"Everyone was against us..."

BY TOMMY WILLIAMS, SENIOR PASTOR

This month of June, I invite you to watch the EPSN film, “Of Miracles and Men." I hope you’ll reflect with me here in the comments section of these blog posts throughout our Summer Together.

“Everyone was against us…”

Many of the players from the Soviet team were interviewed for this movie. They were thought to be invincible, unbeatable, and yet they were also reviled as the team from behind the Iron Curtain in the middle of the Cold War.

Early on we hear one of the players say, “Everyone was against us for a certain reason – we were born in a certain place.”

What comes to mind for you when you hear this quote? Do we create caricatures or stereotype people depending on their places of origin?

Have you ever felt typecast because of where you come from?

Jesus was known for crossing boundaries of all kinds – into places like Samaria, into the homes of the despised, and with people otherwise scorned (LUKE 10:25-37 | LUKE 7:36-8:3)

Who is God leading you to befriend despite boundaries and place?

Overview of "Summer Together"

BY REV. TOMMY WILLIAMS

JUNE | Watch the ESPN 30 for 30 short film “Of Miracles and Men.” The historic American Olympic Hockey upset of the Soviet team during the 1980 games is the stuff of legend. This movie tells it from the losing side and chronicles the impact of the loss on the members of the famed Soviet squad. For us, we will explore the themes of shame, loss, faith and more.

JULY | Go with me (virtually) to Scotland where St. Paul’s Choir will be in residence at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh. Even though I won’t be with them physically, it is a place I have spent some time. The interactive blog and video will be a virtual pilgrimage through holy Christian sites there. 

AUGUST | Finally, let’s read Marilynne Robinson’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel Gilead. Its themes of community, family, and the legacies we leave, will be ripe for our reflections.