Virgil Anderson Sunday School Munsey Memorial UMC: Recent Episodes
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Sunday March 31, 2019 - Ephesians Chapter 6 - In Dr. Kenneson's final lesson teaching the Virgil Anderson Sunday School Class, we are reminded first of the glory of creation that God has created for us - and that God's act of redeeming love created a single humanity; Paul encourages us to live into that reality.
Thanks Phil!
Sunday, March 3, 2019 - Ephesians Chapter 2 - Paul helps reveal that Christ reconciles us all into one humanity.
Sunday, February 24, 2019 - Ephesians Chapter 1 - To the wonder of God who blesses us in the heavenly places
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Introduction to Ephesians - being Christian means being united with the Body of Christ, the Church. The following lessons will explore the significance of this relationship more closely.
It was announced that following the conclusion of this lesson series, Dr. Kenneson's tenure as the Virgil Anderson Sunday School teacher will also conclude. It is with great sadness that he will be leaving our weekly fellowship, but it is with great appreciation for the past 7 years of his scholarly leadership that we will be wishing him well. His last lesson will be at the end of March.
Sunday, January 27, 2019 - Mark 3 & Matthew 1 - Genealogies reveal the breadth and diversity of God's sweeping grace, as seen in the family tree of Jesus Christ.
Sunday, January 20, 2019 - Luke 4:14-30 - Being a prophet means sharing a word from God - which may include saying things that people do not want to hear - a more dangerous dimension to the calling.
Sunday, January 13, 2019 - Simeon & Anna. We can be a blessing to God... just by being present.
Sunday, December 2, 2018 - Advent: Waiting. The Season of Advent is, of course, about waiting - and that is a good thing. (Especially if you have been waiting for the publication of this Lesson)
Sunday, November 25, 2018 - The United Methodist Social Principles: The Political Community - "God's World is One World". This fundamental belief urges us to consider how we conduct ourselves in relationship to each other - in our communities, our nation and the World - which John Wesley recognizes as 'our Parish'.
Sunday, November 18, 2018 - The United Methodist Social Principles: The Economic Community. The United Methodist Church recognizes that there are issues of economic justice relating to income disparity, the ability to work for a 'living wage' and regressive tax policies that we must consider in the context of Christian living.
Sunday, November 4, 2018 - The United Methodist Social Principles - Part 3: Understanding the weight we give to competing intrinsic values such as compassion, fairness, sanctity and security help us understand the call to welcome the stranger
Sunday, October 28, 2018 - The United Methodist Social Principles: The Social Community, Part 2 - The field of social psychology provides insight into the basic - and strong - human tendency to break into 'teams' that create 'others' to identify 'us'. The tension between other basic human instincts such as compassion and fairness with order and predictability helps fuel the polarization we see today. Understanding this helps us live together in community, even with contrasting ideas.
Sunday, October 21, 2018 - The UMC Social Principles: The Social Community, Part 1 - the United Methodist Church looks at the difficult issues of institutionalized racist and ethnic discrimination.
Sunday, October 14, 2018 - The UMC Social Principles: The Nurturing Community - Part 3. Our primary identity is as 'Children of God'. Rightly prioritized, this should shape and inform all of the other identities we hold; it also allows us to remain in community despite differences of opinion on issues.
Sunday, September 30, 2018 - The United Methodist Social Principles: The Nurturing Community Part 2. Our continuing discussion of the church's response to countering perspectives on human sexuality reveals deep divisions of thought; but taking up the challenge reminds us that we are called to be in - and to nurture - sacred community, even in the midst of disagreement.
Sunday, September 23, 2018 - The United Methodist Social Principles: The Nurturing Community Part 1. Perhaps the greatest challenge to The United Methodist Church today is grappling with the issue of human sexuality. We attempt to deconstruct the issue so that we can better understand the various perspectives that challenge thoughtful Christians everywhere.
Sunday, September 16, 2018 - The UMC Social Principles: The Natural World - Part 4 - Caring for Creation
Sunday, September 2, 2018 - The UMC Social Principles: The Natural World - Part 3 - How do we fulfill our call to be steward of the world that God created?
Sunday, August 26, 2018 - The UMC Social Principles: The Natural World - Part 2 - Water resources and plastics are issues that challenge our role in taking care of creation.
