The Loft LA - Progressive Christianity in Podcast Form

Reconstructing Salvation: Transforming the Heart

The Loft LA — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 00:16:52 -0700

Salvation is most often associated with what we must do (or believe) to go to heaven. As a result, most Christian theologies of salvation focus on what happens after we die. However, if we assume that salvation is important, it seems odd that Jesus would speak so little about what happens when we die. What Jesus speaks about frequently and passionately is how we can transform the world he lived in - the world we live in - into the Kingdom of God.
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Born Again: A New Heart & The Heart of Justice

The Loft LA — Sun, 13 Sep 2026 19:20:45 -0700

The phrase “born again” carries A LOT of theological baggage. Yet the New Testament suggests that if being “born again” leads to judgmentalism, self-righteousness, and policing in-group and out-group boundaries, we can question whether someone has experienced the spiritual transformation of the heart Jesus describes in John. This transformation is both personal and political: when we are centered in God, our hearts beat for justice. Conversation Question: What comes to mind for you when you hear the phrase "born again?" How, if at all, has it influenced your understanding of what it means to practice being a Christian?
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Jesus: The Heartbeat of God

The Loft LA — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 02:25:57 -0700

Christianity is unique among world religions because God is not revealed to us through a text but through Jesus, the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus is what can be seen of God, embodied in a human life. Through his life and his teaching about a Way of life, he reveals the heart of God to us.
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God: The Heartbeat of Reality & The Mystery of Evil

The Loft LA — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:48:00 -0700

As Christians, we believe that God is the heartbeat of reality, a life-giving and sustaining presence. All Christians can affirm this claim. However, as we deconstruct our faith, we realize that the way we "see" God, our understanding of God's relationship to the world, and God's character significantly shape how we practice Christianity and how we respond to the evil and corruption of our time. Conversation Question: What do you understand the character of God to be? Stated differently, what is your God most fundamentally like? www.TheLoftLA.org

Scripture: The Heart of our Tradition

The Loft LA — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 02:33:00 -0700

To be Christian is to be centered in the God of the Bible. For us, the Bible is our sacred scripture and sacred story. Yet the Bible is also one reason many people have left Christianity or the church and now describe themselves as "spiritual but not religious." At some point in our spiritual formation, we must answer this question: How do we read the Bible after deconstruction, and why does it matter? Please join us in The Loft as we answer this question together.

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Faith - The Way of the Heart

The Loft LA — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 02:17:00 -0700

Most people would define Christian faith as believing a set of Christian beliefs to be true. In some parts of the world, the word "believer" is a synonym for Christian. Defining faith this way has made it primarily about the beliefs in our heads, but this is not how the Bible and the Christian tradition speak about faith. Faith has always been a matter of the heart. Recovering and reconstructing our definition of faith will help us see Christianity as a way of life - a way of living with our hearts centered in God.

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After Deconstruction: New Wine & New Wineskins

The Loft LA — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 16:21:00 -0700

What are we to do when the tradition that taught us to ask "what would Jesus do?" no longer reflects what Jesus showed us in his life and teachings? Deconstruction. Decolonization. Reconstruction. For many people of faith, these three words mark the moments when they realized the religious beliefs embedded in their childhood were at odds with their experience of God as Divine Love. Those three words could also describe how the disciples experienced Jesus' teachings, which challenged parts of their religious traditions.

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God Doesn't Have Favorites

The Loft LA — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 17:51:00 -0700

Join guest preacher Everest Harvey in The Loft as we wrap up our sermon series on hospitality and explore what it means to create home for every person in God's community.

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Making A Place for Hospitality

The Loft LA — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 20:46:00 -0700

Because we practice hospitality as a core part of our faith, we work to make the our spaces more welcoming. This requires us to pay attention to how people experience our homes and our churches, in hopes that they will be places characterized by love and generosity.

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Hospitality With God

The Loft LA — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 00:59:00 -0700

How does greed or emptiness get in the way of offering hospitality to God? And what can we do? We welcome Rev. Dr. Diana Holbert, our Minister of Care, to The Loft this week as Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter has been home battling Covid. We invite you to keep him in your prayers as he continues to recover. www.TheLoftLA.org

We Are Strangers Who Welcome Strangers

The Loft LA — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 02:59:00 -0700

Throughout his teaching and ministry, we encounter Jesus as a vulnerable guest, a needy stranger, and a gracious host. Jesus both welcomes and needs to be welcomed. In this way, when we are hospitable to the needy stranger, we do so with the awareness that we may be showing hospitality to Christ. And when we receive hospitality from a stranger, they give it knowing that they may be showing hospitality to Christ too.

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Hospitality As Spiritual Practice

The Loft LA — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 20:18:00 -0700

In ancient times, hospitality was regarded as a pillar on which the world's moral structure rested. It is an important theme in scripture, central to the gospel story. In the New Testament, we encounter Jesus as a vulnerable guest, a needy stranger, and a gracious host. The teachings of Jesus enrich and challenge our modern definitions of hospitality, inviting us to see it as a spiritual practice.

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Queer Callings & Responses

The Loft LA — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 02:36:00 -0700

The Song of Mary and the Song of Hannah remind us that God's call to prophecy, service, and leadership is not limited to cisgender men. The songs of Elsa, a character whose story is decidedly queer, suggest something similar. Reading these stories together can help us understand how essential it is to respond to our calling.

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Baptized Into A Found Family

The Loft LA — Sun, 21 Jun 2026 22:39:00 -0700

The Bible tells us that when Jesus was baptized, he heard a voice from heaven declare, "This is my Son whom I dearly love." In the story of Jesus' baptism and temptation, we see the triumph of vulnerability over toxic masculinity and the beginnings of a found family that can survive temptation and thrive as their authentic selves.

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Drew Back the Curtain

The Loft LA — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 01:39:00 -0700

Even before he was immortalized in musical theater for his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (TM), Joseph's story has so many points of connection with the experiences of Queer folx. Come "draw back the curtain" and hear his story again. Lofter and drag performer Elliot Handloser joins Pastor Molly this week for a second week of our Pride month "We Have Always Been Here" series.

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Now You See Me

The Loft LA — Sun, 07 Jun 2026 16:37:00 -0700

The way we read the Bible is filtered through the lens of our experience. Our interpretive lens determines what we do and what we do not see. This Sunday, we begin our Pride month sermon series by learning how a queer hermeneutic can help us to see what has always been there.

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Challenges and Hopes: After 70 Years of Women's Ordination

The Loft LA — Sun, 31 May 2026 15:43:00 -0700

Join us for a special Loft conversation with clergy women who have been connected to Westwood, including Bishop Dottie Escobedo-Frank, Bishop Mary Ann Swenson, Rev. Dr. Sharon Rhodes-Wickett, Rev. Jane Voigts, Rev. Dr. Natalie Houghtby-Haddon, Rev. Kathy Cannon, and Rev. Blair Stowe.

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Growing In Christ-likeness

The Loft LA — Mon, 25 May 2026 08:04:00 -0700

What does it mean for us to grow in Christ-likeness? It is Pentecost Sunday, and we will end our series on the Holy Spirit by examining the third function of the Spirit - inspiring us to develop the mind of Christ. This Sunday, we are also celebrating Youth Sunday and Confirmation in The Loft! We will celebrate all of our young people who went through the confirmation process, and after worship, we will celebrate with a taco lunch just like the early Christians did.

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Called: The Holy Spirit & Vocation

The Loft LA — Sun, 17 May 2026 17:19:00 -0700

The Holy Spirit is the implanted hope that continually moves us to live the Christian life, the Way of Jesus. In addition to reconciliation, a section function of this movement is found in our vocation. This Sunday we will be joined by Reverend Rae Huang. She is a community organizer, ordained Presbyterian minister, and actively engaged in Los Angeles politics. We will discuss how her vocational path has always been in response to the Spirit.

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(W)Holy Restoration

The Loft LA — Sun, 10 May 2026 21:51:00 -0700

The Holy Spirit is the implanted hope that continuously moves us to practice living the Christian life, the Way of Jesus. One function of this movement towards God is that we are restored to a right relationship with God by grace and through faith. When we choose to go with, rather than against, the momentum of our souls, we step into the Divine flow of love that restores our love for our neighbors and ourselves.

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The Breath of Life

The Loft LA — Fri, 08 May 2026 11:19:00 -0700

As Christians, we believe in one God who has revealed Godself to us in three distinct persons - the Creator, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. While the concept of the Trinity has helped us understand something of the nature of God, within the Western church much more has been written about the Creator and the Son than about the Holy Spirit. This Sunday, we begin our four-week series on the Holy Spirit by asking - what is the Holy Spirit? www.TheLoftLA.org

How Do We Pray?

The Loft LA — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 22:07:00 -0700

The gospel accounts tell us that Jesus spent roughly three years with his disciples during his earthly ministry. Interestingly, the only thing the disciples specifically asked Jesus to teach them was how to pray. In his life and ministry, Jesus shows us that when prayer is our anchor, we can feel grounded while in calm waters and have the courage we need to stay afloat through the storms.

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Why Do We Pray?

The Loft LA — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 00:59:00 -0700

Last week, I suggested that the purpose of prayer is to deepen our relationship with God so that we are transformed by centering in Divine presence, and that it is not about coercing God or others to do something. This week, we continue our series by exploring why we pray. Why do human beings, even ones who don't identify as people of faith, feel an urge to pray?

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Sermon Series on Prayer - Charting Our Inward Sea

The Loft LA — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 19:07:00 -0700

What is prayer, and what is its purpose? In this first week of our three-week series on prayer, we explore some answers to these questions by reflecting on the community in Thessalonica and the Apostle Paul's encouragement that they "pray without ceasing."

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Jesus & The Resurrection Journey

The Loft LA — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 22:05:00 -0700

During his ministry, Jesus reminded his disciples that following his Way meant accepting that they would have to take up their own cross. The Jewish community of Jesus knew that the cross meant death. Yet what we see in the resurrection of Jesus is that death is part of a larger, ongoing process by which all things are made new. The Singers of Soul will be leading us in worship.

Children are welcome in The Loft gathering as Easter is an especially meaningful time to worship together. We will have kids worship activity kits that you can pick up on your way in, just in case they need a little distraction during worship. Additionally, there will be a kids' area in Helms Hall, across from The Loft, where the worship service will be livestreamed. This area includes couches, chairs, a table for children to draw on, and Legos and other activities to keep them entertained. www.TheLoftLA.org

The Way of Jesus is a Way of Resistance

The Loft LA — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 17:40:00 -0700

The Bible is both personal and political, and thus, the way of Jesus is both personal and political. The Way is a path towards personal transformation and political resistance to systems of religious and secular domination. The spiritual path of Jesus is an invitation to advocate for the kingdom of God and criticize those complicit in upholding the domination systems that harm the most vulnerable.

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The Mysticism of Jesus

The Loft LA — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 21:01:00 -0700

The majority of Christians would probably not use the term "mystic" to describe Jesus. Many Christians, especially those of us in the West, think of mysticism as a spirituality that is disconnected from the everyday experiences of life. However, what we see in the life of Jesus is that his spiritual practices created a sense of Oneness with God and with other human beings, which deeply informed his beliefs about our responsibilities towards one another.

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Jesus & His Neighbors

The Loft LA — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 19:29:00 -0700

From the outset of his public ministry, Jesus included disciples within his inner circle whom his Jewish contemporaries believed did not deserve a seat at the table. When questioned by a lawyer about one person's moral obligations to another, Jesus begins and ends a parable with the question, "Who is my neighbor?" Matthew Hom from Clergy & Laity United for Economic Justice will be joining me in the center to discuss their work helping faith communities live out the principles of this parable.

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The Way of Jesus is The Way of Love

The Loft LA — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 21:25:00 -0700

Like other wisdom teachers, Jesus spoke of two ways. There is a common way, the one followed by most people, and an alternative way, a path of transformation leading from how we ordinarily live our lives to a different way of being in the world. By following the narrow way, Jesus suggests that we move closer to discovering our true and authentic selves in God.

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Jesus & The Imperial World

The Loft LA — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 23:35:00 -0800

The context surrounding Jesus' life was complicated by an imperial domination system. The central features of Roman colonial power were its political oppression and poverty-inducing effects. How was it possible for Jesus to develop a spiritual path of radical compassion out of this social world of political and economic marginalization?

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Who Do You Say That I Am?

The Loft LA — Sun, 22 Feb 2026 18:03:00 -0800

After having spent time in his community preaching and teaching, Jesus asks his disciples, "Who do the people say that I am?" For those of us who grew up Christian, how we answered that question was of utmost importance. However, as we mature in our faith, an equally important question begins to emerge: how do we tell the story of Jesus? There are many ways to tell the story of Jesus, but how we choose to tell it significantly informs how we practice the religion he taught his disciples.

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The Gospel of Mary Magdalene

The Loft LA — Sun, 15 Feb 2026 16:10:00 -0800

Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus's disciples. The Gospels say she traveled with him, was present at his crucifixion, and was the first to see him after his resurrection. Most Christians don't view her as one of the more important disciples, if they see her as a disciple at all. However, this wasn't always the case; plenty of evidence suggests that the writings attributed to Mary played a key role in shaping the early Christian movement. Join us this Sunday as we explore what happened to Mary's teachings and how the decision to exclude her voice continues to affect Christianity today.

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Hagar: The Woman Who God Named

The Loft LA — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 22:24:00 -0800

When most Christians read the story of Abram, Sarai, Hagar, and Ishmael, Hagar is seen as having a small role in a story that ultimately is not about her. However, upon a closer reading, Hagar plays a central role in God's unfolding relationship with Abram and his family. Hagar's story of survival, hope, and redemption mirrors the experiences of many Black, Indigenous, and Other women of Color in America.

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Listening For Sophia: Finding Wisdom In Places It Has Always Been

The Loft LA — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 01:53:00 -0800

In Jewish and Christian traditions, the voice of wisdom has long been personified as Sophia, a woman. It is a sad irony that the voices of women and other marginalized communities are not usually seen as sources of wisdom in modern Christian communities. What might we learn if we listen to the voices of those whose wisdom has been marginalized? What wisdom can we draw from the community response in Minneapolis and apply here in Los Angeles? Join us this Sunday as Rev. Dr. Carter is joined in the center by our Director of Youth and Social Justice, Everest Harvey, for a conversation on learning to listen to the wisdom both within us and around us.

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Breaking Patriarchy: Queen Vashti & The Holy No

The Loft LA — Sun, 25 Jan 2026 23:52:00 -0800

The book of Esther was written to help Jewish believers live faithfully in a world that is often unfaithful and sometimes openly hostile. Although she only appears in the first chapter, the same could be said about Queen Vashti. Her story shows the cost and risks women face when they stay true to themselves. Denying patriarchal ownership over her body cost her wealth and prestige, but it gave her so much more in return. Rev. Dr. Cater and Rev. Blair discuss patriarchal power dynamics and how "no" can be a holy word.

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Women Who Dare to Tell the Truth

The Loft LA — Sun, 18 Jan 2026 19:14:00 -0800

As we continue in the sermon series inspired by women of the Hebrew Bible and Claire McKeever-Burgett's book, In the Beginning Were the Women, we turn this week to a little known story: The Witch of Endor. Yes, there's a witch in the Bible. No, she's not the bad guy. Join us to consider the way society has often labeled women who dare to tell the truth, turning them into villains instead of the prophets God made them to be.

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Miriam: Mystic, Liberator, Savior

The Loft LA — Sun, 11 Jan 2026 22:55:00 -0800

From the moment we are born, the stories we learn help us make meaning out of our lives. They become the sources of knowledge we draw from when our own understanding falls short. But knowledge isn't neutral; it is always influenced by culture. So, how has our culture shaped what you believe you know? The exodus story is fundamental to Christianity, and yet, when we tell this story, it is important that we ask ourselves which voices have been prioritized, which have been overlooked, and why.

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Fear Doesn't Stop Us

The Loft LA — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 00:53:00 -0800

On Epiphany, churches often focus on mysterious and joyful arrival of the magi, a jovial tale about three royal kings bringing the baby Jesus finely-wrapped birthday gifts. But the reality is that Herod looms large; his actions twist this tale into a tragedy. In fear, Herod chooses coercion and control. Still, the magi persist and persevere, giving honor to a Judean king with insistent hope that his anointing could lead to the restoration of their own Persian customs and culture within the ever-expanding Roman empire. We can't ignore that the Herods of the world still loom large. The slaughter of the Holy Innocents is a painful story that mirrors devastating modern-day events and realities. And yet, this is the work of insisting on hope. We will share holy communion, as love leads us forward.

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Fear Moves Us

The Loft LA — Sun, 28 Dec 2025 21:51:00 -0800

After Jesus' birth, fear and oppression continue to pervade the lives of the Holy Family. Due to Herod's persecution, we are promptly reminded that even with Christ among us, the world is still a broken and messy place. In our current world, as we continue to see refugees and immigrants targeted and deported, as well as genocides violently enacted by governing forces, the church has a responsibility to proclaim what is too often ignored: Jesus was born a refugee who escaped genocide by living in a foreign land. How might we notice and be moved by the fears that move us?

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Step Into Your Calling

The Loft LA — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 01:43:00 -0800

What does it mean to be "called" to do something? There are many stories of prophets and leaders in the Christian tradition who say they were called to be in their roles. What can we learn from their call stories that might help us when we are unsure of which way to go? In the call stories of Jeremiah and Mary, we see that even if we are afraid, God invites us to step into our calling and walk through our fear, knowing that God will be with us, always.

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Even In The Silence, God Is At Work

The Loft LA — Sun, 07 Dec 2025 15:50:00 -0800

After his encounter with the angel Gabriel, Zechariah is compelled into a period of silence, during which he grapples with faith, doubt, and hope. Similarly, we can be confident that when his wife, Elisabeth, learns she is pregnant, she also considers what will happen to their growing family. Their story is not unique; many families, especially mothers, cling to a quiet hope that God will make a way out of no way. This Sunday, Rev. Dr. Carter will be joined in the center by Brenda Vieyra, Program Director at Breastfeed LA, and our own Jennifer Duran-West, to explore how the mission and work of Breastfeed LA support women in situations very similar to Elisabeth's and Zechariah's.

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In A Time of Nationalism, We Must Not Give In To Fear

The Loft LA — Sun, 30 Nov 2025 14:51:00 -0800

When Zechariah encounters an angel of the Lord, the angel tells him not to be afraid because his prayers have been heard. As an elderly priest, Zechariah had witnessed the fall of Judean independence and the start of Roman occupation. To be sure, Herod, who ruled at the behest of Rome, brought many things to fear. Despite his fears, Zechariah longed for the coming Messiah and a son. Similarly, we find ourselves in a time when many are afraid about the present, but what we see in this story is that God is present even in our fear, and even in our moments of silence, we can still insist on hope for the future.

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A Chorus of Generosity: Justice & Compassion

The Loft LA — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 02:20:00 -0800

Our newly adopted mission statement reflects our core values of justice and compassion, which represent our public and private commitments to Christ-like acts of mercy. These values are rooted in the ancient wisdom of scripture, including teachings from Hebrew prophets and the life and witness of Jesus. This Sunday, we continue to focus on our congregation's mission and how the new community described by Isaiah invites each of us to be part of this community and its "Chorus of Generosity."

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Liturgies for Resisting Empire: Seeking Community, Belonging, and Peace in a Dehumanizing World

The Loft LA — Sun, 09 Nov 2025 20:38:00 -0800

This Sunday, we welcome guest preacher Kat Armas. Kat Armas is a Cuban American writer, speaker, and theologian from Miami, FL. She holds a ThM from Vanderbilt Divinity School, and a dual MDiv and MAT from Fuller Theological Seminary. Kat has spoken at seminaries, universities, and conferences nationwide and her work has appeared in the National Catholic Reporter—where one of her essays was shared by the pope!, Plough Magazine, The Christian Century, Christianity Today, Sojornours Magazine, and more. Kat currently lives on a small farm in middle Tennessee with her family—which includes her spouse, young children, chickens, goats, pigs, dogs, and cats. Her new book was released this week. Liturgies for Resisting Empire: Seeking Community, Belonging, and Peace in a Dehumanizing World examines the ideologies of empire that infiltrate daily life and offers a pathway toward liberation. Additionally, Pastor Molly will offer a reflection on our new mission statement, as well as an invitation to participate in our fall stewardship campaign.

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You Can't Love Yourself Without Accepting Yourself

The Loft LA — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 19:37:00 -0800

During the fourth and final week of The Seasons of Origins, we are invited to imagine together a more just church and a way forward toward such a church. Imagination is essential here, and one key doctrine that limits the Church's ability to envision what it can become is Original Sin. St. Augustine developed the doctrine of original sin, which claims that we are born "marked with sin." However, through his transgressions of the Jewish purity codes, Jesus shows us that none of us is born contaminated.

We will also be observing All Saints Day. We encourage you to bring photos or mementos of loved ones you remember on this occasion to set on the altar during worship; you can bring them up to the altar before or during the prelude. After worship, please reclaim your items to take them home.

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You Can't Have Redemption Without Confession

The Loft LA — Sun, 26 Oct 2025 16:36:00 -0700

During the third week of The Season of Origins, we are invited to seek to repair past harms through justice-focused actions. Few harms have affected Christian communities as deeply as patriarchy. Women, children, and men have, and continue to suffer under the oppressive hierarchies that patriarchal thinking promotes. We invite you to join us this Sunday as we seek out new origin stories in the life and teachings of Jesus that can guide us in healing from the harms of patriarchy.

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You Can't Have Authority Without Accountability

The Loft LA — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 17:26:00 -0700

During the second week of The Season of Origins, we are invited to name and lament the atrocities of the past and examine the role Christian theology played in justifying those past harms. As Angelinos, we can see the harmful effects of Manifest Destiny theology all around us. However, Jesus guides us toward a new way of relating to one another in the Gospels by constantly reminding us that the love of God should motivate us to be responsible to all people, not just those within our tribe.

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Just Because It's In The Bible Doesn't Make It Christian

The Loft LA — Sun, 12 Oct 2025 16:03:00 -0700

Accounts of violence in the Bible, like the story of Joshua's conquest of Canaan, have been used by Christians to theologically justify violence, genocide, and war. But are these the only or main stories we should rely on when thinking about how to engage with the world? During this first week of the Season of Origins, we are invited to seek out the liberative anti-oppressive counter-stories within the Bible and our Christian tradition. As Christians, if we are to heal our past harms, we commit ourselves to living like Christ.

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How Conversation Leads to Coalition Building

The Loft LA — Sun, 05 Oct 2025 14:05:00 -0700

Conversation is at the heart of our gatherings in The Loft; it's how we worship. On this final Sunday of our Loft 101 series, we focus on a well-known story from John's gospel, where Jesus engages in a conversation with a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well. Deeply embedded in scripture, this story shows us a model for how conversation can be central to our community. Join us this Sunday as Rev. Dr. Carter is joined by Everest and Westley in the center as they discuss the importance and challenges of building a big-tent progressive Christian community.

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Practicing Self-Compassion

The Loft LA — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 10:02:00 -0700

Compassion was fundamental to Jesus' ministry and the primary lens through which he engaged his community. At The Loft, we strive to follow Jesus' spiritual path of radical compassion and view compassion as one of our guiding values. We invite you to join us this Sunday as we explore why compassion is fundamental to our spiritual practices and essential for both inspiring and guiding our actions.

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Longing to Belong

The Loft LA — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 15:22:00 -0700

In a world that rewards individualism, how valuable is community? At The Loft, we believe there is significant value in creating a culture of belongingness. This value is born out of our reading of the bible, where the importance of belonging is evident in the lives of the Israelites and the early Christian communities, who had communities that they belonged to, a homeplace where they were loved just for being themselves. We invite you to join us this Sunday as we explore the value of belonging with Marilyn Figueroa, an immigration lawyer and member of The Loft community, who will share her insight into the current situation we are facing with ICE and the Department of Homeland Security.

