyterian Church’s Monday Night Community Dinners, a project begun about a year and a half ago. Why? To reach out to our neighbors in Blacksburg, Virginia, and to feed hungry people. The endeavor took a while to gain traction, but has become a regular “community.” Church members Heidi and Bruce do… continue reading... -
Looking into the lectionary 23 hours ago
2nd Sunday after Epiphany — January 19, 2020
Isaiah 49:1-7; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9; John 1:29-42 Ordinary 2A God called you. God is faithful. This refrain of God’s initiative and God’s trustworthiness resounds through all three readings this week. Jill Duffield’s lectionary reflections are sent to the Outlook’s email list every Monday. Questions on our part remain. The chosen one in Isaiah expresses deep discouragement and God’s response reassures the doubting, despondent servant that divine will may be delayed but will ultimately be accomplished. The epistle reading reminds a nascent Christian community of Christ’s ongoing work among and within… continue reading... -
Outlook Reporting 2 days ago
Climate change and divestment: MRTI votes on recommendation to General Assembly
A committee is recommending that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) divest from three companies that it says are not making sufficient progress on responding to climate change issues. That’s the recommendation the Committee on Mission Responsibility Through Investment (MRTI) has voted to make to the 2020 General Assembly, after determining that those companies – Exxon Mobil, Marathon Petroleum and Valero Energy – have fallen into the “red” or least acceptable zone in MRTI’s system of metrics. That system tracks progress – or lack of it – on dozens of measures, and… continue reading...
Parties in Stamford case had tried to expedite process in order to get a ruling on the merits of the case January 1, 1995 Uncategorized117 views The General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission -- in sidestepping the question of exactly how deeply a session should be required to probe into the private life of a gay elder who has acknowledged being in a committed, life-long relationship but has declined to say whether he is sexually active -- has put the question off but has not put it to rest.- Ministering with the Earth January 1, 1998 Book Reviews114 views By Mary Elizabeth MooreChalice. 1998. 226 pp. Pb. $19.99. ISBN 0-8272-2323-4 Ministering with the Earth is a quiltwork, both the on-the-ground activity and Moore's book about so ministering. Moore, professor of theology and Christian education at Claremont School of Theology, is fond of the metaphor, suitably pastoral and feminist.
- Remembered Voice: Reclaiming the Legacy of 'Neo-Orthodoxy' January 1, 1998 Book Reviews117 views By Douglas John HallWJKP. 1998. 145 pp. Pb. $18. ISBN 0-664-25772-0 It was in this order. I first read Tillich's Dynamics of Faith. Riveting. Next came The Courage to Be. Gripping. Then I went back and read the first volume of the Systematic Theology. Things began to make sense. Next came Biblical Religion and the Search for Ultimate Reality. Positive.
MRTI directed to continue policy of corporate engagement for now, companies added to short-list for divestment in 2020 June 22, 2018 Outlook Reporting1 comment ST. LOUIS – No divestment today. On June 22, the 223rdGeneral Assembly elected (with a vote of 409 in favor and 106 opposed) for Mission Responsibility Through Investment (MRTI) to maintain its investments in the fossil-fuel industry, while continuing to vie for more environmentally friendly business practices, and vetting fossil-fuel companies for selective divestment at the 224th General Assembly in 2020.
The assembly passed a significant amendment to the original item. The amendment directs MRTI to report back to the 224thGeneral Assembly in 2020 wit...
Small contributions add up: Idaho church plays big role to reduce state’s medical debt November 5, 2019 Outlook Reporting1 comment So many people are just one car accident, one slip on the ice, one complicated pregnancy, one bad diagnosis away from a tsunami of medical debt.
So many people live paycheck to paycheck, with rent due and student loans to pay back and a balance on their credit cards so big it hurts to look at it. They’re barely making everyday life work financially, much less able to pay for a trip to the hospital.
What if churches could do something about that – by using their resources to pay off a chunk of their community’s unpaid medical debt? Or what about individual Presbyterians, or a group of family or friends? ...
Presbyterians wrestle with funding models to replace or augment per capita January 14, 2020 Outlook Reporting1 comment LOUISVILLE – It’s an intricate mosaic of life in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), but the big picture looks something like this.
Presbyteries feel financially stressed, with many mid council leaders saying the denomination’s per capita system isn’t working. The Office of the General Assembly, which depends on per capita,
Words of Love: Hold Your Marriage Sacred (Horizons 6)
Asking rightly (Feb. 23, 2020)
Uniform Lesson for February 23, 2020 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Luke 11:5-13 We end our unit on true worship by shifting Gospels and, apparently, key themes. While Jesus has just taught us to ask for our daily bread, the person in this passage asks for three loaves. While Jesus has warned us against asking God for special protection as God’s children, here Jesus states that if you ask, “it will be given you” — an “it” that seems to cover a lot of ground! While Jesus had earlier warned us that some offers can undermine our calling to worship only God, here Jesus promises us the gift of Godself. Luke 11:5-8 — Food for others It is worth pointing out that the imagined person in this passage is not asking for bread for himself or his children. He and his children are asleep in bed having, we assume, received enough daily bread to grant them rest. But then an unexpected guest shows up, and the host’s cupboard is bare. Now he needs to practice proper hospitality, but he needs … [Read more...]
Pray this way (Feb. 16, 2020)
Uniform Lesson for February 16, 2020 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Matthew 6:9-15 Having offered us a primer on public piety and prayer, Jesus now offers us an example of the kind of prayers God is seeking. It is perhaps ironic that this particular prayer has become the most public of all Christian prayers — and that, rather than using it as a template, we repeat it verbatim. Rather than arguing over the details of this most familiar of Jesus’ prayers, we shall use it as a model for true worship. More particularly, how does this model prayer help us stare down our daily tests regarding honoring God? Matthew 6:9-10 — Hallowed be your name At the risk of gross oversimplification, it should be noted that this prayer begins with a turning away from ourselves toward God. Yes, this prayer addresses God in a familiar way: Father. And yes, it seems to locate God in heaven in a way that goes against the way this God has come to earth in the very person who is teaching this … [Read more...]
True worship of God (Feb. 9, 2020)
Uniform Lesson for February 9, 2020 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Matthew 6:1-8 We shift now to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, as recorded in the Gospel according to Matthew. Here we have two lessons concerning honoring God with true worship. The first one focuses on the problem of worshipping or practicing piety “before others in order to be seen by them.” Unless you are a hermit, it is hard to worship without anyone else around. In fact, some public demonstrations of piety may potentially be good for the character of the community. (I have served as a minister, a mayor and a trustee – all in public!) But, as with our previous lesson, it is very easy to do good things for bad reasons. Jesus, with his public teachings and living, attempts to help us out. Matthew 6:1-4 — Public giving Everybody who practices almsgiving (for both religious and secular causes) has been asked if they would allow their names to be used in some public fashion (either directly or indirectly, as in: … [Read more...]
In a junior high Sunday school class …
In a junior high Sunday school class in Nevada, a young lady went on and on about her upcoming birthday. One lad got sick of it and said, “What’s so great about birthdays anyway?” The girl hesitated and then answered, “The more you have, the longer you live — so there!” … [Read more...]
Super Bowl Sunday
Back in the 1980s, one Presbyterian church in the South started taking in cans of soup on Super Bowl Sunday. The idea caught on and now many Presbyterian churches either take up cans of soup for their food pantry or take up an offering to buy soup or other food for those in need. It’s been an amazing success. … [Read more...]
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