Dear church family,
Fall is here! The temperature is dropping, the leaves are turning, pumpkin is in everything, and church programming is in full swing.
In the midst of it all, I’ve been reflecting on some famous words from John Calvin:
“Our wisdom, insofar as it ought to be deemed true and solid wisdom, consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves. But as these are connected by many ties, it is not easy to determine which of the two precedes and gives birth to the other.”
Calvin began his most famous book, the Institutes, with these sentences to remind us that stories matter — both God’s story and our personal stories. If we desire wisdom, he says, we need to explore and understand these stories and see Jesus at the center of them, since he is the one who holds them together.
I’ve been thinking about this because of our upcoming visit from Dr. John Swinton, a professor at the University of Aberdeen School of Divinity in Aberdeen, Scotland. I have been learning from John for over a decade and am so delighted for us to host him in Sylva on October 15. He is what’s known as a “practical theologian,” meaning that he studies human experience in light of the Christian faith. His teaching and writing has focused on issues such as dementia, disabilities, and the problem of evil and suffering. As a former psychiatric nurse and chaplain, he has a special interest in those who live with mental health challenges.
It’s this latter topic that John will be discussing while he is with us, based on his recent book, “Finding Jesus in the Storm.” He will address questions such as, What kind of life has God created us for? How do people with mental health challenges experience that life? And how can the church be a community not of condemnation, but of care and spiritual connection? Following this presentation, we will eat lunch together and have a chance to ask John questions about these important topics.
I hope you’ll join us this fall for John’s presentation, services of worship, and other events in our life together. Come to church willing to listen and learn. Come ready to reflect and respond. Most of all, come seeking knowledge of God and of yourself — because such is the path to wisdom.
Yours in Christ,
Blake