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Imagination & Reorder: Energizing The Prophetic Community

The Loft LA — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 02:22:00 -0700

While the dismantling of the old order began with Moses, and the prophets guided his people through their deconstruction and disorder, Jesus energized his community by teaching and practicing a new way to follow God. Jesus ushers in a new expression of the Mosaic tradition he inherited. Similarly, we are called to practice prophetic imagination, and by putting into practice what we hope for, we embody the prophetic energy, the Spirit of God, to do the work our souls must have.

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Compassion As Prophetic Criticism

The Loft LA — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 06:55:00 -0700

Jesus inherited and practiced his prophetic ministry from Moses, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, among others. Similar to his forerunners, he used prophetic criticism to critique a dominant religious and political culture that had become numb to suffering. However, Jesus' use of compassionate acts as a form of prophetic criticism was a notable shift in approach and one the church ought to mirror.

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From Despair to Hope: Isaiah & Prophetic Energizing Description

The Loft LA — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 07:11:00 -0700

Order - Disorder - Reorder. As our community navigates a time of disorder, the task of prophetic imagination and ministry is to cut through despair and to identify the dissatisfied coping mechanisms that seem endless and unresolved. The prophet Isaiah and those who wrote in his style demonstrate how prophetic communities use the language of amazement to energize their people and help them shift from despair to hope.

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The Worm & The Whale: Jonah and the Prophetic Imagination

The Loft LA — Mon, 25 Aug 2025 07:15:00 -0700

Jonah is one of the minor prophets, famous for living in the belly of a big fish for three days and being angry at God. But what else does his story have to teach us? Come this Sunday to find out!

We're excited to welcome Everest Harvey, our Director of Youth and Social Justice Ministries to the Loft this Sunday while Rev. Dr. Carter is away.

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Jeremiah & Prophetic Criticizing

The Loft LA — Sun, 17 Aug 2025 22:44:00 -0700

Jeremiah is rightly considered one of the major prophets. He is prominent in both the Hebrew Bible and quoted extensively by Jesus and the authors of the New Testament. While he is often misunderstood as a doomsday prophet, Jeremiah should be seen as someone who embodies the alternative consciousness of Moses in the face of a denying king. Jeremiah helps his community move from order to disorder through prophetic criticism, forcing them to see the suffering around them that they are trying to pretend does not exist.

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Moses - The Founding Prophet

The Loft LA — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 14:28:00 -0700

The radical break of Moses and Israel from the Egyptian Imperial system is the foundation upon which Christianity was built. The radical actions of Moses and the Israelites can hardly be overstated. In liberating his people, he guides his community through a Spiritual maturation process of order, disorder, and reordering. These three steps are guideposts for the prophetic decolonization that we see in the ministry of Jesus and what ought to be the ministry of the church.

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Creating Holy Disorder

The Loft LA — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 12:37:00 -0700

The task of the prophetic community is to nurture, nourish, and evoke an alternative orthodoxy — a consciousness that sees the world differently from the dominant cultures around them. However, the challenge we face is that the structures of the dominant culture are designed to numb you from feeling your own or others' suffering and from developing the ability to recognize that suffering. How do we resist the temptation to avoid feeling such pain? Amos shows us that seeing the world differently requires vulnerability. Only when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable can we share in and with the suffering of others and see the suffering of the world as God's suffering.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Queering Hope

The Loft LA — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 12:36:00 -0700

We invite you to join us as we welcome Rev. Kevin Wright who will be preaching in The Loft this Sunday while Dr. Carter is away. In his sermon Rev. Wright will explore what it looks like for marginalized communities, particularly queer communities, to have hope during a time like this.

Rev. Kevin Kim Wright is an ordained elder in the Baltimore Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church. Currently, Rev. Kevin lives in Los Angeles and serves in an extension ministry appointment as Chief of Staff at Point Foundation, the nation's largest nonprofit scholarship provider for LGBTQ individuals.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Hope In An Apocalyptic Era

The Loft LA — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 07:29:00 -0700

The biblical witness is a book of hope. From Abraham and Sarah through the Apostles, people of faith placed their hope in the promises of God and God's covenant with them. However, when Jesus' spiritual path of radical compassion became overshadowed by the Roman Empire, God's work of redemption was increasingly pushed aside. Too many Christians have embraced a secular version of hope that depends on a mythical idea of human progress. But this is not the hope seen in the Israelite community of Moses or the disciples of Jesus.

www.TheLoftLA.org

How Not to Be a Bystander

The Loft LA — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 08:59:00 -0700

Injustice is making itself visible in the streets of our city. Are we prepared to act with compassion and wisdom? Have we rehearsed our responses in a way that is faithful to the ways of Jesus? Join Rev. Blair for a conversation on "How Not to Be a Bystander", based on James 1:19-27. Rev. Blair Trygstad Stowe serves as our Public Theologian in Residence, which makes her a regular on our The Progressive Christians Podcast. She is an ordained Elder in the California Pacific Annual Conference; while completing a PhD from the Boston University School of Theology, she serves as the Assistant Dean of Co-curricular Development and Assistant Professor in the Practice of Ministry at the Claremont School of Theology. Rev. Blair and her husband, Andrew, as well as their children, Ansel and Ellory, are regulars at Westwood UMC, most frequently in The Loft.

Dr. Carter will be away until July 9, while teaching a seminary cross-cultural immersion class in South Africa.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Enfleshed

The Loft LA — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 05:56:00 -0700

In our final Sunday during Pride month, we look into Paul's letter to the Galatians, ready to liberate it from theologies and assumptions that have been used to devalue our bodies and lives, and find freedom in a gospel of embodiment and connection.

Dr. Carter will be away until July 9, while teaching a seminary cross-cultural immersion class in South Africa.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Queerly Beloved

The Loft LA — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 14:19:00 -0700

Small groups were essential in the creation and maintenance of The Methodist Church. They remain the bedrock of how we sustain connectedness in our increasingly post-religious society. For the members of the Westwood UMC Queer Group, it has been a balm for the soul. Please join Rev. Dr. Carter as he is joined in conversation with members of our Queer Group to discuss their faith journeys, the role our community has played in their journey, and where we need to continue to grow in order to continue becoming the unapologetically inclusive community we hope to be.

www.TheLoftLA.org

TRANSubstantiation

The Loft LA — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 07:22:00 -0700

Trans identity is more than just what pronouns you use. For Christians, trans identity pushes us to wrestle with what it means to be created in the image of God and the transformation that takes place every time we celebrate Holy Communion. Join Rev. Dr. Carter and Everest Harvey as they explore what it is about being trans that isn't clicking for people.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Never Consider Unclean What God Has Made Pure

The Loft LA — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 07:30:00 -0700

We sometimes forget that no Gentiles (i.e., non-Jewish folks) were present to receive the pouring out of the Holy Spirit during the first Pentecost. To be sure, eventually there would be Gentile followers of the Way of Jesus, and those Gentiles would be baptized with the fire of the Holy Spirit. The story of the Gentile Pentecost teaches us that, despite our perceptions of ourselves, we are not qualified to determine who is and isn't welcome at God's table.

This Sunday, we are celebrating Youth Sunday in The Loft. The Grapple youth will participate in worship by leading prayer, reading scripture, and playing with the handbells. We are also excited that three of our graduating high school seniors, Oz, Lauren, and Will, will offer their reflections on the role that Westwood UMC has played in their lives. We hope that you can join us as we celebrate our amazing youth and youth leadership.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Flesh That Needs Lovin'

The Loft LA — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 11:53:00 -0700

That human beings are created in the image and likeness of God has been a fundamental theological pillar in the history of Christianity. However, who images God and to what degree do they reflect God's image has been a consistent point of contention. In our current social and political moment, queer persons are now facing the same scrutiny over whether they image God in ways that mirror what Black, female, disabled, and other nonwhite bodies have, and still are, facing. So what do we Christians really mean when we say that human beings are created in the image of God?

www.TheLoftLA.org

The Theo-Politics of Us and Them

The Loft LA — Mon, 26 May 2025 09:21:00 -0700

We are living through such a period of stark political polarization that the idea of a multi-racial, pluralistic democracy feels more like an idea than a tangible reality. Indeed, these are difficult, but not new times. Both the early Christian communities and those living with HIV/AIDS knew what it felt like to be cast as outsiders rather than members of their community. Is it possible to find healing and wholeness in the midst of such division?

www.TheLoftLA.org

Grace, Redemption, & The Power of Letting Go

The Loft LA — Mon, 19 May 2025 09:10:00 -0700

Life isn't fair; this is a simple lesson that we learn in childhood. However, knowing that life isn't fair doesn't necessarily make responding to life's unfairness any easier. How we respond to life's unfairness shapes us in more ways than we often realize. We invite you to join us this Sunday as we explore how the biblical story of Joseph and the story of Jean Valjean from the musical Les Misérables show us how we can experience grace and redemption even when life has dealt us an unfair hand.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Motherhood In America: No One Is Coming To Save Us

The Loft LA — Mon, 12 May 2025 09:42:00 -0700

At its best, being mothering a child is likely one of the most rewarding things someone can do. And yet, the systems of society, both old and new, can make being the kind of mother you may want to be feel impossible. On this Mother's Day, Rev. Dr. Carter will be joined by Rev. Blair Triggstad-Stowe to discuss what we can learn about motherhood from the musical Into The Woods and the biblical story of Hannah.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Celie & Esther: The Courage to Speak

The Loft LA — Mon, 05 May 2025 11:42:00 -0700

Celie is a young black woman growing up in rural Georgia in the early 20th century. Esther is a young queen and Jewish woman living under Persian colonialism around 450 BCE. Though they lived over two thousand years apart, their stories have unfortunate similarities that have stood the test of time. Patriarchy and sexism are not new, and yet what we see in their stories is that if you are faithful in an unfaithful world, you will find the voice that God has placed within you.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Creation Care & The Wilderness Economy

The Loft LA — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 07:25:00 -0700

This Sunday, we're celebrating Earth Day by reflecting on and reimagining our relationship with the land. After their escape from slavery and bondage, the Israelites are given the opportunity to build new economies that run counter to the Imperial Domination System they had seen within the Egyptian Kingdom. Against this social background, the wilderness narrative reveals the struggle of a people charged with cultivating a radically different way of living in community on the land.

www.TheLoftLA.org

The Kingdom of God

The Loft LA — Mon, 21 Apr 2025 09:17:00 -0700

Throughout his entire earthly ministry, Jesus taught his followers that the kingdom of God had arrived that and now was the time for them to choose which kingdom they would serve, God or humanity. That Jesus was crucified tells us that he was executed by the rulers of the Kingdom of Rome, and that he was resurrected tells us that he was vindicated by God. . We invite you to join our Loft community in the Sanctuary for an Easter Sunday Celebration featuring the Singers of Soul Gospel Choir as we reflect on the hope we find in the resurrection of Jesus. Children are welcome in The Loft gathering as Easter is an especially meaningful time to worship together. We will have kids worship activity kits that you can pick up on your way in, just in case they need a little distraction during worship. Additionally, there will be a kids area in the back of the sanctuary for those who need a little more space to wiggle or parents who want to sit on the floor with their kids. On-site childcare is also available for children from birth through age 4.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Jesus & Resisting The Domination System

The Loft LA — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 08:40:00 -0700

The Bible is both personal and political, and thus, the way of Jesus is both personal and political. The Way is a path towards personal transformation and political resistance to religious and secular domination systems. The spiritual path of Jesus is an invitation to advocate for the kingdom of God and criticize those complicit in upholding the domination systems that harm the most vulnerable.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Following the Way of Jesus

The Loft LA — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 11:39:00 -0700

www.TheLoftLA.org

Jesus, Mysticism, and Social Action

The Loft LA — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 10:25:00 -0700

The majority of Christians would probably not use the term "mystic" to describe Jesus. Many Christians, especially those of us in the West, think of mysticism as a spirituality that is disconnected from the everyday experiences of life. However, what we see in the life of Jesus is that his spiritual practices created a sense of Oneness with God and other human beings that deeply informed his beliefs on our responsibilities towards one another.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Jesus & His Experience of God

The Loft LA — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 11:32:00 -0700

Jesus's baptism and subsequent time alone in the desert mark the beginning of his ministry. Both events describe profound spiritual experiences of the Divine, whom Jesus names his Father. While these experiences follow patterns similar to previous prophets, his response to the tempter while in the wilderness offers helpful insight into how our experience of the Divine can sustain us if we listen for the still, small voice.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Jesus & The Imperial World

The Loft LA — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 17:07:00 -0700

The context surrounding Jesus' life was complicated by an imperial domination system. The central features of Roman colonial power were that it was politically oppressive and poverty-inducing. How was it possible for Jesus to develop a spiritual path of radical compassion out of this social world of political and economic marginalization?

www.TheLoftLA.org

Who Do You Say That I Am?

The Loft LA — Sun, 02 Mar 2025 17:20:00 -0800

After having spent time in his community preaching and teaching, Jesus asks his disciples, "Who do the people say that I am?" For those of us who grew up Christian, how we answered that question was extremely important. However, as we mature in our faith, an equally important question begins to emerge: how will we tell the story of Jesus? There are many ways to tell the story of Jesus, but how we choose to tell it significantly informs how we practice the religion he taught his disciples.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Blessed Are the Women

The Loft LA — Sun, 23 Feb 2025 09:10:00 -0800

We know that there were women whose resources and labor enabled Jesus to travel and heal and preach. We even know some of their names: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna. On this final Sunday of our "Blessed Are the Women" series, we honor their stories, and imagine what they offer to us today. On this final Sunday of our series, we center the stories of these women at the margins (in diverse ways!), who claimed and shared power for the sake of the Gospel. This series has been inspired by the book "Blessed Are the Women" by Claire McKeever-Burgett.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Daughter Your Faith Has Healed You

The Loft LA — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 07:17:00 -0800

This Sunday we will continue our sermon series that focuses on women in the Christian tradition and highlight the work of M. Shawn Copeland, a Black Roman Catholic theologian whose work explores the nature of being human as we recognize Black History Month. What does it mean to be human and yet treated as an outsider, less than human? The story of the bleeding woman forces us to wrestle with this question and explore the gender dynamics at play.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Hagar's Story & Black Women's Experience

The Loft LA — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 09:03:00 -0800

For the next two Sundays, we will be highlighting the work of two pioneering black women theologians as a way of both honoring Black History Month and our current sermon series that focuses on women in the Christian tradition. This Sunday, we will be celebrating the work of Rev. Dr. Delores Williams. When most Christians read the story of Abram, Sarai, Hagar, and Ishmael, Hagar is seen as having a small role in a story that ultimately is not about her. However, using womanist biblical interpretation, Williams shows us that Hagar's story of survival, hope, and redemption mirrors the experiences of many black women in America.

www.TheLoftLA.org

What Would a World Look Like if You Felt You Were Believed?

The Loft LA — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 09:17:00 -0800

Throughout the gospels, we see both men and women sharing stories about Jesus' ministry and his miracles. Yet, it was only when women were sharing his message that we encountered disbelief and, at times, outright resistance. Why? What is at stake? Building upon last week's conversation, this Sunday we explore Jesus' encounter with a woman at a well and imagine what may have happened if her community believed her.

www.TheLoftLA.org

What Would Happen If We Believed Women?

The Loft LA — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 09:08:00 -0800

Throughout the gospels, we see both men and women sharing stories about Jesus' ministry and his miracles. Yet, it was only when women were sharing his message that we encountered disbelief and, at times, outright resistance. Why? What is at stake? How might believing women change the way we see ourselves and the world we live in?

www.TheLoftLA.org

Mary: The Revolutionary

The Loft LA — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 12:11:00 -0800

Mary, the mother of Jesus, is often portrayed in art as a meek, mild-mannered woman who happens to be Jesus' mother. However, a closer look at her words in the Gospels reveals someone who sought to upend oppressive regimes and uplift the poor and oppressed. How might reimagining Mary as a revolutionary inform how we think about the radical teachings of her Son?

www.TheLoftLA.org

Re-imagining Eve – The Mother of Creation

The Loft LA — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 14:08:00 -0800

Interpreting Eve's actions in the Garden of Eden as having doomed all humanity is perhaps the foundational claim used by many Christians to uphold patriarchy. Eve has been associated with evil, sin, temptation, and fallenness. Interestingly, but unsurprisingly, none of these claims are mentioned in the biblical story. Join us this Sunday as we read the story of Eve through a feminist and womanist lens and re-imagine Creation's origin story beyond the patriarchal gaze.

www.TheLoftLA.org

L.A. - Where We All Live - Is On Fire

The Progressive Christians — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 19:49:00 -0800

This is a special crossover posting from the Progressive Christians Podcast, hosted by Rev. Dr. Carter.

Los Angeles is suffering from a historical fire. Thankfully, Julia, Westley, Rev. Blair, and Dr. Carter are safe, but we are thinking about and actively working on ways to support our local community. If you are interested in supporting, please check out the links below.

In this episode, Rev. Dr. Carter is solo, recording from San Diego, where he and his family have evacuated from the Pallisades and Sunset fires. He discusses the difficulties that lie ahead for their community and what the root causes of the fire really are, and what they are not (hint: it has nothing to do with DEI). We end this episode with a prayer and we hope that you join us in keeping our community uplifted in prayer and support during this difficult time.

Links to organizations that are supporting Angelinos:

https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/how-to-help-la-fire-victims

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-01-08/how-to-help-victims-of-pacific-palisades-eaton-and-hurst-fires

The Road Isn't Straight

The Loft LA — Mon, 06 Jan 2025 06:59:00 -0800

Too often, we've been told that a successful life is a linear one. But in reality, our lives unfold with many unexpected twists and turns. The Magi follow a star, embarking on a long journey in a foreign land to honor the newborn Christ. Instead of returning to Herod as commanded, they trust their dreams and go home by another way. Their road isn't straight, but God "makes a way in the wilderness" as they follow their intuition and diverge from the expected path.

www.TheLoftLA.org

We Are The Answer To Our Ancestor's Prayers

The Loft LA — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:27:00 -0800

After eight days have passed, Mary and Joseph circumcise their child and give him the name Jesus. They return to the temple in Jerusalem to enact the sacred birth rituals of their culture and tradition. Rituals mark sacred turning points in our lives. As new parents, Mary and Joseph would reasonably be nervous about the future of their family. Given this, the invitation for us is to view these sacred rituals as a response to and a reminder of the ancestral legacy upon which we stand.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Do The Good That Is Yours To Do

The Loft LA — Sun, 15 Dec 2024 21:57:00 -0800

As John the Baptist teaches about bearing good fruit, the crowds, tax collectors, and soldiers ask him, "What, then, should we do?" His answer to each group was some version of: "Do the good that is yours to do. In the same way, the question we are invited to consider this Advent is, what is the good that we are called to do? Join us as the Singers of Soul will be performing timeless Christmas and gospel carols!

www.TheLoftLA.org

We Can't Go Alone

The Loft LA — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 07:09:00 -0800

One of life's most essential lessons is that we are never meant to go alone. And yet, modern culture pushes us more and more into lonely silos. Our scriptures reveal how vital community is and how God can bring even unconventional pairs of people together. Indeed, the stories of Ruth and Naomi and Mary and Joseph exemplify how unlikely pairs can become a covenant community.

www.TheLoftLA.org

On Not Being Afraid

The Loft LA — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 08:38:00 -0800

When Mary encounters the angel of the Lord, the angel reminds Mary that God favors her and exhorts her not to be afraid. To be sure, fear would be a natural response to everything that is happening to her and her community. However, Mary shows us that when we remember who and whose we are we can avoid succumbing to fear and trust that all things are possible with God.

www.TheLoftLA.org

How We Share

The Loft LA — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 07:15:00 -0800

Parents spend countless hours teaching their children about the importance of sharing, it is a lesson we struggle to fully comprehend even in adulthood. In America, we live in a society of extreme wealth and poverty because we are still unable to share. Why do we allow these extremes to exist? We invite you to join us on Sunday as we explore how our trinitarian understanding of God can help us develop a mature spirituality of generosity.

www.TheLoftLA.org

How We Heal

The Loft LA — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 00:47:00 -0800

In times of unrest, Jesus often responded by tending to his immediate needs and those of his community before deciding what to do. As we emerge from this season of political unrest, the healing stories of Jesus show us that our response to this unrest is to begin with personal and communal healing. Doing so reminds us that God cares for all of God's creatures, great and small.

www.TheLoftLA.org

The 'Big Lies' of Christian Nationalism

The Loft LA — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 06:27:00 -0800

The gospels tell us that Jesus practiced nonviolence and taught his followers to expand their preconceived ideas about who was welcome at God's table. Despite this inclusive theology, we are currently in the midst of another rise of Christian Nationalism—a belief system rooted in mythological lies about American history and the Divine. We invite you to join us this Sunday as we unpack the lies of Christian Nationalism by centering the life, teachings, and politics of Jesus.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Unmasking Loneliness: Building a Culture of Connection

The Loft LA — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 14:35:00 -0700

What role should churches, and specifically our church, play in addressing the challenges of loneliness in our faith community? We invite you to join us for the last sermon of this series as we explore how following the religion of Jesus should transform our relationship with ourselves and each other.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Unmasking Loneliness: The Community We Mean To Have

The Loft LA — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 08:35:00 -0700

We all want to be accepted and belong to a supportive circle of friends. However, our desire for relationships and community are often in conflict with what we actually prioritize, and we are now learning that children are noticing this behavior and mirror it. How can we close the gap between what we say we want and what we actually prioritize? How might we prevent our children from developing habits that promote social isolation? What we see in the gospels is that Jesus invites us to view ourselves as a family of families, interconnected and embodying the compassionate instinct that we were born with.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Unmasking Loneliness: Better Together

The Loft LA — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 11:21:00 -0700

What does it mean to be someone's friend? How does friendship expand our experience of the Divine? As humans, we all need the social connection of friendship to help prevent us from feeling lonely. To be sure, making friends and keeping friendships alive is not easy. However, as we see in the friendships between David and Jonathan and Jesus and his disciples, friendship is essential to our spiritual growth.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Unmasking Loneliness: Connecting from the Inside Out

The Loft LA — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 04:56:00 -0700

For those of us who struggle with loneliness, the obvious "solution" to our challenge would be to go and spend time with people. If only it were that easy. While there are several practices that we should adopt to address our longing for community, the most important one is somewhat counterintuitive. Jesus teaches his disciples that we must first deepen our connection with ourselves, which builds the foundation upon which we establish new or strengthen existing relationships.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: Unmasking Loneliness

The Loft LA — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 07:34:00 -0700

Rugged individualism and self-determination are among the core values that dominate American culture. These values have simultaneously incentivized many of us to prioritize our vocations or social obligations at the expense of and for the benefit of our relationships. The result is that far too many of us struggle with loneliness and long for connection and belonging. As the writer of Ecclesiastes makes clear, our feelings of loneliness are not new, and the antidote to loneliness is human connection.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: Guidelines for Compassionate Actions

The Loft LA — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 06:09:00 -0700

Jesus' spiritual path is centered on love, and we embody love through actions that aim to ease the suffering and promote the flourishing of all life. Throughout his ministry Jesus shows us that compassion begs for embodiment and that compassionate actions are contagious. www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: How To Love The Neighbors You Don't Like

The Loft LA — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 07:25:00 -0700

Jesus' way of radical compassion is, in fact, radical. In his parables on forgiveness and love, he encourages his followers to forgive those who have wronged them as many as seventy-seven times and to love their enemies! Given our polarized society, is this kind of compassion possible or even practical?

