Greystone Theological Institute is pleased to announce a new full course now available on Greystone Connect. In Water, Bread, and Wine, Dr. Mark A. Garcia leads us in a biblically determined, historically aware, and theological sophisticated exploration of the sacramental elements in their relationship to the real world of Holy Scripture and Reformed liturgics.
The elements of water, bread, and wine, as the elements of the Church’s two sacraments of baptism and the Supper, serve as guides to the Church’s being and well-being. These elements weave together the realities of Christ and the Church, creation and new creation, craftsmanship and pastoral ministry, perception and labor, dependence and joy. They also elucidate how the Church lives under the sign of her baptism and at the Table of fellowship. Each of these elements also enjoys a rich theology in Scripture, tradition, and liturgy, a theology which may serve to deepen the Church’s appreciation of her sacramental life and practice, including aspects of pastoral care. In this course, we will examine the water of baptism and the bread and wine of the Supper by exploring the theological and pastoral dimensions of each element within the world of Scripture and the Church.
Course Lectures:
1. Situating the Ecclesial Elements 1.1 Orientation 1.2 The Necessity of Attentiveness 1.3 The Elements of Reality 1.4 Trinitarian Life, Theology of Motion, and Self-Offering
2. Water 2.1 Motion, Trinitarian Relations, and Storied Relationships 2.2 Movement as Life; Immobility as Death 2.3 Sacrifice and the Trinity; Water, Creation, and Israel's Liturgy 2.4 Water in the Old Testament: Genesis, Israel 2.5 Water in the New Testament; Woman's Figural Significance of the Elements; Overview 2.6 Water in the Gospel of John: The Woman at the Well; I Cor. 10 2.7 Water in the Gospel of John: The Cross as the Birth of the Church
3. Bread 3.1 Bread in the Bible and Human History 3.2 Sharing Bread 3.3 Manna and Face Bread 3.4 Israel's Relationship to Bread 3.5 Leaven as Moral Atmosphere 3.6 Jesus and the Bread in Mark 3.7 Bread and Christian Maturity
4. Wine 4.1 What is Wine?; Wine in Scripture 4.2 Ecclesiastes 9:7; Wine and Blessing 4.3 Mark 15; Proverbs 31 4.4 The Second Cup on the Cross; "The Agony;" Wine as Blessing and Curse 4.5 Gratitude for Creation 4.6 Traits of Wine 4.7 Tasting Wine; A Theology of Terroir; Wine and the Eucharist
5. Ecclesial Elements 5.1 Ecclesial Elements as Revelation of Christ 5.2 Ecclesial Elements and the Order of Reality 5.3 Ecclesial Elements and Psalm 23
The Greystone Membership
Greystone is persuaded that robust theological fellowship should not be limited to formal degree program contexts, and that rigorous theological formation should be accessible to all. For these reasons, we have crafted a Membership for the modest amount of $18 a month (the price of a paperback). Greystone Members enjoy:
Unlimited access to hundreds of lecture hours across multiple disciplines including ThM/PhD courses, micro-course modules, special lectures, postgraduate seminar series, and symposia and lecture events held by our Lydia Center for Women and Families and our Mechanical Arts Program (MAP).
Free access to all Greystone Reading Rooms. A Reading Room is more than a book club, but less than a class. Discussion-based and scholar-led, Greystone Members get free access to all Greystone Reading Room events throughout the year;
Greystone Texts & Studies, a Members-only series of electronic and print publications of otherwise inaccessible historic and contemporary resources for Reformed theology, worship, and edification;
Gleanings, a Members-only newsletter that collects together a wide assortment of theological, biblical, historical, ethical, ecclesiastical, and cultural resources that may serve as edifying conversation partners for the recovery and advancement of theological formation in the mode of confessional Reformed theology.
Exclusive discounted rates for select live events to interact with the lecturer and the Greystone community of students and faculty, and to partake in the Greystone Way of prayer, feasting, and fellowship;
The opportunity to help fund free ministerial training and general edification resources in regions of the world lacking quality Reformed theological education options.
Become a Greystone Member for your daily personal growth in Scripture and theology; use it with friends or colleagues in your church, community, or organization as a way to focus attention together on a certain topic or theme; utilize the Membership in your church body or with fellow clergy or ministerial trainees; use it at your institution as a robust continuing-education resource for students and/or faculty, or to supplement courses or programs; or customize an apprenticeship program for ministerial preparation or theological research training. The Greystone Membership is the innovative solution for your robust continuing education, rich theological edification, and opportunity for partnership in support of global Reformed faith and life.
