Crossings Knoxville: Recent Episodes
Crossings Knoxville
Crossings Knoxville is a faith community in Knoxville, Tennessee that launched in 2007. We exist to help people find their way back to God.
Does life, history, and the human condition have a structure of hope and progress or are they as meaningless and arbitrary as they sometimes seem? What can (or should) we do in a world devoid of justice? How can tell a better story that no longer needs seven bowls of wrath?
How can we read the book of Revelation with both a posture of skepticism and respect? How does apocalyptic literature like Revelation reveal the truth about our world and where does its binary thinking present drawbacks? How do we balance Revelation’s imagery with the whole story of God?
Revelation 12-13 introduces us to wild beasts and dragons, and also a pregnant woman with nowhere to give birth. These are familiar stories to John's original audience, and if we pay attention, are familiar stories to us. What happens when the dragons of the empire play pretend-Christian? And how do we respond?
What does it mean to reimagine the Christian witness today? How can we ensure that our allegiance is to the Kingdom of God and not a political ideology? What are we willing to sacrifice to model the peaceable ways of Jesus?
What does it mean to live faithfully in a world gone mad? As we enter the third narrative loop in Revelation, we ask: What does it look like to hold on to our center in a culture of chaos, violence, and delusion? What difference does prayer make when the world feels unchanged?
This week Chad Wright Pittman of Lake Forest Presbyterian joined us to continue our study of Revelation. Together, we asked: “How do account for the differences between what we’ve heard and what we see? How do we endure discomfort as we reminder ourselves that one day, we will experience a true sense of home?”
What and why is evil so pervasive in our world
and what, if anything,
does God have to do with that? Four horses, their riders, and clay seals on a scroll try to explain it in Revelation 6.
How does the book of Revelation encourage us to expand our imagination of God? How might the book of revelation show the limits of our imagination when thinking about God and heaven? How does our season of life or circumstances shape the way we imagine God?
Like Jimmy Fallon's "Friday Thank You Notes," John of Patmos interrupts Revelation with seven letters to seven different churches in various cities. These letters reveal to us the diversity of Christian thought and practice in the ancient world, and pulls us back into the big, wild, vast ecosystem of God.
How can an ancient, symbolic, and often misunderstood book like Revelation speak directly to the chaos, injustice, and political realities of our time? What does it mean to live as citizens of God’s Kingdom while surrounded by the power and propaganda of empire? What might it look like to name and confront the deeper forces—fear, death, authoritarianism—that warp human community? How can we creatively blend Scripture’s imagery with the realities of our moment to proclaim a counter-story of hope, justice, and truth? Are we willing to put our own name to a vision of God’s Kingdom, not hiding behind heroes of the past, but speaking and acting with our own voice?
In a world obsessed with end-times predictions and cryptic codes, we want to try to read the Book of Revelation the way it was meant to be heard — not as a secret puzzle, but as an open letter of hope and imagination. This teaching series reclaims Revelation as a powerful unveiling of Jesus Christ, written to a persecuted church asking hard questions: Where is God in our suffering? How is God’s kingdom different from the violent empires of this world? Through vivid imagery and bold worship, Revelation redefines history from God’s perspective, calls out false sources of security, and dares us to live as if Jesus — not Caesar — is Lord. Join us as we explore a story not about escape, but about faithful resistance and deep hope.
Our final week of “My Most Important Question” focuses in on Jesus’s commission to be the light of the world, or the salt of the earth. What does it mean to make a difference? What is our work to do?
How do we see faith as a puzzle-solving exercise done in community? Ryan Foran asks whether the early Christians would recognize his (our) version of the faith. Bethany Long asks what it means to witness when our beliefs about the afterlife and gospel are changing.
Every year Crossings attempts to live into its name, derived from Genesis 32 and Jacob’s wrestling with God. We invite folks to share for 10 minutes about their biggest questions of faith right now, how they arrived at these questions, and ways they’re wrestling through these questions. This week we remembered that the process of solving puzzles is often more important than actually solving the puzzle.
Unforming our Western-influenced, independent, hyper-individualized, understanding of community will take work. Even in our attempts to provide hospitality and create community it’s easy to become so focused on ourselves. What might the story of Elijah teach us about Elijah’s loneliness? What might the plants and creatures of the earth and Indigenous wisdoms teach us about our interconnectedness?
What do we do when our ideas and expectations of God and faith die? Where do we go if we Westernize ourselves out of received forms of Christianity? How can we encounter an unexpected “thin silence” through our intellects, ethics, and brothers and sisters from other religions? What does Christianity look like for now?
What if your body was more than something you have—what if it’s who you are? In this week’s teaching, we explore the ancient story of Elijah through a different lens: embodiment. Together we consider how faith becomes real not just in what we believe, but in what we feel, touch, remember, and experience in our bodies. Because, what if showing up in your body was one of the most sacred things you could do?
What if your faith journey isn’t a linear path of constant growth—but a circle of unlearning, undoing, and rediscovery? This week, we reflect on Elijah’s encounter with God in the silence, explore the harm of hustle-culture spirituality, and consider how non-Western and Indigenous traditions can help us reimagine spiritual formation. Inspired by Our Unforming by Cindy S. Lee, we ask the unsettling but freeing question: What are you doing here?
How can we become better listeners? What if the church's primary role is to translate shalom - peace, wholeness, well-being - into the home languages of all people? How can we avoid using our words to dominate and instead use them to heal?