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: Compassionate Connections

The Loft LA — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 06:40:00 -0700

Jesus' path of radical compassion is not limited to grounding ourselves in the truth of our belovedness and recovering our compassionate core. In its truest form, compassion always moves us to compassionate care towards others. As we see in the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus, compassion for others can break boundaries, dismantle stereotypes, heal, and transform both others and ourselves.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: Fierce Self-Compassion

The Loft LA — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 13:12:00 -0700

Compassion can be misunderstood as mere tenderness or sentimentality. Self-compassion moves us to ask ourselves, "What do I need to help alleviate my suffering?" The answer to this question changes depending on the circumstances. Sometimes, we need to rest in our belovedness. At other times, when we need to protect or provide for ourselves and our loved ones, self-compassion can be fierce. We find an example of such fierce self-compassion in the story of the Prophet Miriam and the actions she takes to save her brother and, in the process, her people.

www.TheLoftLA.org

What does a progressive Christian masculinity look like? - The Progressive Christians Podcast

The Loft LA — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 06:00:00 -0700

The speeches of Dough Emhoff, President Barack Obama, and Gov. Tim Walls gave us a very different portrayal of masculinity and, unsurprisingly, raised the alarm of some Christian conservatives. In this episode, we discuss what progressive Christian masculinity can look like, and we critique the toxic masculinity of "biblical patriarchy."

The books we mentioned in the podcast were:

The Making of Biblical Womanhood by Beth Allison Barr Mediocre by Ijeoma Oluo

The Loft Conversations podcast has now become The Progressive Christians Podcast - and has its own podcast feed! So please use the links below to subscribe to the new feed to keep up with the latest progressive theological discourse.

https://open.spotify.com/show/5HrRpHbClmrZrwMZPf8Huj https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-progressive-christians-podcast/id1763114936

Loft Gathering: Compassion and Healing

The Loft LA — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 18:02:00 -0700

The cultivation of compassion is a process of recovery—of retrieving the compassionate instinct that has become buried and obscured, either in the moment or over time. In this way, self-compassion, personal restoration, and healing are essential components of Jesus' spiritual path of compassion. Our tradition teaches that every human being is created in the image of God, and thus, God's compassionate instinct lives within us. We are most fully alive when we live from this essence.

www.TheLoftLA.org

The Black Church Shows Up To The DNC - The Progressive Christians Podcast

The Loft LA — Fri, 23 Aug 2024 10:51:00 -0700

The persuasive power of the Black Church tradition has been center stage during the first two days of the Democratic National Convention. The speeches of Senator Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnock and Michelle and Barack Obama found their footing in the black preaching tradition. In this episode we discuss the connections between the Black Church tradition and progressive politics.

https://open.spotify.com/show/5HrRpHbClmrZrwMZPf8Huj https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-progressive-christians-podcast/id1763114936

Loft Gathering: Recovering Our Compassionate Core

The Loft LA — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 09:48:00 -0700

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: Grounded In Our Truth

The Loft LA — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 06:19:00 -0700

Jesus' spiritual path of compassion invites us to stay grounded in the truth of our belovedness. But all too often we become disconnected from this truth and forget. In moments of stress, anxiety, or loneliness we can even begin to think that perhaps we aren't worthy of being loved. However, Jesus invites us to remember who we are and whose we are so that we can reground ourselves in the sacred Source of Compassion whenever we feel lost.

www.TheLoftLA.org

The Progressive Christians Podcast - Living Single…and being shamed for it.

The Loft LA — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 05:44:00 -0700

The Loft Conversations podcast has now become The Progressive Christians Podcast - and has its own podcast feed. So please subscribe to the new feed to keep up with the latest progressive theological discourse. The show will continue to appear in The Loft Gathering feed for a few weeks.

Has Western Christianity weaponized marriage and made those who are single, especially women, feel as though they are "bad" Christians? What should progressive Christians think about the Harris/Walz ticket? And breakdancing at the Olympics - wow!

Mentioned in the podcast:

Funky Friday podcast featuring Kirk Franklin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbTAUsXheyg

Loft Gathering: Christianity: A Spiritual Path of Transformative Compassion

The Loft LA — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 09:44:00 -0700

To practice a Christianity that models itself after Jesus' teachings is to follow a spiritual path of transformative compassion. Indeed, compassion was fundamental to Jesus' ministry and the primary lens through which he engaged his community. What might this compassion look like today? How might compassion transform our relationship to the Sacred, to our communities, and ourselves?

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: Rev. Dr. Kyle Eugene Brooks

The Loft LA — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 07:25:00 -0700

This Sunday, Dr. Kyle Brooks leads us in an exploration of Ephesians 3:14-21, with emphasis on the 20th verse–which speaks to how God's power within us enables us to do more than we can ask or imagine. Rev. Dr. Brooks, a native of Detroit, MI, serves as the Visiting Assistant Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of San Diego. His work broadly explores the communicative conditions of religion, politics, and black expressive cultures. In his teaching, his courses reflect his wide-ranging interests within the realms of religious studies, theology, creative arts, and Africana studies.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: Rev. Blair Trygstad Stowe

The Loft LA — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 08:03:00 -0700

We are pleased to welcome Rev. Blair Trygstad Stowe back to the Loft, to lead us further into a conversation about what evangelism can look like in our tradition and community. (Spoiler: Our conversation will lead to the communion table, because we believe in the abundance of grace.)

Rev. Blair Trygstad Stowe is an ordained elder in the Cal Pac Annual Conference of the UMC. Rev. Blair has served at churches big and small, historic and brand new, in rural, suburban, and urban contexts across Southern California, Georgia, and Massachusetts. She is currently working on a PhD at Boston University with a focus on evangelism, contemporary missiology, and feminist practical theology.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: The 9 to 5 Christian

The Loft LA — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 07:00:00 -0700

Believe it or not, there is a business story in the Bible. It's about this small business that got $0 in revenue one night…until something happened and revenue went through the roof. Let's be honest about work, money, and success for a little bit – the way that Jesus might want us to be for a Sunday morning.

James Kang is the co-founder of PASTORIA – something that he calls The Regenerative Innovation Company. He sees his purpose in life as seeing every life as healing and every person as a healer. Like his friend Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter, he is a graduate of Claremont School of Theology, back when they both drove cars with only two doors on them. Today, James, along with his spouse, pretend to be in charge of their three children and five plants.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: Guest Preacher - Rev. Blair Trygstad-Stowe

The Loft LA — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 08:58:00 -0700

We're continuing our summer series of guest speakers and are excited to welcome Rev. Blair Trygstad-Stowe to The Loft.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: Pride Powerlessness - Rev. Kevin Kim Wright

The Loft LA — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 17:47:00 -0700

We are pleased to welcome Rev. Kevin Kim Wright back to The Loft, to speak from the center on this last Sunday in Pride Month. An ordained United Methodist pastor, Rev. Kevin serves as Chief of Staff for the Point Foundation here in Los Angeles. In conversation with a double story of healing from the Gospel of Mark, he invites us to consider the ways we are invited to step out of powerlessness and into God's opportunities.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: Rev. Dr. Kyle Eugene Brooks

The Loft LA — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 06:49:00 -0700

We are pleased to welcome Rev. Dr. Kyle Eugene Brooks as our guest preacher in the Loft. Rev. Dr. Brooks, a native of Detroit, MI, serves as the Visiting Assistant Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of San Diego. His work broadly explores the communicative conditions of religion, politics, and black expressive cultures. In his teaching, his courses reflect his wide-ranging interests within the realms of religious studies, theology, creative arts, and Africana studies.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: Beyond the Binary: Gender, God, and Liberation

The Loft LA — Sun, 09 Jun 2024 19:00:00 -0700

Everest Harvey and Rev. Molly Vetter - In listening to the lives and stories of Trans siblings, we understand more about God, who exists beyond the boundaries of our categories.

www.TheLoftLA.org

They Hate Down, But We Love Up

The Loft LA — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 09:39:00 -0700

As Christians, we are called to love our enemies and to practice nonviolent resistance. But is this commandment impractical or even dangerous for Christians who want to stand against the evils of "christian" nationalism?

We are taking a two month break while Dr. Carter is on research leave to work on his forthcoming book project. Loft Conversations will return in August. As we map out our series for the rest of this year please let us know if there is a topic that you would like us to discuss!

Loft Gathering: Why LGBTQ+ Inclusion Matters to Jesus, John Wesley, and Me

The Loft LA — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 14:54:00 -0700

As we begin Pride month, we open a conversation about why LGBTQ+ inclusion matters to our faith. Although loud voices might try to claim otherwise, Christian theologies build a compelling case for our call to celebrate diversities in sexual orientation and gender identity.

www.TheLoftLA.org

There is a difference between not "feeling" safe and not being safe

The Loft LA — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 13:27:00 -0700

Far too many progressive Christian churches are defined by what they don't believe. How might centering our conversation on what we do believe strengthen our religious communities?

Loft Gathering: The Peace that Passes all Understanding: The Love of our Enemies

The Loft LA — Mon, 27 May 2024 06:35:00 -0700

Jesus' way of nonviolent resistance and love of enemies is often dismissed as impractical and idealistic. To be sure, the persuasive power of the myth of redemptive violence is dependent upon our belief that our enemies are not worthy of love. However, if our enemies are lovable and we choose not to love them then we are morally culpable for our failure to love. It is no wonder then, that Jesus taught that we are to love our enemies because God loves us and because God loves them, and this is a sign of a mature love that can lead us towards collective peace.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: Pentecost: A Vision for a Peaceful Church

The Loft LA — Mon, 20 May 2024 14:07:00 -0700

At their best, Christian communities should reflect the vision laid out in Acts 2, collectively sharing our gifts, tragedies, joys, and resilience. However, we have struggled to live up to or into this vision of a peaceful Christian community. Why? Peace requires repair, and for our churches to become an oasis of peace, we must learn how to work through the obstacles that divide us so that we can live in peace with one another.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Israel, Palestine, & College Encampments Part 2

The Loft LA — Wed, 15 May 2024 18:51:00 -0700

The protests to the war in Gaza taking place on college campuses around the world remind us that students are often the conscious of our society. In part 2 of our episode discussing the war in Gaza, we focus on what is happening in Westwood California, where our church and the Univeristy of California, Los Angeles is located.

Israel, Palestine, & College Encampments Part 1

The Loft LA — Wed, 15 May 2024 18:46:00 -0700

The suffering and violence that is taking place in Gaza is unconscionable. According to the United Nations, at least 34,560 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and 77,765 injured; nearly all of the 600,000 children now sheltering in the southern border city of Rafah are injured, sick, or malnourished. In part 1 of our episode discussing the war, we examine Rev. Dr. Carter's suggestion that non-violent resistance that includes divestment is the appropriate progressive Christian response.

Loft Gathering: Inner Peace & The Spiritual Practice of Saying No

The Loft LA — Mon, 13 May 2024 09:45:00 -0700

Saying "yes" rather than "no" to an invitation is much easier. A part of the pleasure of saying yes is knowing that someone wants you and wants to be in relationship with you in some way. To be sure, the spiritual practice of saying no is difficult. And yet, given the busyness of contemporary life, a "holy no" may be precisely what we need. Jesus encourages his followers to "stop worrying about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself." What if the path towards inner peace is more about removing, rather than adding, things to our lives and spiritual practices?

www.TheLoftLA.org

Violence Will Not Save Us

The Loft LA — Sun, 12 May 2024 09:09:00 -0700

Television, film, Hollywood, and popular culture tell us that vigilante heroism is necessary to save us from ourselves. But is this true? In this episode, we discuss the myth of redemptive violence and our personal struggles with the effectiveness of nonviolent resistance.

Loft Gathering: Waging Peace: Israel, Palestine, and the Roots of War

The Loft LA — Mon, 06 May 2024 06:58:00 -0700

The roots of war and conflict are apparent in how we are socialized to live our daily lives. American political and economic policies and our social imagination of the "other" entice us into a zero-sum game where mutual flourishing feels impossible. This way of thinking is inconsistent with the spiritual path of Jesus and his disciples. Instead, we are invited to wage peace within ourselves and between each other because peace and justice are inextricably linked.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: Childhood Lessons on Love & Peace

The Loft LA — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 16:07:00 -0700

In her book All About Love, bell hooks writes that we ought to "view our homes as our original school of love." Love is essential for cultivating peace, so how might we intentionally teach it in our homes? How might we reimagine our church community as a school of love? What would it look like to teach young people how to cultivate the will and the courage to love, how to extend themselves to nurture their own or another's spiritual growth? To help us answer these questions, we will be joined by Rev. Dr. Timothy Murphy, whose most recent book, Jesus Learns to Glow, is a children's book whose story offers some answers to the aforementioned questions.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: Peace with the Earth

The Loft LA — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 08:36:00 -0700

Though our culture tends to teach and practice an approach to the natural world that seeks to control, tame, and extract resources, Jesus' teaching suggests a different way: he asks us to "consider the lilies," and learn from the birds. The Gospel beckons us toward a mutuality with the earth, honoring the integrity of creation.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: Peace & The Myth of Redemptive Violence

The Loft LA — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 06:55:00 -0700

There is something inside all of us that longs for security, stability, and peace. However, human history reveals that we tend to try to meet this longing through coercion and force. This tendency has led us to view violence as a tool for peace rather than an obstacle that prevents peace. The spiritual path of Jesus reveals to us a pathway to peace beyond the myth that violence has the power to redeem or save us. Even after his own death, Jesus still whispers peace—and not once, but over and over again, speaking directly to the fears and insecurities that arise when choosing peace over domination.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Tell Me The Truth, Not Just What I Want To Hear

The Loft LA — Sun, 14 Apr 2024 09:47:00 -0700

What role might friendships play in our spiritual growth and formation?

In this episode, we explore how mature friendships can help us see the truth of who we are - even, and especially, when the truth hurts.

Loft Gathering: Falling Upward

The Loft LA — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 15:30:00 -0700

Among all of Jesus' disciples, Peter's spiritual pilgrimage is a good example of what it means to fall upward. Just before Jesus ascension into heaven, he finds Peter at the shoreline, casting his nets yet again. He turns to Peter and asks three times, "Do you love me?" as if each answer washes away Peter's earlier three denials. To be sure, no matter how far we wander off our path during our spiritual pilgrimage, no matter if our faith is strong or weak, what we can give is our love.

Conversation Question – Are you able to name one or two people who have been a true mirror for you? If so, how has their friendship helped you?

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: The Practice of Finding Hope

The Loft LA — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 17:42:00 -0700

We invite you to join our Loft community in the Sanctuary for an Easter Sunday Celebration featuring the Singers of Soul Gospel Choir as we reflect on the hope we find in the resurrection of Jesus. Indeed, Jesus's question to Mary while standing at his empty tomb is the central question of Easter: Who—or what—are you looking for? What kind of Jesus are you looking for? What kind of Christianity are you looking for? Where do you see hope in the resurrection of Christ?

www.TheLoftLA.org

The "Problem" with the Problem of Evil

The Loft — Sat, 30 Mar 2024 17:28:00 -0700

Rather than spending our time wondering why bad things happen to good people, how different would our faith be if we focused our energy on what to do when we experience suffering?

Loft Gathering: The Practice of Living With Purpose

The Loft LA — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 16:09:00 -0700

During the final week of his earthly life, Jesus enters Jerusalem to much fanfare. Moreover, Jesus began to speak more frequently about the purpose of his life and why living out of his purpose might cost him his life. Living with purpose connects us to our deepest sense of self and the Sacred. Join us this Sunday as we explore how we might practice living with a sense of purpose.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: Learn The Rules Carefully So That You Can Break Them Properly

The Loft LA — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 07:12:00 -0700

After leaving the wilderness, Jesus began his ministry of theological and social healing in earnest. While many welcomed his message and the community work he was doing, some of the most religious people bristled. Jesus taught and practiced a boundary-breaking love, and breaking boundaries almost always makes us uncomfortable. However, the spiritual path of Jesus invites us to hold a creative tension between law and freedom. Join us this Sunday as we explore how to unburden the parts of ourselves that seemingly love rules more than people.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Who Are You, Really? Part 1

The Loft LA — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 10:51:00 -0700

What does it mean to be a "progressive Christian?" How does attending a progressive Christian church inform your theology? Today's episode is the first of a two-part series of interviews with members and staff from The Loft community where we answer these and other questions. These episodes give you a glimpse of what it is like to worship in a community of people committed to following Jesus' spiritual path of radical compassion.

Loft Gathering: The Practice of Feeling Pain

The Loft LA — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 06:40:00 -0700

After his baptism, Jesus continued his spiritual Pilgrimage in the wilderness. Wandering alone, he spent time in prayer and fasting as he sought clarity about the next steps in his ministry. His experience in the wilderness and the temptations he faced gave him insight into the obstacles we create that stifle our own spiritual formation. We are excited to be joined by Lola Davidson, Peer-to-Peer Manager at Covenant House LA, to discuss the Sleep Out event that Westwood UMC is participating in!

Question to Consider – How, if at all, do you distinguish between pain and suffering?

www.TheLoftLA.org

Spiritual Transformation Is Being Frighteningly Honest With Yourself

The Loft LA — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 07:17:00 -0800

Would you walk over 500 miles to discover the truth of who you are - the raw, naked, truth?

In this episode we are joined by Rev. Anne Gardner to discuss her book And So I Walked: Reflections on Chance, Choice, and the Camino de Santiago. Using the famed pilgrimage path as a backdrop, Gardner's memoir weaves together her personal narrative with the physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges presented by the Camino.

You can learn more about Anne at her website, https://www.anne-gardner.com

Loft Gathering: The Two Halves of Life

The Loft LA — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 15:52:00 -0800

What does it mean to "fall upward?" How might our failings be the foundation for ongoing spiritual growth? In today's gathering we explore how the two halves of life work together to guide us on our pilgrimage towards the Divine.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Inside Out: Radical Self-Love & Social Transformation part 4

The Loft — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 04:00:00 -0800

How do we as progressive Christians understand what it means to "be humuan" in light of our encounter with the Divine? In today's episode we discuss the principles of a progressive Christian theological anthroplogy and what our key take-aways were from this series.

Loft Gathering: And So I Walked

The Loft LA — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 09:02:00 -0800

Our life's journey is a combination of joy and suffering, hope and disappointment. And while no one enjoys suffering or disappointment, what we see in the life of Jesus is a practice of responding to such suffering in ways that allow us to grow in spiritual maturity. The pilgrimage that we call life will not always be easy, but as Jesus promises in Matthew, it can be light. This Sunday, we will be joined by Rev. Anne Gardner, a chaplain at Harvard-Westlake, and the author of And So I Walked: Reflections on Chance, Choice, and the Camino de Santiago. We will explore the importance of pilgrimage in spiritual formation and the impact that walking the Camino de Santiago had on her.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: Waking Up to God

The Loft LA — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 08:57:00 -0800

Jesus doesn't seek out trained rabbis and priests to be his disciples; instead, he calls a few Galilean fishermen to follow him and join his ministry. In this story, Simon Peter encounters Jesus after a long night of work, and despite his exhaustion, their encounter leaves him woken up to God, and gives him a new vision of what his life can become.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: Building A World for Every Body

The Loft LA — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 08:53:00 -0800

The systems, structures, and churches in which we live our lives mirror the societies that made them. They are created and upheld by humans who carry biases, beliefs, and feelings of shame, just like we do. And while some of our systems have changed for the better over time, change is often difficult and not inevitable. We cannot talk about becoming an Unapologetically Inclusive community unless we examine and rebuild the systems that govern our bodies in ways that promote our collective flourishing.

Opening Conversation Question: Describe your ideal chair or couch, with as much detail as possible.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Inside Out: Radical Self-Love & Social Transformation, part 3

The Loft — Fri, 02 Feb 2024 03:00:00 -0800

We know that our Christian faith calls us to love ourselves. And yet self-love is often elusive - something we want to have but perpetually struggle with. Why? And how might progressive Christianity help us finally learn to love ourselves, regardless?

Loft Gathering: Making Peace with Bodily Difference

The Loft LA — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 10:23:00 -0800

Being Unapologetically Inclusive forces us to ask how we are to live with one another in ways that foster self-love. To be sure, "it is not our differences that divide us. We cannot recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences." Loving our bodies and the bodies of others is an invitation to make peace with bodily difference, and to live in solidarity with one another.

Conversation Question: Please reflect on the following "radical" idea – all of our body rules are made up!

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: Learning to Love Ourselves, Regardless

The Loft LA — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 07:22:00 -0800

The foundational spiritual practice within Christianity is our commitment to love God, our neighbor, and ourselves, "all the law and the prophets rest on these commands," according to Jesus. But truly loving ourselves is often easier said than done. Radical self-love asks us to let go of our doubts about our worthiness for love and embrace the Divine command to see the image of God in ourselves and others.

Conversation Question: Recall a time when someone chose not to try to understand your experience of a situation. What psychological and/or social impact did this experience have on you?

www.TheLoftLA.org

Inside Out: Radical Self-Love & Social Transformation, part 2

The Loft LA — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 09:11:00 -0800

How might we practice being human in ways that enable us to love ourselves and heal from the psychological terror of colonial thinking? It won't be easy, but progressive theology can help us craft a renewed understanding of what it means to practice being human, one that fosters an anti-oppressive and liberative way of being in the world.

Loft Gathering: Decolonizing the Imago Dei (Image of God)

The Loft LA — Mon, 15 Jan 2024 07:42:00 -0800

What does being created in the image of God mean for you?

While Christianity teaches that all human beings are created in the image of God, in this sermon Rev. Dr. Carter explores the meaning behind this idea and how it is this relevant for us today.

Inside Out: Radical Self-Love & Social Transformation, part 1

The Loft — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 16:06:00 -0800

How might we create a world for every body, a world that is unapologetically inclusive where all bodies know they belong? It begins with learning to love our own bodies and it expands to include learning to love the bodies of others. How might Christian theology help create such a world?

Loft Gathering: I'm Sorry My Body Makes You Uncomfortable (But I Shouldn't Be)

The Loft LA — Mon, 08 Jan 2024 18:58:00 -0800

What role has Christian theology played in enabling and encouraging a culture where so many of us feel like our bodies are wrong? To be sure, many of us believe that our bodies are somehow wrong, and every January, we try to change our 'wrong bodies' while apologizing for the presumed discomfort our bodies rouse in others."

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: Grounding Ourselves In & Through Ritual

The Loft LA — Tue, 02 Jan 2024 01:48:00 -0800

After eight days have passed, Mary and Joseph circumcise their child and give him the name Jesus. They return to the temple in Jerusalem to enact the sacred birth rituals of their culture and tradition. How do our sacred rituals root us and help us live into new chapters with courage? As new parents, Mary and Joseph likely felt what all new parents feel – a mix of joy and weariness. How might grounding ourselves in ritual give us the courage to face the unknown? Conversation Question: Imagine you are Mary in this story. Recall Simeon's prophecy that a sword will "pierce your innermost being." Also, consider Luke 2:19 when Mary "ponders" the shepherds' message in her heart. How do you think Mary summons the courage to mother Christ How do you summon the courage to live into difficult callings?

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship

The Loft LA — Tue, 26 Dec 2023 08:34:00 -0800

Experience the holy mystery of Christmas as we celebrate Christ's birth with music, scripture, prayer, preaching, communion, and candlelight. Featuring music from our Loft musicians, you are invited to sing beloved carols with us, share communion at our open table, and hold candlelight as we sing "Silent Night" together.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Power Over Piety: The Rise of White Christian Nationalism part 4

The Loft — Fri, 22 Dec 2023 07:34:00 -0800

Why are people drawn in by White Christian Nationalism? Is there anything progressive Christians can do to offset the terrible impact that WCN has on American democracy? Yes…and unfortunately it requires us to, on some level, engage with people we'd rather avoid.

In this episode we refer to Pamela Cooper-White's book "The Psychology of Christian Nationalism."

Loft Gathering: How Does A Weary World Rejoice? We Sing Stories of Hope

The Loft LA — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 07:20:00 -0800

What does it sound like when unhoused young adults sing stories of hope? Join us this Sunday as Rev. Dr. Carter is joined by Anthony Conley, Director of Supportive Services for Covenant House California as they discuss the importance of hope during weary times.

