The (Lieben)GOOD LIFE

  Fourth Sunday after Epiphany: Freedom is for love (not rights).                  Psalm 111 Deuteronomy 18.15-20 1 Corinthians 8.1-13 Mark 1.21-28   Prayer of Invocation   Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things both in heaven and on earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of your people, and in our time grant us your peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.   Prayer of Illumination   Father, without you what are we to ourselves but guides to our own self-destruction? We give you thanks for sending a prophet, the Lord Jesus, to deliver us from ourselves. Empower us to hear his words, Spirit, that we may pattern our lives after His life of love. In Jesus’ name.    Proclamation   When we gather for worship each Sunday, one of the things that we ...

People my age, especially educators, who engage with 18-22 year-olds regularly complain that this generation lacks passion and drive: in short, we think they care about nothing. Recently, I got a window into the heart of this generation, and it renewed in me a desire to invest in their lives. This summer I have been teaching an intensive course on the Book of Revelation. In one of my first lectures I highlighted one of Augustine's key insights: the problem of humanity is not that we lack the right information (education) or the right technology; rather the essential problem with humankind is that we do not love the right things. In my lecture I stressed that, in my view,  the Book of Revelation is ultimately about teaching us to love and align ourselves with the right things. In the course of trying to demonstrate this, I showed the class a video clip from a documentary called the Persuaders , a PBS Frontline look into the advertising industry. I was deeply moved by the conve...