The Gospel of Inclusion
Tuesday Night Bible Study

Here is your chance to understand how it is possible that God could truly love you. When Pastor Belva first introduced The Gospel of Inclusion, by Carlton Pearson, to St. John’s people, it made an impact that continues to this day. We talk about the concepts presented in Pearson’s book almost every week.

Now, you can go to the source by taking Pastor Belva’s Tuesday Night Bible Study class, The Gospel of Inclusion.

The study begins on Tuesday, January 12th, beginning at 6:30 in the Sanctuary. Copies of the book may be purchased at many local bookstores and on Amazon.com.

If you have any questions about the study, please see Pastor Belva or talk with any of the many Saints who have studied this book with her. You can also see a review of the book on the St. John’s MCC Community Website.

Please join us! All are welcome!

Tradition or Transformation?

In the history of the Christian church, people have become quite comfortable with the “traditional” view of their faith. From the earliest days, the practice of Christianity changed from being a radical new way of thinking and reacting to a predictable ritual that occurred Sunday after Sunday.

But that is NOT what Jesus preached at all. Jesus was all about transforming and empowering one’s life into a new creation – not hanging on to old fears, hatreds, and habits.

That’s what we will talk about this week in Living the Questions, our continuing series of discussions during Tuesday Night Bible Study. We meet in the Sanctuary on Tuesday night beginning at 6:30. All are welcome.

It is no surprise that for Tuesday night, December 1st, the Tuesday Night Bible Study group that is studying Living the Questions will meet at Temple Beth Or so we can participate in the World AIDS Day Interfaith Worship service. Our discussion of “Compassion – The Heart of Jesus’ Ministry” will continue the following week in the Sanctuary at St. John’s MCC.

The Incarnation of God in Jesus

So, how would you respond to John Shelby Spong’s statement taken from his book, Saving Jesus?

“The virgin birth story is no longer taken literally. But the fact is that in the life of Jesus we still believe that there was a literal experience of a living God. Maybe that forces you to rethink God, and if we can stop thinking of God as a great big parent figure up in the sky – a supernatural being who is external to life – and begin to think of God as the life power itself, the power of love itself, the ‘Ground of Being,’ as Paul Tillich described it; which is always emerging in you and me and which emerged in Jesus of Nazareth in some remarkable kind of way.”

Just how important is the virgin birth to your relationship with God?

Those are the questions we will tackle when St. John’s MCC continues our study of Living the Questions during Tuesday Night Bible Study on Tuesday, November 17th, beginning at 6:30 in the Sanctuary. We will hear some of the world’s greatest spiritual thinkers and find a better understanding of how we relate to God and how God relates to us. Join us as we continue with Part III of the Living the Questions series. We will give you all the materials you need to engage in the study. All are welcome.

“Imagine a place where mercy resides, love forms each heart, compassion is lived out with grit and determination. A place where lavish signs mark each path barrier free. Imagine a place where skin tones are celebrated like the hues of tulips in springtime. … Imagine a place where people no longer kept watch through the front window to determine whether the welcome mat would remain on the porch. Such is the work - the journey - the destination - in the kin_dom of God.”

The good news of the gospel tells of a radical hospitality where boundaries, barriers, and walls are overcome by a grace that knows no bounds.

St. John’s MCC continues our study of Living the Questions during Tuesday Night Bible Study on Tuesday, November 3rd at 6:30 in the Sanctuary. We will hear some of the world’s greatest spiritual thinkers and find a better understanding of how we relate to God and how God relates to us. Join us as we begin Part III of the Living the Questions series. We will give you all the materials you need to engage in the study. All are welcome.

God gave us a beautiful and complex world in which to live. If we take the time to notice, God’s creation can embrace us with much wonder and splendor. Unfortunately, the world is being stressed by our behaviors, lifestyles, and arrogance. Care for the environment is not only deeply biblical and practical, but increasingly critical – for both the present spiritual life and for our collective future.

We will discuss the our responsibilities to God’s creation during Tuesday Night Bible Study on Tuesday, October 20th, beginning at 6:30 pm in the Sanctuary.

We have study materials for you. All are invited.

While much has been made of Jesus’ literal and physical resurrection being the core historical event of Christianity, the Biblical texts themselves present conflicting evidence. For many today, the resuscitation of Jesus’ body is less important than the idea of resurrection as a credible and meaningful principle for living.

During Tuesday Night Bible Study this Tuesday, October 13th, we will examine the idea of “Practicing Resurrection” in our study of Living the Questions beginning at 6:30 pm in the Sanctuary. We have study materials there for you. All are invited.

Did you ever ask, “I wonder what she did to deserve that?” or “What did I do to deserve this?” Perhaps you’ve heard someone claim, “The poor are poor because they are lazy,” or “AIDS is a punishment from God.” The problem is, no matter how many people make these claims, they are false. Even the seemingly innocent questions were made from false presumptions.

It seems as if we are always tempted to ask, “If God is all-powerful, and all-good, how do you explain and respond to the existence of so much suffering and evil in the world?”

Here is a better question: “Where is God when bad things happen?” The answer helps us understand the depths of God’s power in our lives.

From the stories of the ancient, faithful children of Israel, to the examples from Jesus’ healing ministry, to the lessons we learn from modern-day catastrophes, we will explore “The Problem of Evil” on Tuesday, September 22nd. Tuesday Night Bible Study starts at 6:30 pm in the Sanctuary. All are invited.

In Living the Questions, our Tuesday Night Bible Study series, we launch into a new phase of questions – Restoring Relationships. We find important relationship stories throughout the Bible that take on different characteristics:

• Bondage and Liberation
• Exile and Return
• Sin and Forgiveness

Each theme represents a different facet of the human condition and shows us what we must do to restore relationship on a variety of levels.

We resume our study on Tuesday night, September 8th, at 6:30 in the Sanctuary. If you’ve been wanting to get in on this study, this week is a perfect time. All are welcome!

There is a reformation afoot in Christianity – a re-visioning of the traditional understandings of Jesus, the virgin birth, substitutionary atonement, and the Christian life as a whole. Long held ideas of divinity and of faith are changing and evolving to reflect 21st century thought and spirituality. Inspired by these fresh insights, progressive Christians can claim a distinctive voice by being in solidarity with the poor, countering the idolatry of consumerism, practicing non-violence, and by seeking justice and inclusivity in a culture dominated by fear.

Please join us this coming Tuesday, August 25th, beginning at 6:30 pm during the Tuesday Night Bible Study in the Sanctuary! All are welcome!