Do You Cultivate The Fruits of the Spirit?

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Do You Cultivate The Fruits of the Spirit?

Colossians 1:1-14

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

2 To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

3 In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. 7 This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit.9 For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
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This letter, which claims Paul as an author, is written to the church in Colossae. We hear in this introduction that Paul and Timothy heard that the church here has become a faithful and love-filled community of believers, thanks to the work of Epaphras. Colossae was a haven for mystery cults at the time this letter was written, and the intent of the author is to stave off any wrong ideas about who Jesus was, is, and will be.The introduction of this letter focuses on three things: thankfulness, the importance of unceasing prayer, and the efficacy of the wisdom and strength of God in enabling believers to do good works and live worthy lives. It contains a beautiful prayer for the community at Colossae (vv 9 – 14) containing these themes. In this letter, prayer becomes a connection between the authors, the recipients, and the church as a whole, through God and the saints. It encourages gratitude as the posture of the Christian and reminds the readers of Jesus’ work of rescue and liberation for each of them.

  • Concern about how communities of Christians understand Jesus comes up repeatedly in the New Testament writings. Who is Jesus to you?
  • This passage links prayer, thankfulness, and good works. What do you see as the relationship between these things, in this reading and in your own life?
This Bible study, written by Kirstin Swanson

Bishops call for end to Ukraine conflict, approve racial equity resolutions

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Bishops call for end to Ukraine conflict, approve racial equity resolutions
                             JHT_HofB_070922_md_byPatM image

The House of Bishops, moving rapidly through their June 9 legislative calendar, called for an end to the conflict in Ukraine and concurred with deputies to approve racial equity resolutions, marking a new chapter for The Episcopal Church.

On the 80th General Convention’s second legislative day, bishops approved Resolution A129 which directs presiding officers and the Church Pension Fund to conduct historical research on the ways in which financial and other assets of The Episcopal Church are directly tied to the enslavement of humans, the slave trade, and historical and current racial injustices, allocating $150,000 for the work.

An amended Resolution B008, “A Call for Cessation of Conflict in Ukraine,” offered by the Committee on Social Justice and International Policy, elicited lively debate.

The Rt. Rev. Mark D. W. Eddington, bishop of the Convocation of Churches in Europe, said he supported the amendment but cautioned: “We will all agree that Russia is uniquely responsible for a war of aggression in Ukraine. However, atrocities in war have a funny habit of being equal opportunity employers.

“I’m concerned that as a church our role ought to be to call on all sides in this conflict to cease war immediately. That’s the call of the Gospel and, while I support this resolution as amended, I want to offer caution that, after this is over, we will have to continue to work with churches in Russia and Ukraine and this makes it a little more difficult for us to be an even-handed broker.”

Another amendment, to remove a paragraph calling upon “the leaders of the Russian Federation and its supporters” to cease aggression and to begin negotiations, was challenged by Los Angeles Bishop John Harvey Taylor and ultimately defeated. Taylor said: “I find it difficult to imagine we can’t find a way both to identify the cause of initial aggression as well as to call upon both sides to behave humanely.”

Read more here.

Diocesan Commission To Host Mental Health Justice Town Hall, July 19th via Zoom

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Diocesan Commission To Host Mental Health Justice Town Hall
Tuesday, July 19th via Zoom; All Welcome To Attend

A Mental Health Justice Town Hall – set to underscore professional best practices for dealing with mental health crises often referred to local police – will be hosted via Zoom at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 19, by the Bishop’s Commission on Gospel Justice and Community Care of the Diocese of Los Angeles. All are invited to attend; registration links will be published on the diocesan website.

The town hall will be opened by Bishop John Harvey Taylor, who will introduce a pre-recorded video presentation by U.S. Congresswoman Katie Porter, who represents the 45th congressional district in Orange County. An Episcopalian, Porter has long advocated for deploying mental health professionals to respond when people living with psychological issues need assistance or restraint.

Porter’s remarks will be followed by a live discussion with panelists Taun Hill, founder of the Miles Hall Foundation in memory of her late son who during a mental health crisis was fatally shot by police; Gigi Crowder, executive director of the National Alliance of Mental Illness, (NAMI), Contra Costa County; and Pete Cohen, retired sergeant, San Diego Police Department.

Read more here.

Do You Cultivate The Fruits of the Spirit?

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Do You Cultivate The Fruits of the Spirit?

Galatians 6:(1-6), 7-16

1 My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. 4 All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor’s work, will become a cause for pride. 5 For all must carry their own loads.

6 Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher.

7 Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. 8 If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. 9 So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. 10 So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.

