This is a reflection based on the sermon from Harbour on Sunday 15 March 2020. 

“The woman at the well is often misrepresented as some kind of sinful outcast who Jesus takes pity on. Spoiler alert: she’s way more than that - and so are you.”

This is the second of six sessions in our "Advanced Christianity for Beginners" course.

Fancy some spring theological learning and conversation? Have questions about God, faith and what it all means? Inspired by Jesus but wary of churches?

All too often, what passes for “Christianity” today bears little resemblance to the actual life and teachings of its central figure. Over all the clamour of loud, brittle and dogmatic religion, it can be hard to even find the space to think for yourself and find your own way home.

Over the six weeks of Lent 2020, Harbour invites you to join us as we revisit some of Christianity’s core convictions, and together rediscover a more considered, hopeful and authentic faith for today's world.

Week 1: Who is “God” in a multi-faith World?

This is the first of six sessions in our "Advanced Christianity for Beginners" course.

Fancy some spring theological learning and conversation? Have questions about God, faith and what it all means? Inspired by Jesus but wary of churches?

All too often, what passes for “Christianity” today bears little resemblance to the actual life and teachings of its central figure. Over all the clamour of loud, brittle and dogmatic religion, it can be hard to even find the space to think for yourself and find your own way home.

Over the six weeks of Lent 2020, Harbour invites you to join us as we revisit some of Christianity’s core convictions, and together rediscover a more considered, hopeful and authentic faith for today's world.

Week 1: Who is “God” in a multi-faith World?

This is the second part of Brendan McCarthy's excellent 'Bible and Sexuality' seminar at Harbour Faith-community in Carrickfergus. Event details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/726920350973847/

This is the recording of Brendan's first seminar on 'The Bible and Sexuality' as advertised here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1872193759525487/

Full description: Run by Brendan McCarthy, this seminar is open to all who wish to increase their understanding and learning around areas of sexuality, faith and the Bible.

Whether or not they believe it, most people assume they know what "The Gospel" is. It is often summarised into what is called the "four point gospel" which (according to 'Campus Crusade') goes like this:

A Harbour podcast, recorded at St Colmans on 08 July 2018, based on lectionary passage Mark 6:1-12. Grace & Peace.

The prophet Nahum thinks that God "is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The Lord takes vengeance on his foes and vents his wrath against his enemies."

The prophet Jonah thinks that God "is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing."

They can't both be right.

Hundreds of years later another prophetic teacher is sleeping through a storm... we overlap their stories and follow the breadcrumbs home.

This Sermon is from St Johns in Ballycarry on the 24th June 2018.

It's tempting to think that it's our job to somehow 'hold the line' on morality against a supposedly sinful culture around us. "We’re just defending biblical truth", is what Christian leaders often say as they close the door on those people. But what if we’ve got this wrong? What if even the tiniest amount of this kind of thinking is actually toxic to the life of faith?

This week's sermon is a reflection on lectionary passage Mark 4:26-23 on the 3rd Sunday after Trinity.

It's tempting to think that it's our job to somehow 'hold the line' on morality against a supposedly sinful culture around us. "We’re just defending biblical truth", is what Christian leaders often say as they close the door on those people. But what if we’ve got this wrong? What if even the tiniest amount of this kind of thinking is actually toxic to the life of faith?

This week's sermon is a reflection on lectionary passage Mark 4:26-23 on the 3rd Sunday after Trinity.