The Q&A on Sunday
This upcoming Sunday, February 24, we are hosting our first post-service Q&A related to the 1 Timothy sermon series. We are planning to have two more Q&As this Spring, on March 24 and May 12.
Setting Up for the Q&A
In terms of logistics, we’ll be commissioned out of the service around 11:15am, and then reconvene for the 90-minute session at noon. That will leave just a little time to pop out and grab some food (you’re welcome to bring lunch back to the building).
We will not be providing childcare — kids are welcome to hang out, of course, but it’s up to the parents. We will be recording the Q&A for those who can’t make it.
The Goal of the Q&A
The goal of the Q&A is to dive deeper into the topics found in 1 Timothy, and in particular, the topic of men and women. That will be an important topic in the coming weeks as we preach through Chapters 2 and 3, which is also why the sermon on Sunday will be a break from our verse-by-verse exposition.
Pastor David Mathis will resume verses 8–15 on March 3, but my plan this Sunday is to hit pause, take a step back, and give a more foundational theology of men and women. It’s interesting that Paul gives his instruction to the church by referring back to Genesis 1–3! That means he assumes we understand something about the meaning of men and women. We need a foundational grasp of the sexes before we can make sense of what he’s saying. Therefore, God willing, that’s what I’m hoping to present.
Find Our Footing
So often in our modern debates we tend to jump right into questions like whether or not a woman should be an MMA fighter — that is, we tend toward roles and performance but without sufficient footing in who men and women are. The footing we need requires us to go more upstream, to spend more time living in the biblical narrative, breathing in its richness. And the hope is that such footing will help us think more critically about our cultural assumptions … because we have them. So while we’re building toward a more robust theology, some cultural and historical analysis is also helpful.
For example, one point I’ve mentioned before is the strangeness of our times when it comes to the question of “gender roles.” We live in what’s been called a post-industrial era, which means economically and technologically, this is all brand new. Seriously. We live in a moment of phenomenal (literally) opportunities and possibilities, having almost endless access to consume. And, honestly, we’re not sure how God’s design for men and women map onto that. So we need to go deep in the Bible; we need to talk; and we need to work on how this works.
So, by God’s grace, that’s where we’re headed in this sermon series, and the Q&A’s are a key part in that. I hope you can make it.
