We are launching a new sermon series this Sunday called Parables in Reverse. Jesus’ parables are some of the most iconic of Jesus’ teachings throughout the gospels. We’ll be exploring from unique angles and discover new insights and possibilities. I hope you will join us for this conversation that will challenge us “hearers” to grow. See you Sunday!
Our youth minister, Rev. Micah James, is getting ordained in a big worship extravaganza on June 2 at 3 pm. Everyone in the Table and broader church community is invited to attend. If you have never been to an ordination service before, it’s truly a unique experience. There will be excellent preaching, great music, and plenty of words of hope. It will be a definite moment of celebration in Micah’s journey. We hope to remind her how much we have appreciated her hard work and the gift it has been to learn together over the past three years.
Mark your calendars and plan to be there!
Consider this one invitation to join us on June 17, Father’s Day, as the Table throws a baby shower for Luke & Courtney Wroten.
Luke joined our church a couple of months back, and as they expect child number two, we are hoping to bless them and surround them with love. We’ll gather with food and gifts in the Parlor at the church at noon. We know some of us have not gotten a chance to know the Wrotens, so this should be a good opportunity to hear more about their family and welcome them to our church family.
Everyone who attends the Table is invited. Many other church folks are being invited too. I plan on being there, so men are welcome too. Please RSVP with Peggy in the church office to let us know you can come.
The Wrotens are happy with all kinds of gift cards. They don’t need diapers, as they use cloth diapers.
Our new Wholeness Group is still in its infancy. We are meeting for the third time tonight, looking at chapter two from Addiction and Grace. There is still plenty of time to catch up and join in the conversation. I still have about three extra books for anyone who needs one.
Remember, this group is less about recovery and more about finding balance and healing. We are not trying to fix anyone in our sessions together. There is opportunity to share stories, struggles, hopes, and ideas.
The two big keys for me out of the reading for this week are these two lines, both on page 31:
“First, although God calls us all toward more perfect life, we cannot personally achieve the state of perfection. … Second, we need to recognize that the incompleteness within us, our personal insufficiency, does not make us unacceptable in God’s eyes.”
Struggling with our addictions, whether they are chemical, relationship, work, or whatever, is about realizing our limits. We can’t fix ourselves. We can’t easily solve this addiction. And that fact does not make us less lovable. We are still loved. God still finds great value in us. There is always hope. Once we admit that we cannot simply overcome these issues, the more likely we are to begin the path toward healing.
If you know someone who is looking for a safe place for this kind of conversation or if you need an informal, supportive group of folks to vent about your struggle to find wholeness, join us this evening, 6:30 PM in the Disciples Room at East Dallas Christian Church (629 N. Peak St., Dallas, TX).
We are meeting at the Bottle Shop (2116 Greenville Ave, Dallas, TX) for conversation tonight. I am going to get some Quesa-D-Yas on their way as soon as we can. Delicious stuff. Our question, though, is a tough one. I’m not sure where we will go with it yet:
Did Jesus understand himself to be God, in line with God, or something else? Did he understand this from birth? If not then, when did he begin to understand it and how?
Part of the question comes from the fact that the four Gospels each define Jesus slightly differently, with a bit of a unique attitude and vocational path. In Luke, Jesus seems to know his purpose as a boy in the temple. In Matthew and Mark, it is the baptism scene where Jesus is announced as God’s beloved child. In John, it is from the beginning of time.
But did Jesus think of himself as God? Was Jesus just really close to God? How do we really know Jesus is God? We don’t have as clear answers. Certainly, Jesus used cryptic language to say things like, “if you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” Sometimes, he affirms others who call him the Anointed One, Messiah. But did he have an internal dialogue going on? “I’m God’s Son. Wonder what I should be doing now? Maybe I’ll heal that lady over there!” That we don’t know.
It should be good conversation tonight. I expect I’ll use a little of NT Wright’s stuff. Bring your answers and questions tonight!
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