Saturday, February 13, 2016

The Heart of Christianity Sunday School Lessons with Notes for Sunday, 14 February 2016 at First United Methodist Church of San Diego, California, United States for Saturday, 13 February 2016

The Heart of Christianity Sunday School Lessons with Notes for Sunday, 14 February 2016 at First United Methodist Church of San Diego, California, United States for Saturday, 13 February 2016
Hi,Here are some thoughts for tomorrow.
Borg Ch 11  - What does it mean to love God?
What we were taught:
1.      Fear of the lord – should be translated as awe, wonder, amazement
2.      God’s love and grace are conditional
Believing in God and loving God are not the same thing
Metaphors for God’s love
1.      Parent
2.      Friendship
a.      1 and 2 have problems
3.      Lovers – we are to love God the beloved  see pg. 216
4.      Lover relationship
a.      Involves longing
b.      Requires paying attention – being present
c.      Spiritual practices, like prayer, worship, devotional reading help us to be present
Loving God is not exclusionary
1.      For God so loved the WORLD
2.      If we love god we need to love what God loves
3.      Need to take part in god’s passion for a different kind of world
Centering in God
1.      Tillich – 3 kinds of centering
a.      Autonomy – centering on self
b.      Heteronomy – centering on others
                                        i.     These are both idolatry because the focus on the finite
c.      Theonomy – centering on God
2.      Fruits of centering on God
a.      Compassion – not just a feeling, but action also  pg. 225
                                              i.     Includes social and political
b.      Freedom and courage – liberates us from fear
                                              i.     Allows us to live with confidence
c.      Gratitude – opposite of feeling entitled
                                              i.     Both a feeling and an awareness
                                              ii.     None of us is self- made
                                              iii.     Gratitude evokes compassion and wanting to help others
P 231 – last paragraph sums it all up!
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Lembi
Lembi Saarmann, RN, EdD
Professor Emerita
School of Nursing
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, California 92182-4158, United States
Cell:  619-987-1604
Email:  Lsaarman@mail.sdsu.edu
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