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November 28, 2021 - The First Sunday of Advent -
Extraordinary Spiritual Experiences
"Disclosure: The Meaning of ESEs"
Scripture: Numbers 22; Luke 1
Making meaning of anything is a process. Making meaning of an experience that is qualitatively different from our ordinary experience is an even deeper process. I believe we cannot make full meaning of an ESE unless it is shared with others. From the hazy history of the very early church (Paleo-Christianity, as my friend Brian Muraresku calls it), it would seem that a worship service was primarily the process of meaning-making around ESEs, either personal ones or The Big ESE, which was the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
This Sunday, I try to talk us through a new way of thinking about church in this 21st century and refocusing us back into the experiential and extraordinary. Part of how I talk through it is by sharing my facilitated ESEs by way of the study I participated at Johns Hopkins in 2018 and 2019.
The video is just of the sermon, and the audio is about 2 hours long because I included the Q&A that followed the service. If you listen to the audio, the sermon begins at about 23:00.
Peace to all! Pastor Seth
Extraordinary Spiritual Experiences
"Disclosure: The Meaning of ESEs"
Scripture: Numbers 22; Luke 1
Making meaning of anything is a process. Making meaning of an experience that is qualitatively different from our ordinary experience is an even deeper process. I believe we cannot make full meaning of an ESE unless it is shared with others. From the hazy history of the very early church (Paleo-Christianity, as my friend Brian Muraresku calls it), it would seem that a worship service was primarily the process of meaning-making around ESEs, either personal ones or The Big ESE, which was the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
This Sunday, I try to talk us through a new way of thinking about church in this 21st century and refocusing us back into the experiential and extraordinary. Part of how I talk through it is by sharing my facilitated ESEs by way of the study I participated at Johns Hopkins in 2018 and 2019.
The video is just of the sermon, and the audio is about 2 hours long because I included the Q&A that followed the service. If you listen to the audio, the sermon begins at about 23:00.
Peace to all! Pastor Seth
November 21, 2021 - Extraordinary Spiritual Experiences
"Revelation: The Why of ESEs"
Scripture: Numbers 22; Luke 1
After the entity, creature, or situation Appears, hopefully it will tell the experiencer why it has shown up. This stage is called the Revelation. Revelation means "unveil". From our readings today, angels tell Mary and Balaam why they have shown up. The Revelation may be almost as strange as whatever is showing up.
I have linked the PDF above and the video of the sermon is below, along with the audio of the whole service.
Peace and grace!
Pastor Seth
"Revelation: The Why of ESEs"
Scripture: Numbers 22; Luke 1
After the entity, creature, or situation Appears, hopefully it will tell the experiencer why it has shown up. This stage is called the Revelation. Revelation means "unveil". From our readings today, angels tell Mary and Balaam why they have shown up. The Revelation may be almost as strange as whatever is showing up.
I have linked the PDF above and the video of the sermon is below, along with the audio of the whole service.
Peace and grace!
Pastor Seth
November 14, 2021 - Extraordinary Spiritual Experiences
"Appearance: The Who and What of ESEs"
Scripture: Numbers 22, Luke 1
Things get weird quickly in an ESE. The more we understand and marinate ourselves in the unbelievable strangeness of either Balaam's encounter with an angel and a talking donkey or Mary's wild encounter with an angel in her Annunciation, the more we begin to see that God shows up in strange ways sometimes. Getting used to ESEs in Scripture helps us understand our own ESEs much better. Meaning, however, must wait until next week and the week after.
Enjoy the video of the sermon and the audio of the full service. I have also included the PDF of the sermon in the title above.
Peace and grace,
Pastor Seth
"Appearance: The Who and What of ESEs"
Scripture: Numbers 22, Luke 1
Things get weird quickly in an ESE. The more we understand and marinate ourselves in the unbelievable strangeness of either Balaam's encounter with an angel and a talking donkey or Mary's wild encounter with an angel in her Annunciation, the more we begin to see that God shows up in strange ways sometimes. Getting used to ESEs in Scripture helps us understand our own ESEs much better. Meaning, however, must wait until next week and the week after.
Enjoy the video of the sermon and the audio of the full service. I have also included the PDF of the sermon in the title above.
Peace and grace,
Pastor Seth
November 7, 2021 - Extraordinary Spiritual Experiences
"Set and Setting: The Where and the When of ESEs"
Scripture: Numbers 22, Luke 1
For the month of November, we will be exploring the phases or stages of an Extraordinary Spiritual Experience (ESE). This week we look at the first stage -- Set and Setting. This series is part of my Doctor of Ministry project through the Semiotics, Church, and Culture program at Portland Seminary. Each week, we will take a look at the four phases of an ESE through two stories -- Balaam's Donkey in Numbers 22 and Mary's Annunciation in Luke 1.
Enjoy the video of the sermon or the audio of the whole service below.
I have linked the PDF of the sermon above.
Peace to all!
Pastor Seth
"Set and Setting: The Where and the When of ESEs"
Scripture: Numbers 22, Luke 1
For the month of November, we will be exploring the phases or stages of an Extraordinary Spiritual Experience (ESE). This week we look at the first stage -- Set and Setting. This series is part of my Doctor of Ministry project through the Semiotics, Church, and Culture program at Portland Seminary. Each week, we will take a look at the four phases of an ESE through two stories -- Balaam's Donkey in Numbers 22 and Mary's Annunciation in Luke 1.
Enjoy the video of the sermon or the audio of the whole service below.
I have linked the PDF of the sermon above.
Peace to all!
Pastor Seth