Every Sunday morning, 9:10-10 am, people gather in Founders Hall to learn and grow together, to deepen their faith while asking good questions.
August 25: Sabbath
Rabbi Abraham Heschel once wrote: “The Sabbath is the presence of God in the world, open to the soul of humanity.” We’ll explore Sabbath practice as a way of entering into the peace of God which surpasses understanding, which is open to us even in the now time. This equips and inspires us to become instruments of God’s peace in the world. As Heschel writes, “The work on the weekdays and the rest on the seventh day are correlated. The Sabbath is the inspirer, the other days, the inspired.”
September 1 – September 22: Bible Stories You Thought You Knew This mini-series, taught by The Rev. Robby Vickery and The Rev. Eileen O’Brien, is designed to take those well-loved Bible stories you heard in Vacation Bible School as a kid and guide you into the “adult version”. This class is open to everybody, but it may be especially helpful for parents, grandparents, and godparents seeking to grow in their understanding of scripture while introducing the children in their lives to the Bible.
September 29 – October 13: Discovering God’s Economy
Our word “economy” comes from the Greek word for “household.” While we might think of an economy as a big system of banks and corporations and jobs and trade, in the original sense of the word, it referred to the way we care for each other in community. When Jesus talks about the Kingdom of Heaven, he’s often talking about an alternative economy, one grounded in God’s love. In God’s economy, we enjoy rich fellowship at the same time as we provide for one another’s needs. In this upcoming adult education series, Steven Tomlinson will be leading a tour of what the New Testament teaches us about God’s economy and how we can start practicing it here and now.
October 20 – November 3: What Language Shall I Borrow? Liturgy, Language, Culture
One of the verses of that classic hymn, O Sacred Head, Sore Wounded, poignantly asks, “What language shall I borrow to thank thee dearest friend?” It is difficult to wrap language around the mystery of God’s giving of God’s self for us. No words are sufficient, and yet the Spirit calls forth our voices. How does our liturgy (the words we use to speak to and of God) speak to people from different cultures, different backgrounds, different paths? The Rev. Eileen O’Brien will facilitate this conversation with some special guests who are taking on this question from different vantage points. This is a critical conversation for the St. James’ community as we explore what it means to be multicultural and inclusive.
November 10: Jazz at St. James’ – No Sunday School!
November 17 – December 15: An Introduction to the Gospel According to Matthew As we launch into a year of hearing from Matthew’s gospel, The Rev. Robby Vickery will invite you to enter the narrative world and historical context of Matthew’s proclamation to encounter Jesus Christ in his mighty works and words. John Yieh’s book, Conversations with Scripture: The Gospel of Matthew, will be our reading companion for the journey. Get to know Matthew, the scribe of the kingdom of heaven, “who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”
December 22: Christmas Pageant Theology The Christmas pageant is a fascinating mishmash of the gospel stories and costumed children with varying degrees of knowledge of what they are participating in. Join The Rev. Eileen O’Brien for some story-telling time and some theological reflection on the good news of the Christmas pageant.
December 29: Christmas Carols and Theology
Join The Rev. Eileen O’Brien for some singing and story-telling as we explore the stories and theology behind your favorite Christmas carols.