In the first chapter of Luke we read that after Elizabeth exclaims blessings upon Mary, Mary sings: "My soul magnifies God; my spirit rejoices in God." Mary sings about a God of liberation who pulls the powerful from their thrones and lifts up the lowly. Mary sings a story of hope, one in which justice and joy are interwoven. As we prepare to celebrate Christ's birth, may we also sing stories of hope, justice, and joy.

Question to consider – What gives you a "thrill of hope?" If you were to write a song of hope, what would the lyrics be? www.TheLoftLA.org

Power Over Piety: The Rise of White Christian Nationalism part 3

The Loft LA — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 15:02:00 -0800

What is the political theology of White Christian Nationalism and what are the dangers of this political theology for our democracy?

In this third of a four part series on White Christian Nationalism, Julia, Rev. Dr. Carter, and special guest Dr. Andy Tirrell, Associate Professor of Politcal Science at The University of San Diego, examine these questions and discuss what strategies progressives can employ to counteract the rising influence of these un-democratic beliefs.

Loft Gathering: How Does A Weary World Rejoice? We Allow Ourselves to be Amazed

The Loft LA — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 12:20:00 -0800

After Elizabeth gives birth, her neighbors and family celebrate with her. When it comes time to name the child, Zechariah affirms the name given by the angel and by Elizabeth. In that moment of affirming the promise, Zechariah's speech is restored. Everyone is filled with awe. How often do you allow yourself to be amazed? Wonder is all around us—can we recognize it? As we learn how to rejoice in a weary world, can we live in a way that allows amazement and wonder to surprise us often?

www.TheLoftLA.org

Power Over Piety: The Rise of White Christian Nationalism part 2

The Loft LA — Sun, 10 Dec 2023 03:42:00 -0800

What are the theological foundations of White Christian Nationalism? How are these beliefs used to support the marginalization of queer folk? What are their impact on young people? In this second of a four part series on White Christian Nationalism, Westley, Rev. Dr. Carter, and special guest Everest examin these questions and discuss the limitations of these theological beliefs.

In this episode we reference the following:

1946 - A documentary on the history of translating the bible to include the word "homosexual." More information can be found at https://www.1946themovie.com
The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill - podcast by Christianity Today.

Loft Gathering: Our Society Expects Too Much From Mothers

The Loft LA — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 08:12:00 -0800

Mothers have always had to depend upon each other for guidance and support during difficult times. We see this in the story of Mary and Martha in the Gospel of Luke and we see it today, especially in middle class and poor communities. In today's Gathering, Rev. Dr. Carter speaks with Jenniffer Duran-West, the Employee Development Manager for the Lundquist Institute WIC program, and they explore the importance of community for mothers, parents and caregivers, whose backs are against the wall.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Power Over Piety: The Rise of White Christian Nationalism - Part 1

The Loft — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 20:28:00 -0800

What is White Christian Nationalism and why might it be the biggest threat to Christianity and democracy in America today?

In this first of a four part series on White Christian Nationalism, Julia, Westley, and Rev. Dr. Carter begin to disentangle what White Christian Nationalism is, what it isn't, and how the deep stories of the founding of America are mythologized to create this dangerous political theology.

In this episode we reference the following books: Jemar Tisby's "The Color of Compromise," Joe Feagin's "The White Racial Frame," and "The Flag & the Cross" by Philip Gorski and Samuel Perry.

Loft Gathering: How Does A Weary World Rejoice?

The Loft LA — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 08:21:00 -0800

As Advent begins, we start by acknowledging the weariness, grief, rage, and hopelessness we carry. We remember the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth and their struggle with infertility. Perhaps they feel the weight of hopes and dreams unattained. Even when the angel comes to Zechariah with a promise of good news he can't fully receive it. Sometimes weariness can harden us and prevent us from living fully. How might acknowledging our own weariness and disbelief allow us to move towards healing and to remember that we are made for joy?

Question to Consider: Do you find it easy or difficult to acknowledge your weariness with your friends and loved ones?

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations: Deep Spirituality Is (probably) Anti-Capitalist

The Loft — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 08:44:00 -0800

In this episode, Julia, Westley, and Rev. Dr. Carter continue their discussion on Christian faith and economic practice. Do you believe that it is possible within American society for poverty to be practically eliminated? This question that frames much of their conversation. They end with a discussion on how progressive Christianity should push us to form identities that take sabbath practice seriously and how this practice deepens our spirituality.

Loft Gathering: Decolonizing Wealth: How to Heal

The Loft LA — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 06:40:00 -0800

In order to heal, we must first be able to imagine that an alternative to the economic structures we have created is possible. Scripture calls us to reimagine a world where our social and economic systems are not built to disparage or impoverish, but instead to provide for and benefit all. The Jewish practice of the Jubilee year invites us to imagine leaving the edge of the harvest for the poor and immigrant to reap; in the fiftieth year, the harvest is shared and disparities are rebalanced. In today's gathering, we will examine the lessons we can learn from the Jubilee year and how those lessons can help us begin to heal.

Question to Consider: Do you believe it is possible within American society for poverty to be practically eliminated? Why or why not?

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations: Decolonizing Wealth - You Can't Take It With You

The Loft — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 02:00:00 -0800

In this episode, Julia, Westley, and Rev. Dr. Carter discuss the intersections of Christian belief and economic practice. They examine the uncomfortable truism that to create an equitable economy some people will have to be willing to have less money! Why this is so difficult for people to accept (spoiler - people love money!). Lastly, they end their conversation exploring how we can grow to see money as a gift to be shared rather than something to be horded.

Books that we discussed in this episode:

Decolonizing Wealth by Edgar Villanueva

The Myth That Made Us by Jeff Fuhrer

Capitalism and Slavery by Eric Williams

It's Not Your Money by Tosha Silver

Loft Conversations: Why are Young People Leaving The Church? Queerness, Young Folx, and Progressive Theology

The Loft — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 18:48:00 -0800

In this episode we discuss the importance and challenges of teaching progressive theology to young people. To help us have this important conversation, Rev. Dr. Carter was joined by the newest member of the staff at The Loft, Everest Harvey. Everest is the Director of Youth and Social Justice Ministries at Westwood UMC. In their conversation they discuss what progressive theology is, why young people need a space where they can experience the fullness of God, and how by creating spaces where young people are seen as people capable of contributing to the betterment of the community, young people's ministries can thrive.

Loft Gathering: Decolonizing Wealth - Where It Hurts

The Loft LA — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 07:44:00 -0800

We begin our series by exploring some of our spoken and unspoken economic mythologies. Whether it is the myth of the "self-made man" or the belief that wealth will "trickle down" to the poor, these myths obscure the truth about how wealth is created and distributed in America. We cannot heal from the pain caused by poverty and exploitation if we do not know where the hurt comes from. In the story of the widow's mite, Jesus shows us that acknowledging the pain caused by unjust people and systems can allow us to identify corrupt systems that must be changed so that all people might have life and have it abundantly.

Question to Consider: How and in what ways does the economic background of your childhood influence your views about money today?

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations: Breaking Patriarchy Will Make You Feel Good Inside

The Loft — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 09:44:00 -0700

In this episode, Julia, Westley, and Rev. Dr. Carter continue their conversation on patriarchy and the church. We begin by discussing how the concept of "patriarchy" can feel overwhelming and how crafting a precise definition can help us understand what we are fighting against. We discuss how and why progressive spaces can still be sexist and how that sexism is often rooted in gender stereotypes. If we understand patriarchy to be a habit, we suggest that it is possible to develop habits that can help us dismantle patriarchal structures.

Loft Gathering: Breaking Patriarchy at Home

The Loft LA — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 08:53:00 -0700

From the time a child is born, their homes become places of learning. While at their best, our homes may be schools of love, compassion, justice, and grace, it would be naive of us to believe that our children's first encounter with patriarchal thinking is outside of their homes. And yet, the life of Jesus and those within his community reveal to us a vision of home that consistently invites us to break free from the oppressive ways of thinking that have harmed us and made it difficult to be in a relationship with the Divine. Join us this Sunday for the conclusion of our series, Breaking Patriarchy, as we examine how breaking patriarchy ultimately begins at home.

Question to Consider: How, if at all, was patriarchal thinking normalized in your childhood home?

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: Breaking Patriarchy at Church

The Loft LA — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 08:54:00 -0700

One of the earliest Christian baptismal covenants states that "there is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." The church has repeatedly compromised our covenant with God to treat each other as one. How does patriarchal thinking prevent us from structuring our community in ways that encourage the flourishing of all people? Join us this Sunday as we explore how we can break the cycle of patriarchal thinking that shapes our Church.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: Breaking the Patriarchal Reading of the Bible

The Loft LA — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 07:16:00 -0700

Our personal identities, thoughts, and social assumptions influence how we read everything, including how we read the Bible. Men have been the primary interpreters of the bible, history shows us that men have, and continue to, read the bible in ways that reinforce (or at least doesn't challenge) the everydayness of sexism and gender discrimination. We invite you to join us this Sunday as we explore how to break free from the habit of reading the bible through a patriarchal lens.

Question to Consider: What, if any, method or approach do you use when you read Sacred texts?

www.TheLoftLA.org

Breaking Our Internalized Patriarchal Voice

The Loft — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 21:58:00 -0700

In this episode Julia, Westley, and Rev. Dr. Carter explore the ways patriarchal thinking influences the world around us and, more often than not, our inner monologue. We begin the episode by connecting the violence happening in Palestine and Israel to the violent nature of patriarchal thinking. We discuss where we see patriarchy in our own lives and some subtle and overt types of patriarchal thinking that impact the Church. We end the episode by exploring some of the values we can adopt to help us unlearn patriarchal thinking.

In this episode we reference Ivone Gebara's book "Longing for Running Water" and Carol Gilligan's "In A Different Voice."

Loft Gathering: Breaking Patriarchal Thinking

The Loft LA — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 07:02:00 -0700

How have you come to know what you "know?" What sources of knowledge have shaped your understanding of American culture, Christianity, or your own self-understanding? Patriarchal thinking has been foundational to much of what we have come to believe is "normal." Join us this Sunday as we use the theological writings of Latin American Eco-Feminist theologian Ivonne Gebara to help us understand the depths of Christian Patriarchy and offer us a framework for breaking patriarchal thinking.

Question to Consider: What sources of knowledge have influenced your way of thinking about yourself and/or your faith?

www.TheLoftLA.org

Thoughts, Prayers, and Book Clubs: What is - and isn't - Compassionate Action

The Loft LA — Thu, 05 Oct 2023 18:59:00 -0700

In this 1-year anniversary episode, Julia, Westley, and Rev. Dr. Carter discuss one of the four values that shape the theology of The Loft - Compassion. We begin by listening to the less-than-dulcet tones of Dr. Carter singing Anniversty by Tony, Toni, Toné and quickly transition into a discussion on what we mean by compassion and how compassion is often conflated with sentiment. We end by examining how true compassion for others leads to restorative actions and avoids the lure of saviorism that can creep into justice movements.

The articles we discuss in this episode are:

The White Savior Industrial Complex by Teju Cole

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/03/the-white-savior-industrial-complex/254843/

A New Way to Read Gatsby by Alonzo Vereen

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/03/great-gatsby-book-fitzgerald-race-interpretation/672778/

Loft Gathering: Loft 101 - Compassion

The Loft LA — Mon, 02 Oct 2023 04:30:00 -0700

Question to Consider: How would you distinguish between restorative actions guided by compassion versus actions guided by saviorism?

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations: Decolonizing Christianity will make you a Super Christian

The Loft LA — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 14:37:00 -0700

In this episode, Julia, Westley, and Rev. Dr. Carter talk about one of the four values that shape the theology of The Loft - Decolonization. We discuss what we mean by "colonial theology" and explore the ways colonial theology shapes how many of us practice Christianity. We end our podcast by unpacking the decolonial strategies that we see modeled by Jesus in the gospels.

Loft Gathering: Loft 101 - A Conversational Community

The Loft LA — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 06:44:00 -0700

At The Loft, we have a conversational approach to "doing" church and our hope is that this approach helps build and deepen relationships throughout our worshiping community. But what exactly do we mean when we say we are a conversational community? In Matthew 18, Jesus tells his disciples that "where two or three are gathered in my name, I'm there with them." Indeed, relationships are at the core of Jesus' spiritual path of radical compassion, and conversation is one way we build relationships. We invite you to join us this Sunday as Pastor Molly is joined in the center by Liberty and Jay Worth to explore the role and importance of conversation in constructing a liberatory theology.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: Decolonizing Christianity

The Loft LA — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 05:05:00 -0700

At The Loft, there are four fundamental values that we draw from the teachings of Jesus that inform how we practice Christianity: Compassion, Decolonization, Belonging, and Conversation. We have spent the summer exploring belonging and in our current series, The Loft 101, we will explore how the remaining three values inform who we are and who we aim to be as a faith community.

This Sunday's gathering will focus on decolonization. Jesus was a Jew who was born and died in subjugation to the Roman Empire. His body was and remains marked by gender, culture, and religion. Given this, we must ask ourselves how Jesus' cultural context as a colonial subject shaped his religious and social practices. A decolonial analysis is one of the four key values that inform the theology of The Loft community. We invite you to join us this Sunday as we examine the importance of decolonial thinking and practicing Jesus' spiritual path of radical compassion.

Question to consider before we gather – How would you respond in a situation where your supervisor (or someone who is your superior) asks you to do something that goes against your moral standards?

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: Called Into Belonging

The Loft LA — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 06:09:00 -0700

We invite you to join us for our annual Homecoming Gospel Concert at The Loft. Homecoming is an opportunity to celebrate our community, reconnect to our spiritual roots, and cultivate a culture of belonging. This will be a musically driven worship service led by Dedrick Bonner and the Singers of Soul. Rev. Dr. Carter will conclude our summer sermon series on Belonging by exploring how belonging is a central part of our calling as people of faith.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations: Abolition & Christianity: We Are All We Need

The Loft LA — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Julia, Westley, and Rev. Dr. Carter are joined by Rev. Dr. Nikia Smith Robert, assistant professor at the University of Kansas and founder of Abolitionist Sanctuary to discuss the intersection of abolition and Christian praxis. We discuss how abolitionist thinking can help us imagine strategies of resistance and repair for the writers and actors who are on strike and those who are impacted by the devastating wildfires in Lahaina.

You can find more information about the Abolitionist Sanctuary at their website: https://www.abolitionistsanctuary.org.

Additionally, here is a link to the CNN article about restaurants that are trying to recover from the wildfires https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/23/business/maui-fire-restaurants

Loft Gathering: Abolitionist Values and Belonging

The Loft LA — Mon, 04 Sep 2023 06:45:00 -0700

As followers of the religion of Jesus, we are called to seek out and create homeplaces, communities to which we can feel safe, be seen, and develop a sense of belonging. And yet, daily, we are confronted with the reality that we live in a society founded upon the principles of class division, racial segregation, and patriarchy. Abolitionists have been working against these divisions for centuries, and recently, there has been an increase in the number of people using abolitionist values to help give us a framework for how we can build a better society for everyone. One of those people is Rev. Dr. Nikia Smith-Robert, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Kansas University and founder of Abolitionist Sanctuary. We invite you to join us this Sunday as Rev. Dr. Carter and Rev. Dr. Smith-Robert explore how the values of abolition are crucial for creating a culture of belonging.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations: WWJD About Homelessness?

The Loft LA — Sat, 02 Sep 2023 04:01:00 -0700

On today's episode, Julia and Westley are joined by community member Alex Smith, and housing rights attorney and affordable housing activist Ysabel Jurado! We discuss the negative mental health effects of becoming unhoused, the social conditions we subject our unhoused community to, and the various statistics around housing affordability in Los Angeles. Our conversation delves into the myriad ways that societal and legal structures push us away from a community-focused society, and we discuss what we can do to help move our communities toward addressing and fixing these problems.

Loft Gathering: Housing Insecurity & Belonging

The Loft LA — Mon, 28 Aug 2023 07:59:00 -0700

There are many things that Angelinos love about living in LA, but the cost of living – especially housing – is not one of them. Our sacred text is filled with passages encouraging people of faith to care for the poor, the widowed, and the orphan. As progressive Christians, we know that we ought to do something to address housing insecurity, but what exactly can we do? How might the theological principles of belonging help us advocate for affordable housing? This Sunday, housing rights attorney and affordable housing activist Ysabel Jurado will share the center with Alex Smith and Pastor Molly as they discuss belonging and housing insecurity. www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations: Building Our Barbie Dreamhouse Church

The Loft LA — Fri, 25 Aug 2023 02:54:00 -0700

In this episode, Julia, Westley, and Rev. Dr. Carter discuss healing from the trauma of feeling exiled from the spiritual communities of our upbringing. Our conversation turns to the film Barbie as we find inspiration in Barbie's journey to discover who she is and create the home that she longs for. We end our conversation by exploring how we can heal from the traumas of our past to create the church community that we want to belong to.

Loft Gathering: Creating Homeplace

The Loft LA — Mon, 21 Aug 2023 04:56:00 -0700

At The Loft, we strive to be a community of care, a place where all people can feel like they belong. As a community, our belonging finds its center at our church and in our worship space. Belonging to a community asks us to develop an attachment to a place. How might our attachment, or lack thereof, to our sacred space influence our ability to foster a culture of belonging?

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations: Life Lessons from Moana

The Loft LA — Wed, 16 Aug 2023 01:08:00 -0700

In this episode, Julia, Westley, and Rev. Dr. Carter discuss spiritual formation for young adults. We begin our conversation discussing the difficulty young adults face when trying to find a spiritual home that allows them to genuinely question their embedded beliefs. Organizations such as Young Life and Intervarsity tend to fairly conservative. We then transition to discussing how the concept of Wayfinding from the Disney film Moana gave us a better understanding of what the process of young adult spiritual formation actually entails. During this episode we mention the work of The 580 Cafe, a progressive Christian campus ministry of UCLA. If you believe in the value of campus ministry, please support them. We also discussed the Race/Class Narrative project created by Heather McGhee, Anat Shenker-Osorio, and others.

Loft Gathering: Wayfinding

The Loft LA — Mon, 14 Aug 2023 06:13:00 -0700

Whether in school or our professional lives, our journey into young adulthood grants us the freedom to discover who we are outside of the gaze of our immediate family. How might our church support and accompany young adults on their journey to discover where they belong? Join us this Sunday as Rev. Dr. Carter will share the center table with Deaconess Jeanne Roe Smith, Executive Director of 580 Café, an Immigrant Welcoming, LGBTQIA+ Inclusive, and Gender Affirming Community that serves the UCLA campus community and other institutions of higher education.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: A Place Where Kids Know They Belong

The Loft LA — Mon, 07 Aug 2023 09:17:00 -0700

Whether our homes are happy or troubled, our families functional or dysfunctional, our homes and our communities are our original schools of love, compassion, justice, and belonging. Children develop their sense of identity as it is reflected to them from within these spaces, and they are ever attentive as they discern who and whose they are. Join us this Sunday as we continue our sermon series on Belonging as Rev. Dr. Carter is joined by our Pastor for Family and Children's Ministries Rev. Dr. Diana Holbert as they discuss what a church that helps children feel like they belong looks like.

In Preparation for Sunday: Looking back on your childhood, what spaces beyond your home did you feel a sense of belonging? What set those spaces apart from others?

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations: The Danger of Confusing Belonging with External Validation

The Loft LA — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 07:30:00 -0700

In this episode, Julia, Westley, and Rev. Dr. Carter discuss the challenges churches face when they attempt to be a community where people who are reconstructing or building their faith identity can belong. All too often, churches will want you to confess certain beliefs that do not align with what you believe. We end the podcast discussing how we at The Loft are trying to address this dilemma by creating a community focused on values rather than specific doctrinal beliefs.

The Loft Gathering: Spiritual, But Not (Yet?) Religious

The Loft LA — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 03:57:00 -0700

Each week I begin our gathering by stating, among other things, that all people should feel welcome at The Loft, regardless of belief or unbelief. However, can someone who isn't sure what they believe about the Sacred feel welcome in a church? This week, Rev. Dr. Carter will be joined by Dr. Fay Lin, a member of The Loft community who started attending our gatherings as she constructed her own spiritual beliefs. We invite you to join us as we discuss the challenges of finding and creating a community for the spiritual but not religious.

Question In Preparation for Sunday: Imagine you are in a conversation with someone at The Loft. It's one of their first times at a gathering, and they say that they identify as spiritual but not religious. How would you respond to them?

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations: Disability justice is not a matter of cost; it's a matter of priority

The Loft LA — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 02:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Julia, Westley, and Rev. Dr. Carter are joined by Dr. Katie Schellenberg-Bell, a holistic advocate for students with exceptionalities, and founder Learning Lab LA. We talk about the history of disability justice, how our contemporary society falls short of creating spaces that are welcoming for all bodies, and how those who are already marginalized are disproportionately impacted. We wrap up our conversation by exploring the possibilities of Universal Design for religious communities.

Loft Gathering: Disability & Belonging

The Loft LA — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 05:00:00 -0700

The Christian church has not done a good, or perhaps even decent, job of creating spaces where disabled people can feel like they belong. Unfortunately, our inaction builds upon a long legacy of a complicated relationship with the disabled human body. The biblical writers often used the disabled body as a metaphor for broader social or personal sins or as punishment for the sins of their ancestors. Join us this Sunday as we explore what a liberating theology for disabled persons might include. Julia and Westley will lead a conversation with Dr. KT Schellenberg Bell, a holistic advocate for students with exceptionalities and founder of Learning Lab LA.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations: Loving our Neighbors as We Love Ourselves

The Loft LA — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 09:50:00 -0700

In this episode, Julia, Westley, and Rev. Dr. Carter continue their conversation about creating communities of belonging. We discuss the challenges of creating communities that include "outsiders" and how our failure to love our neighbor ultimately reflects our inability to love the totality of ourselves. So what must we do to love ourselves? We have lots of thoughts about this, but the overarching theme is that it will require a reversal of our social and political values. Or, as Jesus put it, in the kin-dom of God "the first shall be last, and the last shall be first."

Loft Gathering: Belonging to Our Neighbors

The Loft LA — Mon, 17 Jul 2023 08:53:00 -0700

"And who is my neighbor?" How we answer this question, which was posed to Jesus by a legal expert in the parable of The Good Samaritan, directly informs our practice of creating a space of belonging at The Loft. This Sunday, Kathleen Rogers will join me in the center to discuss the documentary film With This Light. The film profiles the life of Sister Maria Rosa Leggol, who, for over 70 years, helped over 87,000 Honduran children escape poverty and fortified her legacy as an activist and visionary. Sister Maria saw these children as her neighbor, and her legacy invites us to discern what is required of us at the Loft if we want to cultivate belonging among our neighbors.

Question to consider before worship: Sister Maria was known as a person who asked for forgiveness rather than permission. If she saw a need and believed she could help address it, she acted, even if it meant that she was going against "tradition." What is one justice-oriented thing you would do if you chose to ask for forgiveness rather than permission?

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations: Human Dominion and our Desire for Control

The Loft LA — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 08:44:00 -0700

The structure of our modern world gives us the illusion of control. We can control the temperature of our cars and homes. We can control where we purchase our groceries or what types of foods we buy. There are numerous other areas of our lives where we like to think we have control. However, events such as natural disasters or a pandemic serve as reminders that, as human beings, we don't have as much control as we often think we do. In today's episode of Loft Conversations we discuss the human desire for control, how this desire was amplified during the Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution, and how this desire for control alienates us from nonhuman nature and ourselves. We end the episode by suggesting that cultivating awe and wonder for what we often see as "basic" things can help us heal from the loneliness that often drives our desire to control and conquer others.