What if the Gospel is primarily about solidarity? About realizing our interdependence and connectedness? About expanding the category of "us" and shrinking the category of "them?"
The healing of the man by the pool in John 5 isn’t as easy and straight forward as it seems. It does, however, force us to ask questions about what happens when things change in our lives. What does it mean to get up, take our mats, walk, and look back on the way things used to be?
How can we better live into the narrative arc of Scripture? How can we recapture the goodness of creation? How can we seek the expansiveness of a progressive love? What would it look like to make Earth look a little bit more like heaven?
What does it look like to view God as Shepherd and King in our lives? In what ways should we follow the voice of the Shepherd in our lives, politically and spiritually? How can we live more as citizens of an heavenly alternative here and now? What would it look like if we actually followed the teachings of Jesus, regardless of the cost?
This Easter season, what would it look like for our faith to be completely new, not just a dressed up version of what we received? What if we are exactly where we are supposed to be, and God is still with us? What would it look like for us to embrace a new calling and not return to business as usual?
The season of Easter continues on, and so do peoples varied experiences of faith, Jesus, and resurrection. Was Jesus trying to prove something to Thomas or was he trying to make a statement about belief and belonging?
On Easter morning we tend to focus on the way showing up early for Jesus will lead us to a new and resurrected life. But that’s not actually what happened for Mary Magdalene on the first Easter morning. She didn’t ultimately find what she went looking for, something found her.
What do we long for? What are our expectations of God? And what would it mean to have those expectations frustrated? How can we allow our bad versions of religion and faith—even those that have served us well in the past—die, so that something new can emerge?
All the stories that led to the table at Bethany in John 12 contribute to emotional potency of a beautiful aroma that filled a house in the face of death. Even when told it's all a waste, may we recognize the ways our lives add to beautiful and healing moments such as these.
How do we extend grace in these parched times? How do we seek justice and forgiveness? How can we make God’s dream for humanity a reality in our world?
What do we need to change, starting with ourselves? How can we live more aware of how little time we might have left? What can we start doing today?
Molly’s second annual “bird teaching” explored Luke 13:31-15 where Jesus identifies as a mother hen. While this is intended to be a warm and comforting metaphor, the implications of what a mother hen can’t do in the face of dangerous foxes is important to consider.
Lent is a season to contemplate our mortality and the fragility of our ideals and faith. It is a time to be in the Wilderness. Do we have a faith equipped for the disorientation of Lent and Wilderness times? How can we move from scarcity to trust in abundance? How can we be moved to worship a weak, powerless God who denies dominating power and instead allows divine power to be put to death on a Cross? How can we embrace the uncertainties and ambiguities of life as a part of faith?
This teaching is for the mystic. For those who are drawn to a more mysterious and enchanted faith and spirituality. It’s also for those who find themselves wondering, “Will I ever have a meaningful spiritual experience again?
What would it look like if we took Jesus' teaching to love our enemies seriously? Is this practical or ethical in every situation? How can we create more spaces to share a table with those we disagree with? What common ground can we find to see the image of God in all people?
Here is a link to the Heineken ad that was shown during the teaching: Worlds Apart
How do we answer the question “Who am I?” Are we what we do, what other people think, or what we have? How can we find a level identity when the world around us is so up and down?
On our 18th birthday as a faith community, we wondered together how God might be inviting us to push out into the deep end. To go places only gods were known to go. And to learn to find our place in the family of things with however many weeks we have left together.
How do we tell the truth at this moment? How can we move beyond rage and despair into an optimism that does good work in the world? What spaces of love, safety, and generosity can we build in our neighborhoods and workplaces?
How much of faith and/or God are we actually supposed to understand? How can we embrace a faith of both tears and joy? How can we learn to live into the fulfillment of Scriptures we don't fully understand?
What would it take to imagine God as a supportive, rejoicing partner? What if God’s primary concern for humanity is a restored and preserved dignity for all people? What would it take to believe that for yourself?
What would it look like if Wisdom became more manifest in our lives? How can we see God in the wisdom of the past in our stories?
How do we enter Advent we dont' like or can't connect with some of the scriptures that are supposed to prepare us?
How can we find and feel joy in a season when cynicism and frustration are an easier default setting?
Luke’s gospel pinpoints the birth of Christ and the message of John the Baptist in a particular point in history. The political, economic, social, and religious situation was one when many found themselves sitting within the darkness of the shadows of death. What did the incarnation of God coming to earth as a baby mean for that point in history? What does it mean for us now, in our context?
What does it mean to truly have deep hope in Advent? How can we be on guard in these times to find light and get into good trouble? What would something completely new look like in our lives?
Before we transition to following the lectionary for several months, we take time to reflect on where and how we locate ourselves spiritually. Our hope is that we become a community where time itself becomes an anchor in the life of Jesus.
The Book of Ruth is situated “in the days when the judges ruled” and presents an alternative narrative to the stories we read in our Judges study.
How can we allow dark stories to haunt us? Where are we contributing to the darkness of our world? How do we tell stories that transcend and shed light on the brokenness to bring healing?
What do we do when the things done in the name of religion are absurdly hilarious but practically unfunny? What keeps connected to God and others when the world around us is so dark?
How do we experience faith in the ambiguous? What do we do when we feel like God has let us down? How can we be sure that our ideas about God are the same thing as God, and how do we wrestle through this?
