“Jesus the Forgiving Victim” subtitled, “You are loved far more than you know: a way of understanding your faith (and its wonder and transformative power)” is a course that looks at Scripture and what it means to be a Christian today. The class is facilitated by our own Barry E., who is more than one step ahead of us; he has led this series before and is now enthusiastically sharing it with Old First.
We met after worship last Sunday, Oct. 16, and started with a simple “brown bag lunch.” After Barry’s introduction, we watched a short film created by the program’s author James Alison, followed by a group discussion facilitated by Barry. This is the format that will be followed in all the sessions which are anticipated twice per month from 12:30-2 P.M.
Everyone seemed engaged in sharing their perspective on Scripture and living a contemporary Christian life related to the film presentation. The theme was how God spoke to people in the Scriptures, and how we experience God speaking to us today.
Alison suggests that God’s desire to communicate with us in not just about passing on knowledge, but being in relationship. But he’s also arguing that Christian faith is not so much an acceptance of some doxological position, and then bring one’s life into line with its logical consequences. Rather, he wants us to see that faith is about living a Christian life such that over time we become so practiced in the virtues of this way of life — hope, forgiveness, service, humility, love for example — that they become second nature. It was a perfect combination of fellowship and learning.
If you missed this session, you can hopefully join us for the next one on Sunday November 13 after worship. Bring a friend, or two or three, and a “brown bag lunch.” You will be enriched more than you can imagine.
Clark D.
