Who Gets to say what god is like?
One of the gravest errors of the church historically has been to localize the perspective of what God is like into one human body and point-of-view. Even with the most amazing preacher who has the very best intentions - only ever hearing from one perspective can be so limiting to the vastness that is God. Without realizing it, we begin to think of God in a singular way.
I believe that hearing from different perspectives is critical to our spiritual formation. It is a practice of meaningful inclusion that takes us beyond ‘accepting’ differences to truly valuing and championing them. It helps us see that God is so much bigger, and so much more loving than we can imagine!
Here’s how it works in my community: A team of artists and resident theologians shape the sermon series together. Individuals undergo a discernment process before being asked to preach. Each sermon is biblically-rooted, aligns with our core beliefs, and is rigorously discussed and edited by me and others before it is brought before the community. It is such a beautiful process of collaboration with each other and the Spirit of God!
It is my hope that everyone in the community has the experience of seeing themself in the various identities of our preaching team, and that they experience the challenge of seeing God through an entirely different perspective.