Judges 10-12 is a sad story. Sometimes we need help letting sad stories in our sacred text remain as sad stories. Ultimately our question this week is about who suffers and who is sacrificed in the process of religious and institutional battles?
Where is God's justice in the world and how do we account for the perceived lack of it? How can we view God without ascribing to God the same kinds of power we see in our world? How can we play our part in the world without seeking control and power?
How can we best tell the story of the world and our story? What stories are we ending too soon? What stories should we end that we are hanging onto?
Judges 4-5 introduces us to some strong female characters whose actions are explicitly credited as divine actions. These stories make us ask serious questions about “whose side” God is on.
The Judges Cycle begins with an introduction to our first three leaders: Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar. It’s tribal and violent and graphic and it makes us questions what to do when our theology and morality don’t align with our sacred text.
What kind of the theological overlay do we put on our stories? How do our metaphors about God shape our lives? How can we more consciously choose what kinds of stories we tell about God, ourselves, and the world?
The book of Judges begins by painting a picture of tribal successes and failures. As we study, we must also ask: how do we still participate in tribal politics? How do we understand the identity of "the people of God" in less restrictive ways?
The Book of Judges depicts a time of political and religious disorganization in Israel. It paints a picture of how disloyalty to Yahweh, Israel's God, leads to conflict and division internally and externally. Rather than simply narrating a historical account, Judges tells a theological story about how faithfulness leads to peace. Dark and violent, the book attempts to shock us into a realization of our own ability to do harm and forces us to ask the question, "How could things be different?"
What does the Bible say about "community"? How have we overused this word in ways that have lost its meaning?
What does the Bible say about "salvation"? What do our different understandings of that word and the theories behind it do to us? What are we saved from, but more importantly what are we saved to?
How do we understand the word "sin" biblically when there are numerous words and concepts throughout the Bible to describe it? How can we reframe the idea of sin so that it still holds meaning? How do we avoid weaponizing the term sin against others?
The ways the Bible talks about money, tithing, and generosity is more complicated than churches often make it. Should an ancient agricultural tithe that funded temple personnel apply to us today? How might we return to God what is God and bring money back to its role as a material instrument?
What does the Bible really say about things like sin, salvation, giving, and the nature of Scripture itself? It's complicated. How can we approach the Bible more humbly and appreciate its many different aspects? How can we engage multiple different readings at the same time without claiming the "right" answers for ourselves?
Join us as Matt Nance asks "Why is it so hard to fully abhor violence as a Christian? Why doesn't God just say, 'My way is peace and non-violence?'" and Emily Stott asks "How do I know that I'm finally home?"
Join us as Jennifer Long asks “Is this what you have called me to?” and Michael O'Malley asks “How can I follow the teachings of the early church in the book of Acts while owning a home amongst an ever increasing economic divide?"
God’s story constantly reminds us that faith is a conversation and questions are welcome. How do honestly ask our most important questions?
Join us as Kristin Smith asks “What is prayer?” and Rafael Rodriguez asks “What am I willing to sacrifice for unity?
Part 7 and final teaching in our study on the Book of Daniel.
The book of Daniel concludes with a series of apocalyptic visions that take a more pessimistic stance toward power and empire. At the end of Daniel, we are left with a series of questions: how do we continue to negotiate our expectations and proximity to a power that can at times do good and bad? How can we engage in "strong misreadings" of Daniel and our world that are rooted in our ethics, morals, and values?
How do we feel when we realize the limits of power? What do we gain when we place our hope into people that are so restricted? What do we lose? What are we placing our hope in that, no matter what, we just aren’t willing to give up? And is that thing worth it?
The story of the writing on the wall in Daniel 5 reminds of the illusions and facades power often presents to us. But a simple change in the camera angle reveals how temporary power really is.
The Writing's on the Wall - OK Go
How do we resist the desire to see those in power convert to our way of thinking? What would change if those who have seriously wronged us changed? How do we maintain identities as exiles when we have access to power but also feel isolated from our own faith traditions?
As Wil Gafney said, Daniel 3 is anti-impirical text disguised as anti-impirical text. It is an unapologetic story of resistance against the violent, controlling, powerful empires of Daniels time and ours. Though we’d rather identify with the heroes/victims of the story, it might be wise to pay attention and take caution regarding Nebuchadnezzar’s final demand that all turn to Yahweh.
What do we believe about power and the reality it attempts to create? How can we maintain proximity to power and work with it while still keeping our distance and ability to critique it? How can we learn to trust in God's reality beyond the unreal power of this world?
How does the book of Daniel encourage us to live as exiles in our current times? How do we learn to switch between our multiple roles and identities for the good of the world while also maintaining our integrity?
In our final week of Sacred Ladders, a study of Sacraments, we look at the history and varied practice of ordination (or Holy Orders). What does it mean that we are within a tradition that celebrates the “priesthood of all believers” and what might we miss out on by having such low barriers to ordination?
The third teaching in our Sacred Ladders series is about the sacrament of confession/reconciliation. We don’t have a formal practice of confession like some faith traditions, so this study asks questions about we might be missing out on because of that. What might a renewed practice of confession look like and why does it matter?
This teaching is our second in our series called Sacred Ladders. People have different experiences of baptism. Here, we take a look at the baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 as a good example of an invitation to the sacrament of baptism. But what if baptism is more of a mutual experience than we often allow it to be?
