The Gospels of Matthew and Luke actually portray the birth of Jesus in quite divergent ways, emphasizing different themes that will resonate throughout their accounts of the messiah’s life, death, and resurrection. What the two infancy narratives have in common is an understanding that Jesus was born and lived his life entirely within the context of the world-conquering military and political power of the Roman Empire. Grasping that historical context really matters for those of us today who seek to understand the Gospels as we ourselves read from within a contemporary environment characterized by empire. Join biblical scholar Michael Barram and local pastors for a fascinating exploration of the Gospel birth narratives within their imperial contexts, and an engaging discussion about how those accounts can help shape and form our communities of faith for our own contextualized participation in God’s mission in the world today.

About the Presenters

Michael Barram, PhD is a professor in the Department of Theology & Religious Studies at Saint Mary’s College of California. In addition, he is a member of and regularly teaches at First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley. As a biblical scholar, Barram’s work focuses on the formative function of biblical texts for moral and economic reasoning—and on the emerging subfield of biblical interpretation known as missional hermeneutics. He is the author of Mission and Moral Reflection in Paul (Lang, 2006); Missional Economics: Biblical Justice and Christian Formation (Eerdmans, 2018); co-editor of the recently-released anthology, Reparations and the Theological Disciplines: Prophetic Voices for Remembrance, Reckoning, and Repair (Lexington, 2023); and co-author of the forthcoming Liberating Scripture: An Invitation to Missional Hermeneutics (Cascade, 2024).

Leslie Bowling-Dyer is a PhD candidate at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. A product of the Black church tradition, Leslie embraces the “righteous discontent” of her foremothers, fueling her desire for a more equitable and just society. She was ordained at Allen Temple Baptist Church in 2010. Leslie, her husband, Rev. Phil Bowling-Dyer, and their children, Arthur and Jeanine, serve the community of West Oakland, which they call home.

Pastor Kamal Hassan is the pastor at Sojourner Truth Presbyterian Church in Richmond, CA. Rev. Hassan has more than 20 years of experience as a religious worker and more than 10 years as an ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. He is a powerfully gifted preacher and Christian educator whose message is rooted in the African American prophetic tradition. He is a community organizer who has toiled for decades in low-wealth communities of color for social justice. He is a sensitive and supportive counselor and visitor of those in need. He is a visionary leader who can see beyond the now to the “not yet.” He holds an AA degree in Radio Broadcasting from Los Angeles City College, a BA in History from Cal State University Los Angeles and a Master of Divinity degree from the San Francisco Theological Seminary.

Rev. Dr. Grace Kaori Suzuki, D.Min (she/her), has been the pastor/head of staff at Christ United Presbyterian Church (CUPC) in San Francisco, CA since 2004. She was born in Japan and grew up in both Japan and the U.S. With CUPC being the oldest Japanese/Japanese American Christian church in Northern America, she is grateful for her experience of being bilingual and bicultural growing up. As a member of the Presbytery of San Francisco, she has served on various committees including the Committee on the Preparation for Ministry, Healthy Congregations, and several Administrative Commissions, and enjoys the challenge of engaging in upper governing body ministries of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Until recently, she was serving as co-moderator of the Presbytery of San Francisco. Currently, she is serving a part-time temporary position as Bridge Transitional Executive for the Committee on Ministry, helping support the churches and pastors of the presbytery. She received her doctorate degree from San Francisco Theological Seminary (University of Redlands, Graduate School of Theology) with an emphasis on executive leadership. She is an adjunct faculty for SFTS and McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago.

Servant Brian K. Woodson, Sr. is the founding pastor of the Bay Area Christian Connection and a bestselling author. Servant BK, is a long time community organizer who in the past has served as the Director of Clergy Development for Faith in Action East Bay (FIAEB), an organizer for the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE) and the Director of the Emerging Leaders Program at the Leadership Institute at Allen Temple. Servant BK is currently organizing the “Respect Our Vote – No Recalls” coalition, which is an inclusive coalition that spans across race, gender, age, ethnicity and religion. Included as founding members of the coalition are: African American Churches, the Wellstone Club, the Latino Task Force, Asian Americans for a Progressive Alameda, the Green Party, Local Democratic Club, members of local unions, Oakland Rising Action and others.

Details

Registration General $20 / "Living Lightly" $10

Free parking is available.

LOCATION

Sojourner Truth Presbyterian Church, 94806