Lectio Divina at tables Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
Table conversations: Can you remember a moment when you caught a glimpse of your own Belovedness? The gospel tells us that Jesus' public ministry only started after this moment of "Belovedness." How has knowing your own Belovedness changed your understanding of your vocation? In your own experience, which came first … Belonging or Belovedness? Table conversations: Can you remember a moment when you caught a glimpse of your own Belovedness? The gospel tells us that Jesus' public ministry only started after this moment of "Belovedness." How has knowing your own Belovedness changed your understanding of your vocation? In your own experience, which came first … Belonging or Belovedness?
Three Big Questions Who am I? Why am I here? Why is this conversation so important to me? Three big questions we all want to ask a presenter from out of town: Who am I? Why am I here? Why is this conversation so important to me? Well, first of all … not this! A sheep farmer is tending his flock when a city slicker rolls up in his BMW, hops out and asks, "Hey, if I tell you exactly how many sheep you have, can I take one?" The farmer nods, so the city slicker opens his laptop, calls up some satellite photos, runs some algorithms, and announces, "You have 1,432 sheep.” Impressed, the farmer says, "You're right. Go ahead and take one." So the city slicker loads one of the animals into the backseat of the car. "Now," says the farmer, "I'll bet all my sheep against your car that I can tell you what you do for a living.” A gaming sort, the city slicker says, “Sure." "You're a consultant," says the farmer. "Wow!" says the consultant. "How'd you know?" "Well," says the farmer, "you come from nowhere even though I never asked you to. You drive a flashy car, and wear a smart suit. You told me something I already knew. And you don't know anything about my business. Now give me back my dog."
I live to serve the Spirit in all of creation by being a loving, compassionate, courageous, playful, outrageous & provocative midwife to the Spirit's life and joy that are longing to be birthed in this moment. tlb 2000 Who am I? I live to serve the Spirit in all of creation by being a loving, compassionate, courageous, playful, outrageous & provocative midwife to the Spirit's life and joy that are longing to be birthed in this moment. What are the words or phrases that stand out for you in this description I offer?
Strategic Objectives for the Diocese of El Camino Real 1: Build Leadership for the Future 2: Cultivate the Treasures Within Our Neighborhoods 3: Strengthen Our Connection with One Another and the Wider World Why am I here? I found your invitation compelling! You asked me to continue a conversation that we started a year ago. You have publicly committed yourselves to specific Strategic Objectives. These three mean a lot to me. You have invited me to come share learnings from across the the church. 1: Build Leadership for the Future 2: Cultivate the Treasures Within Our Neighborhoods 3: Strengthen Our Connection with One Another and the Wider World I want to be a witness to this path that you are making in the walking of it.
… how parishes can be dynamic communities of Jesus by moving from a dependence on institutional authority to a reliance on relational authority. Why is this conversation so important to me? For thirty-five years of ordained ministry, I have been passionate about healthy communities of faith that practically “engage” the creative work of the Spirit in the world. That passion is all over your strategic objectives. Your leaders have invited me to “engage” that work. You invited me to come share my learnings on … how parishes can be dynamic communities of Jesus by moving from a dependence on institutional authority to a reliance on relational authority. I’m here to share my stories … stories that will be yours to pass on, as you like, after you hear them.
Ground Rules: Seek first to understand & then to be understood. Fruits of the Spirit trump everything else. Playful curiosity wins first prize. Periodic silence is golden. Test inferences. Breathe… First, let’s agree on some basic Ground Rules: Seek first to understand & then to be understood. (St Francis) Fruits of the Spirit trump everything else: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Playful curiosity wins first prize. Periodic silence is golden. Test inferences. Breathe…
Let’s take a break! 10 minutes?
Theme: Moving from a dependence on institutional authority to a reliance on relational authority. My work today is to make explicit what many of you already believe and then ask, “How do we act on that?” So, let me be clear! our theme is … “Moving from a dependence on institutional authority to a reliance on relational authority.”
Theme: Moving from a dependence on institutional authority to more of a reliance on relational authority. Theme: Moving from a dependence on institutional authority to more of a reliance on relational authority. Bert and I: “You can’t get there from here!”
Starting with a sense of … Belovedness Let’s go back to the focus of our Lectio Divine this morning - the story of Jesus’ Baptism Everything worthy of our attention starts with this sense of Belovedness. I keep forgetting that - always tempted to skip over this part - assuming you will already have a handle on this. Your colleagues across the church constantly remind me that this is the wellspring for the rest of the conversation! Without this sense, nothing else is worth it.
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