Loft Gathering: Belonging to the Earth, Belonging to Yourself

The Loft LA — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 06:55:00 -0700

If we are not careful living in urban and suburban communities can lead us to believe that human engineering can control nature. However, climate science and human history show us that ultimately nature rules. We all belong to the earth, and we participate in its wonder. How might we live in ways that honor this belonging? How might the wonder we find in the created world encourage us to view ourselves with sacred awe?

Conversation Question: In her book This Here Flesh, Cole Aurther Riley describes wonder as "the practice of beholding the beautiful." Think back to a moment when you experienced wonder and be prepared to share that moment with a friend.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations: Longing for Homeplace

The Loft LA — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 03:00:00 -0700

When have you experienced genuine belonging? Our answer to this question is a window into our community life. We all have a longing to belong and the church has historically been a place for building one's community. However, for progressive Christians, the church has sometimes been a place of dysfunction and spiritual abuse and was no longer a space for genuine community. But the longing for community persists.

For the next two months, we will discuss what it means to create a culture of belonging where all people are welcome to be their authentic selves. In today's episode, we discuss the trauma's that we carry from church dysfunction and the importance of creating a church that is what bell hooks defines as a homeplace, a safe place where people can affirm one another and by doing so heal many of the wounds inflicted upon members of the community by the dehumanizing traumas of racism, sexism, classism, ableism, and queer hatred.

Show Notes: "Belonging: A Culture of Place" by bell hooks "Homeplace: A Site of Resistance" by bell hooks www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: Longing to Belong

The Loft LA — Mon, 03 Jul 2023 03:01:00 -0700

Given the effort required to develop meaningful relationships, what is the value of finding and creating spaces to which we belong? This question is at the heart of the epidemic of loneliness that faces so many people in our country. As progressive Christians, we are often afflicted by a kind of loneliness, a longing for our past religious communities where we experienced both love and abuse. We all desire to feel a sense of belonging, but this desire can only be met by creating and inhabiting spaces where we both feel loved and free to be our authentic selves.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations: Collective Remembrance and Defiant Hope

The Loft LA — Wed, 28 Jun 2023 13:50:00 -0700

This week we're joined by Rev. Kimberly Scott, incoming Senior Pastor at Grace UMC in Baldwin Hills, to discuss how resilience is rooted in our ability to remember that we didn't get to where we are alone.

Show Notes: "Alabama Grandson: A Black, Gay Minister's Passage Out of Hiding" Book by Cedrick Bridgeforth "In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens" Book by Alice Walker www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations: Love & Liberation as Resistance to Bad Theology

The Loft LA — Wed, 28 Jun 2023 13:48:00 -0700

This episode we're joined by Reverend Kevin Kim Wright to have a freewheeling conversation about helping people find liberation as a form of spiritual formation, the self-preservation of institutions like the Church and how that can sometimes find itself at odds with the community-based work necessary for a thriving society. We also talk about the corrosiveness of hate and how we can listen for the Holy Spirit and her prompting in our lives. www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: Hope in an Age of Nihilism

The Loft LA — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 01:35:00 -0700

Given the realities of suffering we see in our world – poverty, hunger, climate change, violence – there are many who see Christian hope as naive, as a way to avoid engaging in the realities of suffering. What does Christian hope look like in an age of nihilism? In today's gathering we will examine the role and importance of hope for the Christian faith. Question to Consider Before We Meet: How do you define hope? What role, if any, does hope have in your spirituality?

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: Being Human

The Loft LA — Mon, 19 Jun 2023 07:41:00 -0700

What does it mean to be created in the image of God? The history of Christianity has shown us that Christian communities have historically struggled to view all humans as bearing the image of God equally – especially marginalized groups such as women, people of color, and those who identify as queer. This Sunday Rev. Dr. Carter will be joined by Dedrick Bonner as we learn about the challenges and triumphs of queer folk seeing themselves as beloved children of God. Question to Consider Before We Meet: What image comes to mind when you think of a human being? What might your answer reveal about your assumptions regarding what a default "human being" looks like? AUDIO NOTE: The introduction to this message was not captured on audio, but we pick up at the beginning of the conversation.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Gathering: Collective Spiritual Resilience: Wisdom from Queer Black Clergy Women

The Loft LA — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 07:01:00 -0700

We welcome Rev. Kimberly Scott to our center conversation with Pastor Molly, sharing about her theological work on practices of resilience, drawn from the wisdom of Queer Black Clergy Women. Her work invites us into practices of remembrance, hope, defiance, and action. Rev. Kimberly is a doctoral student at the Claremont School of Theology, and a United Methodist Elder.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Faith Seeking Understanding: The Holy Spirit and Christian Life

The Loft LA — Sun, 04 Jun 2023 18:46:00 -0700

This Sunday, Rev. Kevin Kim Wright returns to The Loft for conversation with Pastor Molly, as they explore how the Holy Spirit's calling leads us to live out our faith. Currently Chief of Staff at The Point Foundation, an LGBTQ+ scholarship granting organization, he is an ordained Elder in the UMC. www.TheLoftLA.org

The Divine Dance

The Loft LA — Mon, 29 May 2023 01:37:00 -0700

Despite our lack of engagement with the doctrine of the Trinity, I believe that it has continued to persist because it reveals something about the nature of God: a Divine and Dynamic relationship rooted in love. Join us this Sunday as we explore how we can take our place in God's divine dance. www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations: A Progressive Christian Response to Anti-Trans Politics

The Loft LA — Thu, 25 May 2023 08:33:00 -0700

Why has there been a sudden increase in anti-trans legislation across the country? In this week's episode of Loft Conversations, Julia, Westley, and Rev. Dr. Carter examine the roots of the increased anti-trans political activism and how it's tied to a broader structure of religiously conservative theology. We also discuss the facts and popular fictions of gender-affirming care. We end the conversation discussing the role theology has played in moralizing this attack on a marginalized group and how a renewed theological anthropology can help create the beloved communities that we desire. In this episode, we mention or reference the following articles: "What Decades of Providing Trans Health Care has Taught Me" by Dr. Marci Bowers "How a Campaign Against Transgender Rights Mobilized Conservatives" by By Adam Nagourney and Jeremy W. Peters "From millionaires to Muslims, small subgroups of the population seem much larger to many Americans" a YouGov survey

Cultivating Faith in the Midst of Struggle

The Loft LA — Mon, 22 May 2023 06:18:00 -0700

Last week, we discussed how our response to the inevitable suffering of human life can grow our faith. But what about manufactured suffering? What impact might that have on one's faith? This week Rev. Dr. Carter will be joined by Sarah Wilson, Executive Director of Harvest Home, a nonprofit whose mission is to transform the lives of homeless pregnant women and their children by providing housing, support, and programs that equip women to become great mothers. We invite you to join us as we discuss how the women and those who work with them cultivate faith. www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations: A Lot of Religion & A Little Bit of Theology

The Loft LA — Wed, 17 May 2023 06:06:00 -0700

What is the difference between belief and faith? One definition that we discussed was that belief requires a lot of "religion," but faith asks us to construct a theology. In today's Loft Converations episode, Julia, Westley, and Rev. Dr. Carter discuss the nature and meaning of faith for Christians and why some people fear asking the kind of questions or experiencing the type of life events that enable our faith in God to grow.

One book that we mentioned during the episode was "Falling Upward: Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life" by Richard Rohr.

Theology Is Faith Seeking Understanding

The Loft LA — Mon, 15 May 2023 09:04:00 -0700

What Christians are to believe and how those beliefs translate into actions have been the source of personal anxiety at a minimum and social conflict at its worst. The human desire for structure and clarity has led many Christians to develop theologies that fear difficult questions and demand blind assent. However, a mature theology should dare to raise questions on our quest for a deeper understanding of the Divine. www.TheLoftLA.org

God's Name Is...

The Loft LA — Mon, 08 May 2023 07:57:00 -0700

If we only use the same handful of metaphors to describe God, they hide the full wonder of divine love. So, this Sunday, we will talk about old and new metaphors for God; bring your poetic, prophetic imagination to help with the project. Plus, we share Holy Communion.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Theology Comes to Dinner: Part 2

The Loft LA — Wed, 03 May 2023 07:53:00 -0700

How might we eat in ways that align with our moral and cultural values? This question will be the starting point for our gathering this Sunday. A few weeks ago we discussed the realities of our food system and the ways it profits from the manufacturing of suffering. This Sunday, Rev. Dr. Carter will share the three theologically informed eating practices that allow us to remain true to the principles of compassion, love, justice, and solidarity with the marginalized. www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations: Thinking Theologically About Food - Part 1

The Loft LA — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 03:00:00 -0700

In today's episode of Loft Conversations we discuss the "other work" that Rev. Dr. Carter attends to when he is not doing church work - food justice. We begin by discussing his book, The Spirit of Soul Food: Race, Faith, and Food Justice, and his motivation for writing it.

Rev. Dr. Carter notes that the guiding question for the book was "how can I eat in ways that are in alignment with my moral and cultural values?" The resulting conversation covered race, immigration, politics, and religion. In part two, Dr. Carter will disciss the tangible changes we can make to our diets and consumption when we progressives begin to think theologically about our food.

Earth Day and Easter

The Loft LA — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 13:32:00 -0700

Rather than an excuse to set our focus in some heavenly realm, Jesus' resurrection helps us see God's presence here among us, on earth.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations: Dedrick Bonner and The Queer Power of Gospel Music

The Loft LA — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 07:43:00 -0700

In this weeks Loft Conversations episode we speak with Dedrick Bonner. Singer, actor, musician, producer - he has done it all! Dedrick founded a gospel choir, The Singers of Soul, and we have been blessed to have them sing at The Loft for the past few years.

In this conversation, we discuss Dedrick's journey from Alabama to LA and the difficulties he has faced as a large Black gay man. We also discuss the role Christianity has played in his life how singing gospel music has helped him and the choir heal from difficult and fraught church experiences.

Theology Comes to Dinner

The Loft LA — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 07:23:00 -0700

How might we eat in ways that are in alignment with our moral and cultural values? How might we think theologically about our food choices and agricultural systems? These questions have shaped the trajectory of Rev. Dr. Carter's diet and his research the over the past 13 years. We invite you to join us this Sunday as we discuss how eating is a spiritual practice. Preparing For Sunday: Please be prepared to share a food memory with your small group. For example, perhaps your family has a particular holiday tradition where the meal feels significant to you, or maybe there is a certain food that connects you to the story of your people and your community.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Easter Sunday - The Quest for Hope

The Loft LA — Mon, 10 Apr 2023 09:54:00 -0700

The question that Jesus poses to Mary at his empty tomb is the central question of Easter: who, or what, are you looking for? What kind of Jesus are you looking for? What kind of Christianity are you looking for? Where do you see hope in the resurrection of Christ? We invite you to join us this Easter Sunday as we finish our Lenten series, The Inward Journey and boldly proclaim the hope that we find in the resurrection of Jesus. www.TheLoftLA.org

Good Friday - Inward Journey: The Quest for God

The Loft LA — Mon, 10 Apr 2023 09:41:00 -0700

Jesus quotes the psalmist when he cries out on the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" His final lament gives voice to all those who have been forsaken—those who suffer injustice, those who are abandoned, those who are unjustly convicted. And yet, when we read this lament in light of his prayer in the garden of Gathsemene that God would "take this cup of suffering away from me" we see that these words are the culmination of a prayer between he and God. In his quest for God, in giving up his life, Jesus shows us that we can be confident in knowing that for every sunset there is a sunrise. www.TheLoftLA.org

The Quest for Peace

The Loft LA — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 08:54:00 -0700

On Palm Sunday, our lenten journey brings us to the story of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem; the crowd cried "Hosanna," which means, "Save us." We, too, are hungry to be saved, eager to be liberated from the destructive power of violence and oppression. In conversation and at the communion table, we claim our part in a different way, a way of peace. www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations: Why do conservative Christians love guns more than their children?

The Loft LA — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 08:27:00 -0700

In this week's Loft Conversations episode, we discuss the tragic mass shooting at Covenant Presbyterian School in Nashville. This was not an easy conversation for any of us, but it was necessary. We were joined by Kathleen Rogers, a member of the Loft community and Nashville native. Kathleen was connected to two of the victims and offers insight into how the community is processing and grieving the loss of life.

We then shift the conversation to discussing the conservative Christian arguments for maintaining gun rights, up to and including assault weapons - and then subsequently dismantle each of those arguments as inconsistent with the Gospel of Jesus. We close this episode by imagining a way forward - could gun reform become a "single issue" similar to abortion in our political context?

The Quest for Healing

The Loft LA — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 08:27:00 -0700

When Jesus and the disciples encounter a blind man, the disciples immediately ask, "Teacher, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" In our quest for healing Jesus encourages us to ask more precise questions; questions that reveal the interconnected nature of our existence. Read For Sunday: Howard Thurman's essay "The Subtleties of Pride" will inform our conversation on Sunday. One of the questions that we will discuss in the gathering is taken from this essay. Thurman writes that "if a person thinks more highly of themselves than they ought to think, they can never know what is perhaps the most important truth: the truth about themselves."

Do you agree with Thurman's statement?
How do you learn the truth about yourself?

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations: Unnamed, But Not Nobody

The Loft LA — Wed, 22 Mar 2023 03:00:00 -0700

What happens when we center the unnamed in scripture or society? In today's Loft Conversations episode, we discuss the story of Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the well. While the Samaritan Woman is not named in the gospel, the influence she had on her community and the theological discourse that surrounds her proves that she is a person that deserves our attention. We end our conversation discussing the potential impact of centering the unnamed in our communities. www.TheLoftLA.org

To Struggle is to be Human: The Quest for Fulfillment

The Loft LA — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 09:43:00 -0700

Risk is an inevitable part of our quest for fulfillment. However, as Jesus and the Samaritan woman demonstrate, if we are to change our present circumstance we must not be daunted by fear of taking those risks. These two essays from Howard Thurman's Inward Journey will help inform our conversation on Sunday. Some questions that I would love for us to discuss during our gathering are: What are some of the fears that arise within you when you make the decision to act in ways that resist cultural norms? (i.e. attending a LBGTQ affirming church despite push back from family). How do you work through those fears and decide to act?

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations: Real vs. Manufactured Suffering & Realistic Eutopia's

The Loft LA — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 17:33:00 -0800

In today's Loft Conversations episode, discuss the problem with the idea that life is supposed to be free of all types of suffering. Who thought of this idea and who had it benefited, who has it harmed? And then we end our conversation discussing what a realistic utopia would look like.

The Quest for a Meaningful Life

The Loft LA — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 10:09:00 -0800

After his baptism, Jesus continues his Inward Journey in the wilderness. Wandering alone, he spent time in prayer in fasting as he sought clarity about what the next steps in his ministry should be. This time in the wilderness gave him the opportunity to discern what a meaningful life would be for him. The quest for a meaningful life is as old as humanity. From Adam and Eve to Jesus to today, all human beings embark upon this quest. In his essay "When the Knowledge Comes" Howard Thurman invites us to consider how this quest is a perpetual journey from innocence to knowledge. As we continue our own inward journey during this season of Lent, we too should ask ourselves, what does a meaningful life look like for ourselves? When we quiet our minds to listen for and seek an answer, who are we listening to? How might we filter out the noise so that we can hear the prompting of the Spirit? www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations: If Jesus were middle class how would Christianity be different?

The Loft LA — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 02:00:00 -0800

It's the season of Lent, and in today's Loft Conversations episode, we discuss the importance of understanding Jesus the person by exploring the context of his community. How might his background as a poor Jewish subject of Roman colonial occupation have influenced his teachings? What does it mean to view Jesus as a religious subject vs. a religious object? And we end our conversation with a fascinating discussion on how class can inform our theology.

Jesus: An Interpretation

The Loft LA — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 08:01:00 -0800

This Lenten season at The Loft will be a time of reflection and self-examination to prepare for the ministries that God has gifted and called us to live out, both as individuals and as a community. At its best, the spiritual path of Jesus is an Inward Journey that leads to profound transformation; his spiritual practices, boundary-crossing relationships, and social teachings reveal that his quest toward God set him on a path where he sought to liberate and heal his community from the trauma of empire. Where might this quest lead us today? This is the central question that will animate our conversations during this Lenten season. . The writings and teachings of Howard Thurman will help guide us on our Inward Journey. This Sunday's gathering will be informed by his essay "Jesus: An Interpretation" from Thurman's most popular book, Jesus and the Disinherited. The context surrounding Jesus' life was complicated by poverty and Roman colonial occupation. How might understanding his earthly background help us to recognize the importance of his baptism as a way to prepare for his time in the wilderness, his inward journey? www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations - Art, Theology, and Racial Justice

The Loft LA — Wed, 22 Feb 2023 03:00:00 -0800

In today's Loft Conversations episode, we discuss Rev. Dr. Carter's Black History and Theology sermon that he gave in The Sanctuary, Between The World & Me. We explore what it looks like for progressive Christians to take on the challenge that white supremacy poses to the religion of Jesus. We then discuss the conversations on art and theology that took place in The Loft. How does art help us connect to the Divine? Is all art inevitably theological or spiritual?

You can find the artwork of Liberty Worth at www.libertyworthart.com.

Ash Wednesday Meditation

The Loft LA — Wed, 22 Feb 2023 02:00:00 -0800

Today is Ash Wednesday, and it marks the beginning of Lent, a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. The forty days represent the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation to sin - the temptation to love oneself more than your neighbor or God. This wilderness experience prepared him for his ministry. This podcast episode is an invitation for you to begin your Lenten journey by meditating on Jesus' time in the wilderness as a way of preparing us for our own Inward Journey during these weeks of Lent.

Black Theology and Black History: Between the World and Me

The Loft LA — Mon, 20 Feb 2023 11:30:00 -0800

Given the history of racism and white supremacy within the Christian tradition and the rise of white Christian nationalism in our country, how and why do people of color even claim Christianity as their faith tradition? To be sure, many of us live with the awareness of a veil that exists between "us" and the world, and living with the awareness of this division is one of life's great challenges. The prophet Jeremiah tells us of the consequences of living behind a veil of ignorance, and the gospel of Jesus shows us what it requires of us to tear down the veil that divides us. www.TheLoftLA.org

Art As Sacred Text

The Loft LA — Mon, 20 Feb 2023 11:11:00 -0800

For thousands of years, oral traditions and sacred texts were viewed as spiritual tools that helped individuals connect with the Divine and transcend themselves and their egos. And yet we know that "sacred" texts exist beyond our traditional religious texts and include literature, film, music and art. This Sunday we will explore the ways in which art can be a Divine expression. Kyle Abraham will be performing a dance and we will discuss the connection between dance and the sacred. Liberty Worth is a professional artist and we will be discussing her journey to seeing herself as an artist and the healing power of art. And lastly, Jay Worth works in the field of visual effects and his masters thesis focused on religion and art. Join us this Sunday for what will be an amazing worship experience. www.TheLoftLA.org

Find the Sacred in Literature, Film, and TV

The Loft LA — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 12:47:00 -0800

In today's Loft Conversations episode, we begin our conversation by discussing why we haven't been able to record for a few weeks - Rev. Dr. Carter has been traveling and traveling quite comfortably. After poking fun at Dr. Carter, we talk about the books, plays, musicals, films, and television shows that have deepened our notion of the Sacred.

The Wisdom of Octavia Butler and Howard Thurman

The Loft LA — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 08:20:00 -0800

For thousands of years, oral traditions and sacred texts were viewed as spiritual tools that helped individuals connect with the Divine and transcend themselves and their egos. Throughout this series, we have suggested that there is an art to reading sacred texts. Moreover, we have suggested that "sacred" texts extend beyond traditional religious texts. Religious scholars define sacred texts as meaning-making tools, artifacts that help us make sense of and interpret our lives. What objects have helped you make sense of your own life beyond the traditional ones offered within religion? What have you read, watched, or seen that made you feel seen and heard? Join us this Sunday as we explore how literature has given voice and hope to those who feel otherwise invisible.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Conservative Evangelicals have hijacked the Bible - how can progressives reclaim it?

The Loft LA — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 13:39:00 -0800

In today's Loft Conversations episode, we begin our discussion by reflecting on the tragedy in Memphis and the murder of Tyre Nichols. We discuss the role Christian theology has played in morally justifying a system of carceral punishment and how our reading of the bible calls us to dismantle these institutions. We then discuss how our identities inform how we read everything - especially the Bible! We end the episode discussing the Bible's role in our lives and how we use it - or don't - when examining contemporary social and moral issues.

Reading the Bible Again, For the First Time

The Loft LA — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 16:42:00 -0800

In our society, sacred texts are seen, at best, as irrelevant and, at worst, as an excuse to incite violence, hatred, and division. It seems that the loudest voices within American Christian culture are fundamentalists who have co-opted the sacred texts and insist that they must be taken literally or conservative evangelicals who interpret scripture to bolster their own biases. As theologically progressive people of faith, many of us know how we don't want to read sacred texts such as the bible, but we are still struggling to find a method for how we do want to read and engage sacred texts. Join us this Sunday as Rev. Dr. Carter and Pastor Molly discuss their journeys with the bible and how they have learned, and are still learning, how to read it. www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations: What A Muslim Feminist Taught Us About Christianity

The Loft LA — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 03:00:00 -0800

In today's episode, we discuss the conversation between Rev. Dr. Carter and Dr. Lailatul Fitriyah, Assistant Professor of Interreligious Education at Claremont School of Theology. We begin our conversation by discussing our reactions to the tragic shooting in Monterrey Park, California. We then discuss our reflections on Dr. Fitriyah's remarks about the worship of "freedom" in American culture, the importance of justice within Islam, and how we can hold multiple identities - such as being a feminist and a Muslim - and faithfully practice our religious tradition.

Reading the Quran from a Muslim Feminist Perspective

The Loft LA — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 09:54:00 -0800

How people of faith are supposed to read and engage sacred texts is one of the most controversial topics of our time. To be sure, this controversy extends beyond Christianity and into other religious traditions that use ancient texts to help form and inform modern religious practices. This Sunday, we will be joined by Dr. Lailatul Fitriyah, Assistant Professor of Interreligious Education at Claremont School of Theology, to discuss the art of reading Islamic sacred texts from a Muslim feminist perspective. Join us this Sunday as we discuss how she holds these identities in concert with her faith. www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations: Are Ancient Sacred Texts Still Useful? And Some Thoughts on MLK

The Loft LA — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 10:44:00 -0800

This week's conversation is the first of a series of conversations on Sacred Texts. So many of us progressive Christians struggle with the Bible. We question its usefulness given that so many people have used it to justify evil. To be sure, we are not alone. Several religious traditions are going through this same struggle. We see the common thread through these traditions is a failure of practitioners to learn the Art of Reading Sacred Texts. We spend the first half of our conversations discussing how and why people of faith have come to this decisive point with our texts.

Then, we finish our conversation talking about Martin Luther King Jr., in honor of his holiday. His speeches and writings are sacred, and yet, we see them being misused in ways similar to our religious texts. Rev. Dr. Carter discusses some of his favorite sermons and speeches by King and how we can reclaim King's liberatory message.

