Advent 3: Particularity
Mary said,
“With all my heart I glorify the Lord!
Luke 1:46b-55 (CEB)
In the depths of who I am I rejoice in God my savior.
He has looked with favor on the low status of his servant.
Look! From now on, everyone will consider me highly favored
because the mighty one has done great things for me.
Holy is his name.
He shows mercy to everyone,
from one generation to the next,
who honors him as God.
He has shown strength with his arm.
He has scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations.
He has pulled the powerful down from their thrones
and lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty-handed.
He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,
remembering his mercy,
just as he promised to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to Abraham’s descendants forever.”
Most of us have, somewhere along the line, been presented with a version of Christianity (or spirituality in general) that clearly demarcates between the sacred and the secular, between the holy and the profane.
It’s easy to see how that kind of thinking has led us to where we are in human history…separating humanity from nature as well as from one another. It’s a worldview that easily leads us into the traps of individualism, exploitation and dehumanization.
But what if there’s a better perspective? One that sees the particular as a pathway to the universal and views everything, everywhere as inherently sacred?
Please join us this Sunday, Dec. 17, in the New Wineskins Virtual Theology Pub powered by Zoom for the third Sunday of Advent as we discuss the idea put forth by Fr. Richard Rohr that in Mary we see an archetype for bearing the divine through the ordinary.
Click here to view this week’s discussion video (email address required)
6:00pm ET: Happy Half-Hour (informal meet & greet time)
6:30pm ET: Presentation & conversation begin
Advent 2023: Awaiting the Universal Christ
How does the incarnation of the Christ—both in the creation of the universe and in the person of Jesus of Nazareth—open us to a cosmic view of who God is and who we are? And why does it make a difference?
This Advent, we’re examining the concept of the Universal Christ and how Jesus illuminates the sacredness and connectedness of all things.
Along the way we’re aligning the traditional Advent themes of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love with the topics of Wisdom, Incarnation, Particularity, and Unitivity to help us experience a deeper connectedness with the Christ, with one another, and with our universe…and, perhaps, beyond.
Using the weekly scripture passages from the Revised Common Lectionary and a series of videos* by The Work Of The People featuring Fr. Richard Rohr, we’ll take a deep look at how Jesus became the Christ and what that means not just for us, but for the entire cosmos.
*All discussion videos will be available through Jan. 1, 2024
Advent/Christmas Weekly Schedule
Dec. 3: Wisdom (Hope) — (1 Corinthians 1:3-9) How setting big mysteries on small stages gives us insight into the non-dualistic mind of the Christ.
(Click here for our discussion video)
Dec. 10: Incarnation (Peace) — (Mark 1:1-8) How seeing the universal through the particular open us to a peace that transcends non-conflict
(Click here for our discussion video)
Dec. 17: Particularity (Joy) — (Luke 1:46b-55) How Mary’s Magnifcat reveals the divine hidden within the ordinary
(Click here for our discussion video)
Dec. 24/25: Unitivity (Love) — (Luke 2:1-20) How the theory of quantum entanglement helps us see the universality of the Christ. (Pre-recorded so you can engage at your convenience)
Dec. 31: No Gathering — Celebrate the New Year with your friends and family, and join us again Jan. 7!
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