This is Us: Covenant (Theological Anthropology in Genesis, 4/6)

RevKatie was out teaching at General Assembly this week, so Christian Briones (G-friend, Brite student, Walker Scholar Preacher Award winner) brought us a good word about that flood and that ark and that Noah guy. It starts with an "aquacalypse" (get it? Aqua-apocalypse? Yeah, it took us a minute too), and ends with a Rainbow promise from God to Noah, and to all of us. Thanks be to God.

You can find more from Christian at https://christianbriones.wordpress.com/

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76410.

This Is Us: Remnant (Theological Anthropology in Genesis, 3/6)

We floated prayers of hope in the baptistery-trough -- for our own selves, drowning in bad news; and for actual refugees on the sea.

The Noah saga is l-o-o-o-ng, making us think that its conclusion is probably super-important. Wherein God decides that steadfast love is really more God's speed than slash-n-burn, and we decide that stubborn hope is a rational response.

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76410.

This Is Us: Choosing (Theological Anthropology in Genesis, 2/6)

This book has been super-helpful for figuring out that snake.

It starts with a talking snake, and an apple, and before you can blink there’s been a murder and the ground is weeping as it soaks up Abel’s blood. But this is the system God made -- the capacity of the humans to choose other than God is built in. “Sin is crouching at your door,” God says, “...but you can master it.” 

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76410.

This Is Us: Good (Theological Anthropology in Genesis, 1/6)

This series is heavily indebted to this magnificent book.

The central claim of Genesis 1 and 2 -- that Creator creates creation, and that creation is “good” because the Creator voices its goodness, is one of the hardest things to believe. But there it is. 

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76410.

Missional Priorities

We remembered our missional priorities with varied voices saying what they mean: 

1. We do justice for LGBTQ+ people.

2. We do kindness for people with mental illness or in emotional distress, and we celebrate neurodiversity.

3. We do beauty for our God-Who-Is-Beautiful.

4. We do real relationship, no bullshit, ever.

Our usual preacher wasn’t sure they would let her back in the pulpit after hearing from these rock stars.

Ryan, Julian, Eleanor, Nathan, Astreia = rock stars!

Seven Ways to Say Yes, 7/7

The seventh habit of life that our co-conspirators cultivate is “discernment for the church's next steps.” We never assume that we're done figuring out what God wants, and that requires ongoing brain-work and spirit-work from us. On this day, we celebrated the birthday of the whole church at Pentecost, and our own 4th birthday as Galileo Church!

“Wisdom is vindicated by all her children...” Luke 7:35

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, andInstagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76410.

Seven Ways to Say Yes, 6/7

Katie's smart, sweet grandmother, with Katie's smart, sweet kids. [editor's privilege]

“The gracious receipt of care from the church family” is one of our most difficult commitments in the Galileo co-conspiracy. We are quite sure that it’s more blessed to give than to receive, so we forget how important it is to be gracious in the getting. What would it take for you to trust your church enough to take the help they offer?

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, andInstagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76410.

Seven Ways to Say Yes, 5/7

Leah Jordan is one of our favorite preachers, and she talked to us about “extending the church's welcome to beloveds, neighbors, strangers, and enemies.” We do that through testimony -- by de-centering ourselves and pointing toward God’s reign, just like John the Baptist.

(And if you missed Leah this time, no worries -- she’s coming back in August 2017.)

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, andInstagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76410.

Seven Ways to Say Yes, 4/7

Argh! The dreaded "money" sermon! We are in covenant to "share material resources with the church (money, house, stuff, etc.)" So we talked about it, and played an online game together. You never had so much fun with a stewardship sermon, I promise.

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, andInstagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76410.

Seven Ways to Say Yes, 3/7

Co-conspirators with Galileo Church promise to "cultivate spiritual gifts for the good of the church and the community." Katie and Julian had a conversation-sermon about what it means that we need each other's gifts so badly.

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, andInstagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76410.

