Saints 03: Julian of Norwich

Redemption Church KC Sermon Podcast

1. In his sermon, Tim talked about two parallel lines of church history. The first, the Historical Tradition, is characterized by dogmatic theologians and the general domination of men within its points of significance. In contrast, the Wisdom Tradition is characterized by mystical theologians, and women take a much more significant role in its history.
The slide showing the two timelines is below. Does one of these feel more familiar to you? Its story more known or more relevant? Are there specific people or moments of significance in either that are personally important to you? If so, share about why. Are there some that you feel led to learn more about? If so, share about why.
What thoughts are prompted by noticing the contrasts between these two timelines while also recognizing their concurrence? What influence might recognizing these parallel traditions have on your overall understanding of the history of Christian theology? Is it important to hold both of these traditions in view when considering Christian theological history? Why or why not?
2. Julian of Norwich’s theology was neither sentimental nor sweet. She dove headfirst into difficult topics, including the problem of evil. In doing so, she wrote about Christ on the Cross. But unlike the views of her contemporaries, she didn’t see anger and wrath in the picture of the cross, but rather God’s solidarity and love. In the cross, she saw God absorbing man’s evil and returning only forgiveness.
Consider these different ways of understanding the cross. How do they compare with your own sense? Do you think of the cross as being more about wrath & anger? Or about solidarity & love? Whether you lean more toward one of these interpretations or some mixture, share about your sense of the cross and its relevance to your own personal faith practices. How does your conception of the cross affect your overall practice of your faith?
3. Tim taught that Julian saw, in Christ, an invitation to bring our brokenness to God - a process that requires growing in self-knowledge. And that this process helps us to participate in God’s well-making more and more.
What are your thoughts about the link between growing in self-knowledge and God’s ongoing well-making in the world? To what extent do you tend to think of your own self-awareness work as connected to God’s redemptive processes? Do they seem linked or rather separate? What do you make of the through line drawn by Tim through the theology of Julian of Norwich? How does this influence your thoughts and feelings about the extent to which you’ve engaged in self-knowledge work? What feelings does this entire idea prompt in you? How significant does it feel?