Part 7 and final teaching in our study on the Book of Daniel.

The book of Daniel concludes with a series of apocalyptic visions that take a more pessimistic stance toward power and empire. At the end of Daniel, we are left with a series of questions: how do we continue to negotiate our expectations and proximity to a power that can at times do good and bad? How can we engage in "strong misreadings" of Daniel and our world that are rooted in our ethics, morals, and values?

How do we feel when we realize the limits of power? What do we gain when we place our hope into people that are so restricted? What do we lose? What are we placing our hope in that, no matter what, we just aren’t willing to give up? And is that thing worth it?

The story of the writing on the wall in Daniel 5 reminds of the illusions and facades power often presents to us. But a simple change in the camera angle reveals how temporary power really is.

The Writing's on the Wall - OK Go

How do we resist the desire to see those in power convert to our way of thinking? What would change if those who have seriously wronged us changed? How do we maintain identities as exiles when we have access to power but also feel isolated from our own faith traditions?

As Wil Gafney said, Daniel 3 is anti-impirical text disguised as anti-impirical text. It is an unapologetic story of resistance against the violent, controlling, powerful empires of Daniels time and ours. Though we’d rather identify with the heroes/victims of the story, it might be wise to pay attention and take caution regarding Nebuchadnezzar’s final demand that all turn to Yahweh.

What do we believe about power and the reality it attempts to create? How can we maintain proximity to power and work with it while still keeping our distance and ability to critique it? How can we learn to trust in God's reality beyond the unreal power of this world?

How does the book of Daniel encourage us to live as exiles in our current times? How do we learn to switch between our multiple roles and identities for the good of the world while also maintaining our integrity?

In our final week of Sacred Ladders, a study of Sacraments, we look at the history and varied practice of ordination (or Holy Orders). What does it mean that we are within a tradition that celebrates the “priesthood of all believers” and what might we miss out on by having such low barriers to ordination?

The third teaching in our Sacred Ladders series is about the sacrament of confession/reconciliation. We don’t have a formal practice of confession like some faith traditions, so this study asks questions about we might be missing out on because of that. What might a renewed practice of confession look like and why does it matter?

This teaching is our second in our series called Sacred Ladders. People have different experiences of baptism. Here, we take a look at the baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 as a good example of an invitation to the sacrament of baptism. But what if baptism is more of a mutual experience than we often allow it to be?