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And so we're going to get started. And my name is Louis Donaldson and I teach new testament here . It's a seminary and it's my pleasure to introduce this morning. Um Dr Margaret aimer for her second

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jones lecture, which is entitled, or at least at one point was entitled Theological Courage for an economy of sharing. He said still it Oh, that's that, that's what it said on the website.

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So what is the title of yours, migrant writings have scripts that you can give you the title as you discovered in her first lecture, Dr Amer is not only an accomplished scholar, but a wonderful,

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provocative and persuasive lecturer. She made a case for reading the new testament as a migrant document written to for and by migrants. And I don't know if you were convinced or not, and it doesn't really

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matter because what matters is I was convinced and thus you should be too. She paid homage to scholars who have preceded her in various location readings, Segovia , Tolbert and others, suggesting thereby that her reading

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is a migrant herself is akin to these various readings from place that have been live in biblical scholarship, so much in the last few years. But if you noticed she's claiming something more, she argues that

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the new testament was in its origin a migrant text . Thus that it does not merely submit to migrant readings but actually creates them insist on them. Migrants strategies are part of the sin text of the text

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. This means her readings offered here yesterday and this morning will stick to the text migrants see is embedded in the text itself. Thus dr Aamer is not only creating her own readings but your readings as well

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. Everything she says from this moment on will haunt you when you read the new testament. The text itself will bring migrants see and the strategies of migrants to you, whether you like it or not and

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you are helpless to resist. May the haunting begin ? I give you dr Margaret aimer. Thank you for that wonderful introduction And for dinner last night louis , that was lovely. Good morning Austin Seminary.

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I see some of you have gotten up from your late nights now and we are here and good morning to those in the room in the other room with a big screen. In yesterday's lecture, I argued

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that the new testament writings can be understood as largely a collection of migrant writings, writings written by from or to migrant peoples and that encode migrants strategies for negotiating both home and host cultures, identified three such

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strategies limit maliti separation and accommodation and showed how these three strategies are typified in the gospel of john the epistle of James and the epistles of paul. Further , I complicated matters by stressing that no migrants strategy

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takes a pure form. These migrant writings instead function as a diaspora space, a space to quote after our bra where multiple subject positions are juxtaposed, contested , proclaimed or disavowed, Where the permitted and the

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prohibited perpetually interrogate and where the accepted and the transgressive imperceptibly mingle. Even while these syncretic forms maybe disclaimed in the name of purity and tradition, a space where tradition is itself continually invented, even as it

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may be hailed as originating from the mists of time . Today's lecture builds on the premises I proposed yesterday in it. I will turn some attention to the implications for our contemporary context of the encoded migrant strategies

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in the migrant writings. The Sojourners Truths that are the new testament. Let me begin, however, with a story from the newest presbyterian, our denomination , Lake will be Gone Presbyterian. With all apologies

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to garrison keillor, I want us to pay a visit to three Presbyterian churches in this Presbyterian. These are predominantly dominant culture churches, as are most presbyterian churches. The ethics of that reality will have to

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wait for another lecture for now. I want to establish that these are churches of persons, most of whom are worshiping in and around the towns that their families have lived for generations. All of these churches

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have healthy vibrant ministries and none of them is struggling to make budget. This is after all, Lake will be gone. Yeah. All of them have a normal complement of problems and possibilities and all of

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them voted the same way on 10 a. Now , our first church is ST jOHn's Presbyterian Church, whose motto is a gathering place for the Children of God John 1 10 to 13 ST jOHN's takes pride

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in being a church that does ministry among persons who have become alienated from their families and from their churches of origin for a variety of reasons. Part of their weekly liturgical practice is to read together portions of

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johN chapter one versus 1 to 18 and many of its members report a consonants with the portions of the scripture that speak of christ being rejected by the world and his own love for one another is a high

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value of ST john's and it is practiced through intentional gatherings, acts of service with one another and in the annual foot washing service held every monday thursday ST john's also challenges its members to live simply more off

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the grid than most other churches and to be as independent as possible of the wider community forgetting its needs met, members of the church form a babysitting co op and a homeschooling coop. The church runs a

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clothing exchange in a food pantry that are free to its members and those who can chip in to help support it. ST john's is also home to a bicycle cooperative, a do it yourself marketplace at church

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community garden that regularly feeds its neighbors and one of those little lending libraries now, ST john's encourages evangelism to discipleship of jesus christ grounded in personal testimony about one's relationship with jesus, regardless of how rocky.

