Introduction
Seven years ago my faith journey took a radical change, effectively shoving me into my deconstruction phase, through a course my mentor put together based on her learnings from seminary. This class explored verses commonly attributed towards keeping women in very specific roles within the church in the name of tradition and God’s inerrant Word. Or so I thought.
At the end of those 8 weeks I walked away with a new understanding that ‘tradition’ has the ability to corner people into submission, that our own experiences and biases deeply impact how we read texts, and perhaps most importantly of all, that maybe Paul wasn’t as unfair to women as I perceived him to be.
Join me Sunday in a (very) abridged version of my learnings from 1 Corinthians 14 where I hope you walk away with the ability to answer why Paul might decree that “women should be silent in the churches.”
Grace and peace,
Shannon and the teaching team
Text:
A Confession from John 15 (the message)
Reader: Jesus declared he is the Real Vine and his Father is the Farmer, that every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. That if we live in him -make our home in him just as He does in us, the harvest is sure to be abundant.
Everyone: Jesus we make our home in you and you make yours in us. Make this Church good soil for the Vine to take root and the branches to bear fruit.
Reader: Jesus told us the tree will be judged by the fruit.
Everyone: Give us hands to tend the soil, hearts to endure the pruning and ears to hear the song that gives us hope.
Lord’s Prayer
Christ, who taught us to pray saying:
Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who’ve sinned against us.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For yours is the kingdom, and the power,
and the glory forever. Amen.
