Creating a Community of Resurrection: Jesus, the Gospel, and the Church

Creating a Community of Resurrection: Jesus, the Gospel, and the Church

"As the Father has sent me, so I send you...Receive the Holy Spirit." (John 20:21-22) After he turns their grief and fear to joy, the risen Jesus sends his disciples on a mission.

In our time together, we will discuss the foundations of the Church in the mission of Jesus. Then, we will consider how the Church continues that mission, as the body of Christ and the temple of the Holy Spirit. In particular, we will examine the ways in which the Church is described in the Creed - "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic" - and what these words might mean for us today.

Without sacrificing a realistic sense of the flaws and limitations of any human community, we will consider how the Church might best live out its holy calling. It does so by becoming a community of resurrection, where God's boundless forgiveness and love are experienced and where the life-changing gift of Jesus is shared. We will take our cue from the liturgy of Holy Baptism, where we pray that those who are baptized will "continue for ever in the risen life of Jesus Christ our Savior." (BCP, p. 307)

Registration begins at 8:30 AM the morning of Aug. 20, and the seminar begins at 9:00 AM. The cost is $30 per person and includes lunch. For more details, and to sign-up for the event, please download the registration form (Adobe PDF format, free Acrobat Reader software is avail.), fill it out, and return it with payment by Aug. 15. A map to Transfiguration is also available. For additional assistance, contact Mrs. Ellen Dingwall, 972-233-1898.

The Rev. Dr. R. William Carroll is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology at the School of Theology of the University of the South in Sewanee, TN. He is a native of Southern California. He and his wife Tracey are both priests of the Diocese of Upper South Carolina, and have two children, Rachel (6) and Danny (4). They attend Otey Parish Church in Sewanee, which is a parish of the Diocese of Tennessee. Bill is a novice in the Third Order of the Society of Saint Francis, an Episcopal/Anglican Religious Community.

print this article

comment on article