The letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 reveal that the community of believers has always been "purple" -- a mixed bag of people who see the world and the priorities of the church in very different ways. When Revelation circulated, all the recipients received all the information -- the condemnation, the encouragement, the correction, and the consolation. What does it look like in our time to offer the full scope of Christian shaping to everyone? How can we learn from Revelation and the early followers of Christ how to be strong in love and service and to reject being lukewarm in all times? This gathering will briefly cover the topic of the seven letters while using their context as a comparison to our own time, where division runs through the heart of many of our congregations.
Join us as we move toward Creating Beloved Community: Healing Together, with Jesus as our primary model, and learn from Rev. Julia Seymour and each other.
The Reverend Julia Seymour serves Big Timber Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Big Timber, Montana. She has served there for 6 years, following 10 years of service to a congregation in Anchorage, Alaska. Pastor Seymour has written for Gather Magazine, Disciple Bible Study, and The Christian Century. She has been published in several print volumes of the Abingdon Preaching Annual and was a contributing author to There's a Woman in the Pulpit and The Words of Her Mouth: Psalms for the Struggle. Pastor Seymour has taught the following classes for the Northern Rockies Institute of Theology: "Reading Revelation Without Fear", "Heaven, Hell, Death, and Judgment", and "When Bad Theology Happens to Good Christians". She enjoys yarn hobbies, reading, and being outside. She also gives an excellent tour of Yellowstone National Park in all seasons.
We believe this transition from Being Church and Courageous Leadership to Creating Beloved Community: Healing Together is in attunement with our call as Christians from:
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Scripture and our expanding understanding and expression of love for ALL of our neighbors
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MLK's Letter from Birmingham Jail and Vision of the Beloved Community
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ELCA Teaching, and especially our "connection to all of life"
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ELCA Truth and Healing Movement (as facilitated by Indigenous Ministries and Tribal Relations)
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Dr. Shawn Ginwright's The Four Pivots: Reimagining Justice, Reimagining Ourselves
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And so many other diverse voices and sacred ways we engage with each other and with the world.
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To answer some commonly asked questions about these regular gatherings:
"Why are you still meeting?" "Don't become too familiar with loneliness. Community is a risk, but liberation depends on the collective. Who can you trust to hold you?" -- Cole Arthur Riley, author of Black Liturgies