"The Lost Art of Scripture" – Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter

The Loft LA — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 08:15:00 -0800

In our society, sacred texts are seen, at best, as irrelevant and, at worst, as an excuse to incite violence, hatred, and division. So what value, if any, can sacred texts hold for us today? And given the context in which they were written, what role, if any, should these texts play in forming our spiritual practices? For thousands of years, oral traditions and sacred texts were viewed as spiritual tools that helped individuals connect with the Divine and transcend themselves and their egos. There is an art to reading sacred texts, an art form that has been pushed aside since the onset of modernity. In this series, we will rediscover this lost art form within religious traditions. And while we will discuss formal religious sacred texts, we will also explore other sacred texts that inform our moral and spiritual practices, such as literature, art, film, and music.

www.TheLoftLA.org

"Specific and Expansive" – Rev. Molly Vetter

The Loft LA — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 11:49:00 -0800

We start 2023 with an initiation of sorts: a declaration of belovedness and a dip in the Jordan River with Jesus and John. In Jesus' baptism, we hear voices of God's affirmation; tucked into the gospel account are conversations about righteousness, and reminders of divine belovedness. As a Church that practices the sacrament of baptism, we hear ourselves in these words of blessing, as we claim belonging with a God whose love is both specific and expansive. The water invites us to imagine what God's love offers: refreshment, a clean start, a tactile reminder of grace. www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversions: What Conversations Would You Like To Hear This Year?

The Loft LA — Mon, 02 Jan 2023 09:15:00 -0800

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! As we enter into a new year, we want to thank you all for your support and encouragement during these early stages of the podcast. We also want to invite you to share your thoughts, feedback, and ideas that you would like us to discuss in the coming months. While Dr. Carter raised the questions pasted below during the podcast, feel free to expand upon them as you see fit, and email your responses to theloft@theloftla.org.

What would you like us to discuss that we haven't touched on yet?
What types of conversations would you like us to have? Would you like us to spend more time on the intersections of politics, pop-culture, and religion? Or examine the deeper theological issues that still plague the church such as the dehumanization of the BIPOC, Queer, and Disabled communities?
What would make you want to share this podcast with someone?

Loft Conversations: "We Are The Occupiers:" Reading Mary's Prayer of Love, Resistance, and Liberation.

The Loft LA — Wed, 21 Dec 2022 02:00:00 -0800

This week's conversation centers on the stories of Mary and Elizabeth and what their story can teach us about love, faith, and solidarity. In a moment of Divine joy, Mary utters one of the most famous and radical prayers in the Christian tradition, the Magnificat. In this prayer, Mary proclaims that God's liberation love is at work in her, her cousin, and her community. She proclaims that God will overthrow the occupying colonial Roman Empire. This prayer is amazing, beautiful, and inspirational, but - how should we read this given our status as folks who benefit from occupied colonial land? We end the podcast by returning to last week's conversation. Given the way that Mary and Elizabeth see the Divine in each other, we wonder how this perspective would influence how we interact with others. www.TheLoftLA.org

We Ought To See God In Each Other

The Loft LA — Mon, 19 Dec 2022 11:19:00 -0800

This week we return to Mary's experience. After receiving the news from the angel, she retreats to her cousin Elizabeth's house. When Mary arrives (perhaps unannounced), Elizabeth doesn't just welcome her—she is filled with the Holy Spirit and speaks a blessing upon Mary as her own child leaps and kicks within her womb. Elizabeth sees how God is at work and names it out loud. In this moment of profound solidarity, Mary and Elizabeth see the divine in one another. This connection inspires Mary to sing her radical hymn of praise, declaring how God's liberating love remains steadfast throughout the ages. How might cultivating solidarity with each other help us see the Divine in each other? Join us this Sunday as we examine how from generation to generation we can see how God was and remains at work in our relationships and those of our ancestors. We find God in each other. The way we see the divine in each other impacts how we live and move in the world. When we view every human being as a child of God, we generate a different world. www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversions: Calling in Call Out Culture

The Loft LA — Wed, 14 Dec 2022 03:00:00 -0800

What is the purpose of calling someone out? Do you think calling out is effective at achieving its goals? If you have ever been called out, how did it make you feel? On today's episode we discuss the theological merits of call-in rather than call-out culture. The primary question that guided our conversation today is: how might we practice calling folx in rather than calling them out?

Loretta Ross coined the term call-in culture and you can read more about her amazing work and watch her Ted talk using the links provided below.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/19/style/loretta-ross-smith-college-cancel-culture.html https://www.ted.com/talks/loretta_j_ross_don_t_call_people_out_call_them_in

We Can Choose a Better Way

The Loft LA — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 11:57:00 -0800

As far as Joseph knows, his new wife has been unfaithful to him and broken their marriage contract. And yet, instead of punishment, he chooses not to publicly disgrace or humiliate her. This interruption in his life becomes a holy invitation when the angel comes to him in a dream and says, "Do not be afraid." When he awakes, Joseph once again has the courage to choose a better way. He chooses to stay with Mary, to become an adoptive parent. He chooses peace over violence, grace over condemnation. Like Mary, he chooses to say "yes." When have our ancestors also chosen a better way, and when have they not? What might we learn from the angle about the power of inviting people to become their best selves? www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations: Compassion & Fear

The Loft LA — Wed, 07 Dec 2022 07:48:00 -0800

"Do not be afraid" is one of the most common statements in the bible. "Do not be afraid" appears 365 times - one for each day of the year. And yet, fear is a natural and normal human response. There are lots of reasons to be afraid, and when we consider the story of Gabriel's visit to Mary to inform her that she had been chosen to give birth to Jesus, fear seems like a reasonable response. However, what we learned through our conversation with Frank Rogers on Sunday is that one way to read this passage is to recognize that the angel isn't telling her to avoid her fear. Rather he is inviting her to not succumb to it, not to become enmeshed with her fear, and to invite the Sacred inside of her so that she can work through her fears. We tried to work through this amazing interpretation in today's conversation.

Books that we mentioned: Practicing Compassion by Frank Rogers Compassion in Practice: The Way of Jesus by Frank Rogers From Mindfulness to Heartfulness: A Journey of Transformation Through the Science of Embodiment by Alane Daugherty www.TheLoftLA.org

Generation to Generation: God Meets Us In Our Fear

The Loft LA — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 09:36:00 -0800

"When the angel Gabriel comes to Mary, she is perplexed and confused—and no doubt, afraid. And yet, the angel's news is: "Do not be afraid." Do not be afraid. We hear this refrain all throughout the Christmas story and remember it is the most common phrase in all the bible. From generation to generation, God shows up in the midst of our fear and uncertainty and confusion. From generation to generation, faithful people have said, "yes," despite apprehension. From generation to generation, our ancestors in faith have accepted the invitation. I'm delighted to be joined in the center by one of my mentors, Dr. Frank Rogers, as we explore the power fear can have over us and the ways in which we can tend to those fears in order to discern how God may be speaking to us. Dr. Rogers is the Muriel Bernice Roberts Professor of Spiritual Formation and Narrative Pedagogy and the co-director of the Center for Engaged Compassion at the Claremont School of Theology. He specializes in contemplative practices and was one of the co-creators of the Compassion Practice that I have spoken about during my time at The Loft. www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations: The Stories We Tell Ourselves

The Loft LA — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 06:39:00 -0800

Storytelling is embedded in the Christian tradition. We use stories to help us make meaning out of our lives and the world around us. So what stories has the Church told itself that might help us understand the evil actions and loss of life that we witnessed in the Club Q shooting in Colorado? We spend the last half of our conversation thinking through this very difficult question as we process the murders that took place at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs. To be sure, some - ideally many - of the stories we tell about ourselves have had a positive impact on our lives and the life of the church. We begin our conversation exploring the role stories have played in shaping our self-understanding. The holidays are a reminder of how interconnected we are with our families, friends, and communities. Our interconnectedness is especially evident during the Christmas season as our re-telling of the Christmas story - Jesus' connection to his Isralite ancestors, Mary's visit by an angel, Joseph's dreams, and Jesus's birth help us remember how God has shown up in the past, to continue the work of collective liberation, to behold the presence of God in flesh and bone. www.TheLoftLA.org

Generation to Generation: Storytelling

The Loft LA — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 09:13:00 -0800

This week is the first Sunday of Advent, the period in the Christian calendar when we prepare for and celebrate the birth of Jesus the Christ. We are beginning a new series titled From Generation to Generation, which I am really excited about because my friend and fellow Claremont School of Theology alumnus Rev. Dr. Christine Hong helped create it. The stories, scriptures, and traditions of the Christmas season have been passed down to us throughout the generations. Many of us enter this season with a swell of memories and emotions as vast as the cultural and religious rituals this holiday holds. Like a tapestry woven throughout time, the Christmas story weaves us in—to remember how God has shown up in the past, to continue the work of collective liberation, to behold the presence of God in flesh and bone. This series aims to remind us of the ways our lives, histories, actions, and stories are interconnected and woven together. The work of God is always unfolding—in and through us. This Advent, we want to remember our collective belongingness, how we belong to a story etched into the wrinkles of time, to generations that have come before and will come after, and to a love that won't let you go. Our series begins with Matthew's genealogy. In that long list of names, we remember the trauma and triumph of those who came before; each name holds a story and their story gives way to Christ's story. God works through the unexpected people and stories of the past and present. The Isaiah passage illustrates a convergence of opposing groups and identities coming together. Instead of the way of the past—of war—they learn a new way by transforming their weapons into gardening tools. What are the old paths that we've followed, and where must we diverge into a new way?

Loft Conversations: The Spirituality of Consumerism

The Loft LA — Wed, 16 Nov 2022 08:37:00 -0800

How should our Christian faith and spirituality influence our economic practices? This question has guided our conversations the past few weeks, and in today's final episode of our series Live Generously, we explore the role of consumerism in American culture. American culture is, in many ways, a consumer culture. But what does it mean to be a consumer, and is being a consumer necessarily a bad thing? We begin our conversation by noting the ways consumerism has affinities similar to a spiritual discipline, which is precisely why so many of us are drawn to behave as consumers without even knowing it. We wrap up our discussion by unpacking the oft-quoted but kind of strange saying in Luke 12:21 that Christians are to be "rich towards God" - what does that even mean? We did mention the Free2Work website and app in our discussion. Check them out if you want to be a more conscious consumer.

Live Generously: Attachment, Detachment, & Consumerism

The Loft LA — Mon, 14 Nov 2022 15:13:00 -0800

American culture is, in many ways, a consumer culture. But what does it mean to be a consumer, and is being a consumer necessarily a bad thing? To be sure, consumerism is often equated with greed and the hoarding of resources. However, the biblical text paints a more complex picture about consumerism and materialism. Jesus suggests that our detachment from the stories of all those involved in creating the products we consider "our own" is at the heart of consumer culture. Importantly, the religion of Jesus offers another way through the cultivation of authentic and deep relationships. This teaching is best exemplified in the Eucharist where we learn how detachment from material things ought to lead to greater attachment to God, other human beings, and nonhuman nature.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations: Money and Christian Desire

The Loft LA — Wed, 09 Nov 2022 03:00:00 -0800

We pick up today's conversation where we left off last week - we're still talking about money, desire, and American capitalism.

The very basis of our free market economic system, trade - giving up something to get something else - assumes scarcity. But the Eucharist tells another story about hunger and consumption, it is the story about one who came that we might have life and have it abundantly.

So how do we develop economic habits that promote a spirituality of abundance? In our wide ranging conversation we toss around a few ideas. All of our suggestions point back to the stories in the bible which show us that developing relationships with our neighbors seems to be the best way to create the communities that we all claim we want. The books we mentioned in today's episode are: Dr. William Cavanaugh's Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire Heather McGhee's The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together The Eucharist is a model, an invitation to live generously. Many of us learned what it means to live generously by observing the lives of our elders, those living and those whose spirits still live within us. Join us this Sunday as we continue our series on stewardship and we will also remember those Saints who are no longer with us, but whose abundant love still resides within us.

Loft Conversations - For the Love of Money

The Loft LA — Wed, 02 Nov 2022 03:00:00 -0700

How should our Christian faith and spirituality influence our economic practices? Unfortunately, most of the time when church leaders speak about money it is in the form of a request. Consequently, Christians are left to their own devices to discern how we navigate the capitalist system we were born into. In today's conversation, we do the thing your parents told you never to do with company, talk about money and politics!

Throughout the biblical text, we find stories demonstrating the important connection between our faith and our relationship with money. As people who live in America, we benefit from what economists call "the free market," and during the first portion of our conversation, we discuss whether or not it is possible (or worth it) to follow Jesus' teaching that we can't serve God and wealth. We end our conversation by exploring how Christians can engage in our economic system in ways that are consistent with our goal to love and to build a society built on the principle of human dignity.

Throughout our current sermon series, Live Generously, we will be in conversation with Dr. William Cavanaugh's book Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire. www.TheLoftLA.org

Live Generously: Freedom and Markets

The Loft LA — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 12:32:00 -0700

How should our Christian faith and spirituality influence our economic practices? Throughout the biblical text, we find stories that demonstrate the important connection between our faith and our relationship with money. The teachings and practices of Jesus and his followers suggest that Christians are to live generously. We find joy, connection, and liberation from the lure of greed and selfishness in both the giving and receiving of gifts from others. This year our stewardship campaign will explore what it means for theologically progressive Christians to live generously. Over the next four weeks we will be exploring "free" markets, consumerism, globalization, and scarcity – issues relevant to our current economic realities. . As people who live in America, we benefit from what economists call "the free market." On the one hand, government interference with the cost and consumption of goods is restrained; on the other, there is a sense of resignation to "market forces" when prices skyrocket during a global pandemic. Given this, as people of faith who find freedom in salvation through Christ Jesus, we must ask ourselves when is a market free and what makes a market free? How might we foster economic practices in alignment with God's love, practices that encourage us to live generously? Join us on Sunday as Jeff Arnold joins Rev. Dr. Carter in the center to discuss the complexities of the free market and Christian practice. www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations - Conversations and Spiritual Formation

The Loft LA — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 14:22:00 -0700

Conversation is at the center of our gatherings in The Loft; it's the way we do worship. In today's conversation we discuss why conversations about theology, spirituality, and religion are key to the spiritual formation process at the Loft. One reason why conversation is central to our identity is that we see this method modeled throughout the biblical text. Stories such as the woman at the well (John 4) illustrate the importance of conversation in Jesus' ministry and the importance of having a conversation about the passage to deepen what we might learn from this story. www.TheLoftLAo.org

Loft 101: Conversation

The Loft LA — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 10:31:00 -0700

Conversation is at the center of our gatherings in The Loft; it's the way we do worship. On this final Sunday of our Loft 101 series, we turn to a well-known story from John's gospel, where Jesus shares conversation with a Samaritan woman, near Jacob's well. There, deeply embedded in scripture, Jesus gives us a model for how conversation can be at the center of things. We will, of course, have to do some excavating to get through layers of assumptions, to make sure we're working toward conversation that also embodies our other values: compassion, decolonization, and belonging. There is, at the center of it all, an invitation to liberation. www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations: Belonging & Theological "passing"

The Loft LA — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 03:00:00 -0700

What is the difference between feeling welcomed within and belonging to a community? All of us have a core group of people that we feel close to, but what makes that group distinct from others? In today's conversation, we try to tease out the subtle and overt differences between welcoming and belonging to a community, spefically discussing the ways LGBTQ folx are often "welcomed" in spaces but are not made to feel as though they belong. We also discuss the lengths that some of us go to in order to fit into our communities. Dr. Carter described "theological passing" as suppressing our authentic selves and beliefs in order to be accepted by people who you fear would otherwise reject you. We want to give a special thanks to our friend Lauren McBrayer for raising the question about welcome and belonging a few weeks ago during one of our Loft gatherings. Please check out her new book Like a House on Fire, which is amazing! www.TheLoftLA.org

Westwood 101: Belonging

The Loft LA — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 10:57:00 -0700

All of us have a core group of people whom we feel a particular kinship with. Jesus was no exception. Whether it was the twelve disciples, Mary, Martha, or others, Jesus had a community that he belonged to, a community where he could just be himself. In a world that prioritizes individualism, as followers of the religion of Jesus we are called to seek out and cultivate communities to which we can belong. Whether it is the pandemic, racial terrorism, or the fight for bodily autonomy, we must work towards the creation of beloved communities for our survival. At Westwood UMC, we have sought to do this in multiple ways, including developing separate worship services with the goal of expanding the community that we all belong to. Join us this Sunday in The Loft for a joint worship service with the Sanctuary as Pastor Molly and Rev. Dr. Carter explore what it means for Westwood UMC to create a culture of belonging. www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations - Deconstructing or Decolonizing Christianity?

The Loft LA — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 02:00:00 -0700

There is a lot of conversation happening on social media about theological deconstruction these days. People making arguments for it, and others pushing back against it. At its core, theological deconstruction is a movement to question some of the traditional teachings and theological arguments made by conservative and moderate Christianity. And while deconstruction is good, does it go far enough? For this podcast we were joined by Rev. Dr. Yuki Schwartz, Assistant Professor at Claremont School of Theology, to discuss the differences between deconstruction and decolonial thinking, and how decolonizing Christianity can help us build institutions of love and justice.

Dr. Schwartz and Dr. Carter mention several books during this episode, but the ones they wanted to be sure to highlight were: • The Wretched of the Earth by Franz Fanon • Black Skin White Masks by Franz Fanon • Borderlands / La Frontera by Gloria Anzaldúa

Loft 101: Decolonization

The Loft LA — Mon, 10 Oct 2022 09:59:00 -0700

Jesus was a Jew who was born and died in subjugation to Roman Empire. His body was and remains marked by gender, culture, and religion. Given this, we need to ask ourselves how might have Jesus' cultural context as a colonial subject shaped his religious and social practices. What we see in his ministry is that he sought to resist the lure of both colonial and religious power. In today's parlance, we can say that in some ways Jesus utilized the tools of decolonization in his ministry. Given the legacy of European colonization, American imperialism, and Christianity's role in supporting both, decolonial thinking is a key value that informs the kind of community we seek to create at The Loft. This Sunday, we will be joined by Rev. Dr. Yuki Schwartz, assistant professor of constructive and political theologies at Claremont School of Theology, to explore the role and import of decolonial thinking at The Loft and the future of the Church. www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft Conversations - Compassion and its shadow-sides

The Loft LA — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 01:00:00 -0700

Let's be honest, sometimes it isn't easy to be compassionate. At our best, we are constantly striving to follow the spiritual path of radical compassion that is the religion of Jesus. But in today's polarized society, it is difficult to be at our best when it feels like our very humanity is at stake. In today's conversation, we discuss some of the challenges of being compassionate towards "difficult others." We also discuss how within the bible, works of compassion can be seen as transactional, suggesting that we should do good works to receive the Divine's blessing. How should we read these passages today given the realities of capitalist exploitation and individualism? www.TheLoftLA.org

Loft 101: Compassion

The Loft LA — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 02:25:00 -0700

One morning as he and his disciples were walking, Jesus asked his closest friends a piercing question – "who do you say that I am?" As followers of the religion of Jesus, our answer to this question is foundational to how we practice Christianity. At the Loft, there are four fundamental values that we draw from the teachings of Jesus that inform how we practice Christianity: Compassion, Decolonization, Belonging, and Conversation. These four values help us articulate who Jesus is and how we find salvation in following his teachings. We will be discussing these values over the next four weeks during our sermon series, The Loft 101, and we will explore how these values inform who we are and who we aim to be as a faith community. This Sunday, we will be exploring how compassion informs our being and doing. In his book, Compassion in Practice: The Way of Jesus, Frank Rogers describes the religious practices of Jesus as a "spiritual path of radical compassion." Compassion was fundamental to Jesus' ministry and his understanding of the human person. Drawing our inspiration from Jesus' ministry, compassion is the foundation upon which we build The Loft community. Join us this Sunday as we discover why compassion is fundamental to our spiritual practices and essential for the survival of our species. www.TheLoftLA.org

Change My Mind

The Loft LA — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 09:45:15 -0700

In a political moment of intense polarization, and in a faith tradition where "hold on to your faith" is often read as an invitation to do battle against other perspectives, how do we carve out some generous space for re-thinking things? Somewhere, buried under the baggage of harmful legacies that seek to "defend our faith" and perpetuate oppressive systems, our church tradition also offers tools for changing our minds. Not in spite of our faith, but because of it. www.TheLoftLA.org

Living & Dying by the Sword (or Gun)

The Loft LA — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 09:08:00 -0700

Gun culture is an American tradition with deep roots. It seems that every few years, after the tragic loss of life on a mass scale, we debate, yet again, about access to guns. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have already been 450 mass shootings this year alone. To be sure, the shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde which targeted Black people and children, should prompt all people, regardless of their religious or political affiliation, to push for policies that reduce and eliminate gun violence. This Sunday we will explore the human side of gun violence, from school children to soldiers, and wrestle with the challenges that nonviolence presents us with as followers of the religion of Jesus. www.TheLoftLA.org

Homecoming Concert: Finding Freedom In Love

The Loft LA — Mon, 12 Sep 2022 16:40:32 -0700

In this series, we have explored loves meaning by giving love words. We settled on a definition of love as the will to extend yourself, to nurture your own or another's spiritual growth. We explored the ethical implications of living by a love ethic, and the ways in which our social identities cause us to think about love in a multitude of ways. Throughout this series, we have sought to shape our community into a school of love, a place where all people can feel as though they belong. This is a love that leads to justice, solidarity, and freedom. The Singers of Soul gospel choir will be joining us this Sunday as we celebrate the freedom we find in love. This Sunday will be unlike anything you have ever experienced before in church! Ten songs intermingled with spoken word, prayer, and holy communion. We invite you to join us as we collectively make a joyful noise unto the Lord! www.TheLoftLA.org

Childhood Love Lessons

The Loft LA — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 07:43:27 -0700

In her book All About Love, bell hooks writes that whether our homes are happy or troubled, our families functional or dysfunctional our homes are our original school of love. We would like to believe that most children are born into homes where they will be loved. However, as we have discovered in our series, many adults are still learning how to love and how to distinguish between love and care. Given this, how might we reimagine our homes and church community as a school of love? What would it look like to teach young people how to cultivate the will and the courage to love, how to extend themselves, to nurture their own or another's spiritual growth? To be sure, this is not just a conversation for parents! We all have relationships with young people, even if tangential, and thus we are all in some way responsible for nurturing the next generation of human beings whom we hope will strive to be loving people. Rev. Dr. Carter will be in conversation with Owen Shiflett and Kristi Salmeron-Meneses as they discuss and explore how they are trying to approach teaching young people how to love. www.TheLoftLA.org

Queer Love

The Loft LA — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 07:51:19 -0700

Every person experiences love in ways unique to them. Yet, as we have learned, our experiences of love as children and young adults inform how we think about love as adults. This Sunday we continue to broaden the scope of our exploration of love to focus specifically on the Queer community. Given the pervasive reality of sexism, heterosexism, homophobia, and transphobia, what are the visions of love that queer folks have constructed that have enabled them to flourish in the midst of marginalization? Rev. Dr. Carter will be in conversation with Westley Garcia, Celeste Frey, and Lauren McBrayer as they examine how and in what ways our notions of gender, sex, and sexuality inform how we perceive love.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Masculinity, Love, & Patriarchy

The Loft LA — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 13:13:18 -0700

Among men in our contemporary society, our longing for love is often implicitly stated. So, when love is discussed the discussions are usually driven by women. To be sure, for most men, their longing for love is rarely, if ever, discussed. If love is the will to extend yourself, to nurture your own or another's spiritual growth, we must ask ourselves why is it that most men seem to lack the will to love? How and in what ways has our religious tradition enabled a masculine vision of love that is rooted in the preservation of patriarchy to exist? To know love, men must be able to let go of the will to dominate. They must be able to choose life over death. They must be willing to change. To be sure, our sacred text offers visions of love that disrupt and dismantle patriarchy. How might we fashion communities that encourage and support men in their quest to feel, to love? www.TheLoftLA.org

Communion: The Female Search for Love

The Loft LA — Sun, 14 Aug 2022 15:18:22 -0700

In our society, the majority of discussions about love are driven by women. Women are encouraged to learn how to love, seek love - and in turn confront their fears of not being loving or of not being loved enough. As bell hooks writes in her book Communion, "that females are born into a patriarchal world, which first invites us to make the journey to love and then places barriers in our way, is one of life's ongoing tragedies." Rev. Dr. Carter will be joined by a new member of our community, Fay Lin, and Pastor Molly as they examine and unpack the cultural narratives around women and love. Join us as we explore how the religion of Jesus can help all of us, but especially women, come to the place where we can find communion, know joy, and join the circle of love. www.TheLoftLA.org

