Tell it Slant: Parables in Luke’s Gospel 2/6

Too weak to dig, too proud to beg. Once again, Jesus tells this story like the manager’s response is rational. Is it? What about that line in v. 8, “the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.” What does that mean? Is that true today, for this generation? And then the turn in vv. 10-11. “Whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.” And so, it follows that we should be faithful with dishonest wealth? Not that we should be faithful and honest? Huh?

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76140.

Tell it Slant: Parables in Luke’s Gospel 1/6

Finding shit you had lost. Jesus tells these stories like they make perfect sense. “Which one of you…does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness?” But is that really the obvious thing to do? What would you do, if you were a shepherd? Or a teacher, maybe, with 99 (or let’s say 19) kids? Leave them in the wilderness? What about the other stories, do the responses of the characters make sense to you? Is that what you would do? Does it seem like the obvious course of action, or is it surprising? The RCL separates the Prodigal Son story from the sheep and coins parables. Why do you think Luke puts them together? Are they related? How?

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76140.

Epaphras. Onesimus. Nympha. Paul. 8/8

A collection of co-conspirators, a cloud of witnesses, the great congregation. How many workers, how many witnesses, how many helpers, how many heads-of-household does it take to make a church? Lots. How much can we learn from these names about the way the early church functioned, and the way ours could, too? Lots.

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76140.

Epaphras. Onesimus. Nympha. Paul. 7/8

The household code. This is the kind of stuff that makes people say, “I hate Paul.” Is it redeemable? Does it matter? Can we find there the evidence of a trajectory toward liberation, equality, justice? Does it matter?

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76140.

Epaphras. Onesimus. Nympha. Paul. 6/8

Bottle episode: Philemon, Onesimus, Paul. Two names appear in the epistles of both Colossians and Philemon: Epaphras and Onesimus. They are the carriers of both correspondences on the author’s behalf. What do we learn from Philemon about the trajectory of biblical theology concerning the rigorous hierarchy of enslavement?

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76140.

Epaphras. Onesimus. Nympha. Paul. 5/8

Comportment for Community. In the typical movement for epistles, the author moves from theological explication to ethical exhortation by means of a single “therefore” (v. 1). What does the Christ-subsumed life look like on the ground? Egalitarian…mutual…forgiving…in the name of love, practiced in worship…

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76140.

Epaphras. Onesimus. Nympha. Paul. 4/8

This is you. Our author may not have met the Colossian Christians, but the only identity he’s interested in is their baptized identity. This is in contrast to troublemakers who want to assess additional requirements for the super-religious; there is no “leveling up” from a simple, wholehearted commitment to “walk in Jesus” (v. 6).

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76140.

Epaphras. Onesimus. Nympha. Paul. 3/8

This is me. Our author has not met the church to which he writes, so he introduces himself. He is primarily a servant (slave) of God, and a steward of the divine mystery of God’s inclusion of the Gentiles, making the gospel universal (for “every human being”, v. 28) rather than a localized expression of Judaism.

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76140.

Epaphras. Onesimus. Nympha. Paul. 2/8

In whom all the Fullness was pleased to dwell. Riffing on an ancient Christological hymn, humble Jesus of Nazareth is acclaimed as the cosmic Reconciler/Peacemaker, and his ignominious death converts to a glorious reversal of the world’s deep brokenness.

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76140.

Epaphras. Onesimus. Nympha. Paul. 1/8

Thanks be to God for you! Selections from Colossians come up in the RCL for this season. Why not double-dog dare ourselves to read every word of this (perhaps) Pauline epistle? The letter begins by placing all of us in the context of God, the Source of all knowledge and wisdom – everything we need to know for the saintly life we’re called to live. “This is Who God is.”

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76140.

The Shape of Shalom: Pulling God’s Future into the Now 6/6

Chronic anxiety vs. an economy of abundance. Capitalism depends on our anxiety. Our fear of not having enough is fuel for Pharaoh’s economy. The narratives we ingest reinforce our perceived deprivation. How can we replace the story of “if I only had a little bit more…” with a trustworthy story of God’s sufficient gifts?

