Tag: love
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Tutoyer
In French, when people se tutoyer, they address one another familiarly. They use “tu” rather than “vous,” the “familiar you” rather than the formal one. The one for close friends and family. Sunday was Baptism of the Lord Sunday, and our pastor pointed out that in Luke’s gospel, and in Mark’s, God addresses Jesus directly:…
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R.I.P. and Thanks, James Ensor
James Ensor (April 13 1860 – November 19, 1949) was the post-impressionist/early expressionist artist who gave the world Christ’s Entry into Brussels in 1889. My “bucket list” has never been long. But from the time I fell in love with this painting at first sight from the plate in some modern art text, seeing the…
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Studying 1 John 3 11-24
We are studying 1 John 3:11-24 for Sunday, November 15 (which, by the way, is also the Sunday that we’re scheduled to turn in pledge cards for the annual stewardship campaign). This is a portion of the short book of 1 John that reminds its audience that Christ’s command is to love one another. [Some…
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Reflecting on John 15 4-17
We are studying John 15:4-17 for Sunday, November 8 – Jesus’s metaphor of the vine and the branches, and repetition of the commandment to “love one another as I have loved you.” [Some notes on the text are here, and here.] Here are a few questions about the text we might want to consider: What…
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Studying John 15 4-17
We are studying John 15:4-17 for Sunday, November 8. The text includes Jesus’s discourse on the vine and the branches, and also his reminder that no one has greater love than the one who lays down his life for his friends. We studied this text several years ago. Those notes on the text, from 2017,…
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Reflecting on John 13 1-15, 34-35
We are studying John 13:1-35 for Sunday, November 1 – when we FALL BACK, in our neck of the woods to Eastern Standard Time, don’t forget! [Some belated notes on the text are here.] Here are a few questions we might want to consider in our study or discussion of the text: It seems like…
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Studying John 13 1-15, 34-35
We are studying John 13:1-35 for Sunday, November 1 – focusing on Jesus’s act of washing the disciples’ feet, and on his articulation of “the new commandment … to love one another.” Our curriculum emphasizes the theme of “loving by serving” embedded in the text. [Some questions on the text are here.] Here are some…
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Twenty-first Sunday After Pentecost
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Psalm 90:14
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Reflecting on 1 Corinthians 13
We are studying 1 Corinthians 13 for Sunday, October 25. This is the familiar “love chapter,” one of the texts that reminds us again and again what way of life we are being called to. [Some notes on the text are here.] Here are some questions we might want to consider as we think about…
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Studying 1 Corinthians 13
We are studying 1 Corinthians 13 for Sunday, October 25, another candidate for most well-known passage of scripture inside and outside the church. Almost anyone who has been to a wedding has heard it at least once. In this case, familiarity never seems to breed contempt, as it should not. [Some questions on the text…
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Cultivating that Same Mind
If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Philippians 2:1-2 We get hung up, our pastor pointed out, when we think…
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Reflecting on Genesis 45 1-15
We’re studying Genesis 45:1-15 for Sunday, September 27 – Joseph’s tearful reunion with his brothers – they have a history, as we know – after they beg for mercy for Benjamin. [Some notes on the text are here.] Here are some questions we could consider as we think about how to read this text for…
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Reflecting on Genesis 37
We are studying Genesis 37 for Sunday, September 6. This is the first chapter in the longer, familiar story of Joseph and his brothers, and for us it’s also the first installment of a four-part series of lessons on the whole story. [Some notes on the text are here.] Here are a few questions we…
Matters of Interpretation 