Life Has Its Own Mortal Loveliness

The Church of St. John the Divine

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Life Has Its Own Mortal Loveliness

Marilynne Robinson's Gilead, St. Paul and the Transfiguration

March 6, 2024 • The Rev. Dr. Paul Wheatley

In Marilynne Robinson's Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel, Gilead, the aging Congregationalist minister John Ames grapples with his approaching death from heart disease through a series of letters written to his seven-year old son. As Ames revisits old homilies and the stories of the people to whom he delivered them, he provides poignant reflections on the nature of ministry among mortals, our human flaws, and the limits of one human life, no matter how well lived.

In this talk, Rev. Wheatley compares Ames's reflections on ministry and the Bible with St. Paul's portrayal of the corruption of humanity and the hope of transformation in Christ through the Spirit.

Mortally Wounded

March 20, 2024 • Dr. Rachel Toombs

Sometimes style gets lost in translation. An example of this loss can be found in the narrative of Jacob’s wrestling on the banks of the Jabbok River in Gen 32:22–32. In this close reading, we will peer behind the English translation of a familiar story to explore its spare quality. We will find that, like Jacob, we are often reading in the “dark”—navigating the paradox of wounds that bless, within our limits as mortals who encounter an infinite God.

Mortality as a Divine Conjunction of Dust and Spirit

March 13, 2024 • The Rev. Dr. Annette Brownlee

Mortality and the Depths of God’s Love

February 28, 2024 • Rev. Canon Dr. Victor Austin

"To Plumb the Depths of God’s Love", a children’s story by Susan Austin, is about trees learning to pray out of the depths of God’s love. Susan died at age 57 from brain disease. Her story is obviously not merely about trees but about how through life’s devastations we can discover God’s love unexpectedly. Out of this story, Rev. Austin will reflect, from his life with Susan, on God’s character as one whose love includes giving and taking away. The story was published as an appendix to Austin's book, https://www.amazon.com/losing-susan-brain-disease-priests/dp/1587434075.