This teaching is the first in our study called Sacred Ladders where we explore four sacraments of the Christian faith. This week we begin with the Eucharist (Common Meal). How do we entertain the mystery? How do we experience the grace of community at the Common Meal Table?
The 24th and final teaching in our series on the book of Luke. Why does Luke end his book so abruptly? How might we all encounter the Jesus Luke sees differently? How do we live out the commission and values of this Kingdom Luke presents to us?
Responses to the resurrection range from disbelief to a race to see it firsthand. But Luke's telling of it reminds us that experiencing the resurrection is most tangibly experienced around the table.
As we enter Holy Week, what would it mean to avoid making sense death and suffering? How can we see God as both with us and forsaking us? How do we maintain faithfulness even after the worst things have happened?
The way Luke writes about Jesus trials may give us a framework for how to approach life when it seems unfair.
What happens when God’s place of encounter becomes a place of exploitation? Jesus and the temple authorities confront each other with competing visions of the temple and how it mediates God’s presence to his people (and others). In the end, the invitation to encounter God will overcome any obstacle obscuring that invitation.
When was the last time you prayed to, “God Our Mother Hen”? What does it mean that the God of all creation both creates tears AND cries them? And what is Luke trying to communicate through a more subdued version of the Triumphal Entry that leaves out the palm branches and the hosannahs? Maybe knowing a God who cries is the beginning of our recognition of the things that make for peace.
What parts of faith do we pay attention to because they hold special value to us? What parts have we become numb to? How can Lent help us understand our lives and limits better?
It’s Crossings 17th birthday. It’s also the Sunday before Ash Wednesday and Lent. The concepts of birth and death may seem like opposites, but maybe they are linked more than we think. Paul gives us a vision in 2 Corinthians 4 to describe what life could look like as we make our circles around the sun.
How can we reconcile what we say we want to be about as followers of Jesus with how we choose to interact with those around us?
What do Jesus’ parables about dinner parties teach us about hospitality and inclusion? What kind of hosts are we supposed to be in this world? How can we navigate the messiness of relationships to include those who are left out or undesired?
Luke 12 and 13 reveal several stories and teachings from Jesus about the Kingdom of God- a way of living God intends for us. This teaching gives attention to the anxiety that often draws us to be secretive and greedy that ultimately bind us instead of move us toward life and freedom.
How do we resist the urge to control and exert power over others when we are in conflict? How can we flip the script of judgment on to ourselves first?
Many of us feel unsure (and insecure) about what prayer looks like for us now. Luke 11 invites to picture God in a few different ways, and consider what it means to ask God and our neighbors for what we need.
What can the story of Martha and Mary teach us about the diverse ways of following Jesus? How can we enter the new year with less anxiety and more focus on the few things that are necessary?
How can we reconcile a season of what can often feel like cheap joy when events in our lives feel anything but joyful?
Lectionary References for this week:
Old Testament Reading - Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11
Psalm Reading - Psalm 126
New Testament Reading - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
Gospel Reading - John 1:6-8, 19-28
Isaiah the prophet, John the Baptist, and Emily Dickinson all lead us into the second Sunday of Advent. They all seem to have something to say about peace when “hate is strong and mocks the song of ‘peace on earth goodwill to men.’”
Advent Readings:
Old Testament Reading - Isaiah 40:1-11
Psalm Reading - Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13
New Testament Reading - 2 Peter 3:8-15
Gospel Reading - Mark 1:1-8
How do we become people of hope when our time of waiting is uncertain? How can we enact deep hope in the world while we continue our searching and waiting?
This week's readings from the Lectionary -
Psalm 80:1-7; 17-19
Isaiah 64:1-91
Corinthians 1:3-9
Mark 13:24-37
What can the revelations of quantum physics teach us about our experience of time and faith? How can we approach the season of Advent as a shift in perspective that brings us into community?
As Jesus ministry takes a turn toward Jerusalem, we are reminded of the way our faith is lived out as we go- along the way. For the lawyer in Luke 10, and for all of us, there is a question behind the question, “Who is my neighbor?”
How do we cope with unmet expectations? How can we find the Divine in our disappointments, frustrations, and misunderstandings? Can we learn to balance belief with a humble lack of certainty?
How can we adopt a faith of radical hospitality and dependence on others? How can we seek the welfare of others as an act of opposition to the political and spiritual forces of darkness?
What do the Parable of the Sower, Jesus healing and resurrecting people, and John the Baptist have in common? The confusing, excessive, life-giving grace of God.
Jesus' teaching 'on the level place' gave the crowd a picture of what solidarity with the hurting and poor might look like. It includes a picture of a tree living into its purpose of producing good fruit and a building withstanding storms because of its foundation.
How did Jesus both inhabit and honor his Jewish faith while offering unique and daring visions of it for his time? How are we called to both honor the traditions we inherited and adapt them for our current moment?
Luke 4 launches us into a new phase of Jesus' life and ministry. He makes very clear to his hometown synagogue and to the surrounding communities his preferential treatment toward the poor, the hurting, and the stranger. This posture and this announcement prompted the opposition Simeon predicted in Luke 2.
How does Luke present the upside down Kingdom of God as a Wilderness story? How can a singular voice be as powerful as an Empire? How can we immerse ourselves in God so that we lead more ethical lives?
