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January is a time of latest beginnings, hopeful resolutions and a time for brand spanking new alternatives to discover brilliant concepts. Within the theological world it’s a season referred to as “epiphany.”
That is the season the place we see what’s revealed and woke up as we glance to the story of the three clever sages within the Christmas Story. Following an excellent star, they arrive bearing symbolic items to the brand new born youngster, Jesus. Epiphany celebrates this new season of “aha” and consciousness. It’s a mythic name to knowledge.
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At Hillhurst United this month, we’re exploring brilliant concepts by welcoming clever guests from the west (from Vancouver Faculty of Theology) to share their ardour and perception. For 4 Saturday mornings, from 9 a.m. to midday, and the next Sunday mornings in worship, the professors lead in a collection referred to as Epiphany Explorations. Over 500 people have joined within the dialog.
We started with New Testomony scholar Dr. Harry Maier, who kicked off the collection inviting listeners into the subversive nature of parables as a method to awaken the unconventional knowledge concerning the kingdom of God. Likening it to a weed that’s tenacious and considerable, he urged parables have been typically unlikely surprises quite than one ethical level or riddle.
“It’s extra about an expansive, beneficiant, even humorous view of God’s grace overturning peoples private piety,” he suggests. “It’s like going grocery purchasing in Calgary and ending up in Saskatoon, saying, ‘How did I get right here?” It’s about surprising surprises quite than pedantic moralism.
Secondly, we welcomed Dr. Ross Lockhart, director of missiology, who shared his analysis on Christianity in Vancouver — probably the most secular postal code in Canada. Paralleling the analysis with Calgary, he urged the decision of the “cathedral of nature” is difficult the need of native church for folks to attend on Sundays.
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This inevitable name requires folks to seek out new methods and instances to satisfy and requires a necessity to beat the hesitancy to share the excellent news of the Christian religion.
He likened it to our connection to democracy: “Most individuals, if requested, ‘Do you imagine in democracy?’ would reply sure, 9 out of 10 in favour. If requested, ‘Did you vote?’ it might be extra like 6 out of 10 would say ‘sure.’ Lastly, if requested, ‘Are you a member of a political get together?’ Possibly 2 out of 10!” would reply sure.
This parallels the identical method folks view faith. There may be an general openness to it, however a scarcity of dedication to point out up. “We have to assist folks have interaction, commit and share excellent news to assist rework the world,” Lockhart says.
The symposium additionally welcomed Rabbi Laura Duhan-Kaplan, who teaches Hebrew research, to mirror on her e book: From the Mouth of Donkey, Re-imagining Biblical Animals.
The e book appears to be like on the function of animals within the Bible to be the mouthpiece of God, with animals reflecting moral themes, allegorical meanings and allusions to God’s nature.
The epiphany collection concludes this weekend with Dr. Mari Joerstad, professor of Previous Testomony, who will discover the function of anger within the Hebrew scriptures as a method to encourage change. As a typical sense teacher, she sees the Hebrew scriptures as a set of tales of how we’re referred to as to take care of the earth asking the query: “What if we handled all of creation —crops and stars, soil and rivers — as our kin? . . . Understanding biblical texts isn’t merely an mental train, however an train in the way to dwell.”
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Our consideration to local weather justice makes it our collective calling. It’s a name for trustworthy folks to familiarize themselves and to root themselves within the scriptures searching for knowledge on the journey.
Epiphany is about exploring an awakening, about new concepts and fascinating in world transformation. It’s about new methods of considering and being. That is our hope and invitation to folks — in particular person and on-line — who could want to entertain a brand new method to begin the 12 months grounded in good theology, the place the bible and newspaper are companions in a related theology.
Rev Dr. John Pentland is lead pastor at Hillhurst United Church. Go to the church’s web site, hillhurstunited.com for particulars on Epiphany Exploration.
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