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And it encourages its members to issue the invitation. Come and see recently, the members of ST jOHn , we're previewing the new presbyterian, him, no glory to God. Generally ST jOHn's is skeptical of

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all things denominational. It maintains a testy, tenuous relationship with the presbyterian does not use any him no , however, they were pleasantly to surprise to find I will come to you by David Hasse and in

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last sunday's worship service joyfully sang together. Do not be afraid. I am with you. I have called you each by name. Come and follow me . I will bring you home, I love you

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and you are mine. Our second churches ST James Presbyterian Church, whose motto is Faith without Works, is dead James 2 26. Mhm. Saint James takes pride in being a church that does ministry.

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In the rich traditions passed down by generations of presbyterians . They welcome all to join them in worship and intentionally practice no assigned seats, making sure that the guests get the best seats in the house, regardless

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of how they are dressed. Guests who come in after living on the street are treated to a shower and a change of clothes before worship and are seated among the congregation as old family friends, those who

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join ST James say that they are delighted to find a church just like the one they grew up in with. Active, vibrant presbyterian women and presbyterian men circles, youth fellowships that go to Montreal and ghost

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ranch and more ranch every year. The regular complement of annual offerings for peacemaking and one great hour of sharing and presbyterian seminaries and even a church tartan part of their weekly liturgical practices to read together the nicene

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creed. During lent, they switched to parts of the Westminster, shorter catechism. Every sunday the machine yearbook prayer. Uh, the mission yearbook Prayer Focus is incorporated into the prayers of the people and every

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lent the whole community studies together. The epistle of James focusing their six weeks on enduring temptation honoring all people working our faith, speaking wisely, confessing our cravings and being community. The practice of faith is

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a high value of James. As a result, they intentionally run a food pantry and clothing exchange for the neighborhood and donate food and money to the local food bank. ST James also challenges its members to

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support the church more than it does. The wider community, using the money they save from carpooling and simple living to give to local and global missions. Members are kept regularly up to date on how the

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money they send to the National Church and presbyterian are being used to do the ministries of the church. Members of the church gathered to do fundraising for missions like crocheting necklaces to raise money for the congo or

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joining presbyterian disaster assistance to build houses in Long Island new york devastated by Superstorm standing. The church is a major supporter of presbyterian home for troubled Children and of the presbyterian homes for elder pastors. ST James's

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so presbyterian that it maintains a library of every study the church publishes, and as each one comes out , they appoint a committee to study it and report its findings back to the whole church. As part

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of its minute permission, the elders of the church all regularly visit. It's homebound members and as a highlight of the ministry, pray for and anoint with oil the sick members of the church when they practice

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evangelism, ST James's members frequently invite folks to discipleship of jesus christ as a way to reclaim their roots or to plug into something greater. Recently, the members of ST James were previewing the new presbyterian hymnal

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Glory to God. ST James is still using the old red hymnal and it's only now thinking of getting a new hymnal. As the old ones are really becoming afraid still they more the loss of the good

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old presbyterian hymns that make us who we are, how reassured they were to find in the Glory to God sampler. One of their favorite hymns. And on sunday and full voice, say joyfully sang out

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, john Calvin's, him, I greet thee, whom I sure redeemer art, my only trust and savior of my heart, Who pain ditched undergo from my poor sake. I pray thee from our hearts

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. All cares to take mm. Our 3rd churches , ST Paul's Presbyterian Church, whose motto is all are one in christ jesus Galatians 3 27 to 29 ST paul's takes pride in its diversity and in being

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a church where finds ways to include everyone and to weave together everyone's culture to create the tapestry of their worship. Life together, part of their weekly liturgical practices to regulations 3 27 to 29 as the assurance

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of pardon every week from the baptismal font and before they are old enough to be confirmed. Its Children know these verses by heart, welcome and inclusion of all persons is a high value of ST paul's and

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it is practiced through intentional soliciting of members and guests to share in the worship and ministry life of the church. Members are invited to bring the talents they use in the world to the ministries of the church

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, and this is evident in the diversities of worship experiences from jazz to rock to bagpipes and bluegrass, as well as in the diversities of ministries in the church. Saint Paul also challenges its members to think

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critically and theologically about how it lives as christian citizens of the nation and christian employees at work in study groups and over coffee. Members of the church discussed christian responses to global, national and local civic problems

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, join in solidarity and host protest movements and consider theological and ethical responses to workplace problems like fair wage and parental leave. ST paul's is proudly presbyterian and participates fully in the life of the denomination. But

