Faith
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Thinking the Faith, Praying the Faith, Living the Faith is written by the PC(USA) Office of Theology and Worship.
Thinking, praying, and living the faith is at the core of ministry in the Office of Theology and Worship. In the following videos, learn more about what thinking, praying, and living the faith means to the leadership of the Office of Theology and Worship. Discover why it matters and what difference it makes in our lives, work, and worship.
Charles Wiley
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Point with the Baptist
On Thursday, December 16 there was a worship service at the Presbyterian Center upon the occasion of the retirement of Joseph D. Small. The Daily Lectionary Gospel reading for the day was Matthew 3:1-12. The sermon focuses on the mission of John the Baptist particularly as understood in the theology of Karl Barth and his reflections on Matthias Grünewald’s Isenheim Altarpiece.
Here is a quotation from Barth that appears near the end of the sermon:
Barth writes, “John the Baptist too, in Grünewald’s Crucifixion, can only point—and here everything is bolder and more abrupt, because here all indication of the revelation of the Godhead is lacking—point to a wretched, crucified, dead man. This is the place of Christology. It faces the mystery. It does not stand within the mystery. It can and must adore with Mary and point with the Baptist. It cannot and must not do more than this. But it can and must do this.” [CD, I.2, p.125]
Download the entire sermon on PDF
- Posted at 9:27 p.m.
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