Sunday, August 12, 2018 - The UMC Social Principles: The Natural World - Part 1. The first in a four-part series on how United Methodists should consider the impact of their actions on God's creation.
Sunday, August 5, 2018 - The UMC Social Principles: Introduction Part 2 - The United Methodist Church has taken the bold step of setting down into writing - and for scrutiny - its guidance on issues that we should consider as followers of Christ.
Sunday, July 29, 2018 - The Social Principles: Introduction - The United Methodist Church has articulated the position of the Church on issues that confront us in the world in which we live and work, maintaining the legacy of founder John Weslely. They are published in the United Methodist Book of Discipline under the heading 'Our Social Principles'.
Sunday, July 1, 2018 - 1 Corinthians 3: As Munsey Memorial UMC makes a transition in pastoral leadership, we are reminded of how the work of God, through the institutional body of Christ, the Church, continues its mission and ministry.
Sunday, June 24, 2018 - Our teacher, Dr. Phil Kenneson, returns from his journey to Kenya and continues to explore God's movement in our world and in our lives.
Sunday, May 20, 2018 - The Beatitudes: Blessed are they who are Persecuted - the conclusion of this Series on The Beatitudes
Sunday, April 29, 2018 - The Beatitudes: Those Who Hunger and Thirst For Righteousness. The desire to be in 'right relationship' is a blessing - and our calling.
Sunday, April 8, 2018 - The Beatitudes: Introduction our 7-week study in Matthew discussion of the blessedness of those who are poor in spirit.
Sunday, March 25, 2018 - The Penitential Psalms: Psalm 22 verses 1-21; On this Palm Sunday, we look at one of the more familiar psalms spoken by Jesus from the Cross.
Sunday, March 18, 2018 - The Penitential Psalm: Psalm 51 - The third psalm in this series during Lent implores God to have mercy upon us.
Sunday, March 11, 2018 - Psalm 6 - the next in this series exploring the 'Penitential Psalms', psalms of lament, reminds us that God invites us to bring all of our thoughts before God.
Sunday, March 4, 2018 - Psalm 130: Out of the Depths. In the first of several lessons on the 'penitent' Psalms we recognize at Lent, the Psalmist gives us language to express our lamentations, and yet directs us to our hope in God's unyielding promise of grace and redemption. This lesson comes on the first Sunday following the passing into glory of our brother, good friend and heart of the Virgil Anderson Sunday School Class, Wayne Anderson.
Sunday, February 25, 2018 - "Into The Furnace" - Jason Bembry uses the courage of Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego to challenges us to consider how we might act out our Faith in God, irrespective of the consequences.
Sunday, February 11, 2018 - The Apostle's Creed: 'life everlasting' / Conclusion. In this concluding lesson on The Apostle's Creed, we are reminded that God desires to be in relationship with us through Love, and that nothing can separate us from the Love of God.
Sunday, February 4, 2018 - The Apostle's Creed - 'the resurrection of the body' - Centuries of Western thought and theological debate may have obscured the original Biblical teaching confessed in the Apostle's Creed regarding the 'resurrection of the body'. We often think of our soul as being separate and distinct from our body, but Christ's resurrection introduces a new consideration of what it means to have a 'spiritual body'.
Sunday, January 28, 2018 - The Apostle's Creed - 'the forgiveness of sins'. Understanding that the act of forgiveness is allowing God to work through us allows extraordinary acts of reconciliation that we are not capable of undertaking merely through our own efforts.
Sunday, January 21, 2018 - The Apostle's Creed: 'the communion of saints' - we profess that God has chosen us, even with our flaws, to join together to bear witness to God in this intersection of time and place.
Sunday, January 14, 2018 - The Apostle's Creed - 'the holy catholic church' - we are set apart by God to give witness to God and to each other in the common body of Christ: the Church universal. The miracle is that as broken and imperfect people, God continues to use us for God's vision for us to live together in this World.
Sunday, January 7, 2018 - "Artisans of Goodness" - Dr. Jason Bembry uses the story of Hannah as a New Year's opportunity for us to resolve to be 'Artisans of Goodness - to cultivate compassion and understanding in a world that too often fails to see either.
