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Here's a MAP to Shepherd of the Hill Presbyterian Church in Chaska, Minnesota.
Worship This Sunday Sunday, July 18, Pastor Gordon Stewart and Momoh Freeman lead worship. Rev. Stewart continues his reflections on embodied spirituality by looking at the heart of God as seen through the story of Hosea's love for Gomer. Sermon Excerpt "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these!" The biblical language we have just heard is the language of the heart. It is not the language of mathematics or science or history. Nor is it the language of the philosophy of Aristotle or of systematic theology shaped by the straight-jacked of rationalism. The religious language of the Bible is not un-rational or anti-rational. It’s non-rational, or, we might better say, pre-rational. It precedes reason. It’s the language of awe - the language of reverence that must have left our cavemen ancestors with their jaws on the cave floor when they peered out at the miracle of the sun coming up again in the morning or when they saw a rainbow after a hard rain, or when, after a long dry spell when the land on which he depended had become thirsty, they looked out and saw the rain watering the earth. Only the language of metaphor and poetry can get at the original wonder that is the origin of all religion. Isaiah: “Thus says the Lord who made you, who formed you from the womb and will help you:…I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground…. Your descendants will spring up like grass amid waters, like willows by flowing streams.” Or the picture language of Jesus spoken into the field of anxious human toiling: "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet tell you even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." -Opening paragraphs of "What Language Shall I Borrow?" preached by Pastor Gordon Stewart June 6 at Shepherd of the Hill Presbyterian Church in Chaska. | Looking for a church home? As a Presbyterian Church, Shepherd of the Hill Presbyterian Church in Chaska (SHPC) is a Christian congregation rooted in the early church and the Reformed Protestant tradition of thoughtful reflection grounded in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures. Like the Friends ('Quakers'), we listen for 'the still small voice' of conscience more often than to any human superior or to the clanging gongs of mass hysteria. Like our Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and Episcopalian brothers and sisters, SHPC values dignity and traditional worship that have borne the test of time and make us aware that history did not start with us. Shepherd of the Hill Presbyterian Church in Chaska is a church of Word and Sacrament that expects a thoughtful word from the pulpit, which is why we require ordained Ministers of Word and Sacrament to study the Scriptures in the original biblical languages of Hebrew and Greek. Like Unitarian-Universalists and Baha'is, we Presbyterians respect truth, goodness and beauty wherever we find them. We are Christ we follow is leads us to the margins (the poor, the imprisoned, the oppressed) and away from dogmatism and demagoguery. Jesus Christ - crucified by the powers but raised as God's resounding "Yes!" - is the gravitational center of everything we seek to be and do in our common and personal life at SHPC. We invite you to join us in this less anxious, more open, more responsible, more joyful, dialogical way of being in the world in the name of Christ. Men's Retreat Shepherd of the Hill held a 24-hour overnight men's retreat Monday evening June 21 through Tuesday afternoon, June 22 at the Benedictine Center in St. Paul. Using the theme of "The Door," participants explored permission-denying and permission-granting powers that make for, or prevent, living life boldly to the full. Fanz Kafka's Parable of the Law from The Trial and biblical material ("I am the door") were used for group discussion and periods of silence. |
Jesus: The Man for Others At Shepherd of the Hill Presbyterian Church we're serious about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. In the tradition of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, witness of faith executed by the Third Reich, who saw in Jesus "the man for others" and saw in the crucified-resurrected Jesus the Lord of Life himself, we don't sweep tragedy and horror under the rug to jump to the resurrection.
"Today, you will be with me in Paradise." 19th century French artist James Tissot. The resurrection is the power of God that raised the Faithful Witness from the power of Roman torture and execution. The Spirit of the crucified and resurrected Lord gives life to all who call upon his Name. We invite you to find a deeper joy.
| MPR Commentary, Etc. Shepherd of the Hill Pastor Gordon Stewart does guest commentaries aired on "All things Considered" (Minnesota Public Radio, 91.1 FM, KNOW). His commentaries on the intersection of faith and life are also published by MPRNewsQ, MinnPost.com (an online Minnesota "newspaper") and The Chaska Herald. Listen to A Lesson Learned Out on the Gulf of Mexico, aired June 4 on "All things Considered." Read June 4, 2010 MinnPost commentary "What's in an Oyster?" Read May 28, 2010 MPR Commentary "What if the oil spill is a symptom of somethng bigger?" Read March 29, 2010 MPR commentary on the need for civility in American public discourse. Listen to "The Peanut Gallery," an MPR commentary by SHPC Pastor Gordon Stewart aired on "All Things Considered" March 23, 2010. "Ashes to Ashes, Muscles to Mush," an MPR commentary (Feb. 17, 2010), a reflection on an Ash Wednesday kind of week in the jungle of Costa Rica. "Release from the Inner Prison" on MinnPost (Feb. 12, 2010) on the Wall Street prison of de-regulated corporate capitalism. Read "Hammer Strokes Against the Darkness" an MPR commentary on MPRNewsQ, January 19, 2010. Read "The Voice of Abel's Blood" on MinnPost.com (January 6, 2010). Read "The deeper meaning of a decorated tree" on MPRNewsQ, December 23, 2009. Read and listen to "Remembering Armistice Day," an MPR commentary on "All Things Considered," aired November 11, 2009. Listen to "Quiet at 4:00 A.M." aired on "All Things Considered" (MPR commentary) October 30, 2009. Read "As Copenhagen Conference nears, mallards offer lesson in shared responsibility" on MinnPost.com, November 9, 2009. "Old Fears Follow Their Familiar Path" was published by MPRNewsQ September 30, 2009. "A Visit with Mary" published by The Presbyterian Outlook October 4, 2009. "How appeals to fear - and mususe of Scripture - dampened a chilidog celebration" was published by MinnPost.com October 9, 2009. The only Presbyterian Church in Chaska, we value a free pulpit both in the church and in the world-at-large. Our pastors are free to speak their minds in the public square. |
Shepherd of the Hill Presbyterian Church in Chaska - Home of Shepherd of the Hill Dialogues - celebrates God's unconditional love for everyone, feeding the soul and challenging the mind with worship, education, outreach, and public gatherings that re-create the public square and promote the common good in the name of Christ. An MPR commentary by SHPC Pastor Gordon Stewart frequently airs on MPR (KNOW 91.1 FM)'s "All Things Considered." Music by Momoh Freeman and Linda Livers. SHPC is the only Presbyterian Church in Chaska and all of Carver County, Minnesota. Look for the rocking chair on the lawn.