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it is particularly proud that it represents a microcosm of its local community. The church supports and volunteers with local agencies that clothe and feed the poorest of the poor. Volunteers with United Way and habitat for humanity

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, participates in the AIDS walk and is a visible good citizen within its community. It supported the local elementary school, the church sponsors a an after school program and regularly sends care baskets to the teachers,

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another school staff and administration. It hosts the prom after party for the local high school and hires a DJ to spend all but the raunchiest popular music all night long. Annually, the church brings in its

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elected officials for prayer and discussion, which can be lively, but it's never discourteous regardless of their political party. When the local mosque was threatened, ST paul sent members to do security in the mosque parking

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lot during friday prayers. And ST paul's youth buddy up with muslim girls in hijabs at school so they would not be bullied when doing evangelism. ST paul's members invite their friends to discipleship of jesus christ and

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to be part of a church that is in but not of the world. Recently, the members of ST paul were previewing the new presbyterian. Him, no glory to God. Saint paul will take any

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opportunity to try something new and so are its interested and excited about the new him. No, but to him that most spoke to their heart was surely Arena Murray's anthem for everyone born on sunday, they

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joyfully proclaimed in song for everyone born a place at the table to live without fear and simply to be to work, to speak out to witness and worship for everyone born the right to be free. And

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God will delight when we are creators of justice and joy, compassion and peace. Yes, God will delight when we are creators of justice and joy. And this is the news from Lake bogan presbyterian,

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where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, all the Children are above average in all the churches are growing. Uh huh. Mhm. Mhm. Now, obviously, the three

00:16:48.570 - 00:17:04.020

churches I have described are caricatures. I present them not only for the sake of levity, but as illustrations of the impact that migrant writings with encoded migrant survival strategies might have on our lives together. Later

00:17:04.020 - 00:17:18.700

in this lecture, I will use these illustrations to unpack at least one impact of these migrant writings on our lives in the contemporary church. I will argue that when we read and use these migrant writings as

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scriptures, we sacrifice not only the theology and testimony of these migrant writings, but also they're embedded migrant strategies for interacting with home and host culture, even when we ourselves are not migrants. Before I can

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unfold this argument further, we must first consider to activities of faithful people that, when acknowledged, help to explain the impact of these migrant writings on us . First, we must think together about what happens

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when faithful people name a collection of texts scriptures here . The work of Wilfred Cantwell Smith will be a helpful conversation partner smith, a professor at Harvard years ago. His seminal work is called What is scripture

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, a comparative analysis, and it traces the human activity of scripture, scripture making and scripture using across a variety of religious communities and traditions. Smith finds that scripture is a human activity. The quality of

00:18:33.660 - 00:18:53.530

being scripture is not an attribute of texts. It is a characteristic of the attitude of persons, groups of persons to what outsiders perceive as texts. It denotes a relation between the people and the text.

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Yet that too, is finally inadequate at issue is a relation between the people and the universe in the light of their perception of a given text. Close quote, Cantwell Smith writes as a scholar of comparative

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religions, not a theologian, and for some of us, his assertion can seem to be a diminution of the importance of holy scripture. However, I would argue that can't Will smith's definition makes explicit what

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we are doing when we confess that the new testament is holy scripture, as christians, as people of faith. We are confessing a particular relationship that we will have and will maintain with these ancient texts.

00:19:42.730 - 00:19:57.680

We are pledging to have a different attitude to these texts than to the writings of Marcus Aurelius, which are as ancient as our texts, or to the writings of plato of phyllo, which are equally informed

00:19:57.680 - 00:20:12.750

by the hebrew bible or to the writings found in the Nag Hamadi, several of which also referenced jesus christ. We may explain this relationship in deeply theological language that these texts are uniquely inspired by the Holy

00:20:12.750 - 00:20:29.340

Spirit. However, this does not take away from the fact that by naming, confessing and treating these texts as scriptures, we choose to stand in a particular relationship with them that is significantly different than our

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relationship to other texts. No matter how beloved even more important, cattle smith's underscores that the relationship he sees involves more than just a people and their scripture . The relation stretches between a people and the universe

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in light of their perception of a given scripture. In this description, Capital smith points to a critical definition of the function of scripture for the people of faith. For us, scripture functions as a lens

00:21:04.740 - 00:21:26.380

through which we perceive all things, our God, ourselves and neighbors, the whole created order and structure as a lands. Sorry, this is one of the hard things about doing this on the phone and