Sunday, December 17, 2017 - The Apostle's Creed: 'I believe in the Holy Spirit' - This third element of the Apostle's Creed professes our belief in the 'Holy Spirit', the means by which God animates and inspires us to God's calling. [Please note that the next lesson is scheduled for Sunday, January 7, 2018.]
Sunday, December 10, 2017 - The Apostle's Creed - 'From thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead....' To victims of injustice, the day of judgment is a day that is anticipated with hope; that judgment comes from the loving and merciful Jesus Christ should bring us all comfort.
Sunday, December 3, 2017 - The Apostle's Creed: 'Ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of the Father'. The Ascension of Jesus Christ brings humanity into Heaven
Sunday, November 26, 2017 - The Apostle's Creed - 'On The Third Day, He Rose From The Dead' - The resurrection of Christ is the pivot point for our Belief in God through Jesus Christ.
Sunday, November 19, 2017 - The Apostle's Creed: 'dead, buried...and descended into hell' contains some of the most controversial elements of the confession of our beliefs.
Sunday, November 12, 2017 - Organ Donor Sunday - Class member Joe Carder shares his experiences revealing the importance of being an organ donor.
Sunday, November 5, 2017 - The Apostle's Creed - 'was Crucified' - We understand that Christ was crucified, but how do we fully understand what that act means to us and our relationship with God. We explore several glimpses of the whole.
Sunday, October 29, 2017 - The Apostle's Creed - ...suffered under Pontius Pilate - the inclusion of Pontius Pilate in the Apostle's Creed is unexpected, but acknowledges God's presence with us in our suffering.
Sunday, October 22, 2017 - The Apostle's Creed - Conceived By The Holy Spirit; We may not fully understand what it means for Jesus Christ to be both fully human and fully God, but God's work in the world leans upon our consent - as revealed in the role of the virgin Mary in bringing Christ into the world.
Sunday, October 15, 2017 - The Apostle's Creed - 'and' Jesus Christ - we understand the relationship between God and Jesus Christ in the context of the Trinity - and why we need each other to reveal a glimpse of God within each of us.
Sunday, October 8, 2017 - The Apostle's Creed - A Road Map - The Apostle's Creed serves as a road map for our Faith
Sunday, October 1, 2017 - The Apostle's Creed - Maker of Heaven and Earth - The Apostle's Creed recognizes God as the Creator of all that is.
Sunday, September 17, 2017 - The Apostle's Creed - Jesus Christ - The centerpiece of The Apostle's Creed is the identity of Jesus Christ.
Sunday, September 10, 2017 - The Apostle's Creed - Foundational Creeds - Old Testament scholar Jason Bembry shares the origins of Creeds to provide context for The Apostle's Creed
Sunday, September 3, 2017 - The Apostle's Creed - This introduction into the next Series of discussion sets the stage for examining why we say the Apostle's Creed and why it matters.
Sunday, August 20, 2017 - Images of God - Fire: In this concluding lesson in the series on Images of God, we look at the dual nature of fire - both as providing warmth and light as well as its destructive potential - to understand this dimension of God.
Sunday, August 6, 2017 - Images of God: A Dwelling Place. We find many characteristics of what makes our abode our 'home'. Where do we find a home in God?
Sunday, July 30, 2017 - Images of God: Homework. In this abbreviated lesson, the groundwork is laid for next week's lesson and a brief review of our previous lessons help orient us to the value of seeing 'God' in new ways.
Sunday, July 23, 2017 - Images of God: Clothing. Our most intimate 'environment' is our clothing. How does that inform our call to 'put on Christ'?
Sunday, June 18, 2017 - How do images of God reveal greater understanding of who God is?
Sunday, March 19, 2017 - What Really Matters: Discernment - One of the more difficult - and obvious - challenges to living by 'what really matters' is discerning what really matters.
Sunday, March 12, 2017 - What Really Matters? Who We Think We Are - The encounter between a follower of Christ - Philip - and a follower of God - 'the Ethiopian Eunuch'- is transformational for both of them and helps us understand that what really matters is understanding that our most important identity is that of 'Beloved' of God.
Sunday, March 5, 2017 - What Really Matters? Introduction - During the season of Lent, we will be diagnosing the challenges faced by the Church and evaluating priorities and solutions for living into our call to be followers of Christ in a skeptical world. We will be using the book "What are we Fighting For?" by Bishop Thomas Bickerton as a resource for our discussions.