Luke 2 invites us into two stories of Jesus in the temple and two stories of people who are looking for and surprised by who they discover Jesus to be. What happens when we, like Mary and Joseph, lose the Jesus we thought we knew?
The story of Jesus may be overly familiar to some or completely new to others, but there’s always potential for new insights because we are never the same people we were the last time we read the story. What if the story of Jesus still has surprising ways of bringing us into the upside down Kingdom of God? How can we appreciate the surprises that may happen in others that will be different from our own?
What would happen if we expanded our understanding of creativity to something that was not for a selected few but built into the fiber of all of us? The book of Ecclesiastes pushes us to ask questions about what we are creating in the short lives we are given.
This teaching references the song No Hard Feelings by The Avett Brothers, which you can find here: No Hard Feelings
Authenticity in faith is not a goal to set or a something we try to do. What if authenticity is a blend of simply being honest when theology doesn’t conform to our experiences and finding good role models of faith?
How can we have a more holistic faith in a compartmentalized world? How can we embrace a radical acceptance over perfectionism or detachment?
Restoration is ongoing work that happens on all levels (personal, communal, systemic, cosmic). What might the visions of the Hebrew Prophet Ezekiel show us about God's idea of restoration?
We like to think of our values as a compass that allows for adventure along the unknown trails. Our value of ‘story’ helps us understand the direction the compass points toward and of story and stories of we find ourselves living in.
How are creativity and spirituality linked? How does thinking of God as the Artist change our theology? What would a church of artistic heretics look like?
How do we follow the call to give all of our possessions to those in need? Do I have a place to belong? Are you there, God - and do I still need you?
How do we reconcile the good of the church with the struggles of the "Church?" What hills are we willing to die on, to fight for? If God is for all people, why is that not how Christians act?
What does it mean to believe? How should we reframe the age-old question "Why does God let bad things happen?" What is the purpose of the church today?
How do we enter into rest through the rhythms of orientation, disorientation, and new orientation? How do we understand and engage in "praise" as we consider the full range of our experiences? How can we navigate our own individual faith expressions in the midst of a larger community and culture?
How do the psalms teach us to express the emotions and experiences of betrayal? How can we learn to embrace an authentic faith that doesn't shy away from vocalizing the raw feelings we encounter? How do we understand or maintain belief in the midst of saying these things?
How do we better understand ourselves as creatures within God's creation? What does it mean to fall in love with the created world so that we may better live our lives? How do we understand God's power through creation, even when it seems like the created world is coming undone?
What do we do when we find out that we have missed the mark and unintentionally caused harm? How do we unpack the baggage around the word "sin" and learn to make amends when we have done wrong? What do the Psalms teach us about repentance and repair towards God and others?
How do we engage in faith when past and current versions of Christianity are rightly the laughingstock of society? How do we express ourselves to God and each other when we are lumped into to caricatures of religion that aren't accurate? What does it look like to demand that God do something about the damage done to the divine reputation?
The Psalms contain a variety of different postures and genres. Some psalms orient us to God and the world while others express a sense of disorientation. How do we answer God through the psalms when God seems distant? How do we give voice to all our emotions and doubts without being controlled by them? Can we hold together complex emotions and thoughts with a connecting "ands" rather than seeing them as contradicting "buts?"
The Book of Psalms is filled with laments and cries for justice; for the brokenness in our human systems of justice to be made right. Psalm 82 makes clear that justice includes relief for people who are poor, widows, orphans, those who are sick, and oppressed people. This psalm puts ancient "gods" on trial and has implications for the way we live today. How do our cries for justice today function as prayers that respond to God?
The Book of Psalms contain Israel's ancient poems and prayers. How do we allow the Psalms to speak to us and for us? How do we embrace a faith the spans the spectrum of human emotion and experience? How can we use the Psalms as a response to God in all of life's circumstances?
What does it mean that there are four distinct accounts of the same Resurrection event in the Gospels? Why does the lectionary offer us a choice between two of these accounts each year on Easter Sunday? How do we embrace the truth of Resurrection while embracing the diversity of details recorded in Scripture and our own unique experiences?
As we enter into one of the most important seasons of the year for the Church (Holy Week), how might our perspective of what it means to be "Christian" shift when we realize the crowds chose palm branches over Jesus? What do the symbols Jesus chose teach us about the kind of Kingdom God is bringing to earth?
How do we feel about a God who sometimes waits to bring life out of death? How do we approach death and suffering even if we believe that life is somehow on the other side?
John 9 describes how Jesus healed a man who was born blind. In this story, the characters all have different assumptions about who is to blame and how God's justice works (or doesn't) in the world. How do we avoid keeping this story at arm's length and risk asking ourselves about the confidence with which we view the world? What if seeing the Kingdom of God isn't about being certain but asking the question, "What might this be?" How can we acknowledge our own imperfect vision and humbly embrace curiosity?
What if we've been reading the story about Jesus and the Samaritan woman incorrectly? What if this story isn't about a sinful woman's past but an influential woman's ability to help bring about the reconciliation of different people groups? How can we take the risk of seeing past our narrow categories and enter into deep relationships with others that can lead to healing?
John 3 recounts the mysterious conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. How do we embrace the reality that all we know is not all there is? How can we become more comfortable in our lack of knowing things? What do we risk by being born anew?