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scripture as a lens helps us to clarify our proper relationship to our God, ourselves and our world. Cantwell smith thus describes a symbiotic relationship where when we shape and are shaped by those texts that we claim

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and use as scripture. In addition, we need to examine our ongoing practice of creating for ourselves and our communities. A cannon within a cannon. The evidence for this activity of faithful people reaches back in

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time to the very beginnings of christian church from the days of the moratorium, Cannon and the marcie a night, heresy people of faith have been determining through which text they will negotiate their relationship with the world

00:22:08.610 - 00:22:23.720

and through which they will not even solar scriptural reformers get into the act with Luther denigrating James as an epistle of straw and cows in whether out of time or inclination, choosing not to write a commentary on

00:22:23.720 - 00:22:41.070

revelation to john in more recent history than the reformation , we get glimpses of people's reasons for selecting their cannons. How with thurman in jesus and the Disinherited provides perhaps the best known of these and the story

00:22:41.070 - 00:22:56.540

of his grandmother who would not let him read from the pauline epistles, with the exception on occasion of first Corinthians 13, thurman recounts and I quote what she told me, I shall never forget during the

00:22:56.540 - 00:23:07.410

days of slavery, she said. The Masters Minister would occasionally hold services for the slaves. Always the White Minister used as his text, something from paul at least three or four times a year. He

00:23:07.410 - 00:23:22.020

used as a text, slaves. Be obedient to them that are your masters as unto christ. Then he would go on to show how it was God's will that we were slaves and how if we were

00:23:22.020 - 00:23:36.070

good and happy slaves, god would bless us. I promised my maker that if I ever learned to read and the freedom of her came, I would not read that part of the bible thurman's grandmother.

00:23:36.070 - 00:23:48.470

Quite her quite candid assessment of the new testament collection of writings resulted in a determination that for her, some writings were not scripture. That is, she determined that she would refuse to use some new testament

00:23:48.470 - 00:24:03.530

writings in helping her negotiate her relationship to the universe like thurman's grandmother. For most of us, a collection of writings we call the bible contain writings that we no longer use as scripture. That's true.

00:24:03.530 - 00:24:18.010

Even though we don't want to admit it or in such a statement makes us to theologically squeamish, we might at least admit that some biblical writings do not figure heavily in our determination of how we must negotiate

00:24:18.010 - 00:24:33.690

our world. Whether explicitly or implicitly whether because we claim the super session of some text by other texts , like the dietary restrictions of the Kashrut laws, societal change, like the slavery text that run from

00:24:33.690 - 00:24:49.250

genesis to revelation to john or make please about insertion and lack of originality, like the misogynistic text that silence women in the new testament. For most christians , even if all biblical texts are scripture, some

00:24:49.250 - 00:25:06.730

texts are more scriptural than others. These activities directly affect how we christians interact with our new testament, migrant writings, naming them scriptures. We christians use the new testament migrant writings as lenses through which we

00:25:06.730 - 00:25:23.520

refract and focus our relationships with God with one another and our universe as people who create Cannon within cannon . We christians sometimes privilege Sergent migrant writings over others or ignore some completely. Whether we think that they

00:25:23.520 - 00:25:38.170

are oppressive, outdated or simply made of straw. So what do we make of this if we accept these two premises? How does this help us understand our three churches from the presbyterian of Lake Woebegone?

00:25:40.040 - 00:25:52.590

Let me suggest. Away. We have said that our scriptures function as lenses through which we focus our relationship with God one another and our universe. When we use migrant writings as scriptures, we incorporate into

00:25:52.590 - 00:26:11.700

those refractory lens is not only the theological concepts that these texts propose, but also the migrants strategies toward home and host cultures embedded in them, strategies of women, Haliti, separation and accommodation. We sacrifice

00:26:11.700 - 00:26:30.590

these migrants strategies, adopting them as biblical responses to the world. Thus, in faithful response, faithful response to our reading and study of the scriptures. We primarily dominant postmodern landed christians build our contemporary interactions

00:26:30.590 - 00:26:49.200

with our universe on the strategic interactions of non dominant ancient migrants within a hostile, roman dominated imperial universe . Further because we all maintain cannons within cannon, we tend to sacrilege eyes only certain migrant responses as

00:26:49.200 - 00:27:03.360

biblical and normative. We often do this without affirming or even realizing that the responses we have chosen do not represent a monolithic, faithful biblical response to our world. But only one Or two of the three

