Salt that loses its saltiness? Cities on hills? Lamps? What on earth is Jesus talking about - and what could it possibly mean to exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees? A Cafechurch session from 7/2/2016
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Jesus said, shockingly, "‘Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26.)
What are we to make of these strange, paradoxical words? One way into it is to take a look at what Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard said about the three modes of life - the aesthetic, the ethical, and the religious.
While not wanting to domesticate these strange words, we can perhaps get a better insight into what they might mean for us today.
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In the build up to Spiritus et Locus this year, we thought it might be worth while to spend some time thinking about the topic of generosity. When I (Alister) was toying with the idea, the Scriptural text which struck me was the story of the loaves and fishes. It's all about generosity - God's generosity (enough to go around and to spare.) It defines the sort of place the Kingdom of God is - where the hungry are of course fed.
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So a couple of weeks ago we had a radical break with tradition, and I (Alister) delivered a talk about the story of Jesus, Mary and Martha. It was based on a sermon I preached at Wesley Church in Melbourne on the 17th of July. We don't usually do that, but it made for an interesting change. Here's an excerpt
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A week or so ago at vicar school we were asked to summarize the gospel in a sentence. I thought this was such an interesting exercise that I decided to inflict it on Cafechurch people.
It's hard to explain something as simple as soccer in a few minutes. How much harder to summarize the Gospel! In this presentation we watch a cool dude with a traditional message, and then think about the pros and cons of both his presentation, and the theology underlying it.
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Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
The slides from a Cafechurch study on the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32). We talked about sin, grace, and forgiveness, looking at John Newton (composer of Amazing Grace) and Jung's concept of the shadow - once we can look compassionately on our sin, we are better able to stop projecting it on everyone else.
Uploaded 10/3/2016
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At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, ‘Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.’
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Humility - it's a funny old concept in our culture. We juxtapose Jesus' purifying the temple with his suprising claim to be humble. What does that tell us about what humility really is, and what it means for success?
This was Alister's Cafechurch session on 10/3/2015
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Starting with Mark's version of the story of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness, we touch on the film 2015 Wild (starring Reese Witherspoon), and examine the links between wilderness, suffering, and the way Lent works as a sort of portable wilderness, teaching us the importance of travelling light.
View it below, or else download the pdf
The Cafechurch session from 24/2/15
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How do you get in touch with your desire for God? We pay lip service to the idea that God is the end of all our desiring, but how do we make that real in our life?
One way, a little surprisingly, involves both imagining yourself as a tree, and using fariy tales. What do the fairy tales you remember from your past tell you about your desire for God - and, indeed, about God's desire for you?
You may like to use the following exercise from the presentation:
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To contact us, email Alister: info [at] cafechurch.org or call 0400 013 799. Cafechurch is part of the Chalice - Northcote Congregation of the Uniting Church in Australia
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