This week begins the first Sunday of the Lenten season, the forty days leading up to Easter Sunday. It is a time for reflection, fasting, and renewal. This week, we begin by asking ourselves about what kind of story we have landed in. If we enter the season of Lent with the proper attitude, what are we willing to risk? Will we trust God to rule and heal the world? Will we trust God to reveal who we truly are? Will we trust God for our security? Or will we succumb to the temptations for power and control over ourselves and others? Join us as we being this Risky Lent.
How do we exist as a church during and after a pandemic, deconstruction, and negative experiences with faith communities? What would it mean if we embraced an identity as exiles and refugees? What can two soccer clubs teach us about ownership and building community from the ground up for the sake of the community?
Each year, on the second Sunday of February, we celebrate our birthday with Cheesecake. This year Crossings turns sixteen! This Sunday we studied Genesis 32 where Jacob wrestles with God and has his name changed to Israel at the river Jabbok. What does it mean for a faith community to wrestle with a God we can't always name but who still gives us a blessing? How do we understand the persistence of our identity as our community and our world constantly change?
What does it mean to study Scripture like 1 Corinthians in a world and in a community that we affect and in turn affects us? What does it mean to be the church that extends the argument about the story of God in the world?
How does a proper understanding of Resurrection change the way we live our lives? How do we seek and embrace a sense of newness that is beyond ourselves?
How can we seek to build up others around us rather than seek our own self-importance? How can we strive to make everything we do about helping people find their way back to God?
1 Corinthians 13 is one of the most well-known chapters in the Bible. How can we avoid an individualistic understanding of love and put this passage back in the context of community? What would it look like if we all embodied this perfect love in our world?
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul suggests that the church is the Body of Christ, a unified body made up of diverse parts for the common good. But who decides what the common good is? How do we bring ourselves into a community without comparing ourselves to others, thinking too much of ourselves, or seeking to exert power? Are we willing to stay in community even if we don't "win" every time?
What do Google, Ecclesiastes, John Green, and the song "Auld Lang Syne" say to us about beginning 2023? For some, the start of a new year can be depressing while for others it is deeply hopeful. What does it mean to be here, to be us, to be together?
What does it mean that we have "God-with-us" and not a "God-up-there-somewhere?" In what small ways are we able to sense the holy, sacred, and divine among us? How do we rebuild a faith that, we hope, can be amazing?
In week three of Advent, John the Baptist asks Jesus, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect another?" Can we build a life of faith around questions? How do we find joy in our questions about God?
The second week of Advent invites us to consider the meaning of "peace" associated with the coming of Christ the King. What are the social, political, and economic repercussions if this kind of peace was a reality?
What does it mean to hold the tension between the horizon of the past and the future in this present moment? How can we live as witnesses this Advent season as we await an arrival that we have not yet encountered?
The Corinthian church was hosting a church-sponsored dinner party each week that excluded the under-privileged members of the church. What does Paul have to say to them, and us, about radical inclusion in the Kingdom of God?
How do we know when our devotion to the Kingdom of God pushes us to embrace culture or resist it? What cultural factors motivate us when we read Scripture to either challenge the culture behind a Scriptural perspective or seek to salvage it? What do we do when we come across a text that is just weird?
What if the meaning of the Christian faith wasn't just being aware of how we know things, but to what end we use our knowledge? How can we live in a way that considers the needs of the other above our own desires and rights? How do we live as people who remember that we are part of a much greater story?
1 Corinthians 8-9 challenges our individualistic culture and vision of the "good life." How might it look to live by the "logic of the cross" in a world dominated by "these truths" of individualism?
How do we apply Paul's advice on marriage, divorce, and singleness to our lives when Paul wrote from a belief that the world would soon be ending? How do we treat our sexuality and our relationships in a subversive way that does not conform to the cultural values of power, but instead seeks to subvert power and bring healing and restoration to our own lives and the world?
1 Corinthians 6 invites us to ask questions about what we do with our freedom in Christ and what it means to be fully human. How might a more connected understanding sexuality and spirituality deepen our relationship with God, others, and ourselves?
Though we seek unity in diversity of thought, when do we need to draw lines in order to protect individuals and the larger community? What might the church look like if we believed that Jesus was our super-patron and stopped fearing the influences of money and power?
Though Paul's leadership style can come across as condescending and patriarchal at times, his intention is quite different. What leaders in your life are truly looking after you? What leaders are just babysitters? If you didn't have the Bible, to whom would you look to imitate the Way of Jesus?
How do we remain united with a crucified Christ as our foundation? What if we saw healthy deconstruction as the expression of a vibrant, honest faith instead of a danger to faith?
How do we understand 1 Corinthians as a part of the larger story of God? What if this New Testament letter is asking us to embrace the "weakness of God" in cross, rather than try to use God to exert more control over our lives and our world? What would it mean if Christians were "reverse graffiti" artists, humbly and selectively restoring our world without using power?
Why do we love "road trips" so much? What is it that we are hoping for, who is it we are ultimately truing to become as we walk this road that Jesus has sent His followers to walk?
What does it mean to be in a community defined by the Table that includes the left-out and rejected? How do we deepen our compassion and kindness in our relationships with God and one another?
Before we come to the table and are sent on the road, it is crucial for us to spend time in the cave to better know ourselves and God. What might caves look like for each of us, and what happens there?
How do we become more attentive to our lives, our world, and love? What would it mean for us to slow down, tune in, wake up, and reach out and discover a more enchanted world through the practice of the contemplative life?
