Java & Jesus
Sunday, August 27th, at 9 am
Attend in-person at the church in the
Alfred Swan Room, or attend remotely
by Zoom
Jim McNamara facilitating
All are welcome!
Please join us even if this is your first time!
Bring your own beverage, if you wish!
(no coffee provided at church)
Our summer J&J programming is focusing on the Phoenix Affirmations, which the pastors are preaching about this summer. These are 12 affirmations of the Progressive Christian Church on the practices
of loving God, loving the neighbor, and loving ourselves.
This Sunday, we will be reviewing all 12 affirmations,
with the following as context:
It seems the public face of Christianity in America today bears little resemblance to the historic faith of our ancestors. It represents even less our own faith as people who continue to celebrate the gifts of our Creator, revealed and embodied in the life and ministry of Jesus, the Christ. Heartened by our experience of the transforming presence of Christ’s Holy Spirit in our world, we find ourselves in a time and place where we must boldly proclaim “In Christ Jesus, the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (Galatians 5:6). While many other Christian denominations and congregations base their faith on doctrines and creeds they believe to be true, we base our faith on the practices of loving God, loving others, and loving ourselves.
Prompt questions for discussion:
1) At ORUCC, we say we have a diversity of beliefs, but we are united in our commitment to the practices of loving God, loving our neighbors, and loving ourselves. How does this sit with you — emphasizing the practices of love rather than specific doctrines or creeds?
2) Many of us have discovered the Phoenix Affirmations to be far more meaningful for us personally and communally than a list of doctrinal beliefs. Is this true for you? Why?
3) How is Progressive Christianity so radically different from traditional creed/doctrine based approaches to Christianity? How has our focus on the Phoenix Affirmations this summer helped you identify or define what kind of Christian you hope to be in the world? Is there one summer sermon or session of Java & Jesus that you can lift up as an example?
4) Some of us may value the Statement of Faith of our denomination, The United Church of Christ. The UCC strongly suggests that this Statement of Faith should be regarded as a testimony of faith, not a test of faith. Do you value this Statement of Faith? If so, why? In what ways is it similar to or different from the Phoenix Affirmations?
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Or paste the following into your browser:
To join Zoom discussion by phone: 1 312 626 6799
Meeting ID: 836 4943 6657
Passcode: 315584
