January 24, 2021
The Test of Love
Peter Fitch continues in 1 John 4. Last week was about the way that truth and reality and looking for the fruit of something can help us to discern better paths. This week, the passage we look at explains what the best fruit looks like–it’s love. Peter uses this to speak about recent political news from the US and then turns toward the great affirmation that is found in these words: everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
After listening to the talk, a great thing to do would be to listen to this version of U2’s “Love is Bigger than Anything in its Way.”
Next, listen to Justin Timberlake and Ant Clemons, Better Days, from this week’s Inaugural Concert. It was amazing.
January 17, 2021
Truth and Fiction
Peter Fitch returns to 1 John, the series he was doing in the fall. In this talk he focuses on 1 John 4:1-6, where the author is giving […]
January 10, 2021
Protest as Prayer
Walter Thiessen – This is a follow-up to another reflection on the parable of the Persistent Widow by Mark Groleau at SCC on December 20. This explores the idea of active protest as prayer that enables imagination and keeps belief alive.
I’d invite you to follow up the talk by watching this video with lyrics (or this shorter video) of the song “Glory” from the film Selma (about the most important march of Martin Luther King, Jr.) – a march that was an act of prayer that kept alive the belief of millions, including John Lewis (who mentored the two new Georgia senators). I’d invite you to compare the dignity, compassion and beauty of this protest in comparison to what you saw this past week. Good protest is prayer.
January 3, 2021
Holy Beauty
Peter Fitch wonders about the meaning of the old phrase, “the beauty of holiness.” Different people give their ideas about what it might mean in light of their experiences in life. Peter then imagines it through the eyes of Martin Buber. What if it had more to do with appreciating the beauty of each thing we are observing and each person we talk with, than it does with the religious baggage it’s acquired over the years? This service began with an instrumental by Jon Balcarrass, then a video of Matisyahu’s song, “One Day.” After the talk, we listened to a recording by Dean Clark of Peter Mayer’s song, “Everything is Holy Now.” Then we watched a video collage of beautiful images as we listened to Jackson Browne’s song, “Alive in the World.”
On video and podcast, the morning talk starts at the 14:30 mark.