Beloved Community

Loving our neighbors as ourselves

Sept. 9, 2018 – Oct. 7, 2018

In this special fall series, we consider what it means to experience life together—both within our church community, and in the broader community where Artisan is placed. Inspired by MLK’s vision of a world without poverty, racism, or violence, we seek to align ourselves with God’s design for human flourishing.

Message line-up:

9/9: Rich and Poor Alike; Pastor Scott Austin; Listen; Read transcript; Care and concern for the poor begins with an acknowledgement that we are all equal in the essential human dignity that comes from being made by God. Once we learn this lesson, our care flows from interdependence rather than condescension.
9/16: A Stumbling Block to All; Pastor Scott Austin; Listen; Read transcript; One of the many ways the gospel levels the playing field between groups of people is that it confuses our sense of how the world should be ordered. We are all equally confused in Christ!
9/23: Fighting Words; Pastor Scott Austin; Listen; Read transcript; Jesus taught and lived a life of non-retaliation in the face of violence, echoing the words of the prophet Isaiah. Yet he also taught that our words can do violence, a point powerfully reinforced by the apostle James. Practicing true nonviolence requires a total change of heart.
9/30: A Response to Current Events; Pastor Scott Austin; Listen; Read transcript; In lieu of a typical sermon, this week included a pastoral reflection and guided meditation on one of the lectionary texts in response to the week’s news. (Content warning: this recording contains generalized references to abuse and sexual violence.); James 3:13 – 4:3
10/7: The Helpers and the Helpless; Pastor Scott Austin; Listen; Read transcript; If we are to experience Beloved Community, we must rid ourselves of oppressive hierarchies that are unsupported by scripture and inconsistent with the way of Jesus. One such hierarchy comes from a poor reading of Genesis 2, the story of the creation of woman to be a “helper” to her husband. We will reclaim and redeem this story!

Miss a message? Listen to it or read the transcript!

Use the “listen” or “read transcript” links above to download MP3 audio or a PDF transcript of a message you missed (or want to experience again). You can also subscribe to our podcast to get an automatic download of the sermon audio each week.

If you don’t see a transcript for a particular sermon you’re interested in, contact accessibility@artisanchurch.com and we’ll transcribe it for you!