00:27:03.360 - 00:27:19.460

possible migrants strategy is recorded in the New Testament writings . So let's see this thesis inaction by considering again , are three fictional churches. Remember all of these churches are comprised of persons who have lived several generations

00:27:19.460 - 00:27:32.630

in the same part of the world. These churches are healthy and growing and they all voted the same way on the most recent controversy swirling around the denomination , and I wont tell you which way they voted

00:27:32.630 - 00:27:48.920

because ballots are secret. Now, our friends at ST john's have adapted a johanna in strategy of interacting with the world, john, as you will remember from yesterday, proposes a strategy of women, Haliti

00:27:48.930 - 00:28:02.430

born from a non dominant migrant perception that neither home nor host culture are safe places for the members of the community, liminal migrants attempt to inhabit a third space, a space of creativity and promise that is

00:28:02.430 - 00:28:18.030

neither the place of their origin nor the culture in which they find themselves in ST john's presbyterian Church. We see examples of this liminal strategy, in their espoused values and their community practices. They exhibit their

00:28:18.030 - 00:28:32.950

rejection of the home culture, in their explicit welcome and celebration of those who feel cast out of their homes and home churches and in their self identification of the church made of outcasts, they could be celebrating

00:28:32.950 - 00:28:49.850

a ministry of reconciliation. Instead, they have adopted a liminal migrants strategy as their biblical faithful ecclesial stance , limine Haliti does not value reconciliation with one's home culture. The same liminal stance manifests itself in the

00:28:49.850 - 00:29:07.220

communities testy and tenuous relationship with the presbyterian church. Usa another kind of home culture, they maintain a relationship, but it is one built on suspicion that the flawed denomination may prove hostile at the same time

00:29:07.220 - 00:29:23.170

, ST john presbyterian church practices an ethic of world renunciation, mimicking a migrant strategy of rejecting the influence of one's host culture at ST john's. This rejection takes a positive and environmentally sustainable form of encouraging communal

00:29:23.170 - 00:29:37.240

independence off the grid, all of their alternative institutions , the homeschool babysitting and bicycle co operatives, the food pantry and the clothes closet, the lending library in the community garden. All of these sustained community

00:29:37.240 - 00:29:53.060

and the earth and important and life giving ways and in these ST john's does not differ from many churches . However, ST john sacral ISES is activities as marks of its discipleship through its ethic of world renunciation

00:29:53.440 - 00:30:07.600

that in turn derives from its migrant strategy of women , maliti ST john's rehearses the strategy of criminality in its worship, repeating the johanna and him to the logos every sunday, welcoming the outcasts and resonating with

00:30:07.600 - 00:30:18.440

him that promise, do not be afraid, I'm with you, I have called you each by name , Come and follow me, I will bring you home, I love you and you are mine now

00:30:18.440 - 00:30:30.970

, of course, over the liturgical year, ST johN reads from the whole witness of scripture and involves itself, however reluctantly in the life of the larger church. However, ST john's cannon within the canon

00:30:30.970 - 00:30:44.720

centers around a gospel within which is embedded, a liminal migrant strategy for dealing with the world as in and in treating this migrant strategy, writing as scripture as a lens that helps to focus their relationship with

00:30:44.720 - 00:31:00.970

God and the creative order. ST john's has sacrificed this embedded migrant strategy as the defining characteristic of its ecclesial identity. From this identity springs forth, its communal life and its ministry. It's evangelism, it's

00:31:00.980 - 00:31:15.620

acts of faith and its ethos of women al Itty toward the world. Saint James Presbyterian Church has adopted a stance of celebrating the home culture and turning from the world, a separatist stance as encouraged by the

00:31:15.620 - 00:31:29.450

epistle of James. Unlike the limit maliti of the gospel of john, the strategy of separation in the epistle of James builds on the non dominant migrant perception that the host culture holds dangers for the members of

00:31:29.450 - 00:31:47.080

the community. James warns of this danger and councils a migrant strategy of separation in explicitly theological language, friendship with the world is enmity with God. Using this migrant strategy of separation, migrants turn toward their

00:31:47.080 - 00:32:00.740

home culture, celebrating it and living it out as fully and richly as they can while a shoeing the world and its ways. In Saint James Presbyterian Church , we see examples of the separatist strategy in their

00:32:00.740 - 00:32:16.820

espoused values and in their community practices. ST James recognizes as their home culture, the Presbyterian Church USa and therefore the church exhibits its embrace of home culture in their Uber presbyterian identity circles of presbyterian women and

