Advent course 2020 Living in Hope
This is York Course written by CATHERINE FOX is the author of seven novels. Her memoir Fight the Good Fight: From Vicar’s Wife to Killing Machine relates her quest to achieve a black belt in Judo. She has a degree in English and a Ph.D in Theology, and is senior lecturer in creative writing at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Living in hope
Session 1. Living well 30th Nov 7.30pm
Session 2. Dying well 7th Dec 7.30pm
Session 3. Hell-bent on destruction? 14th Dec 7.30pm
Session 4. Going to Heaven when we die? 21st Dec 7.30pm
This advent course is a chance to have a think about what it means to live well, and to die well. We are people of history and people of hope. We look back to the Bible to see where we’ve come from, and we look forward in hope to what lies ahead.
But there are times when looking ahead is frightening. Even looking around can be a source of anxiety. The times seem dark, and the political situation unstable. The challenge of climate change looms larger each decade. What hope do we have? How can we live well in the face of current events?
Advent has traditionally been the season of hope and of preparation. We look back, as people of history, to Christ’s first coming. But we look forward too, as people of hope, to his second coming. Every time we repeat the creed we say that we believe ‘he will come again in glory, to judge the living and the dead.’ Is judgement something to look forward to—or to dread? What happens when we die?
These are big themes to get our teeth into. Historically, they’ve been referred to as ‘The Four Last Things’ (Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell). But as we explore them in the light of Christ, we’ll begin to see that the last things are also the first things; that everything holds together in the one who is the alpha and omega, the first and the last. And who knows?—we may find that the art of living well, and the art of dying well, are not that far apart at all.
How will we meet? We will meet by zoom, those without computers can phone in and join in the conversation. In the zoom meeting I should be able to play the audio extract which introduces the theme, to everyone before we explore the issues in discussion.
How do we get the materials? You can either order a booklet for the course or you can download it onto your device. Link to York Courses Living in Hope We can bulk order the booklets and then get them to you.
Please let me know if you are interested and need a booklet
Peace
Tim
0114 438 9012