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LECTURE 3: LIVING IN THE LOVE THE SPIRIT POURS OUT WITHIN AND AMONG US FOR THE SAKE OF THE WORLD Slide 2 QUESTIONS: THE SPIRIT AND LOVE WITHIN AND AMONG US FOR THE SAKE OF GODS WORLD If the Spirit does in fact create an overflow of love in our lives, then what does that look like in a world where technical savvy, money, and power seem to have the last word? If the Spirit does, indeed, transform how we interpret and respond to life then what does that actually meanin very practical termsfor how we view ourselves and our relationships, and all the gifts and resources weve been given? Slide 3 LOVE DIVINE ALL LOVES EXCELLING 1. Love divine, all loves excelling, joy of heaven, to earth come down; fix in us thy humble dwelling; all thy faithful mercies crown! Jesus thou art all compassion, pure, unbounded love thou art; visit us with thy salvation; enter every trembling heart. 2. Breathe, O breathe thy loving Spirit into every troubled breast! Let us all in thee inherit; let us find that second rest. Take away our bent to sinning; Alpha and Omega be; end of faith, as its beginning, set our hearts at liberty. 3. Come, Almighty to deliver, let us all thy life receive; suddenly return and never, nevermore thy temples leave. Thee we would be always blessing, serve thee as thy hosts above, pray and praise thee without ceasing, glory in thy perfect love. 4. Finish, then, thy new creation; pure and spotless let us be. Let us see thy great salvation perfectly restored in thee; changed from glory into glory, till in heaven we take our place, till we cast our crowns before thee, lost in wonder, love, and praise. Slide 4 THE SPIRITS GENERATIVE GRAMMAR: IDENTITY, FORMATION, PRACTICE Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. (Rom 5:1-5) And not only that, but we also boast in our (1) sufferings, knowing that suffering produces (katergazetai) endurance, and (2) endurance produces character (dokim), and (3) character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. (Rom 5:1-5) Kirsten Malcolm Berry Slide 5 THE HOLY SPIRITS GENERATIVE GRAMMAR IDENTITY What does the promise of the Spirit do in our lives? FORMATION How does the Spirit transform our ways of perceiving and responding to life? PRACTICE Who do we become and how do we behave? Slide 6 THE HOLY SPIRITS GENERATIVE GRAMMAR IDENTITY What does the promise of the Spirit do in our lives? LOVESPACE FORMATION How does the Spirit transform our ways of perceiving and responding to life? FAITHTIME PRACTICE Who do we become and how do we behave? HOPERELATIONSHIPS IN TIME AND SPACE Slide 7 Romans 8 and 2 Cor 2:14-5:5 Creation groans Our groaning Spirit groans through our weakness Spirit of life in Jesus Setting mind on Spirit Spirit bears witness with our spirit crying, Abba! Slide 8 WISDOM WEALTH POWER Slide 9 CHRIST AS WISDOM = RELATIONSHIPS Slide 10 IDENTITY: A NEW REALITY (SPACE) AMIDST THE OLD 14 For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. 15 And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them. Sieger Kder Slide 11 HOW THAT IDENTITY GETS FORMED (IN TIME) 16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. 17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! Sieger Kder Slide 12 HOW THAT IDENTITY IS EMBODIED IN PRACTICE 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. Sieger Kder Slide 13 FORMATION (IN TIME) Word and Sacrament IDENTITY 20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. FORMATION 21 For our sake God made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. PRACTICEAs we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says, "At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you." See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! Slide 14 PRACTICE (RECONCILIATION IN SPACE AND TIME) IDENTITY 3 We are putting no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: FORMATION through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, 7 truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; PRACTICE 8 in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see-- we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything. Slide 15 WEALTH Slide 16 POOR/MAKING MANY RICH IDENTITY 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. FORMATION 10 And in this matter I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something-- 11 now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means. 12 For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has--not according to what one does not have. PRACTICE 13 I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of equality () between 14 your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be equality. 15 As it is written, "The one who had much did not have too much, and the one who had little did not have too little." (2 Cor 8:9-15) Slide 17 POWER Slide 18 HAVING NOTHING/HAVING EVERYTHING POWER IN WEAKNESS Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. 8 Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, 9 but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Cor 12:7-10) AUTHORITY FOR UPBUILDING 5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?-- unless, indeed, you fail to meet the test! 6 I hope you will find out that we have not failed. 7 But we pray to God that you may not do anything wrong-- not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. 8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 For we rejoice when we are weak and you are strong. This is what we pray for, that you may become perfect. (2Co 13:5-9) Slide 19 WHERE AND HOW IS THE SPIRIT CALLING YOU-US? Slide 20 UNITY AND DIVERSITY WITHIN THE BODY OF CHRIST 4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. (1 Cor 12:4-7) So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another Romans 12:5, Kirsten Malcolm Berry Slide 21 THE CHURCH WITNESSES TO GODS REIGN IN THE WORLD 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18-19) Slide 22 THE CHURCH WITNESSES TO GODS REIGN IN THE WORLD The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 3 to provide for those who mourn in Zion-- to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, to display his glory. 4 They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. (Isa 61:1-4) Slide 23 EXEMPLARS Slide 24 WHERE AND HOW IS THE SPIRIT CALLING YOU-US? THE CHURCH Embodying the churchs public, corporeal witness to Jesus pathos and parakaleo (e.g., teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, prayers, wonders and signs, sharing all things in common, selling possessions for the poor, adding new members Acts 2:42-47) GODS REIGN Midwifing (i.e., building up) the Spirits gifts through the personal character and public vocation of the members of your congregationas individuals and a corporate bodyso that they can be witnesses to Gods reign in the world wherever they find themselves.