Do you believe that God is as present in suffering and surprise as he is in moments of gratefulness and joy? How can practicing the presence of God invite us into a deeper awareness of God's dwelling among us?
Do you believe in things you cannot see or perceive? Ours is an enchanted world and because of that we need a re-enchanted liturgy.
What misconceptions might we have about Celtic spirituality, and in what ways might ancient Celtic Christians teach us a way to re-enchant our faith?
In the introduction to this new series, we are asking how we might re-enchant a world that is thoroughly disenchanted. What if the doubter's doubt is a pathway to faith? How do we chase the ache of disenchantment into a conscious re-enchantment of our world and our faith?
2 Macabees 7 is an obscure and well-known apocryphal story that is referenced all through our Bibles. How might this story inform our understandings of God, suffering, and resurrection?
What does the apocryphal Daniel story of Bel and the Dragon teach us about how we hold our religious convictions without demanding government protection? How do we live as faithful exiles in our world without being detached from reality?
What do the Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qumran teach us about New Testament readings of the Bible and culture? How do our own experiences and expectations shape the way we read Scripture?
The time between the Old and New Testaments has been deemed by some the "400 years of silence." In reality, many texts were being written that shaped the world and mind of the New Testament authors. Dr. Heather Gorman (Professor of New Testament at Johnson University) offers a greater understanding of this "intertestamental" period by telling the story of First Maccabees (and Star Wars!). How can our engagement with these between texts shape our understanding of the biblical texts?
God asked Jonah questions that he asks all of us: Might the depth of the love and grace of God be bigger and deeper than any of us imagined?
What is real repentance and what does it look like? What can Jonah teach us about apologizing for and repairing the brokenness we cause?
The Book of Jonah offers us a view of the world and of God that is much bigger than we expected. What might we need to let go of to see it?
Can we trust that our making is not in vain? How do our actions and creations contribute to making all things New?
We have received in the elements of Common Meal what has been handed down for hundreds of generations - the mystery of the transformative power of the body and blood of Christ. Common Meal, or the eucharist, has the power to remind us of our participation in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The Japanese practice of wabi-sabi invites us into an imperfect observance of the world. How can we learn to embrace and find beauty in imperfection?
What if faith is as much about creative making-knowledge as it is about intellectual, theological knowledge? David Matthews joins as we discuss the maker's journey, Japanese tea ceremonies, and creating experiences of beauty and childlike imagination.
Nihonga is the traditional Japanese art rooted in a community of relationships and history of makers. What does it mean to locate all that we make in the world in an ecosystem that is the Kingdom of God?
What if everyone possessed a unique, creative impulse to make and to be an artist? How can we learn to see all of life, beyond our jobs or professions, as being full of meaningful possibilities to create?
We all come to Easter Sunday in a different seat and with a different perspective. In Luke 24, the Resurrection Story, we read about four different Easter experiences by Jesus' closest followers.
What if we consistently fine the Jesus we are looking for but are prone to miss the point? How can we slow down and ask "what if we're wrong?"
How should we use our resources as we seek the Kingdom of God? How can we be more present and generous this Lenten season?
The story of the Prodigal Son may be one of the most well-known parables in the Bible. It's a story about THE Story. Are there still ways to hear this story anew?
What would we change or do differently if we knew how much time we had left? How does Lent invite us to slow down and consider how we use our time?
What if the holiness of God is as much in the mundane moments of life as in the mountaintop experiences? What can the Transfiguration in Luke's Gospel teach us about God's nearness to us?
Luke 4:1-13 - Lent is a time to fast, consider our limits, and acknowledge our mortality. Will we demand the way of selfishness, power, and prestige? Or will we trust a way that is not our own?
Chrystal Armstrong Brown continues the conversation of finding contentment in each of our present spiritual circumstances. What does it mean to pray to a God who seems distant? How can we come to recognize Christ's presence in life and death?
What if the most important location on a faith map is where we are right now? How can we honestly tell our stories and regain some sense of direction?
As we celebrate 15 years as a community, we continue to seek out the ways we might participate in God's kingdom in the next 15 years.
How do we stop treating faith like a finite game that can be won and start treating it like an infinite journey? How do we use our experiences to paint an accurate picture of where we are?
Deeply beautiful and deeply destructive things have been produced in the confines of prison. What songs might we produce when every comfort is stripped away?
How do we read the story of the Bible without editing it to make us more comfortable? How do we ensure a continual posture of learning and humility?
Jeremiah boldly buys a field in the city that is being destroyed and gives us the most hopeful chapters in the whole book. What does it look like to make actionable steps toward hope even in the midst of dark places?
What if the darkness of life has something to teach us? What do we have to let go of to embrace shalom in exile?
Jeremiah almost loses his life over a false testimony against him. How do we know what the authentic voice of God is in our world, in the people around us, and in ourselves?
What does it mean to risk optimism in the bleak darkness surrounding the Advent season? How does the eager anticipation of light propel us to a deep hope and peace which might be breaking out among us?
John the Baptizer teaches us to rethink how we prepare to receive the coming Christ. How is John speaking to us in the darkness and in our current cultural moments?
Christmas, the birth of Christ, is coming this year as it always does. What might it mean for us to prepare space for the way of the Lord this Advent season?
Advent is a liminal season marked by waiting and longing. We are good at believing in Christmas, but what does it mean to believe in Advent? How can we best live in this Advent season?