11 See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand! 12 It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that try to compel you to be circumcised—only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 Even the circumcised do not themselves obey the law, but they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast about your flesh. 14 May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything! 16 As for those who will follow this rule—peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

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Like many people who grew up in the church in America, I grew up in an environment that imposes our socio-political context on the Scriptures. Paul’s letter to the Galatians was not immune from being funneled through a myopic, individualist lens. The first half was misinterpreted to mean that each person should “do their own work” or “pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” However, Paul’s intentions were quite the opposite. Paul is motivated by the desire to see communal unity. At the beginning of the letter, we remember that Paul is writing to people struggling to accept non-circumcised Jews as faithful followers of “The Way.” This is where the Galatians are reminded that the law is a trusted way to encourage and correct, but the law neither negates nor supersedes the movement of the Spirit.

Furthermore, the law is not an end in itself. The law, coupled with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, is a means to bear the fruits of the Spirit, which Paul outlines in the previous chapter. Therefore, the work that Paul is referring to is those transformational practices that allow the community to be bound together in unity – to be the hands and feet of Christ. Some may do this by following the law, and some may not, but their “work” should produce a cruciform life of self-giving love for one another, their community, and the world.

  • How do you cultivate love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control?
  • Can you recall a time when you were corrected with gentleness? How did you work through that correction?
This Bible study, written by Brittany Sparrow Savage

All Saints, Pasadena, Hosts Vigil Protesting Supreme Court ‘Roe vs. Wade’ Decision

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All Saints, Pasadena, Hosts Vigil Protesting Supreme Court ‘Roe vs. Wade’ Decision
All Saints Church, Pasadena, hosted a June 24 community protest against the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe vs. Wade. The decision will allow states to decide whether or not to allow abortions, or to restrict access to the procedure.

The rally drew hundreds of people of all ages, many carrying signs protesting the court’s decision.

California law permits abortions up to the point of viability (about the 24th week); terminating a pregnancy after that point requires certification from two doctors. Abortions are legal in California at any time in cases of rape or incest, or if the pregnant person’s life is threatened.

Since 1967, The Episcopal Church has maintained its “unequivocal opposition to any legislation on the part of the national or state governments which would abridge or deny the right of individuals to reach informed decisions [about the termination of pregnancy] and to act upon them.”

The Rev. Canon Susan Russell of All Saints (pictured below left) was among those who spoke at the rally. “Today, we catch our breath, because we’ve been gutpunched,” she said. “We grieve because we’ve been wounded. We lament because we can. And we vent and we rage, and, yeah, we say, ‘I told you so.’ We grieve, and then we fight.”

Photos by Luwin Kwan.

Secular press coverage of the rally:

Hundreds Rail Against Supreme Court Abortion Decision at Pasadena Protest (Pasadena Now – June 25, 2022)

Joy, fear, anger at Sunday church services shows widening divide over abortion (Los Angeles Times – June 26, 2022)

Do You Speak With Righteous Indignation For A Greater Good?

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Do You Speak With Righteous Indignation For A Greater Good?

Galatians 1:1-12

1 Paul an apostle—sent neither by human commission nor from human authorities, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2 and all the members of God’s family who are with me,

To the churches of Galatia:

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed! 9As we have said before, so now I repeat, if anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that one be accursed!

10 Am I now seeking human approval, or God’s approval? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Paul’s Vindication of His Apostleship11 For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin; 12 for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

13 You have heard, no doubt, of my earlier life in Judaism. I was violently persecuting the church of God and was trying to destroy it. 14 I advanced in Judaism beyond many among my people of the same age, for I was far more zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. 15 But when God, who had set me apart before I was born and called me through his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with any human being, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were already apostles before me, but I went away at once into Arabia, and afterwards I returned to Damascus.

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Some letters attributed to Paul are contested, but the letter to Galatians is undisputedly written by the real Paul. In the opening of this letter, he is angry that others have come to this community and told them that Christians must still follow the Mosaic laws, calling anyone who perverts the gospel of Christ accursed (or anathema). Paul is ultimately concerned with spreading the Gospel of our “Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age.” The revelation that Paul received and his beautiful and brilliant letter to the Galatians proclaim a radical vision of Christian freedom and a Gospel of grace and peace for all people.

  • Is there a time you have spoken out with righteous indignation for a greater good?
  • Paul the apostle received the Gospel through a revelation of Jesus Christ and we in turn have received it from him. How do you understand the Bible, written by human authors, as the inspired Word of God that still speaks to us today?
This Bible study, written by Christopher Sikkema