L'Abri Fellowship - Southborough

The Apostle Paul, A Friend To The Enslaved?

The Apostle Paul, A Friend To The Enslaved?

by Joshua Chestnut

March 12, 2021

This lecture will be a consideration of some of the Apostle Paul’s seemingly problematic passages around slavery, focusing in particular on 1 Corinthians 7 and his letter to Philemon (give ‘em a read before tuning in!). While it is understandably disappointing for many modern readers of Paul that he does not directly condemn the institution of slavery, yet before dismissing the Apostle for what he doesn’t do, it is worthwhile to considering again what it is he does do.

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. ©Southborough L'Abri 2019.

She Has Done A Beautiful Thing: The Annointing of Christ in All Four Gospels

She Has Done A Beautiful Thing: The Anointing of Christ in All Four Gospels

by Anna Friedrich

March 5, 2021

 

When God calls something beautiful that seems worthy of our attention! All four gospel writers include a mysterious story of a woman approaching Jesus at a dinner and pouring oil or perfume on him. What is this about? Why does he call it beautiful? And how might this story help us understand beauty today?

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. ©Southborough L'Abri 2019.

When Strangers Become Guests and Guests Become Friends

When Strangers Become Guests and Guests Become Friends

 

by Dave Friedrich

 

Feb 26, 2021

 

This lecture addresses two interrelated christian practices, hospitality and friendship. It takes note of how these have brought profound healing to societal divisions in the past, and makes a case for why we would want to recover them in the present. 

 

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. ©Southborough L'Abri 2019.

Taking Yourself Less Seriously

Taking Yourself Less Seriously

by Ben Keyes

given Feb 19, 2021

The ability to laugh at yourself can be a disarming gift in the midst of difficult conversations and tense relationships, but is laughing at yourself anything more than a communication technique? Is there something fundamentally ridiculous about each of us to which laughter is an appropriate response? What does the Bible teach us about the incongruities of being fallen and limited humans, and why do we experience some of these incongruities as funny? This lecture will examine the potentially redemptive nature of self-directed humor.

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. ©Southborough L'Abri 2019.

The Apostle Paul, Our Mother in Christ: Metaphors, Ministry and Masculinity

The Apostle Paul, Our Mother in Christ: Metaphors, Ministry and Masculinity

by Joshua Chestnut

Feb 12, 2021

This lecture is the second in a series on the Apostle Paul and women. It will be a consideration of the nature of metaphor, Paul’s striking but often overlooked use of maternal metaphors to make sense of his own ministry as well as a consideration of what this might mean for the fraught topic of gender ‘roles’ today.

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. ©Southborough L'Abri 2019.

The Importance of Paradox: Poetry, Prayer, & the Life of Simon Peter

The Importance of Paradox: Poetry, Prayer, & the Life of Simon Peter

by Sarah Chestnut

Feb 5, 2021

Paradox is central to Christian theology and experience.  Francis Schaeffer, employing a paradox, described humans as glorious ruins.  We will look to poetry to tutor us in the nature and gifts of paradox, reflect on what are often paradoxical experiences of praying, and with the help of poems, imaginatively enter gospel passages involving Simon Peter ("Rock" and "stumbling stone"!) to better equip us to navigate our complex world.

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. ©Southborough L'Abri 2019.

 

Curiosity: A Diverse and Fruitful Christian Virtue

Curiosity: A Diverse and Fruitful Christian Virtue

by Ben Keyes

Jan 29, 2021

Curiosity is a quality that is not often counted among the Christian virtues. And yet to be curious can be a wonderful asset to people- a source of learning and joy. In this lecture we will explore different categories of human curiosity and examine some cultural attitudes towards being curious. We will then reflect on some of the ways in which curiosity equips us to better serve God by functioning as a springboard for other virtues. 

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. ©Southborough L'Abri 2019.

Becoming Friends with Time

Becoming Friends with Time

by Joshua Chestnut

January 22, 2021

While time is a tricky matter to fully wrap our heads around, its elusiveness doesn’t keep us from having a complicated relationship with it.  Whether we have too much time on our hands or not enough, for those of us living in “clock time” we often find ourselves having an adversarial relationship with time.  This has been true for so many of us during this year of pandemic.  This lecture will give a history of “clock time” and then consider how we might engage with the time that has been given to us and what it might mean to become a friend of time.

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. ©Southborough L'Abri 2019.

The Rise of Outrage

The Rise of Outrage

October 30, 2020

Dick Keyes

In a world where the dominant source of moral authority for the individual is increasingly one’s own emotions, outrage has become the quickest path to moral conviction and to political influence. How should we understand this and respond to it?

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. ©Southborough L'Abri 2019.

 

There Aren’t Enough Days in the Weekend: Finding Sabbath Rest in the Lord of the Sabbath

There Just Aren’t Enough Days in the Weekend:

Finding Sabbath Rest in the Lord of the Sabbath

 

by Dave Friedrich

 

October 23, 2020

 

What was Sabbath rest about in the Old Testament? How did Jesus “fulfill” it in the New Testament? And how do we find it in our day? These will be the guiding questions of this lecture. 

 

The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. ©Southborough L'Abri 2019.