L'Abri Fellowship - Southborough

Caring for Creation (IV): Does the Natural World Teach Theology?

 

Caring for Creation (IV): Does the Natural World Teach Theology?

given by Ben Keyes

November 15, 2019

Psalm 19 tells us that the heavens declare the glory of God. What is being declared about God as we look up at the stars? Does the rest of creation have anything in particular to declare? What is the relationship between God’s particular revelation in scripture and his revelation in the natural world, which is available to all? In this lecture we will contemplate the value of creation both in itself and in its ability to teach theology.

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.

 

Ecclesiastes and Something New Under The Sun - A Different Kind of Fear - Part 3 of 3

Ecclesiastes and Something New Under The Sun 

A Different Kind of Fear

Part 3 of 3

by Dave Friedrich

Theme Weekend: Nov. 2, 2019

What are we supposed to do with this strange and wonderful book? What kind of wisdom is this? And how are we to understand its place within the Bible and its fulfillment in Christ? These will be our guiding questions as we look at three major themes of Ecclesiastes: vapor, joy and a different kind of fear.

Theme Three: A Different Kind of Fear

For many, fear is an unpleasant and unwanted emotion that steals our joy and diminishes our lives. Ecclesiastes, and the Bible as a whole, call us to a different kind of fear, one that broadens our lives as we recognize the frightening difference between us and God: we are a vapor, but He is eternal. This is the fear of God, a God-ward orientation of holy awe that surprisingly gives us reason to hope, rejoice, and live our lives to the fullest.

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.

Ecclesiastes and Something New Under The Sun - A Table in the Mist - Part 2 of 3

Ecclesiastes and Something New Under The Sun 

A Table in the Mist

Part 2 of 3

by Dave Friedrich

Theme Weekend: Nov. 2, 2019

What are we supposed to do with this strange and wonderful book? What kind of wisdom is this? And how are we to understand its place within the Bible and its fulfillment in Christ? These will be our guiding questions as we look at three major themes of Ecclesiastes: vapor, joy and a different kind of fear.

Theme Two: Joy

The Assembler declares that everything is vapor, but he also sees “a table in the mist,” with food and drink and other good gifts from God that we are meant to enjoy. He says, in fact, there is nothing better than when God enables us to see and receive what is good. Is this true? And can we find this joy even in the mist of the wilderness?     

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.

Ecclesiastes and Something New Under The Sun - Everything is Vapor - Part 1 of 3

Ecclesiastes and Something New Under The Sun 

Everything is Vapor

Part 1 of 3

by Dave Friedrich

Theme Weekend: Nov. 1, 2019

What are we supposed to do with this strange and wonderful book? What kind of wisdom is this? And how are we to understand its place within the Bible and its fulfillment in Christ? These will be our guiding questions as we look at three major themes of Ecclesiastes: vapor, joy and a different kind of fear.

Theme One: Vapor

How would you describe that which is fleeting? What would you call grasping for what is beyond your grasp? How about “vapor” and “herding the wind”? That is how the Assembler, otherwise known as the Preacher or Teacher, describes everything human. He takes a hard look at life and concludes that it is all ephemeral, enigmatic, and frustrating. Is he a cynic? Or is he a realist telling us what it is like to live and work in the shadow of the fall? Could he even be one of the wise, telling us how to live in the wilderness, in exile, somewhere between the promise and the promised land?

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.

Navigating Restless Years: St. Augustine on How to Survive Young Adulthood

Navigating Restless Years: St. Augustine on How to Survive Young Adulthood

by Joshua Chestnut

Oct 2, 2019

Though he never had to deal with particular modern troubles like social media, student loans or internet porn, St. Augustine just like so many of us did have to navigate complicated relationships with parents, disappointment with religious community, haunting memories and seemingly unshakeable bad habits.  In this lecture we will look at how in his most well-known book the Confessions, Augustine opens up about all of this and more, offering help for those of us still navigating the “restless years” of becoming adults.    

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.

 

How Can We Grow the Right Desires – And Pass Them On to Others?

How can we grow the right desires – and pass them on to others?

by Dick Keyes

Oct 18, 2019

It seems that God does not only want us to know what is right and good, but to do it. But that is not all. Jesus wanted much more for us – that we hunger and thirst for what is right and good; that we love and desire it. We probably know something about learning ideas and behavior, but how do we learn the right desires and how can we teach them to others in a world which is skilled at shaping human desires for its own purposes?

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.

"Belonging to Every Riven Thing”: Reflecting on the Incarnation with the Help of Poets (II)

"Belonging to Every Riven Thing":  Reflecting on the Incarnation with the Help of Peots(II)

by Sarah Chestnut

Oct 11, 2019

An earlier version of this lecture was given in 2016.  Turning to three new poems, we will consider in a format more discussion than lecture what it means about God, and what it means for our humanity, that Jesus was fully divine and fully human.  For those who would like to read the poems in advance, see “Every Riven Thing” (Christian Wiman), “Descending Theology: Christ Human” (Mary Karr), and “Hill Country” (Tracy K. Smith). 

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.

 

Shouldn't The Christian Faith Be Easier? (Part II) Growing Biblical Grit

Shouldn't The Christian Faith Be Easier? (Part II) Growing Biblical Grit

by Ben Keyes

Oct 4, 2019

Are we really prepared in the affluent west for what the bible has to say about the hardships of the Christian life? We are part of an entitled culture that believes success should come easily. For many, ease is a determiner of what is worth pursuing in life. This lecture will engage with the work of secular positive psychologist Angela Duckworth. What does Duckworth’s understanding of ‘grit’ have to do with biblical perseverance and long-suffering?

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.

Shouldn't The Christian Faith Be Easier? (Part I)

Shouldn’t the Christian Faith be Easier? (Part I)

by Ben Keyes

this was given June 14, 2019

Have you ever felt that if Christianity were really true, it would be easier to live out? This is a very common contemporary sentiment, but what does it presuppose? What are our expectations of the Christian life and how are they influenced by the modern belief that ‘ease determines right.’ What does the bible encourage us to expect of life following Christ?

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.

Making Sense of Anger

Making Sense of Anger

by Joshua Chestnut

September 27, 2019

Whether we simmer in silence and suppression or explode in rage and violence, anger is a part of all of our lives. In this lecture we will look at the nature of anger, what it is telling us, and what we can do with 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.