A Message from Bob Henderson                        Friday, January 20, 2017
 
Dear friends,
 
This week, we'll start a five-week sermon series entitled "Partial Truths: Faith Beyond Clich�," looking at thought systems by which we order our lives and what our faith might say about them. We'll examine the assumptions - both positive and negative - on which we ground our beliefs and see if substantive Christian thinking can refine our mindset. In other words, the next five weeks bend five degrees more than usual toward the theological.
 
In preparation, I was reminded of an exchange in my college physiology and fitness class. The professor was up front, lecturing on the benefits of exercise. A freshman boy in the back row raised his hand. "The way I see it," he said, "My heart has only so many beats, and I don't want to waste them on exercise. So, I'm just going to conserve them and live until I'm 100 years old." 

The professor didn't dignify the comment with a response. Obviously, not all assumptions are equally informed, maybe especially when it comes to matters of faith.
 
We'll examine the assumptions underneath the clich� "Everything Happens for a Reason," which is really a dubious statement about the nature of God's providence. Then, we'll dive into some good biblical/theological exploration about how faith suggests the world actually works. You can prepare by reading this passage and by reading twice this excerpt from Paul Tillich, one of the 20th century's greatest theologians:
 
Providence is the faith that nothing can prevent us from fulfilling the ultimate meaning of our existence. Providence does not mean a divine planning by which everything is predetermined, as is an efficient machine. Rather Providence means that there is a creative and saving possibility implied in every situation, which cannot be destroyed by any event. 

Providence means that the demonic and destructive forces within ourselves and our world can never have an unbreakable grasp upon us, and that the bond which connects us with the fulfilling love can never be disrupted." - Paul Tillich, The Shaking of the Foundations.
 
I hope to see you this weekend. Come, and bring a friend.

 
 
 
 

 
Bob Henderson, senior minister 

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Bob Henderson preaching
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