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76140.

The Shape of Shalom: Pulling God’s Future into the Now 5/6

Violence reinforcing exceptionalism vs. the normalization of equity. Violence (whether militaristic, personal, relational, economic, verbal, etc.) is the tool that equips our impulse to take what we want at the expense of others. God’s dream is the cessation of violence – “no one shall make them afraid” – because everyone has what they need, no more, no less.

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76140.

The Shape of Shalom: Pulling God’s Future into the Now 4/6

Exploitation/extraction vs. earth care. The good creation is responsive not only to God’s ideals, conforming to God’s vision for the cosmos and humanity that inhabits it) but also to humanity’s less-than-good treatment of the creation. How does it change our ethics to count God’s good earth as one of the “beings” in our consideration of what’s just and merciful?

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76140.

The Shape of Shalom: Pulling God’s Future into the Now 3/6

Power that fragments, exploits, excludes vs. power for the sake of community. God is the Original Seeker of spiritual refugees – going out to find those who have been scattered, ravaged and butted by other sheep. So the church empowered by God’s missional priorities becomes the “rich pasture” and “good grazing” for found sheep. How does that become true in our life together?

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76140.

The Shape of Shalom: Pulling God’s Future into the Now 2/6

Many places at once. Erma Sinclair examines what she calls God’s Divine Multiplicity—God’s ability to occupy more than one space at the same time—by looking to the Hebrew prophets and finding where God is both someone who wants to be worshipped and a God that is committed to walking with God’s people. What questions arise when we place this in the context of Juneteenth and America’s ongoing legacy of enslavement and white supremacist colonialism? And where do we see God walking with God’s people in our country’s past and present?

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76140.

The Shape of Shalom: Pulling God’s Future into the Now 1/6

False peace vs. true shalom: an introduction. The dominant narrative denies real suffering, whistling in the dark (“Peace, peace!” where there is no peace). The counter-narrative imagines peace that follows justice and righteousness, resulting in “quietness and trust forever,” “abiding,” “security,” “resting”… We are here relieved of the pressure of “What should we do?” and invited to divert our imaginations toward “What could the world be like?” (David Byrne, “Heaven is a place where nothing ever happens…”)

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76140.

Breathing Together: the Co-Conspiracy 7/7

Happy birthday, church!  Pentecost is a movable feast, and so is Galileo Church’s birthday. This year we’re 9 years old, and thinking about what we’ve accomplished with God’s help, and what comes next with God’s help.

Longtime Co-Conspirator and MLT member Missy Holtman is moving away from Fort Worth, and she shared some thoughts during communion on how she came to Galileo and what Galileo means to her.

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76140.

Breathing Together: the Co-Conspiracy 6/7

Presence, the best you can, at gatherings of the church. Martha of Bethany wants what a lot of us want: to be useful, busy, appreciated. But Jesus favors, at least in this instance, Mary’s quiet presence. It’s a difficult shift for many in our church, who are used to church making people busier – and it’s hard, too, because we are a DIY church with lots of needs for people’s time and energy. How do we curate gatherings where more people can simply be?

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76140.

Breathing Together: the Co-Conspiracy 5/7

Gracious receipt of care from the church family. The lawyer who asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” wanted to imagine himself in the care-giving role. But when Jesus casts his play, the VRP’s character is unconscious and bleeding by the side of the road. What would such a reversal require of us – seeing ourselves as (sometimes) care receivers, rather than (always) caregivers?

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76140.

Breathing Together: the Co-Conspiracy 4/7

Extension of the church’s welcome to friends, neighbors, strangers, and enemies. The way Jesus tells it, this reign-of-God enterprise has always been invitational. You don’t stay in one place and hope that people find you; you go where the people are, and see what happens. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t – but when you’ve got news this good, you can’t keep it inside. With communion thoughts from Dr. Lance Pape.

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76140.