00:32:16.820 - 00:32:30.990

presbyterian men use trips to Montreal and more ranch and ghost ranch, participation in the offerings and the presence of a church tartan, among other things. Following the epistle of James, the church practices an ethic

00:32:30.990 - 00:32:44.240

of welcome, but not a welcome that draws the church into the culture of the world instead, as demonstrated in their practice of no assigned seating and in offering showers and places of honor to those coming in

00:32:44.240 - 00:32:57.970

after a night on the street, ST James ethic of welcome removes its members from the tyrannical class distinctions of the world and ushers them into a home culture rooted in a proud history that is distinct from the

00:32:57.970 - 00:33:12.620

culture it inhabits. At the same time, ST James presbyterian church emphasizes world renunciation, although perhaps not to the same extent as ST john's sames. James members are also counsel to live simply and to use

00:33:12.620 - 00:33:23.790

the monies that they would spend in the world to involve themselves in global and local mission. Through the church, ST James's members use their talents and gifts to support the vulnerable among them those the epistle of

00:33:23.790 - 00:33:38.740

James calls the widows and orphans. Of course, this support comes in presbyterian form. Their monies and energies go to support presbyterian missions. Saint James empowers its elders to enact separate rituals of healing and restoration

00:33:38.920 - 00:33:52.620

than those of the worldly medical establishment, praying and laying on of hands. Even in its evangelism, ST James invites people to rediscover their roots and to return to their home. A call out of the

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world to a separate existence. Like ST johN ST James rehearses, it's migrants strategy in its worship life together. This includes not only its practice of non assigned seating taken directly from the epistle itself, but

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also its incorporation into the worship of the nicene creed in the Westminster, shorter catechism. It glories in the humanity of its past, rejoicing in the continuing presence of john, Calvin's only him and the new

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hymnal as with ST jOHn. So also ST James reads and learns from the whole witness of scripture. Over the course of the church year. However, ST James's Cannon within the canon centers around an epistle

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within which is embedded, a separatist migrants strategy for dealing with world and in treating this migrant writing of scripture as a lens that helps to focus their relationship with God and the created order. Saint James Presbyterian

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has sacrificed this embedded migrant strategy as the defining characteristic of its ecclesial identity. From this identity springs forth its communal life and its ministry. It's evangelism, it's acts of faith and its ethos of separation from

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the world. Our friends at ST paul follow a similar pattern to those of Saint jOHn and Saint James , they to have adopted a migrant strategy of interacting with the world, but there's is derived from paul's

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letters, paul's strategy, unlike that of john and James does not turn away from the world. Rather , it is a stance of negotiation with an accommodation of home and host cultures. The stands of accommodation

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marks the third space that is ST paul's community, a space of hybrid itty and constant redefinition as a church seeks to be in the world and yet not of the world. This migrant strategy of accommodation manifests

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itself in Saint Paul's incorporation of community and cultural institutions in all aspects of its ministry, while at the same time, not turning from it's clear understanding that it's called us to do ministry accommodation after all,

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is not assimilation and ST paul's maintains and celebrates its identity as a christian church within the presbyterian church. Usa so, ST paul's understands its decisions to join the local food bank AIDS walk community garden and the

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building projects of habitat for humanity, not as separate from, but rather as a critical part of its christian discipleship and it's presbyterian character the same time, ST paul's engages its members and its community in practices

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of critical moral, theological and ethical discernment. Here , church members wrestle with the implications of being citizens and christians. At the same time here, politicians are engaged not as heroes to be worshipped, but

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as public servants to be prayed for and held accountable to the demands of the gospel here. Public schools are to be supported not because they are christian, but because as christians, ST paul's members understand their

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walk of faith to have civic consequences here. Music of all kinds is embraced not to be trendy, but out of a theology of being all things to all people. ST paul's practices the strategy of accommodation

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in its worship, repeating the baptismal formula from Galatians every sunday as its assurance of pardon and encouraging the use of the gifts of all its members in the worship and service life of the community. Surely,

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Arena Murray captures a theological self understanding when she realizes God when she writes, God will delight when we are creators of justice and joy, like ST john and ST James, ST paul's reads from the whole

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witness of scripture over the course of the liturgical year . However, ST paul's Cannon, whether the Cannon centers around a gospel within which is embedded in accommodationist migrant strategy for dealing with both home cultures and the

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world and intriguing paul's migrant writings of scriptures as lenses that help focus their relationship with God and the created order. ST paul's presbyterian has sacral ized this embedded migrant strategy as the defining characteristic of its ecclesial identity

