As evidenced by this year’s presidential race, Americans today are inundated by situations of fear, uneasiness, pain, crisis, and mistrust. So much of our dead-lock and polarization is because we are constantly setting ourselves over and against each other. We believe this is because the events of the past fifteen years have reverberated with the earthquake of a collapse of privilege:

• 9/11 shattered our image of ourselves as those who had a place of National Privilege, seeing ourselves as “Leaders of the Free World”… now we have experienced the terrorism that has existed around the world, no long protected from organized violence against our people.
• Landmark Supreme Court Rulings deeply affect the sense of social privilege held by many different groups, including (but not limited to) legalizing same-sex marriage, limiting women’s reproductive rights, overturning Voting Rights Act, determining that Businesses are “people” with unlimited political contributions.
• The Housing Crisis and ensuing Wall St Banking crisis were the leading causes of the most severe financial depression of our lifetimes, which threatened our sense Economic privilege we have long felt as the “Richest Nation in the World”
• The international “War on Terrorism,” the Global Warming Crisis, and the Catholic Church Sex abuse scandal have drawn us into a heated battle over science vs. religion as well as engendering a new era of religious hatred culminating in unprecedented Islamophobia—demonstrating how the Religious Privilege that Christianity has long held in the US is threatened.
• Gun violence, Racially Directed Violence by Police, and the high rates of Domestic Abuse are highlighting the response created when areas of Male Privilege, White Privilege, and ‘Bully Privilege’ are directly confronted.
• And even our sense of Educational Privilege is being seriously challenged by the current generation of college graduates who cannot find jobs and are economically burdened by unprecedented levels of student loans.

Our worship/educational series from Easter to Pentecost will focus on how The Way of Jesus, including his foundational teachings from his Sermons on the Mount, and life example, describe for us how to live a life “beyond Privilege” and gives absolute direction as to how to live in a world where privilege is both a thing to be voluntarily set aside, and a system in desperate need of revolution!

Come join us as we explore what is truly crashing around us in our world today, and hear how the Gospel (Good News) of Jesus speaks to us of a way through the pain into healing and wholeness.

• April 3rd – Blessed are the Poor/Poor in Spirit: Economic Privilege (1 %  as well as  Middle Class/Labor Unions)
• April 10th (Gay Pride) – Worship at South Beach
• April 17th – Blessed are the Hungry/Those who hunger for Righteousness: National/White/Educational Privilege (immigrants, “racial/ethnic minorities,” and white vs. blue collar)
• April 24th – Blessed are those who Weep/Mourn and are Hated/Persecuted: Social Privilege (Winners vs Losers [Bully Privilege]  Successful vs. Unsuccessful), Heterosexual Privilege
• May 1st – Blessed are the Merciful/Peacemakers: Religious Privilege  (Religious Intolerance  &  Religion vs. Science)
• May 8th (Mother’s Day) – Blessed are the Meek: Male Privilege
• May 15th (Pentecost) – Love Your Enemies: Picture a  world where privilege is set aside  (people communicating)