Sunday, February 26, 2017 - Dying & Caring: Conclusion - Considering our mortality enriches our life today; a gift that is not to be taken for granted and which equips us to be present for those facing the end of life here on Earth.
Sunday, February 19, 2017 - Hospice - Former hospice nurse Kay Arnold shares her experiences with hospice.
Sunday, February 5, 2017 - Dying and Caring: Our Identity Together - Considering our death and caring for those who are dying reminds us of our identity as Children of God, not by what we do, but by recognizing God's love for us not governed by our accomplishments. Furthermore, our shared experience of dying reveals our relationship to each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.
Sunday, January 29, 2017, Dying & Caring: Being Fruitful - One of the things we grieve in becoming dependent as we approach death is the inability to be productive. This is particularly true when our identity is so closely aligned with our productivity; but when we view our ability to be 'fruitful', rather than simply productive, we see God's spirit creating a blessing within us that cannot be extinguished by death.
Sunday, January 22, 2017, Dying & Caring - Our Greatest Gift. In his book - 'Our Greatest Gift', Henri Nouwen helps us to see that the beautiful human journey begins with us being dependent and often concludes the same way. This reveals that God's unbreakable love for us is based upon who we are - not what we do during our phase of life dedicated to independence and activity.
Sunday, January 15, 2017 - Caring & Dying: An Introduction to an Enriched Life. The topic of death and dying would superficially seem to be a morose subject - which is why it is so rarely openly discussed. But death, and God coming into the world in human form to vanquish death is a core belief in our Christian faith - and the source of joy rather than dread. Or at least it should be. As we venture into this most fundamentally important element of life, we expect to find liberation to explore the meaning of living an abundant life...and dying well.
Sunday, December 18, 2016 - Vulnerability: A Conclusion - In today's class, we conclude the lesson series on Vulnerability, realizing that there can be blessing and self-realization in allowing ourselves to accommodate, even embrace, this characteristic that reflects God's nature within each of us.
Sunday, December 11, 2016 - Vulnerability: A Human Condition - Being created in the image of God also means that we are also created with the capacity to be wonded.
Sunday, December 5, 2017 - Embracing Vulnerability - Although we attempt to guard ourselves from being vulnerable, the capacity to be wounded is a characteristic of God that can help us become fully human in a way that God intended.
Sunday, November 27, 2016 - God Invites Us To Love - Our continued exploration of the revealation of God through Jesus Christ leads us to examine the role of vulnerability in opening us up to the fulfillment of our life through love...and God makes God's self vulnerable by allowing us to choose not to love.
Sunday, November 20, 2016 - God Made Vulnerable On The Cross - It challenges our thinking of God to consider that God reveals himself to us in the act of Christ's Death upon the Cross as a God of vulnerability.
Sunday, November 13, 2016 - Managing Our Identity - Drawing upon the previous lessons of Judy Ingala, we explore the ways in which we protect ourselves from vulnerability by managing the ways others see us.
Sunday, October 23, 2016 - Understanding Vulnerability Through Listening - The art of listening to others is helpful in diminishing the fear of vulnerabililty while enriching our own understanding and empathic presence
Sunday, October 16, 2016 - Stories of Vulnerability - We can learn from each other about our discomfort with vulnerability by listening to stories that resonate with our own experiences.
Sunday, October 9, 2016 - Lessons on Vulnerability - Professor Kenneson begins a new lesson series by introducing the idea that vulnerability might actually offer a lesson on living in the manner God created us to be.
Sunday, October 2, 2016 - Mark 9:30-48 - In the final lesson in the 'Hard Sayings of Jesus' lesson series, we confront the difficulties of the Disciples to fully grasp the important vision of the Kingdom of God, here and now. Jesus uses an extreme example to emphasize the significance of his coming into the World.
Sunday, September 11, 2016 - Luke 10:25-37 - The very familiar parable of the Good Samaritan does not cease to instruct us on how to treat others - particularly during a time of fear and anxiety about our neighbors.
Sunday, September 4, 2016 - Matthew 5: 27-32 - the difficult topic of divorce and adultery becomes a more valuable conversation when understood in the context of getting to the very heart of the law.