How do we experience God despite our limited perspectives? How can we try to avoid taking spiritual shortcuts in suffering?
Jeremiah's anger rages against God and the leaders who pretend everything is alright. In this teaching, we consider what B.B. King's "The Thrill is Gone" may teach us about the story of God through Jeremiah. What might God be inviting us into as we pull up, tear, down, or deconstruct?
What are we allowing to shape our view of reality? When is exile a necessary end to a destructive world view?
Jeremiah calls Israel on their idolatrous worship of things that cannot bear ultimate status. What if Jeremiah is not only talking to the Israelites, but also to us?
Jeremiah 8-9 introduces "tears" as a new character in the story. Grief and lament is often a polarizing posture for the church. But what if the people of God became known as those with whom people can best sit with in grief?
Is it possible that we have confused political ideologies for healthy theology? How does Jeremiah help us become aware of the ways we might use religion as a righteous coverup?
Jeremiah paints broad strokes about the reality of the world. He invites God's people to remember and ask for the ancient path of faith in the midst of the tourist traps distracting them along the way. What is along the ancient path that draws you back?
What if deconstruction isn't an end to faith but a necessary part of faith? Discover how Jeremiah's prophetic call equips us to both deconstruct and reconstruct in a complex culture.
The prophet Jeremiah gives us a glimpse of how God is calling each of us to live more fully. Are we willing to "run with the horses" when it comes to a life of faith?
What if our approach to reading the Story of God was more like playful kindergartners than successful business students? How can we imagine this ever-new Story as our own?
Paul's final thoughts for the church in Philippi include an invitation to the "secret of being content" which was different than the "secrets" of the ancient philosophers. How might our community look if the way of Christ was one that gives us reason to celebrate and be mindful of the good and lovely things in life?
Guest-Speaker Hugh Halter leads the conversation on navigating uncertainty. How will you respond to God's prophetic call and work in your life?
From prison, Paul explains how his resistance poem works itself out in real life and sends help along the way. Who has God sent you along the way?
Paul believed that a communal reframing around the mindset of Jesus was the ultimate expression of unity. What if becoming more like Jesus requires us to be more like poets who resist the status quo?
Paul calls the church in Philippi to be a lived expression of the Jesus story. How can we too accept the call of the imago Christi?
What if controversy serves to clarify our communal values and beliefs, rather than threaten them? Why should we embrace controversy, rather than run from it? What are we willing to "take a stand for" in our gatherings?
What "alternative world" are we trying to create when we gather together on Sundays and what etiquette stands in the way of creating that alternative world"
Hosting a gathering of any kind demands that we ask the question, "for who?" In our discussion of "The Art of Gathering," we wrestle with the question of "who are we inviting into our community" by entering into the Old Testament story of Mephibosheth.
1 Kings 19 - We gather because it is one important way we find our way back to God. Our expressions of faith and gathering are never static, but always hold space for a variety of dynamic experiences where we realize we aren't alone.
Talking about vocation is less about the pressure of finding "your one true calling" and more about finding the creative being God made you to be.
Genesis 3 - Discovering the true self in relation to God entails finding our identity as being solely known and loved by God.
Revelation 2:12-17 - Each of our individual lives are a constant rhythm of affirmation, reformation, and motivation. What if finding our true self is fundamentally linked to receiving who we are in Christ as a communal gift?
Isaiah 1 - How can we develop a rule of life that allows us to intentionally structure who and what is shaping our lives?
1 Thessalonians 2 - Rethinking a safe and accountable community centered on Jesus, not our ideals.
Acts 10 - We are invited to think again about what it means to follow God as we participate in the mission of God.
Luke 10 - Thinking Again about the Common Good means getting a much better definition of the word "politics" and learning to frame our identity and calling much differently.
Book of Ruth - Why do we stereotype and what would it take to rethink our animosity toward others?
2 Kings 5 - Rethinking how to change someone’s mind is more about dancing and listening than playing offense and defense.
Romans 12 - Rethinking spiritual formation means rethinking our ideas of success and mastery.
Genesis 1-3 - Living out Resurrection means rethinking everything through the value of the Image of God; be curious, not judgmental.
John 21 - Jesus meets Peter and the disciples on the shore of Tiberius, giving Peter a "better lasting memory."
John 20, Ephesians 1 - Mary Magdalene and Thomas have post-resurrection encounters with Jesus. What does this reveal to us about Jesus?
John 17 - Jesus prays for the unity of his disciples for generations to come. What does it mean for us to be "unified" today?
John 15 - Jesus teaches his disciples that he is the vine and they are the branches. What does it look like for us to abide in Christ?
John 14 - What does Jesus really mean when he says "I am the way, the truth, and the life"?
Crossings celebrates its fourteenth birthday as a faith community, considering the questions of what this pandemic season makes possible for the future of Crossings.
John 13:1-15 - The "second act" of John's gospel begins with Jesus foretelling of the hardships to come.
John 12:12-50 - Jesus summarizes his teachings, ending the "first act" in the John study.
John 10 - In his discourse with religious leaders, Jesus claims to be the good shepherd.
Our community looks forward to creating an alternative narrative in 2021 as we seek to be a community characterized by Jesus.
Isaiah 9 - The birth of the Christ is foreshadowed as Isaiah offers us a hopeful posture of peace.
Luke 2:8-11 - The appearance of the angels teaches us the posture of deep joy in the Advent season.