Sermon Series Retrospective: Matthew Fox’s “Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality”

Last updated on: April 12, 2012 at 3:14 pm by Carl Gregg

Sermon Series Retrospective: Matthew Fox’s “Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality” 2012-04-12T15:14:13-04:00 Carl Gregg

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

For Advent, I preached through the four parts of Matthew Fox’s landmark book Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality Presented in Four Paths, Twenty-Six Themes, and Two Questions. The following are the sermon titles and a brief summary:

Embracing Christianity and Evolution: Matthew Fox, Original Blessing, and Creation Spirituality (Advent 1)

What would Christianity look like if the focus were Original Blessing, not Original Sin; Creation Spirituality, not the Fall/Redemption story; and social justice, not individual perfectionism?

#OccupyAdvent: Befriending Darkness, Letting Go, and Letting Be (Advent 2)

Last week our focus was the Via Positiva, the ‘Positive Way’ of befriending Creation. And we considered this invitation from one of the largest possible perspectives given the limitations of our finite human point of view. We asked, “What does it look like to do theology in the context of a 13.7 billion old Universe that includes more than 100 billion galaxies?” This week’s sermon inverses our trajectory. Having expanded our consciousness in an attempt to include the fullness of the universe, we are now invited to walk the path of the Via Negativa: the ‘Negative Way’ of befriending darkness, letting go, and letting be.

The Artist’s Way for Advent: Matthew Fox’s “Via Creativa” (Advent 3)

The musical Rent proclaims, “The opposite of war isn’t peace, it’s creation.” Our souls long for an alternative to destructive violence that is not a peaceful passivity, but time and space to co-create in partnership with God, who is the Creator — connecting us to the creative impulse at the heart of the 13.7 billion year evolutionary process. How is God calling you to explore the path of the Via Creativa: the way of partnering with God to co-create a more hopeful, just, and beautiful future?

“Out Beyond Ideas” for Advent: Original Blessing, Creation Spirituality, and Social Justice (Advent 4)

Our challenge is to shift our sense of solidarity from “me” to “We,” to “All of Us,” to “ALL.” As twenty-first century Christians we are invited to see Paul’s call for us to put on the “mind of Christ” as about learning to view life from a cosmo-centric perspective. “New Creation” is about that transformed way of being human that comes from experiencing the world from the perspective of Original Blessing, Creation Spirituality, and social justice. God is for the 100%, for everyone, for ALL, for a revitalized sense of the commonweal, and for a recommitment to the common good.

The Rev. Carl Gregg is a trained spiritual director, a D.Min. candidate at San Francisco Theological Seminary, and the pastor of Broadview Church in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland. Follow him on Facebook (facebook.com/carlgregg) and Twitter (@carlgregg).

Advent

Christian Education

Creation Spirituality

Evolution

Mysticism

Sermon Series Retrospective

Sermons

Worship Resources

Previous Post

February 20, 2012

Preaching the Didache (50-70 C.E.): A Sermon Series Retrospective

Next Post

February 27, 2012 Reading the Bible with Jews: A Lectionary Commentary on Romans 4

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Advent Anti-Racism Archaeology Atheism Baptism Best of the Year List Book Reviews Buddhism Catholicism Christian Education Church and State Church Planting Climate Change Conscientious Objection to War Creation Spirituality Death Penalty Didache Disability Rights Discernment Easter Ecology Emergent Church Movement Empire-Critical Ethics Evolution Feminist Theology Film Reviews Gandhi Gospel of Mark Gun Control Hinduism Immigration Reform Interfaith Islam JFK Judaism Jungian Spirituality Lectionary Commentary Lent Letters to the Editor LGBT Marriage MLK Multiculturalism Mysticism Nonviolent Activism Occupy Paganism (Earth-centered Religions) Parables Paul Pluralism Politics Process Theology Quantum Physics Requiescat In Pace Seminary and Divinity School Sermon Series Retrospective Sermons Spiritual Direction Spiritual Practices Stewardship (Fundraising) The Book of J The Wheel of the Year (Paganism) Theoblogger Challenge Triathlon Uncategorized Unitarian Universalism Worship Resources Youth Ministry

Select a Month July 2026 May 2026 March 2026 November 2025 October 2025 August 2025 February 2025 December 2024 October 2024 March 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 August 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 August 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 July 2019 June 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 August 2009 July 2009 May 2009

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was known for interpreting dreams in Babylon?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Daniel Moses Joseph David