Back to Galatians

Beginning October 14 I will be returning to a series of sermons on Paul's letter to the Galatians. Background material can be found at:

http://joesgalatianblog.blogspot.com/

The Art of Reading Scripture

The Scripture Project, “Nine Theses on the Interpretation of Scripture” in The Art of Reading Scripture, Ellen Davis & Richard Hays, eds.

• Thesis One: Scripture truthfully tells the story of God’s action of creating, judging, and saving the world.
  
• Thesis Two: Scripture is rightly understood in light of the church’s rule of faith as a coherent dramatic narrative.
• Thesis Three: Faithful interpretation of Scripture requires an engagement with the entire narrative: the New Testament cannot be rightly understood apart from the Old, nor can the Old be rightly understood apart from the New.
• Thesis Four: Texts of Scripture do not have a single meaning limited to the intent of the original author. In accord with Jewish and Christian traditions, we affirm that Scripture has multiple complex senses given by God, the author of the whole drama.
• Thesis Five: The four canonical gospels narrate the truth about Jesus.
• Thesis Six: Faithful interpretation of Scripture invites and presupposes participation in the community brought into being by God’s redemptive action — the church.
  
• Thesis seven: The saints of the church provide guidance in how to interpret and perform Scripture.
• Thesis eight: Christians need to read the Bible in dialogue with diverse others outside the church.
• Thesis nine: We live in the tension between the “already” and the “not yet” of the kingdom of God; consequently, Scripture calls the church to ongoing discernment, to continually fresh rereadings of the text in light of the Holy Spirit’s ongoing work in the world.
  

October 7, 2007 World Communion Sunday and Peacemaking

Peacemaking -- Part 2

Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

A French translation of this Beatitude goes something like this: "Blessed are the artisans of peace." From the first time I read this in French, I have felt drawn to the realization that being a peacemaker is an art -- not a science. The genesis of this is in seeing peace as rooted in the human imagination. Peace seeking defies biological determinism; it seems counter intuitive to seeking human self-interest. On this Sunday, I will be exploring the art of peacemaking and its roots in the human creative spirit.

To help us celebrate this Lord's Day, our youth and children will offer an art fair around the theme of peacemaking. This should be a joy filled time.

Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), offers the Lord's Supper to all who have been baptized in the name of the Triune God. At the Table we see Christ as our host, and Christ welcomes all God's children for this simple, yet generous banquet.