Join us for discussions and presentations from a wide variety of faithful perspectives at our Sunday Forum. Forum meets in Fellowship Hall on the lower level, Sundays at 9:30 a.m. during the program year. All are welcome.
Sept.26: What is Sacred Space? The first in a series on Sanctuary: Sacred Space. We will soon move from Sunday morning worship in our Sanctuary to worship in a temporary space, the Gathering Place. What makes space sacred? How is our sanctuary a sacred space for us? What did we grieve as we were away from our sanctuary during the pandemic? What will it mean for us to leave again, or continue to stay apart, during the construction? What changes for us when we worship in new places? Join Gloria Dei members Nancy Agneberg and Deanna Thompson as they help us explore our experience of sacred space. Nancy is a spiritual director and advocate for life long spiritual formation. Deanna is Director of the Lutheran Center for Faith, Values and Community and Martin E. Marty Regents Chair in Religion and the Academy at St. Olaf College.
Oct.3: Now is the Time to Rise! Giving thanks for Sanctuary: Sacred Space. During worship on this Sunday, we will officially move from the Sanctuary. Music Director Tim Strand will lead a Hymn Sing as we say goodbye to the organ which has led us in worship over these years and give thanks to God for all it has offered. Come hear the organ for the last time as we sing together in the sanctuary.
Oct. 10: Sacred Land and Reparations. We continue our discussion of Sacred Space, by reflecting on the meaning of our land as a Sacred Site. What does it mean that our building is built on or near land that is honored as sacred by Dakota peoples? Does it shape our understanding and experience of Sanctuary to know that this is Sacred Land for others? Can we make reparations for our use of the land now? Pastor Bradley will lead us through our conversation.
Oct. 17: Ecotheology: God’s World as Sacred Space: Dr. Alan Padgett will help us explore the engagement of theology with ecology. Developing over the last sixty years, ecotheology has blossomed in our time of crisis into new ways of thinking about holy Scripture, creation, human beings and God’s work in renewing and redeeming all things. Padgett is Professor of Systematic Theology at Luther Seminary, known for his work at the intersection of theology, the sciences and philosophy. He has published numerous books and articles, and also lectures internationally. He is co-editor and contributor to the Blackwell Companion to Science and Christianity, and his most recent work is the edited dialog book, Ecotheology: A Christian Conversation.
Oct. 24: Anger and Ritual: Friends or Foes? The events of the past 18 months have revealed the anger many of us feel in the face of various forms of communal trauma. While public protests have been one mechanism for providing an ad hoc ritual practice around anger, often our own liturgical spaces fail to do the same, even though our biblical traditions have plenty of examples of ritual expressions of anger. We will explore how biblical texts that are often not heard in the standard lectionary could be used as a model and foundation for the needed reinstatement of ritualized expressions of anger. Dr. Corri Carvalho, Professor in the Theology Department at the University of St. Thomas, leads our discussion.
Resources from Past Forums
“Rise, O Church” Design Update with Task Force and architects (May 2, 2021)
– Online immersive experience of the renewed sanctuary. (Access from a smart phone or other device.)