Lent 2022

Our worship series for Lent 2022 will be looking at what it means to be a Methodist in a current day setting. 

We will be considering the following themes: 

Climate justice

How do we respond to our changing environment?

Why do we respond in this way?

What other possibilities are there for taking our response further?

What theological ideas does this throw up?

 

Mental health

How are people’s responses affected by stigma? What are the theological implications of this?

How can we make sense of healing/not being healed? What is the role of the Holy Spirit?

 

Addiction

Alcohol/drugs/gambling: Methodist roots resist addiction as a cause of social evil.

Nevertheless, church’s response must be compassionate not judgmental, because of the God we worship (how many of the ‘publicans and sinners’ had alcohol problems?) and because people are damaged by society, rather than being a potential source of damage.

People made in God’s image.

What does salvation look like for someone living with addiction? Many different images as individuals are so varied.

 

Living with contradictory convictions

How do we listen to each other, respect each other? How do we recognise all that we have in common?

It’s important to recognise that no one person has all the answers – truth is gradually revealed to us.

Our understanding of the authority of the Bible is relevant.

 

Different ways of being church

As we look to the future and respond to the pandemic, how is church changing?

  • Online identity
  • Inclusive of global Christianity
  • Room for individuality without giving way to individualism
  • Loss of control (eg. online Holy Communion) balanced by increased flexibility