Love and Community

The Loft LA — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 23:42:16 -0700

Every person experiences love in ways unique to them. Yet, as we have learned throughout this series, our experiences of love as a child inform how we think about love as adults. This Sunday, we broaden the scope of our exploration of love to include our respective communities. Given the pervasive reality of white supremacy, what are the visions of love that people of color have constructed that have enabled them to "make a way out of now way?" Rev. Dr. Carter will be joined in conversation with our Lay Leaders Shiran Witt and Alex Smith as they examine how and in what ways our racial, ethnic, and cultural communities taught us what love is and what love isn't. Join us as we explore how the religion of Jesus has and can continue to help marginalized communities tend the wounds of dehumanization with love and compassion. www.TheLoftLA.org

Love and Greed

The Loft LA — Mon, 01 Aug 2022 13:00:35 -0700

When I think about what our culture teaches us about love, I don't immediately think about it being something that's in opposition to greed. Yet, the deeper we go into our exploration of love, using wisdom from bell hooks' All About Love and our study of scripture, the more the two come into sharp contrast. By looking at love in contrast to greed, we see clearly ways that the kind of love we're called to practice as followers of Jesus is an antidote to rugged individualism or selfish possessiveness of what we might call "greed." www.TheLoftLA.org

Loving (or At Least Not Hating) Our Enemies

The Loft LA — Tue, 26 Jul 2022 13:25:01 -0700

Let's be honest, some people are difficult to love, especially if they have harmed us or our community. Not loving these people feels like the right thing to do, even if we intellectually know that it isn't. If love is the will to extend yourself, to nurture your own or another's spiritual growth, how might we bring our internal world into alignment with our moral commitment to love our neighbors – all of our neighbors? The religion of Jesus shows us that it is possible to extend compassion and the hand of reconciliation to anyone, even those whom we think of as enemies. www.TheLoftLA.org

When We Fail to Love

The Loft LA — Sun, 17 Jul 2022 15:10:13 -0700

Love is essential to human flourishing, it is a powerful remedy for our soul. And yet, despite our awareness of the power of love, we live in a society where the consequences of lovelessness are evident to anyone who cares to look. The spiritual path of Jesus shows us that it is possible to live a life grounded in the power of love. Given that the greatest commandment exhorts us to love God, neighbor, and self, how might understanding sin as a failure to love help us foster more loving communities? How might a more well developed theology of sin help us develop habits that will strengthen our will to love? www.TheLoftLA.org

The Gift of Love

The Loft LA — Wed, 13 Jul 2022 12:16:18 -0700

In our previous sermon, we defined love as the will to extend yourself for the purpose of nurturing your own or another's spiritual growth. Love is an act of the will – which begs the question, why do some people choose to love while others do not? Why do you choose love? While there are laws and commands in the bible that tell us to love God, what we see in practice in the bible are people who love chose to love in response to the ways in which they have experienced the love of God. Join us this Sunday as we explore how our experiences of receiving the gift of God's love inform how we go about loving ourselves and our neighbors.

www.TheLoftLA.org

Giving Love Words

The Loft LA — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 11:03:37 -0700

Everyone wants to know more about love. We want to know what it means to love, and what we can do in our everyday lives to love and be loved. Yet, outside of the realm of popular culture, there are few public discussions of what love is. There seems to be an assumption that human beings should instinctively know how to love. But do we? Is love innate or is it something that we grow to learn? This series is an opportunity for us to explore the gift of love and the ways in which our lives are impacted by love and lovelessness.

We begin this series by asking how might we give love words – how might we define love? To be sure, love is notoriously difficult to define because it is as much a feeling as it is an action. We all have "common sense" definitions of what constitutes love, usually a combination of what we learned as a child and what we have experienced as adults. What feelings arise for you when you think about your definition of love? And how might your definition of love inform the power, or lack thereof, that you ascribe to the spiritual gift that is love? Join us this Sunday as we attempt to give love words so that we might know what it means to live lives that are all about love. www.TheLoftLA.org

Queer Theology in Post-Roe America

The Loft LA — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 10:12:52 -0700

The overturning of Roe v. Wade will have devastating consequences for millions of people in America. The loss of constitutionally protected bodily autonomy will have lasting implications for marginalized persons – women, people of color, the disabled, and queer persons. You may be wondering "what does this have to do with Christianity or Christian theology?" The approach the conservative justices used to interpret the constitution and make their arguments has its roots in the fundamentalist interpretation of the bible. How and why did the traditionalist approach (a relatively new approach) to reading the bible emerge and how are we to push back against it? Join us this Sunday as we explore how queer theology can help us learn how to read the bible in ways that draw us closer to the God revealed through the biblical witness. www.TheLoftLA.org

Created in the Image and Likeness of God

The Loft LA — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 08:51:54 -0700

That human beings are created in the image and likeness of God (imago Dei) has been a fundamental theological pillar in the history of Christianity. However, who images God and to what degree do they reflect God's image has been a consistent point of contention. This Sunday millions of folk will celebrate Juneteenth as a way to commemorate the struggle and remember the joy of Black people as they fought for their humanity. Similarly, queer persons are now facing the same scrutiny over their humanity that black, female, disableed, and other nonwhite bodies have (and still are) facing. What might the bodies of Black LGBTQ women tell us about being made in God's likeness and image? How might their experiences help us make sense of the ethical requirements of imaging God? www.TheLoftLA.org

Queer Theology Beyond Apologetics

The Loft LA — Mon, 13 Jun 2022 03:30:59 -0700

Christian apologetics is an ancient form of Christian speech that developed as a way to respond to "pagan" Romans who were skeptical of certain Christian beliefs. Similarly, apologetic strategies in queer theology start from theological disagreements about sex and sexuality and move towards places of theological agreement, such as all humans are created in God's image. While this strategy has proven useful in theological debates it does point us to a more interesting question - as it relates to our sexuality, should sexual ethics be fundamental to Christian practice? Join us as we explore how queer theology can help us move beyond bodily apologetics. www.TheLoftLA.org

Eucharistic Solidarity

The Loft LA — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 02:33:47 -0700

June is Pride month and our sermon series, Queer Theology, will center the thought and work of LGBTQ+ theologians, activists, and scholars. As Pastor Molly notes, we are "a congregation that sees the image of God in all people, including people of every gender identity or sexual orientation, and we are committed to celebrating the gifts of our LGBTQ+ members and neighbors.

Yet, some of you may be wondering what exactly is queer theology? What does queer have to do with Christianity? To be sure, much of what gets called queer theology is theological discourse "about" queer people, writings that aim to demonstrate that there are ways to include LGBTQ persons into Christianity. However, this series is an invitation for us to challenge this traditional definition of queer theology. Rather than apologizing for the inclusion of queer people in the church, queer theology should push us to focus our energies on building liberatory theologies where all people can find themselves in the Church – where no apologies are necessary.

This Sunday we will explore how queer theology can help us expand our understanding of the role solidarity should play in our celebration of Holy Communion. We invite you to join us as we explore what the Eucharist can look like when we include the stories of queer folx who have always been here.

www.TheLoftLA.org

I Am An Institutionalist and a Revolutionary – Randall Miller, Ph.D.

The Loft LA — Tue, 31 May 2022 02:00:41 -0700

"Where Do We Go From Here, UMC?" is a weekly podcast featuring conversations between Rev. Molly Vetter and denominational leaders about the challenges ahead as we live toward a United Methodist Church that is fully inclusive of our LGBTQ+ siblings. Despite the anti-gay policies that remain in our UMC Discipline, more and more of us continue to move forward with the work of full inclusion. Still, institutional barriers to change and the formation of a splintering denomination provide real challenge. So, as people committed to our grace-filled way of living the gospel, where do we go from here? This podcast is produced by Westwood United Methodist Church, with partner support from other groups who are working for a more just and inclusive United Methodist Church. EPISODE 002: Pastor Molly checks in with Randall Miller, one of the most United Methodist people she knows. As a lay person, he has served as a delegate to every GC since 1988, as a Director the Board of UMCOR and the General Board of Church and Society, and as an alternate member of the Judicial Council. He has been an active leader in the Reconciling Ministries Network, and serves on their Board RMN, and was a member of the Mediation Team that crafted the Protocol for Reconciliation and Grace through Separation. He lives in San Francisco with his husband, Glenn. SUBSCRIBE: Don't miss a single episode by subscribing via your favorite podcast app for free. Apple Spotify Google Amazon Music Stitcher Pocket Casts Podcast Addict

Finding Joy in the Struggle

The Loft LA — Mon, 23 May 2022 08:27:01 -0700

Joy doesn't wait for our struggles to be over. This Sunday, we dig into our Advent scriptures, drawing out Mary's song: Mary "rejoices" in this iconic scripture passage during her pregnancy, a state of affairs that would have put her in a position of dishonor among her people. Instead, she sings out powerfully because she knows that this turn of events will usher in the Presence of justice for the oppressed and freedom for the captive. As we join in a prophetic chorus of joy together, we are more deeply bonded as a whole, multiplying and magnifying the exuberance to all. www.TheLoftLA.org

Compassion & Acceptance: The Antidotes for Toxic Joy

The Loft LA — Mon, 16 May 2022 07:38:13 -0700

Howard Thurman penned an essay titled "Joy is of Many Kinds" where he discusses the various ways in which we experience joy. After reading his essay, I wonder how he would have categorized the type of "joy" we see on Instagram? To be sure, there is a kind of faux, toxic, type of joy that can be found within our nicely curated Instagram accounts. However, the joy that we see embodied in Jesus, Tutu, and the Dalai Lama reveals to us that a sustainable joy asks us to accept and be compassionate towards ourselves and others lest we become ensnared by the subtleties of pride.

Joy As Resistance

The Loft LA — Tue, 10 May 2022 15:11:58 -0700

With all that is going on in our country and in the world, it is understandable if we feel like there is little to be joyful about. In these moments I find it helpful to remember the struggles and suffering of other people who made a way out of no way AND cultivated joy in the midst of their struggles. Leaning into their full humanity and expressing the joy they had for their lives became one way they could resist the dehumanizing evils forced upon them. I invite you to join us this Sunday as we explore how joy can be a means of resistance. www.TheLoftLA.org

Joy As

The Loft LA — Mon, 02 May 2022 18:33:42 -0700

How do you define joy? In a country designed to offer instant gratification to those who can afford it, joy could be understood as something that we all can acquire if we work hard enough. However, once our basic needs of food, shelter, security, and sense of purpose are met, does the acquisition of more "things" truly bring us joy? Rather than "joy" being yet another word for "happiness," the spiritual path of Jesus, and the teachings of prophetic leaders such as Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama reveal to us that true joy is a spiritual practice that helps us see joy in all the complexities of life. This Sunday we will explore what joy is. Can joy be sustained or is it just momentary feelings? While joy is a feeling, the Christian tradition teaches us that it is also influenced by the way we choose to view the world. How might being open to the perspectives of others offer insight into what it means to be joyful? Join us as we explore how the story of the Good Samaritan teaches us that changing the way we see the world can help shift the way we feel, think, and act, which in turn changes the world itself. This series is inspired by the writing of Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama, particularly The Book of Joy.

Curiosity / Doubt plus Earth Day Prayers

The Loft LA — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 08:02:50 -0700

Rev. Molly Vetter with Rev. Kevin Kim Wright On this Sunday after Easter, we will spend some time with St. Thomas the Apostle, patron saint of all of us who have our doubts and ask good questions. What if his doubts were faithful curiosity, a posture and practice that are companions to a belief that is in search of deeper understanding? Especially on Earth Day, Thomas's hunger for evidence is a helpful piece of our story–and an invitation to be people who integrate new information into our understanding of the world. A curious posture may be necessary, for example, if we are going to be able to participate in helpful action against the climate crisis. Join us as we worship, honoring the gift of curiosity and the Christ-like grace that is open to examination. www.TheLoftLA.org

Reconnecting to Wonder: Prayer as Deep Listening

The Loft LA — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 11:27:57 -0700

In Modern culture we are taught that for something to be "real" it must be something that we can see, touch, taste, hear, or smell. Anything that is beyond the level of our physical senses cannot be scientifically validated and must be approached with caution. There is wisdom in this caution. And yet we know there is more to life than what we can physically sense. www.TheLoftLA.org

Reconnecting to our Mystic: Listening to our Parts

The Loft LA — Sun, 03 Apr 2022 14:02:13 -0700

We often have a "cast of characters" living inside our heads that love to carry on endless conversations — each from their own perspective. The chatter of our minds can sometimes keep us from a deeper listening and it is often difficult to decipher exactly what constitutes a mystical connection to God. How might we ground ourselves, tune out our distractions, and listen for the prompting of the Spirit? This Sunday, we will be joined by Dr. Seth Schoen whose research centers on Spiritual Formation, Contemplation, and the cultivation of Compassion. Dr. Schoen will share a bit about his own prayer journey and how discovering ancient Christian practices helped him reconnect to the Sacred, to himself, and to his community. www.TheLoftLA.org

Reconnecting to our Breath: Listening to our Bodies

The Loft LA — Sun, 03 Apr 2022 13:58:38 -0700

Our sacred texts connect the breath of God with our own aliveness—God blew breath into us at creation and we continue to breathe all of creation in and out of our bodies constantly. The early church also believed that breath and Spirit were one and the same. How might the meditative practice of paying attention to our breath be, in and of itself, a prayer of connection to God? Message by Pastor Molly Vetter. www.TheLoftLA.org

Reconnecting to Scripture: Listening for the Word

The Loft LA — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 08:37:39 -0700

The Wisdom tradition within Christianity invites us to love knowledge, especially the self-knowledge that comes from examining ourselves in relationship to the liberating Word of God. But all too often we can conflate knowledge of a text with the wisdom that the writers of scripture intended to convey. How might prayer and meditation help us unearth the wisdom within our sacred texts? What will we hear when we let go of what it all is "supposed to" mean and simply let it reside within us? This Sunday, Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter will be joined by Rabbi Joel Nickerson and we will discuss the meaning and significance of prayer within Judaism and how prayer can help us engage our sacred texts anew. www.TheLoftLA.org

Love Never Ends

The Loft LA — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 07:34:50 -0800

This Sunday, we finish our sermon series "Love Never Ends" by discussing how love is not only a spiritual gift but also the greatest gift that we can give to ourselves, others, and to God.

Love is notoriously difficult to define because it is as much a feeling as it is an action. We all have "common sense" definitions of what constitutes love. However, it is not until we sit down and discuss what we mean when we say we love someone or something that we realize these distinctions. How should we define love? What makes love a spiritual gift? How might we love in ways that honor the diversity of peoples we encounter?

Join us this Sunday as we describe what love is and explore how we might embody such love in our day-to-day life.

Letting the Oppressed Go Free

The Loft LA — Sun, 23 Jan 2022 13:03:33 -0800

We welcome Mandy McDow back to the Loft this Sunday; Senior Pastor at Los Angeles First UMC (a church without a building), Mandy brings fresh depth and insight to the prophetic proclamation Christ speaks, as he takes up the ancient scroll that declares a mission to "let the oppressed go free." In her words and in conversation with Pastor Molly, Mandy will invite us into conversation about what this might look like today (even though most of us are totally exhausted). This Sunday in The Loft, we will be baptizing Dante, son of Mary and David Marroquin. We encourage you to hold him and his family in prayer as this sacrament marks his belonging in the Church.

The Gifts of Diversity

The Loft LA — Sun, 16 Jan 2022 16:27:41 -0800

We encourage you to join Pastor Molly and Ryan Parker in conversation this Sunday, as we attempt to make sense of what all it means for us that we are given varieties of gifts. We're excited to let this idea push back against ideas we've been taught by a church and culture more interested in conformity.

Well Pleased

The Loft LA — Sun, 09 Jan 2022 14:35:55 -0800

What does it mean to claim an identity as God's beloved children? And how does it change us to believe that God finds pleasure in us? Join the conversation and spiritual practices as we contemplate this good news.

A Holy Mystery Meant For Everyone

The Loft LA — Mon, 03 Jan 2022 09:14:11 -0800

One of the words New Testament writers use to describe Christ's gift to the world translates pretty literally as "mystery." I treasure how this description honors that there's something transcendent, and not fully understood, about how divine love works. Even as we celebrate Epiphany this Sunday, we honor that there's more to see, learn, and understand about God.

Housing the Holy - Week 5

The Loft LA — Tue, 28 Dec 2021 07:42:33 -0800

This Sunday we finish our sermon series "Housing the Holy." This series used the "Innkeeper" from the Bethlehem narrative as its starting point and asked us how we could make the most of our resources, personal and congregational, to best "house the holy" among us? Celebrating the birth of new life is a beautiful, joyous occasion. I can only imagine the overwhelming emotions that Mary, Joseph, and those who came to visit the Christ-child would have felt. What emotions do you feel as you remember the Christmas story? What memories return to you as you reflect upon past Christmases? What floods your imagination as you contemplate what future Christmas celebrations may bring? Rather than checking "Christmas party" off of our proverbial to-do list, the invitation for us this year is to dwell in the Spirit of Christmas. Developed in the 14th century, the word "dwell" became known as a "lingering" or "abiding." It had connections to "in-habit"–another word developed at that time. After an Advent season of focusing on housing the holy, how will we linger and abide in this habit of hospitality? What habits did you invite into your heart in this season that you desire to take with you into the new year? How might we sustain the dwelling places that feed, house, clothe those who need it most? Join us this Sunday as we lean into some ancient wisdom regarding how we are called to live and how dwelling in the Spirit of Christmas can help us discern how each of us can do our part to house the holy.

Housing the Holy - Week 4

The Loft LA — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 05:58:55 -0800

This Sunday, Pastor Molly will join me in the center as we continue our advent worship series "Housing the Holy," and we will also be joined by the Singers of Soul Gospel Choir! Our sermon series takes the "Innkeeper" from the Bethlehem narrative as its starting point and asks us how we could make the most of our resources, personal and congregational, to best "house the holy" among us? I can only imagine how Mary and Joseph must have felt, arriving in Bethlehem only to find that their room was no longer available. Then again, I wonder if they had already gotten used to responding, rather than reacting, to unexpected circumstances. I wonder how Mary, whose womb was literally housing the Holy, felt in the moments after learning that they were going to have to find another place to stay – another place for her to give birth? The biblical account leaves this question unanswered, however the bible does tell us that Mary had just spent three months with her kinfolk Elizabeth. What did they discuss and how might it have shaped the ministry that both of them and their children would take up? Did they leave each other feeling confident that they were more than capable of birthing something life-changing into the world? As we consider the ways that we might also "house the holy," we must ask ourselves do we believe that we are capable of birthing something life-changing for the people in our community? As the Body of Christ, could we live with more expectation of what is possible? Could we look more closely at what is right in front of us? Join us this Sunday as we learn from the wisdom of Elizabeth and Mary how leaning into the love that we have for each other might reveal potential that we never knew we possessed.

Housing the Holy - Week 3

The Loft LA — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 05:57:45 -0800

This Sunday we continue our advent worship series "Housing the Holy" which will culminate the Sunday after Christmas. This series takes the "Innkeeper" from the Bethlehem narrative as its starting point and asks us how we could make the most of our resources, personal and congregational, to best "house the holy" among us? . Many imaginative tales have been spun about "The Inn" and the people who may have been involved in the story. As we've already said, we know very little about the circumstances from the Bible. Another theory is that it wasn't an Inn at all, consistent with ancient near-east dwellings of the time some scholars argue that it was more likely the downstairs of a house where the family animals were kept, under the top floor where the family lived. This scenario suggests that each and every home can be a birthing place for more goodness in this world. It suggests that this House of God, our church, might contain a surprising nook or cranny that could house a holy endeavor for bringing more joy to someone's life. . Join us this Sunday as we learn from the words of John the Baptist how we might live lives full of joy and help bring joy into the lives of others.

Housing the Holy - Week 2

The Loft LA — Mon, 06 Dec 2021 06:08:23 -0800

This Sunday, we continue our advent worship series "Housing the Holy" which will culminate the Sunday after Christmas. As I noted last week, this series takes the "Innkeeper" from the Bethlehem narrative as its starting point and asks us how we could make the most of our resources, personal and congregational, to best house the holy? Some scholars have wondered if "The Inn" and its "Keeper" were part of Joseph's family–after all, he went back to his hometown for the census. Or perhaps Joseph's own family did not or could not make room for them and they had to look elsewhere for a place to lay their head. As many of us know, family can be complicated. We'll never know the real circumstances of Joseph's family relations but the story can help us gain deeper compassion for what we DO know–too many people experience rejection, even from family. What if we endeavored to BE family to those who need it most, to "house the Holy" in ways we have not yet imagined? Join us this Sunday as we explore how the sacrament of the eucharist (i.e. communion) invites us to expand our understanding of family, to create space to allow for healing, and to embody a peace on earth as it is in heaven.

Housing the Holy - Week 1

The Loft LA — Mon, 29 Nov 2021 07:36:55 -0800

This Sunday, we begin our advent worship series "Housing the Holy" which will culminate the Sunday after Christmas. Interestingly, rather than Jesus, Mary, or Joseph, this series takes the "Innkeeper" from the Bethlehem narrative as its starting point. You see, the Innkeeper was confronted with a huge problem and they had to figure out something, anything, to help this family. So they used the resources they had for good, and in the birth of Jesus we witness the inbreaking of the Divine into our world. How might we make the most of our resources or the resources at Westwood? How can we best house the holy? One thing is for certain, more often than not we have to make space when we invite anyone into our homes. For our sermon this Sunday we are going to explore the spiritual practice of fasting and what we might learn from this practice to make room for the holy. To be sure, we usually associate fasting with Lent, but the Eastern Church observes a "Nativity Fast" in preparation for the birth of Christ, understanding fasting as a way to "make more room" for the Holy and shift our focus to care of the neighbor. In a time when so many are suffering the economic consequences of the pandemic, we are invited this year to create room for more hope in the world as we learn to reallocate and multiply resources in ways that are just and right.

Saints Who Were Sinners - Fannie Lou Hamer

The Loft LA — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 07:57:44 -0800

This week, we will be finishing our series "Saints Who Were Sinners" with an exploration into the work of Fannie Lou Hamer through the lens of the story of Jesus feeding the (more than) 5000. Hamer is mostly known as someone who caused "good trouble" through her political activism during the civil rights movement. However, Hamer also grew up on a farm and she understood the important role access to food plays in providing people with an opportunity to live flourishing lives. She knew how to identify and rehabilitate land that some might believe to be barren or useless. Join us this Sunday as we ask how might we learn to see value, to see the sacred, in what others overlook?

Saints Who Were Sinners - Rev. Dr. Howard Thurman

The Loft LA — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 08:16:32 -0800

We continue our series, Saints Who Were Sinners, with a focus on Rev. Dr. Howard Thurman. Each of the figures in our series were known for causing "good trouble," yet despite the justice oriented work they did they were often viewed with contempt by many within traditional church communities.

Howard Thurman's Christian faith was formed in the midst of institutionalized white supremacy and segregation. Still, he found in God an expansive affirmation of his humanity, and of the full humanity of all others. His Jesus and the Disinherited laid out a Christian theology that identified Jesus with those who have been oppressed, and laid the foundation for a radical re-interpretation of the gifts and challenges before us as the church. It pointed him to interracial and interreligious work that remains radical. We ask: what can we learn about being the church today?

Saints Who Were Sinners - Dr. Delores Williams

The Loft LA — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 08:08:35 -0800

This week we will be beginning our new series Saints Who Were Sinners. This series will build on the tradition of All Saints' Day and we will be celebrating four saintly figures within the Christian tradition. Each of these figures were known for causing "good trouble," yet despite the justice oriented work they did they were often viewed with contempt by many within traditional church communities.

