February 2021

Peter Fitch uses quotes from Thomas Merton, Meister Eckhart, and St. Paul to convey the idea that there is a core of each person’s being where God dwells and can be continually birthed. The result of God’s Presence in this place, as we conform our lives to His purposes, and as we wait for Him to speak in our inner silence, is a radiance that overflows through our entire being.

Before the talk we listened to Here Comes the Sun by Jon Bon Jovi from President Biden’s Inaugural Concert and The Lord’s Prayer by Steve Bell. 

After the talk we listened to Johnyswim sing Diamonds and we finished with Lauren Daigle’s You Say.

In this first Sunday of Lent, Peter Fitch describes thoughts that he had this week that reminded him of the beauty of tradition, ritual and orthodox belief. Quite a few of these were influenced by music and writings from Canadian musician, Steve Bell, so Peter chose to play songs of his before and after the talk. In preparation for Easter, Peter suggests that we remember that it takes a community of friends to show us who we really are because we have many hidden aspects. We are all spinning jewels. Then he asks if God might be the same way and shares his desire to see God in this season in a different way than he normally does.

Before the talk, we listened to Steve sing Bruce Cockburn’s “All the Diamonds.”
Then we listened to Steve’s version of the Lord’s Prayer.

After the talk we listened to Steve sing Bruce Cockburn’s “Lord of the Starfields”.

We finished the service with Steve singing “Kindness”.

Peter Fitch began speaking out of the letter called 1 John at the end of June. This is his 18th and last talk in this series, although he does plan to spend some time after this summarizing some of the main ideas. Today he focuses on the last half of Chapter 5, verses 13-21. In this passage the writer encourages people to hold on to the vision they have received from God through Jesus because there is a wonderful quality to the life of this community, despite some of the difficulties and temptations that come our way.

After the talk, we recommend watching Audrey Assad sing “Drawn to You”.

After that, “Wings of an Eagle” by Steve Bell.

Peter Fitch works on the first half of the last chapter of 1 John. It’s a difficult passage but it has an important message. The author is very concerned about some errors that have been taught about who Jesus is and how to live for him. Understanding these errors can help us identify ones in our day that we need to avoid. In the midst of the passage, and in the talk, there are some reminders about why all of this is important.