“God is love.”
It seems like such a simple phrase, and yet we can’t seem to help making it more complicated than necessary.
So what exactly does the writer of 1 John mean with such an audacious claim? And what do we mean when we repeat it today?
As we continue our pre-Advent conversation on Process Theology this week, we’ll take some time to think about what it means to say ”God is love” by viewing a short video featuring author and speaker Brian Zahnd. We’ll also experiment with a kind of prayer exercise where we substitute the word “Love” for words like “God,” “Lord,” etc. and discuss how it makes us feel about a particular passage of scripture. (Below is an example taken from this week’s Lectionary reading from the prophet Isaiah:)
Isaiah 12
12:1 You will say in that day: I will give thanks to you, O LOVE, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, and you comforted me.
12:2 Surely LOVE is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for LOVE is my strength and my might; LOVE has become my salvation.
12:3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
12:4 And you will say in that day: Give thanks to LOVE, call on LOVE’S name; make known LOVE’S deeds among the nations; proclaim that LOVE’S name is exalted.
12:5 Sing praises to LOVE, for LOVE has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth.
12:6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy LOVE of Israel.
Please join us in the New Wineskins Virtual Theology Pub powered by Zoom this Sunday, Nov. 13, as we take a deep dive into the phrase “God is love” and how it becomes a foundational premise for our co-participation with the Divine in creating a more just, more equitable, and more fully liberated world.
Click here to preview this week’s video, “And All Shall Be Well.”
6:00pm EDT: Happy Half-Hour (informal meet & greet time)
6:30pm EDT: Presentation & conversation begin
Dr. Thomas Oord to join New Wineskins Nov. 27
We are delighted to announce that Dr. Thomas Jay Oord will be our special guest speaker Sunday, Nov 27, for a conversation about open and relational theology and its relationship to community formation!
Dr. Oord is an ordained Nazarene elder and an award-winning author with more than 25 books to his credit. He directs the doctoral program in open and relational theology at Northwind Theological Seminary and is also the director of the Center for Open and Relational Theology.
Please plan to join us Nov. 27 to meet Dr. Oord and ask your questions about theology and community!
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