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Love (God) is All You Need

Sequoia discusses the love of God and gives us practices to deepen our ability to love.

Guarding our Freedom

March 10, 2019 Terri Churchill Allegory, Freedom, Hagar, Law, Midrash Galatians 4:21-31, Genesis 16, Genesis 21 Covenant and Common Prayer: Galatians

In the process of arguing for guarding the Freedom in Christ for the Gentile converts in Galatia, Paul uses an allegory about Hagar. Here we explore the reasons Paul might have used this particular allegory as well as the limits of this allegory.

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Accountability in Community

March 3, 2019 John Murray Accountability, Conflict, Reconciliation Galatians 4:12-20 Covenant and Common Prayer: Galatians

Resisting the appeal of passivity, confronting disagreement among friends:
It’s important that we, in community together, hold one another accountable and confront disagreement rather than let it fester. Wrestling with difference is a difficult, but important aspect of a covenant community. When doing so, as Paul writes here, it is most important to hold the relationship and trust above all – and not just connections, but intimate relationship.

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Galatians 4:1-11

February 24, 2019 Bonnie St. Jean adoption, Faith, Grace, Holy Spirit, Law, Love, rituals, Trinity 1 Corinthians 13:11, Colossians 2, Galatians 4:1-11, Romans 14:5-8, Romans 8:12-16 Covenant and Common Prayer: Galatians

Paul continues explaining to the church in Galatia what it means to be saved through faith, not compliance with the Old Testament law or any other set of rules and rituals. He uses adoption as a metaphor and urges his readers not to regress to relying on law to relate to God. Bonnie discussed how Christians should examine whether our own habits and practices are good for our faith and how the Holy Spirit brings us a rest and reassurance in our relationship with God that rules can’t provide.

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All Of You Are One

February 17, 2019 Terri Churchill Faith, Unity Galatians 3:23-29 Covenant and Common Prayer: Galatians

Terri discusses the difference between living by faith (covenant trust) versus relying on rules, and the ways anxiety impacts our faith life. She also digs into the radical inclusion of the early church and how that challenges us today.

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The Old Testament and the Law

February 10, 2019 Bonnie St. Jean Ethics, Faith, Grace, Law, Love, Old Testament Acts 15, Galatians 3:15-22, Mark 12:28-34, Romans 13:8-10 Covenant and Common Prayer: Galatians

Paul continues explaining to the church in Galatia why Christians are not bound by the Old Testament law. He addresses questions about why the law was given and how it functioned. Bonnie discussed how Christians should relate to the Old Testament today and how love fulfills the law.

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