Saturday, July 30, 2011

Romans Series- slight tweak and reading schedule

After reflecting some more, I think the sermon series title "Jesus is for Everybody" might be misleading and suggest some kind of Christian exclusivism. Jesus did not come for his own sake, and I don't think Jesus is as preoccupied with his own glory (nor is God, despite what some suggest), so while Jesus is a huge part of what Paul is talking about in Romans, Jesus is not the ultimate point. The radically inclusive, barrier-breaking nature of God's grace is.

So we're going to call this series "Grace is for Everybody".

Also, as promised, here is the schedule of scriptures and tentative sermon titles for Arlington's two months reading through Romans together. On Monday, I'll post some initial thoughts and questions regarding the passage for the following week. Your input here will be part of my sermon preparation.

In the absence of a physical sermon discussion group the way I did at Bethlehem (and I hope to do at Arlington), we'll go virtual for this one.

August 7- Romans 1:18-23; 2:1-6 (I’m a sinner, You’re a sinner)

August 14- Romans 3:21-31 (Righteousness by Faith)

August 21 Romans 6:1-4, 15-23 (Law and Grace)

August 28- Romans 7:15-20; 8:31-39 (Nothing can Separate Us)

September 4- Romans 11:1-2a, 13-24 (Branches Grafted on to the Tree)

September 11- Romans 12:9-21 (Marks of the Renewed Creation)

September 18- Romans 14:1-8 (People with Different Needs)

September 25- Romans 15:14-22 (What We’ve Learned)

The following Monday we'll be posting the podcast of the final product, so those of you who aren't able to worship with us in person at Arlington (if you're in Nashville and not currently part of any church, come check us out!) can see how your input affected the sermon.

Tune in Monday as we begin talking about the first two chapters of Romans.

No comments: