Experiencing the Divine in a Sacramental Universe

The Episcopal/Anglican theologian David Brown writes, “Sport, drama, humor, dance, architecture, place and home, the natural world are all part of a long list of activities and forms of experience that have been relegated to the periphery of religious reflection, but which once made invaluable contributions to the human perception that this world is where God is encountered, and encountered often.” Dean Richard enthusiastically agrees and will describe how human beings regularly experience God in the sacraments and liturgy and in the wider world, such as mountains and beaches. This class will end with an invitation to trust one’s own experiences of God and to notice how “God uses material things to reach out to us” (BCP 861). If you are interested in preparing for this class, Richard suggests reading the first chapter of David Brown’s God and Enchantment of Place: Reclaiming Human Experience or watching the short film At the Threshold: The Greater Part/David Brown.

This Forum is part two of a three week series on the sacramental life.