UUFSMA: “What About Jesus?”

Sunday, October 13, 10:30am

What About Jesus?

Rev. Stephan Papa

At this week’s Unitarian Universalist Fellowship service, the Rev. Dr. Stephan Papa shares his thoughts about Jesus. Albert Schweitzer concluded that we will never be able to find the historical Jesus and that everyone projects his or her own views on his image.

Who was he? Was he a teacher or a savior, a messiah or a false prophet, a zealot or a peacenik, a God or a human? Did Jesus preach faith or works? How and why did the stories about him change over time? Why do so many people believe in him, and what value might we find in Jesus today?

“I believe that Jesus existed,” says Rev. Papa. “He was a real human being and a great moral teacher who asked people to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and care for the sick to create a more just society and peaceful world.

“Jesus and the theology that the Christian church developed about him speak to so many people because it invites us to believe in the transformative power of love. It gives people hope and proclaims that the miracle of life even surpasses the reality of death. It says that someone in power somewhere in this vast universe cares about us, and that injustice and pain will not last forever. Inner and world peace are possible. Jesus offers hope, a faith to transcend our fear. That is a powerful, liberating message, a faith in the efficacy of love. Jesus is a model for me. His courage and commitment to love and truth inspire me. He is a model of selfless giving, of the transformative power of love who asks us to love our neighbors as ourselves.”

Rev. Dr. Stephan Papa is a retired Unitarian Universalist minister who last served the Two Rivers UU Congregation in Carbondale, CO. Prior to that he worked as a Special Assistant to the President of the UUA for Growth Funding for seven years, as the Senior Minister of the Main Line Unitarian Church in Devon, PA, for five years, and the First Universalist Church in Denver for nineteen years. He also served congregations in Fort Lauderdale and Buffalo. Rev. Papa received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin in Madison and is a graduate of Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago. In retirement, Stephan volunteers with the Colorado Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, at the First Universalist Church in Denver, where he is minister emeritus, and as a Restorative Justice Facilitator in the Denver Public Schools.

For more information about the UUFSMA, including our Sunday morning Children’s Religious Education program, Social Action outreach, weekly discussion groups, social activities, and Care Team, join us any Sunday at 10:30 a.m. at the Hotel La Aldea or check out our website at uufsma.org.

Our fellowship was born in 1987 when a small group of expatriate religious liberals came together to meet as Unitarian Universalists in San Miguel de Allende. The fellowship has been active and thriving ever since. Every UU church has it’s own flavor, and we are no exception. We are a combination of expats and visitors, each actively engaged and contributing to this wonderful Mexican community we love. Because there is a coming, going, and returning aspect, our spiritual community is extremely fluid.  There is a magic in San Miguel which draws us in and binds us together—both as members of the church and of the larger community. Our programming is led by visiting ministers, community leaders, and church members, so the variety is lively. We have opportunities to meet as UU’s each week at discussion groups, breakfasts, luncheons, and in various other ways. Depending on the season, attendance fluctuates between 40 and 140. Our primary focus is on funding social action within the surrounding community. We love good music, good discussion, good food, and having visitors. We invite you to join us any Sunday morning.

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