How to Read the Bible - Table Talk: PLTS Week Two

The livestream for this Table Talk can be found at the following link and will begin at 9:15am PST.

https://portal.stretchinternet.com/cluadmin/

November 30                        How to Read the Bible                  (Stjerna) 9:30-11:00am

What to Look for in the Gospels*  

                                    Preface to the New Testament

                                    How Christians should regard Moses

Lectures on Genesis, Luther’s Works vol. 8 pp. 1-12, 327-333    

The Task of Theology - Archived Table Talk: PLTS - Week One

Our First “Table Talk” was from 9:30am-11:00am PST in Giesy 1 at PLTS.  We are discussing Luther’s 95 Theses.  In case you don’t have a copy, you can read them at this website:

http://www.luther.de/en/95thesen.html

As a secondary text, I am suggesting the Heidelberg Disputation: http://bookofconcord.org/heidelberg.php.  This is the classic exposition of Luther’s theology of the cross.  However, our primary focus will be on the 95 Theses.

You can join live, on live stream or in the archives at the next Table Talk on

November 30                        How to Read the Bible                  (Stjerna) 9:30-11:00am

What to Look for in the Gospels*  

                                    Preface to the New Testament

                                    How Christians should regard Moses

Lectures on Genesis, Luther’s Works vol. 8 pp. 1-12, 327-333            


This livestream was made possible by a generous grant by the ELCA.                   

Opportunity to Travel to Germany to Celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation

Opportunity to Travel to Germany to Celebrate the 500^th Anniversary of the Reformation – August 30-September 6, 2017

Join Pastor Dan Smith and members and friends of the Lutheran Church of the Incarnation in Davis, California, for an important celebration of the 500^th Anniversary of the Reformation.  We will visit sites associated with the life, times and events of Martin Luther to explore the visionary call for reform he made in the 16^th century.  We will be joining people from around the world marking this important event. Our program is being offered as a land-only program (you will make your own flight arrangements to and from Germany) which allows you to go early, stay longer, and shop for special airfares.  We have created a program that includes several nights in the beautiful medieval town of Erfurt and several in Wittenberg – Luther’s town.  We conclude our visit with an overnight in the exciting cosmopolitan city of Berlin.  Join us to learn more about this visionary man and explore the people, places, and events of the 16^th century.  Space is limited and registrations are being accepted this summer.  For program information and registration visit:  www.travelillume.com/trc/vks   or call:  800-368-6757 ex 128 at the Illume organization in Boston.

Reformation Cartoons

Enjoy these cartoons about the history of the Reformation, by Pastor Megan Rohrer and the fine folk at Just Lutheran.  You can click on any of the images below to make them bigger and there are full sheets about each person at the end of the page.

 

Problematic Ideas of Reformation Thinkers:

Click the image below to get a printable version to share.

The 500 year anniversary of the Reformation is approaching. Germany is gearing up to commemorate this event with numerous cultural and spiritual events. The Luther sites in Germany, especially Wittenberg, are expected to be swarming with people in 2017.

There is the danger of seeing the anniversary as a celebration of the past, as a historic spectacle. There is the danger of idolizing Martin Luther, the blunt reformer of the church. But there is also a great chance to look at our heritage as Lutherans, and use insights from the past to shape the present and future.

In the end, it's all about identity: who are we? Who are we as 'living' Lutherans in this day and age, and in our neck of the woods (which happens to be the San Francisco Bay Area, with all its craziness and diversity and beauty and ugliness)?

Some may want to shed their heritage, because it seems a burden rather than a gift. Lutheranism in this country is too white, too straight, too European, too stiff. And there's something to that. But how can we find our way if we don't know where we are coming from? We need to find a way to embrace our heritage (especially in a spiritual and theological sense), and at the same time remain open for possibilities God presents to us - and God's fresh breath of air, the Spirit, who blows us in often unfamiliar territory and reminds us that, to paraphrase Luther's words, the church always needs to be reformed.

What a great tradition - a tradition that encourages us to change!

So my hope is that 'we', as people of God, as congregations, as task forces and organizations, can see the Reformation anniversary as a special gift - a chance to celebrate, commune, communicate, and challenge. A chance to be reminded where we are coming from - and where God might be calling us in the here and now.