00:38:20.320 - 00:38:35.150

. From this identity springs forth, its communal life and its ministry. It's evangelism and its acts of faith and its ethos of accommodation. Our three church caricatures from Lake Woebegone presbytery present us with three very

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different ways of being church. And there are benefits to each of these strategies that each of these churches and bodies, ST john's liminal strategy offers the possibility of a space for the creation of something completely new

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removed from the old ways of doing church and the values of the world. Saint john's community can experiment with living into christian community in vibrant deep ways that are attractive and compelling. ST James's separatist strategy also

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offers an alternative to the world, a return to the cultural practices with rich deep roots that have upheld generations of christians because they have meaning and purpose and worth thus in a completely different way, ST James

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offers a vision of christian community that is attractive and compelling. ST paul's community no less than ST john's or ST James also stands as an alternative community in this community. New things are created from old things

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and old things that are beneficial are sustained, honed and redefined, while all things that are no longer useful are discarded or repurposed. The alternative in ST paul's is not a vision of a completely different world

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but of a completely different way of being in the world, an extension of church so that it begins to infect the world and change it from the outside in this too is a compelling vision. At the

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same time. Each of our three strategies presents challenges unforeseen by the churches that adopt them. ST john's , for instance, may not realize that the danger in criminality is that it is liminal, it cannot

00:40:20.920 - 00:40:36.930

be sustained, eventually limit maliti becomes home tradition, home culture, home ways. And if the ethos of the community continues to hold up limin, al Itty, the community cannot help but schism. As

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a second generation members of the community exercise the ethos of theological immorality against what is now their home culture . Now, the danger to ST James also derives from this place of greatest strength. It's tradition by

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focusing on home culture as the norm for a separatist church strategy, ST James runs a risk of calcify ng that tradition as one that can no longer change as a result, when the Holy Spirit blows into

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their midst Cornelius, someone unsupported by the tradition, ST James will not be capable of welcoming him home . To do so would be to risk their sacral ized separation. Saint paul presbyterian also faces a risk

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the risk of being so community involved that they cease to be church making permeable boundaries that should remain at best semi permeable, diluting their culture to such an extent, in the name of accommodation that they no

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longer have a moral stance with which to engage the world. These benefits and risks point to a reality that none of our effective Lake Wobegon churches can see that, but perhaps that we can all of our

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Lake woebegone churches practice their ministry in diaspora space. These churches inhabit diaspora space, not because they themselves are comprised predominantly of migrants to the United States or even to Lake Woebegone, but because all of that

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, because of their practices of scripture and Cannon practices that canonize particularly sections of the wider canon of new testament writings as a focal point for each church practices that employed these sections of the Cannon as scripture,

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using them to define here in broad caricature each church's relationship with God and the Created order practices that sacral eyes the embedded migrant strategies within their strictures, turning them from strategies for survival into biblical ways of being

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church in the world And all the while. These churches are reinventing migrant survival strategies for migrant writings for a 21st century landed church while claiming that reinvention as an ancient practice whose provenance is hidden by the mists

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of time. Friends, Lake, woebegone presbyterians a fiction. Most churches are not this blatantly aligned to one set of migrant practices over another. However, if we are honest, we recognize aspects of these

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practices of canonization, scripture making and migrants strategy, sacral ization in our lives of church together, this suggests that we to not simply the presbyterian church usa , but all of us who call ourselves by the

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name of jesus christ and who claim this collection of ancient writings of scriptures. We all also inhabit jasper space. All of us are involved and at times implicated in the co creative spirit inspired incarnation, all

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work of reinventing migrant survival strategies from migrant writings For 21st century churches, some of which are full of landed and settled members and some of whom are full of refugees, migrants and wanderers. And we do

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this co creative spirit field incarnation. All work for the 21st century while claiming that reinvention as an ancient practice whose provenance is hidden by the mists of time . We, in turning these migrant writings into scriptures

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. We participate in the holy work of sacral izing migrant strategies, inscribing and re inscribing sojourners truths for this generation of christians. Now in saying that we participate in the Holy work of inscribing soldiers truths.