Seven Ways to Say Yes, 2/7

Sandhya, "And the people said 'Yes!'" 

Sandhya Jha came to lead a workshop on anti-racism and intersectionality, and stayed to talk us through the prophetic power of presence. That's our second habit of life in the co-conspiracy of Galileo Church: "be present, physically and emotionally, in the life of the church."

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, andInstagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76410.

Seven Ways to Say Yes, 1/7

Our Eastertide series invites us to consider 7 habits of life that we adopt when we join the co-conspiracy. Don't know what that is? Check out our Covenant of Co-Conspiracy -- the way we say "yes" to Galileo's invitation to belong. The first habit of life: "Contemplate Your Baptism." 

Song's baptism, by Vera and Katie, Easter 2015.

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, andInstagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76410.

Christ Is Risen! He Is Risen Indeed! (Easter Sunday)

"I wonder if I would rather stay dead than depend on somebody else to raise me up? Stay down rather than let someone else lift me from the floor? Stay broken and guilty and shriveled with fear rather than let someone let me off the hook, forgive me, cover me with grace?"

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76410.

Passion Sunday: a short reflection

Maybe she's a scandal. But maybe she's a SPY. The anointing woman whose name we were supposed to remember... 

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76410.

Mansplaining Jesus: Christological themes in 1 Corinthians 5/5

Oh noooooo!

If the church asks you to believe too much, if it builds a Jenga tower of faith, pulling one block out can bring the whole project down. What if we take a minimalist approach to faith? What's the most basic core of Christian trust in God's power and providence? The Apostle Paul had an idea about that.

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, andInstagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76410.

Mansplaining Jesus: Christological Themes in 1 Corinthians, 4/5

What if we combine my “bought with a price” self with a bunch of “siblings for whom Christ died”? Now we have “the body of Christ,” in 1 Corinthians 12, doing Jesus’s work together in the world God loves. And love -- that’s the totalizing experiencing, right there -- see 1 Corinthians 13, and let it talk to chapter 12 for a minute.

The "body of Christ" (actually a wide outline of the body of Ryan F.) we made in worship.

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, andInstagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76410.

Litany of Confession (and Communion)

This is part two of “Mansplaining Jesus 3/6” from 3/19. You’ll hear the voices of our Missional Logistics Team, our Care & Feeding Team, and our pastoral staff, describing a situation that feels like a turning point in our church life. We confessed before the church that our welcome had reached a painful limit, and asked our Area Shepherd, Rev. Dick Lord, to pray for us and assure us of God's pardon. Listen with care, as there is a mention of sexual assault in the telling -- not among the people of Galileo Church, but in the story of another who asked for refuge with us.

Mansplaining Jesus: Christological Themes in 1 Corinthians 3/5

With apologies to the vegetarians among us. ❤️ 

1 Corinthians 8, 9, and 10 are about whether to eat meat from the altars of pagan, little-g-gods -- but really they're about how we think about each other, our “siblings for whom Christ died.” Decision-making is never that simple when you think about everyone who's affected by whatever you decide. Please note: this sermon is incomplete without the Litany of Confession that follows in our next recording from the same date.

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, andInstagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76410.

Mansplaining Jesus: Christological Themes in 1 Corinthians, 2/5

"You need two pockets," Rabbi Simcha said. "In one, a note: 'I am but dust and ashes.' In the other, a note: 'For my sake, the world was created.'" Or, according to Paul's Christo-logic in 1 Corinthians 3, 4, 5, and 6: "You were bought with a price."

Rabbi Simcha Bunim of Peshischa

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, andInstagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76410.

Mansplaining Jesus: Christological Themes in 1 Corinthians, 1/5

Early days, Redwood Originals,
Malcolm and Kaytee B., 10.2013

A new series lets the Apostle Paul have his Christological say -- what does it mean that he knows nothing but "Christ, and him crucified"? What is the Christ-logic of that?

To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, andInstagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76410.