This Sunday we will be exploring the work and legacy of Dr. Delores Williams, one of the foundational figures in the development of Womanist Theology. Through her rereading of the biblical figure Hagar, Williams shed light on the issues of reproductive justice, suffering, and surrogacy for Black women. How might centering the experience of Black women shift the way we view the story of Hagar, Sara, and Abraham?

Are The Kids Alright? - Week 3

The Loft LA — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 13:08:58 -0700

This week, we will be concluding our series "Are the Kids Alright?" During this series, we wanted to explore how difficult the past year and a half has been for some of the most vulnerable among us - kids. This Sunday, Rev. Dr. Carter will be speaking with some young people from our church, Lauren Pang and Jude Williams, about the impact the past year and a half has had on them and how they are navigating school, friendships, and life during a pandemic. By now we all know that "the kids are not alright," so this concluding conversation should move us to discern where we have fallen short meeting the needs of the young people in our community, and give us an opportunity to figure out how we might make amends and be the Church we aim to become.

Are The Kids Alright? - Week 2

The Loft LA — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 15:34:11 -0700

We continue our three-week series, asking: Are the Kids Alright? The past year and a half has been particularly for some of the most vulnerable among us – kids. This Sunday, Pastor Molly will be speaking with Rachel Gipson about mental health, looking at the particular costs of this pandemic to the wellbeing of young people–and what we might do about it. We think talking about mental health matters, and are glad to have a chance to do that together. We hope you'll join us for the conversation.

Are The Kids Alright? - Week 1

The Loft LA — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 08:41:44 -0700

This week we will begin our new sermon series Are the Kids Alright? This series will explore how difficult the past year and a half has been for some of the most vulnerable among us – kids. This Sunday Rev. Dr. Carter will be speaking with Regan Williams and Kristi Salmeron Meneses about the impact the past year has had on children and young adults from the margins, particularly those in foster care. Distance learning, recreational activities canceled, masking at school (or not), arguments about critical race theory: our young people are dealing with so much, probably too much. What short term impact might the pandemic have on them? And what might we do to compassionately attend to their needs? Join us as we spend the next few weeks discerning Are the Kids Alright?

Why Church? - Week 7

The Loft LA — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 08:07:36 -0700

We have spent the past several weeks examining the role Church and spirituality can play in our lives. And yet, we know that for many people the idea of "church" still seems irrelevant or outdated. They argue that perhaps the "church" is not the best place or even the best mechanism for accomplishing the work of social transformation. For our series conclusion, Rev. Dr. Carter will explore why Churches remain an important force for social and spiritual transformation because of their capacity to ground us in the Truth of who we and others are, and to move us toward a collective vision of the Beloved Community.

Why Church? - Week 6

The Loft LA — Mon, 04 Oct 2021 09:40:59 -0700

Women have frequently given of themselves in the ongoing work of building and maintaining Christian religious communities. At their best, religious communities have been places of refuge for women seeking community and agency in a patriarchal world – at their worst (or perhaps normal?) religious communities have been spaces that are dependent upon womens work but refuse to see them as human beings who also reflect the image of God. How can The Loft community be a liberating place of refuge for those who identify as women? Join us this Sunday as Lauren McBrayer joins Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter in conversation as we continue our series Why Church? by exploring how the Church has been, and can continue to be, a place of refuge for those in need.

Why Church? - Week 5

The Loft LA — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 09:38:01 -0700

Historically religious communities have been places of refuge for folx who are seeking shelter during times of unjust persecution. Given this, how should we be responding to the ongoing Afghan and Hatian refugee crisis? Join us this Sunday as Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter continues our series Why Church? by exploring how the Church has been, and can continue to be, a place of refuge for those in need.

Why Church? - Week 4

The Loft LA — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 11:42:49 -0700

On this Homecoming Sunday, Pastor Molly continues our series, asking: Why Church? As we make and re-make community in this long season of pandemic, we dig into a beloved parable of prodigal welcome for insight about what it means to be a church "home."

Why Church? - Week 3

The Loft LA — Mon, 13 Sep 2021 12:58:11 -0700

Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter continues our series, as we connect and reconnect for in-person worship this season, asking: Why Church?

Why Church? - Week 2

The Loft LA — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 11:16:51 -0700

Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter continues our series, as we connect and reconnect for in-person worship this season, asking: Why Church? One answer: We value The Loft as a place where we can explore new ways of relating to God, the world, and other people. www.WestwoodUMC.org www.TheLoftLA.org Christian Copyright Solutions WORSHIPcast License #10767

Why Church? - Week 1

The Loft LA — Mon, 30 Aug 2021 06:56:21 -0700

As we connect and reconnect for in-person worship this season, we invite you to join us in asking a fundamental question: Why church? This Sunday, Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter begins this new series with an exploration of connection, and why and how it matters. www.WestwoodUMC.org www.TheLoftLA.org Christian Copyright Solutions WORSHIPcast License #10767

Being and Becoming - Week 9

The Loft LA — Mon, 23 Aug 2021 09:08:27 -0700

On this final Sunday of our series, Pastor Molly and Dr. Carter share in leading a conversation about what compassion practices look like when we practice them together as a Loft community. www.WestwoodUMC.org www.TheLoftLA.org Christian Copyright Solutions WORSHIPcast License #10767

Being and Becoming - Week 7

The Loft LA — Tue, 10 Aug 2021 08:27:22 -0700

Pastor Molly continues our summer series that explores who we are, who we are called to be, and how we get there. This week, we turn toward those who we find difficult to hold compassion towards, as we expand these practices. www.WestwoodUMC.org www.TheLoftLA.org Christian Copyright Solutions WORSHIPcast License #10767

Being and Becoming - Week 6

The Loft LA — Mon, 02 Aug 2021 12:38:40 -0700

Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter continues our summer series that explores who we are, who we are called to be, and how we get there. This week, we go deeper in exploration of practices of compassion for others, drawing wisdom from Matthew's gospel. We will also celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion. www.WestwoodUMC.org www.TheLoftLA.org Christian Copyright Solutions WORSHIPcast License #10767

Being and Becoming - Week 5

The Loft LA — Tue, 27 Jul 2021 14:42:50 -0700

Dr. Carter leads The Loft gathering again as we continue our summer series, in exploration of who we are, who we are called to be, and how we get there. This week, we go deeper in exploration of practices of self-compassion, drawing wisdom from Dr. Howard Thurman.

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Being and Becoming - Week 4

The Loft LA — Sun, 18 Jul 2021 21:56:35 -0700

Pastor Molly continues our summer series, building on Dr. Carter's teaching of spiritual formation practices that explore who we are, who we are called to be, and how we get there. This week, we consider what allows us to offer compassion to ourselves.

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Being and Becoming - Week 3

The Loft LA — Mon, 12 Jul 2021 10:20:06 -0700

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Being and Becoming - Week 2

The Loft LA — Mon, 05 Jul 2021 12:42:37 -0700

Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter, our Theologian in Residence, continues our new summer Loft series, as we go deep with spiritual formation practices of contemplation in exploration of who we are, who we are called to be, and how we get there.

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Being and Becoming - Week 1

The Loft LA — Mon, 28 Jun 2021 15:30:47 -0700

Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter, our Theologian in Residence, starts off our new summer Loft series, as we go deep with spiritual formation practices of contemplation in exploration of who we are, who we are called to be, and how we get there.

www.WestwoodUMC.org www.TheLoftLA.org Christian Copyright Solutions WORSHIPcast License #10767

Cultivating Community - Week 8

The Loft LA — Sun, 30 May 2021 08:00:00 -0700

Listen to the conversation from our live, interactive service on Zoom this Sunday. Our series entitled "Cultivating Community" features a conversation between Pastor Molly Vetter and former Loft Pastor Bo Sanders. (We invite you to join us live next Sunday at 10am via Zoom. Find the link in your weekly e-news or by contacting Sabrina Simmons at sabrina@westwoodumc.org.)

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Cultivating Community - Week 7

The Loft LA — Sun, 23 May 2021 08:00:00 -0700

Listen to the conversation from our live, interactive service on Zoom this Sunday. Our series entitled "Cultivating Community" features a conversation between Pastor Molly Vetter and Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter. (We invite you to join us live next Sunday at 10am via Zoom. Find the link in your weekly e-news or by contacting Sabrina Simmons at sabrina@westwoodumc.org.)

www.WestwoodUMC.org www.TheLoftLA.org Christian Copyright Solutions WORSHIPcast License #10767

Cultivating Community - Week 6

The Loft LA — Sun, 16 May 2021 08:00:00 -0700

Listen to the conversation from our live, interactive service on Zoom this Sunday. Our series entitled "Cultivating Community" features a conversation between Pastor Molly Vetter and Ryan Dobson. (We invite you to join us live next Sunday at 10am via Zoom. Find the link in your weekly e-news or by contacting Sabrina Simmons at sabrina@westwoodumc.org.)

www.WestwoodUMC.org www.TheLoftLA.org Christian Copyright Solutions WORSHIPcast License #10767

Cultivating Community - Week 5

The Loft LA — Sun, 09 May 2021 08:00:00 -0700

Listen to the conversation from our live, interactive service on Zoom this Sunday. Our series entitled "Cultivating Community" features a conversation between Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter and Rachel Gipson, MSW. (We invite you to join us live next Sunday at 10am via Zoom. Find the link in your weekly e-news or by contacting Pastor Terence at terence@theloftla.org.)

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Cultivating Community - Week 4

The Loft LA — Sun, 02 May 2021 08:00:00 -0700

Listen to the conversation from our live, interactive service on Zoom this Sunday. Our series entitled "Cultivating Community" features a conversation between Julia Black and Pastor Terence Hagans (We invite you to join us live next Sunday at 10am via Zoom. Find the link in your weekly e-news or by contacting Pastor Terence at terence@theloftla.org.)

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Cultivating Community - Week 3

The Loft LA — Mon, 26 Apr 2021 08:34:13 -0700

Listen to the conversation from our live, interactive service on Zoom this Sunday. Our series entitled "Cultivating Community" features a special message by Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter. (We invite you to join us live next Sunday at 10am via Zoom. Find the link in your weekly e-news or by contacting Pastor Terence at terence@theloftla.org.)

www.WestwoodUMC.org www.TheLoftLA.org Christian Copyright Solutions WORSHIPcast License #10767

Cultivating Community - Week 2

The Loft LA — Sun, 18 Apr 2021 08:00:00 -0700

Listen to the conversation from our live, interactive service on Zoom this Sunday. Our series entitled "Cultivating Community" features a conversation between Rev. Pastor Molly Vetter and Pastor Terence Hagans. (We invite you to join us live next Sunday at 10am via Zoom. Find the link in your weekly e-news or by contacting Pastor Terence at terence@theloftla.org.)

www.WestwoodUMC.org www.TheLoftLA.org Christian Copyright Solutions WORSHIPcast License #10767

Cultivating Community - Week 1

The Loft LA — Sun, 11 Apr 2021 08:00:00 -0700

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Trust the Process? - Easter Sunday Edition

The Loft LA — Thu, 01 Apr 2021 15:13:36 -0700

Listen to the conversation from our live, interactive service on Zoom this Sunday. Our series entitled "Trust the Process?" features a conversation between Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter and Pastor Terence Hagans. (We invite you to join us live next Sunday at 10am via Zoom. Find the link in your weekly e-news or by contacting Pastor Terence at terence@theloftla.org.)

www.WestwoodUMC.org www.TheLoftLA.org Christian Copyright Solutions WORSHIPcast License #10767

Trust the Process? - Week 7

The Loft LA — Sun, 28 Mar 2021 08:00:00 -0700

Listen to the conversation from our live, interactive service on Zoom this Sunday. Our series entitled "Trust the Process?" features a conversation between Rev. Pastor Molly Vetter and Pastor Terence Hagans. (We invite you to join us live next Sunday at 10am via Zoom. Find the link in your weekly e-news or by contacting Pastor Terence at terence@theloftla.org.)

www.WestwoodUMC.org www.TheLoftLA.org Christian Copyright Solutions WORSHIPcast License #10767

Trust the Process? - Week 6

The Loft LA — Sun, 21 Mar 2021 08:00:00 -0700

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Trust the Process? - Week 5

The Loft LA — Sun, 14 Mar 2021 08:00:00 -0700

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Trust the Process? - Week 4

The Loft LA — Sun, 07 Mar 2021 08:00:00 -0800

Listen to the conversation from our live, interactive service on Zoom this Sunday. Our series entitled "Trust the Process?" features a conversation between Pastor Molly Vetter and Pastor Terence Hagans. (We invite you to join us live next Sunday at 10am via Zoom. Find the link in your weekly e-news or by contacting Pastor Terence at terence@theloftla.org.)

www.WestwoodUMC.org www.TheLoftLA.org Christian Copyright Solutions WORSHIPcast License #10767

Trust the Process? - Week 3

The Loft LA — Sun, 28 Feb 2021 08:00:00 -0800

Listen to the conversation from our live, interactive service on Zoom this Sunday. Our series entitled "Trust the Process?" features a conversation between Rev. Dr. Monica Coleman and Julia Black. (We invite you to join us live next Sunday at 10am via Zoom. Find the link in your weekly e-news or by contacting Pastor Terence at terence@theloftla.org.)

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Trust the Process? - Week 2

The Loft LA — Sun, 21 Feb 2021 08:00:00 -0800

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Trust the Process? - Week 1

The Loft LA — Sun, 14 Feb 2021 08:00:00 -0800

Listen to the conversation from our live, interactive service on Zoom this Sunday. Our series entitled "Trust the Process?" features a conversation between Pastor Terence and Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter. (We invite you to join us live next Sunday at 10am via Zoom. Find the link in your weekly e-news or by contacting Pastor Terence at terence@theloftla.org.)

www.WestwoodUMC.org www.TheLoftLA.org Christian Copyright Solutions WORSHIPcast License #10767

A New Way - Week 5

The Loft LA — Sun, 07 Feb 2021 08:00:00 -0800

Listen to the conversation from our live, interactive service on Zoom this Sunday. Our series entitled "A New Way" features a conversation between Pastor Molly and Pastor Terence. (We invite you to join us live next Sunday at 10am via Zoom. Find the link in your weekly e-news or by contacting Pastor Terence at terence@theloftla.org.)

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A New Way - Week 4

The Loft LA — Sun, 31 Jan 2021 08:00:00 -0800

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A New Way - Week 3

The Loft LA — Sun, 24 Jan 2021 08:00:00 -0800

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A New Way - Week 2

The Loft LA — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 08:00:00 -0800

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A New Way - Week 1

The Loft LA — Sun, 10 Jan 2021 08:00:00 -0800

Listen to the conversation from our live, interactive service on Zoom this Sunday. Our new series entitled "A New Way" features a conversation between Pastor Molly and Pastor Terence. (We invite you to join us live next Sunday at 10am via Zoom. Find the link in your weekly e-news or by contacting Pastor Terence at terence@theloftla.org.)

www.WestwoodUMC.org www.TheLoftLA.org Christian Copyright Solutions WORSHIPcast License #10767

The Loft Live: Modern Epiphanies

The Loft LA — Sun, 03 Jan 2021 08:00:00 -0800

Listen to conversation from our live, interactive Sunday service on Zoom about "Modern Epiphanies" featuring a Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter and Pastor Terence. (We invite you to join us live next Sunday at 10am via Zoom. Find the link in your weekly e-news or by contacting Pastor Terence at terence@theloftla.org.)

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The Loft Live: Love Arrives - Week 5

The Loft LA — Sun, 27 Dec 2020 08:00:00 -0800

Listen to conversation from our live, interactive service on Zoom this Sunday. Our Advent "Love Arrives" series features a conversation between Pastor Molly and Pastor Terence. (We invite you to join us live next Sunday at 10am via Zoom. Find the link in your weekly e-news or by contacting Pastor Terence at terence@theloftla.org.) www.WestwoodUMC.org www.TheLoftLA.org Christian Copyright Solutions WORSHIPcast License #10767

The Loft Live: Love Arrives - Week 4

The Loft LA — Sun, 20 Dec 2020 08:00:00 -0800

The Loft Live: Love Arrives - Week 3

The Loft LA — Sun, 13 Dec 2020 08:00:00 -0800

The Loft Live: Love Arrives - Week 2

The Loft LA — Sun, 06 Dec 2020 08:00:00 -0800

This Sunday, we'll be continuing our live, interactive service format on Zoom. We'll also be kicking off our new Advent "Love Arrives" series with a conversation between Pastor Molly and Pastor Terence. The Zoom link is available in your weekly e-news or by contacting Pastor Terence Hagans at terence@theloftla.org. www.WestwoodUMC.org www.TheLoftLA.org Christian Copyright Solutions WORSHIPcast License #10767

The Loft Live: Love Arrives - Week 1

The Loft LA — Mon, 30 Nov 2020 08:44:03 -0800

This Sunday we'll be continuing our live, interactive service format on Zoom. We'll also be kicking off our new Advent "Love Arrives" series with a conversation between Pastor Molly and Pastor Terence. The Zoom link is available in your weekly e-news or by contacting Pastor Terence Hagans at terence@theloftla.org. www.WestwoodUMC.org www.TheLoftLA.org Christian Copyright Solutions WORSHIPcast License #10767

The Loft Live: Reimagining the Holidays - Week 2

The Loft LA — Sun, 22 Nov 2020 08:00:00 -0800

This Sunday we'll be continuing our live, interactive service format on Zoom. We'll also wrap up our "Reimagining the Holidays" miniseries with a conversation between Pastor Molly and Pastor Terence. The Zoom link is available in your weekly e-news or by contacting Pastor Terence Hagans at terence@theloftla.org. www.WestwoodUMC.org www.TheLoftLA.org Christian Copyright Solutions WORSHIPcast License #10767

The Loft Live: Reimagining the Holidays - Week 1

The Loft LA — Sun, 15 Nov 2020 08:00:00 -0800

This Sunday, we'll be continuing our live, interactive service format on Zoom. We'll also kick off our new series "Reimagining the Holidays" with a conversation between Pastor Molly and Pastor Terence. The Zoom link is available in your weekly e-news or by contacting Pastor Terence Hagans at terence@theloftla.org. www.WestwoodUMC.org www.TheLoftLA.org Christian Copyright Solutions WORSHIPcast License #10767

The Loft Live: Spirit + Care - Week 3

The Loft LA — Sun, 25 Oct 2020 08:00:00 -0700

This Sunday at 10am, we'll be continuing our new, live, interactive service format on Zoom. We'll also move ahead in our Spirit+Care series with a conversation between Pastor Molly Vetter and Pastor Terence Hagans. The Zoom link is available in your weekly e-news or by contacting Pastor Terence Hagans at terence@theloftla.org. www.WestwoodUMC.org www.TheLoftLA.org Christian Copyright Solutions WORSHIPcast License #10767

The Loft Live: Spirit + Care - Week 2

The Loft LA — Sun, 18 Oct 2020 08:00:00 -0700

This Sunday at 10am, we'll be continuing our new, live, interactive service format on Zoom. We'll also move ahead in our Spirit+Care series with a conversation between Becca Braren and Pastor Terence Hagans. The Zoom link is available in your weekly e-news or by contacting Pastor Terence Hagans at terence@theloftla.org. www.WestwoodUMC.org www.TheLoftLA.org Christian Copyright Solutions WORSHIPcast License #10767

The Loft Live: Spirit + Care - Week 1

The Loft LA — Sun, 11 Oct 2020 08:00:00 -0700

This Sunday, we'll be continuing with our new, live, interactive service format on Zoom. We'll also move ahead in our Spirit+Care series, with Pastor Molly and Pastor Terence inviting us into conversation on the ancient monastic concept of _acedia_ and how it might offer us some helpful ways of being and responding in the midst of everything happening in our world right now.

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"The Loft Goes Live" - Pastor Molly Vetter and Pastor Terence Hagans

The Loft LA — Sun, 04 Oct 2020 08:00:00 -0700

Starting this Sunday, The Loft will be kicking off a new live, interactive service format on Zoom that will replace our current, pre-recorded Facebook streaming services. Come join us for new music, an engaging dialogue with Pastor Molly and Pastor Terence, and live breakout conversations with fellow members of The Loft community. Click the Zoom link above to join the gathering!

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"Blending In or Speaking Out: Assimilation, Passing, and White Silence" - Matthew Lum, Mari Baldwin, Kathleen Rodgers, and Pastor Terence Hagans

The Loft LA — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 09:07:45 -0700

This Sunday, we'll be concluding our Dismantling White Supremacy series by engaging scripture and conversations on "Blending In or Speaking Out: Assimilation, Passing, and White Silence" with Matthew Lum, Mari Baldwin, Kathleen Rodgers, and Pastor Terence Hagans. www.WestwoodUMC.org www.TheLoftLA.org Christian Copyright Solutions WORSHIPcast License #10767

"White Allyship" - Pastor Terence Hagans, Bryan Montano-Maceda, Kelly Thomassen, Elijah Reynolds

The Loft LA — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 12:43:59 -0700

This Sunday, we'll be continuing our Dismantling White Supremacy through conversations on the relationships between scripture, faith, and White Allyship with Bryan Montano-Maceda, Kelly Thomassen, Elijah Reynolds, and Pastor Terence Hagans. www.WestwoodUMC.org www.TheLoftLA.org Christian Copyright Solutions WORSHIPcast License #10767

"White Centering" - Pastor Bo Sanders, Pastor Terence Hagans, Alex Smith

The Loft LA — Mon, 14 Sep 2020 09:27:14 -0700

This Sunday we'll be continuing our Dismantling White Supremacy through conversations on the relationships between scripture, faith, and White Centering. We welcome former Loft Pastor Bo Sanders back as a special guest, with Alex Smith and Pastor Terence Hagans. www.WestwoodUMC.org www.TheLoftLA.org Christian Copyright Solutions WORSHIPcast License #10767

"White Fragility" - Pastor Terence Hagans, Pastor Molly Vetter

The Loft LA — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 08:57:22 -0700

This Sunday, we'll be kicking off our new series "Dismantling White Supremacy" through conversations on the relationships between scripture, faith, and White fragility with Pastor Molly and Pastor Terence. www.WestwoodUMC.org www.TheLoftLA.org Christian Copyright Solutions WORSHIPcast License #10767

"Imago Dei" - Erica Rey, Joshua Lopez-Reyes

The Loft LA — Sun, 30 Aug 2020 10:15:30 -0700

Join us as we look at the theological concept of the "image of God" with artist, activist, and Ayurvedic Practitioner, Erica Rey. We will talk about her work, her story as an undocumented student, and her connection to the Wesley Foundation Serving UCLA. www.WestwoodUMC.org www.TheLoftLA.org Christian Copyright Solutions WORSHIPcast License #10767

"Missio Dei" - Rev. Dr. Alexia Salvatierra, Joshua Lopez-Reyes

The Loft LA — Mon, 24 Aug 2020 09:37:45 -0700

Join us as we look at the theological concept of the "mission of God" with Rev. Dr. Alexia Salvatierra. We will talk about her faith-rooted ministry (Matthew 25 SoCal) that works in solidarity with the immigrant and refugee community. There will be opportunities for our community to get involved with this work. www.WestwoodUMC.org www.TheLoftLA.org Christian Copyright Solutions WORSHIPcast License #10767 OneLicense #A-712504 CCLI License #11067347

"The Verbo" - Rev. Dr. Robert Chao Romero, Joshua Lopez-Reyes

The Loft LA — Mon, 17 Aug 2020 08:10:17 -0700

Join us for a three-week series on "Life Through the Latinx Lens" including three featured speakers. Our first week features Rev. Dr. Robert Chao Romero, author of Brown Church, and we will be looking at the theological concept of the "Word of God" and "Brown Christology."