As the years passed, they found that a lot of people (themselves included) were stuck in ideas and concepts, living more at the intellectual head level and not so much at the awakened heart level.Īs Bill and Lisa evolved on their own spiritual path, so the Teachers of God Foundation has evolved with them. Their feet in the sand, the sun on their faces, the Teachers of God Foundation began as conversation between Bill Free and Lisa Natoli as they sat near the ocean in Maine in the summer of 2012.Īt the time, Lisa and Bill were both dedicated teachers of A Course in Miracles, both passionate about the message contained in the Course. Soli Deo Gloria – Amen.About the Teachers of God Foundation (TGF) May we shout the truth as loudly as the shepherds to all who have ears to hear. May we be as courageous as Mary as we seek to both understand and accept the assignment. She understood, in ways that continue to baffle even the most learned, what it meant to live a life that is truly pleasing to the Lord.Īs we print the final bulletin, rehearse the final anthem, don our stoles or haloes or choir robes, may we tune into the Holy Spirit whispering God’s desires for us and for our world. We will read this week of the sacrifice of Jesus’ mother, Mary – the willing offering of her body, health, time, marriageability, social status, and potentially her very life – to do God’s will. No offering is perfect except that which has already been expiated on our behalf. Whatever we do in the hustle and bustle of the next week, whatever liturgies are spoken, or rites performed, we are made holy only through the blood of the lamb. Though are hearts are rightfully turned toward the manger, Hebrews reminds us that Jesus’ sacrifice is our only sanctification. What does it mean for us to do God’s will, within and outside our walls? What parts of church life truly grow us spiritually, and which parts should we allow to die? Pandemic has the potential to be a sacred moment where we legitimately question which parts of worship are both pleasing to God and truly usher in the kin-dom of heaven. The author of Hebrews challenges us similarly as he abolishes sacrifice in order that we might truly do the will of God. Were our schedules pre-pandemic really tenable? Did we make enough time for friends, for family, for ourselves? From what parts of our lives were we unburdened during this season of forced inactivity? One Twitter pundit noted that as we rush to return to normal, we should in fact consider which parts of normal are worth rushing back to. The comfort of pine-decorated sanctuaries, candle-lit advent wreaths, and familiar hymns sung in pews is a balm for many of our weary hearts.Īnd yet, a return to “normal” is probably neither possible nor wise, even without the Omicron variant permeating the air. I imagine your congregations are excited to gather again in ways that are meaningful and will provide fresh hope for the first time since pandemic began. My church just held its annual Christmas concert, and I’ve noticed churches advertising everything from live nativities to small business shopping events to outdoor caroling. This Christmas season, as we begin coming back together for worship, many of our churches are reviving traditions that we were collectively forced to forgo in 2020. There is much to do, and little time to prepare even in this interval set aside for intentional anticipation. Whether you are a pastor, an administrator, a parishioner, or a worship leader, our collective anxiety is increasing as we draw closer to Christmas Eve. Greetings to you this fourth and final week of Advent. And it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Hebrews 10:5-10 Then I said, ‘See, God, I have come to do your will, O God’ (in the scroll of the book it is written of me).” When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), then he added, “See, I have come to do your will.” He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. “Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.
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