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There are several claims that I am not making. I am not in so doing questioning the canonization or the authority of the new testament, migrant writings of scriptures. To the contrary. As a migrant,

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I celebrate the work of my migrant forebears and as a teaching elder of the presbyterian church. I claim these migrant writings as my own scriptures. I am , however, reminding us that these migrant writings are

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not unique. Vocal. We have acknowledged this for some time regarding their theological stances. However, I want to underscore that in addition to theology, these migrant writings are not Univ Akel in their council of

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migrant survival strategies. Some of them counsel limb analogy , but not all, some of them counsel separation , but not all some of them council accommodation, but not all. And to the extent that we

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choose to adopt one of these migrants strategies without acknowledging the biblical in premature of other such strategies, we do our forebears and ourselves a disservice more over to the extent that we raise questions of the faithfulness of

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other christian communities, who for whatever reason, have chosen to sacrifice a migrant strategy different from our own and, you know, the names we use for one another. We do ourselves our church and our

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witness to the wider world at this service. Further , I am not making this argument attempting to dismiss or in any way attempting to diminish the real clear theological and ethical disagreements in our denomination, the most

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recent of which but certainly not the most virulent, contains human sexuality. Rather, I am arguing that a real conflict between churches over theology might be further exacerbated by the denial of either church's engagement or disengagement

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with culture as a viable christian response, particularly if one church is predominantly johann in and the other predominantly pauline. I am certainly not proposing that all of you, fifth six and seventh generation americans should choose

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something other than new testament migrant right into scriptures because you yourselves don't have the good fortune of being migrants . Instead, I think that we all of us must be careful in how closely we identified with these

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strategies for most of us. Even those of us who are recent migrants are not hiding from an oppressive imperial reality. We are complicit in it. We landed residents may need to be reminded by the Johannesson

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strategy of limin, al Itty, of the importance of denying our world, that we might be tempted to idolize and our traditions to which we so closely cling. We landed. Residents might need to be

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reminded by James ian strategy of separation, that some traditions are rich and should be preserved as they call us. To live out our faith in meaningful ways we landed residents may need to be reminded by the

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pauline strategy of accommodation that we must engage but not conformed to the world. And we must redefine our traditions for each new generation of gentiles that God brings into God's covenant. But ultimately, we must admit

00:48:22.370 - 00:48:37.710

that migrants only need migrants strategies because host cultures make it hard for migrants when they come and has landed residents. We need to take seriously that we are the descendants of the host cultures. These migrants are

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trying to negotiate as much as we would like to claim our similarity to our migrant christian forebears culturally, we are, we more truly inhabit the imperial space and like the romans before us, we often force

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the migrants among us to negotiate our world strategically rather than extending to them a welcome and allowing them to reshape us in creative re formation. So we landed residents dare not avoid these migrant writings. We must

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read them with our eyes wide open to our own power and privilege. For one of the journalists truths that these migrant writings have to teach us as landed residents is the truth of our own complicity in creating

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and maintaining structures that force migrants to create strategies for survival. Friends. A collection of writings we call the new testament are migrant writings, sojourners truths, we shape them, naming them scripture and explicitly or

00:49:37.730 - 00:49:53.730

implicitly choosing favorites for our own. But they also shape us, bringing us landed residents into places that are theologically and existentially creative and contested diaspora places of migrants trying to figure out how to live in new

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ways while claiming an ancient provenance, We can resist the abilities of these migrant writings to form and reform us, but I think rather we should embrace them for these soldiers, troops invite us as a church

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to enter into their diaspora spaces with less fear and frustration, more grace and good humor, acknowledging that this contest station and creativity is not a divine condemnation , but a holy invitation into the messiness of spirit

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filled incarnation al co creation. Moreover, these soldiers truths invite us to practice more willingness to learn from our sisters and brothers who, because of their practices of scripture making and canonization. Sacral eyes, a

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different migrant strategy than we do. We need to consider that there are different strategy might be able to correct our places of difficulty holding back. We who are Polynice from relativity, we who are James ian's

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from living in the past and we who are johann in from the myth of disconnection. But even more , I think we ought to embrace these sojourners truth because they point us to a God on the move

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, A God always already in migration for according to our soldiers truths are God takes on flesh, comes to earth on his H one B visa to do the job he is charged to do, calling us

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all to deny everything to follow and then returns home . According to our soldiers truth, God, the Holy Spirit migrates to be among us forever, pushing us toward the accommodation and welcome a far more than

00:51:36.520 - 00:51:51.240

we might have imagined by ourselves. According to our sojourn is truth, we await the consummation when this same god will come again, but God will not come in a landed house, for there will be

00:51:51.240 - 00:52:07.280

no temple in the new earth. Instead God will stay. No God will pitch God's tent among us and with that tent will mark us forever as a migrant people of a migrant God, a people who

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bear witness to that God in our sojourners truths.