One Diocese, One Book
A Lenten book study for the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri using “The Love that is God: An invitation to Christian Faith” by Fredrick Christian Bauerschmidt.
During the season of Lent 2025, members of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri are invited to join together in deepening their faith as a part of the “One Diocese, One Book” study. The purpose of this Dioceasn-wide study is to offer individuals and communities of faith a reflective journey to deepen their understanding of our shared faith and to encourage conversation within our communities about our shared stories of God. By participating in this study, you will not only engage in spiritual exploration but also enhance our Christian profession that God is Love.
Tuesdays during the Lenten Season, the Diocesan household is invited to gather on Zoom to discuss the five chapters of the One Diocese, One Book. Members of the Diocesan staff will serve as facilitators of each conversation beginning Tuesday, March 10, 2025
Zoom meeting dates:
March 11, 2025 Chapter One: “God is love.”
March 18, 2025 Chapter Two: “The love that is God is crucified love.”
March 25, 2025 Chapter Three: “We are called to friendship with the risen Jesus.”
April 08, 2025 Chapter Four: “We cannot love God if we do not love each other.”
April 15, 2025 Chapter 5 “We live our love out from the community created by the Spirit.”
**Please note we will skip Tuesday, April 1, 2025. No joke!
Presenter Schedule:
- Canon Doris Westfall, March 11 @ 6:30 pm
- The Rev. Aaron Rogers, March 18 @ 6:30 pm
- Canon Whitney Rice, March 25 @ 6:30 pm
- No discussion on April 1, Clergy Retreat
- The Rev. Erin Pickersgill, April 8 @ 6:30 pm
- Bishop Deon Johnson, April 15 @ 6:30 pm
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87074359511?pwd=14rR66QTZYipawm3jC4pH4xb0GFuzo.1
Meeting ID: 870 7435 9511
Passcode: 709630
About the author.
“God is love is the radical claim of the Christian faith… but Jesus fills this out by saying that no greater love has a man than this: that he lay down his life for his friends… so the love of God suddenly takes on a hard edge…”
Frederick Christian Bauerschmidt is professor of theology at Loyola University Maryland and a permanent deacon of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, assigned to the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen.
About the book:
“God is love is the radical claim of Christianity,” writes Frederick Bauerschmidt at the beginning of this little meditation on the essentials of Christian faith. In a rich yet accessible style reminiscent of C. S. Lewis and G. K. Chesterton, Bauerschmidt breathes life back into that claim, drawing from Scripture, great Christian and non-Christian writers of the past, and his own lived experience to show just how countercultural and subversive Christianity is actually meant to be. Eschewing the abstract and dogmatic in favor of the relational and inviting, he offers something for everyone, from lifelong churchgoers and students of religion to the growing population of “nones” among younger generations who are increasingly seeking spiritual fulfillment outside of institutional Christianity.
With further reading suggestions (both scriptural and nonscriptural) at the end of each chapter, The Love That Is God is the perfect starting point of a spiritual journey into deeper relationship with God.
Additional Reading: The Disciple's Way, Daily Reflections for Lent
