Hope
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The kind of hope that comes from God reassures us of God’s love and presence, both in the future and right now, in this moment, in this first week of Advent, with all that’s happening and all that will unfold.
Read MoreChrist and the Kingdom
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What does it mean to belong to God’s kingdom, this realm not of this world? All we have to do to belong is listen and recognize the truth. We don’t have to work hard to belong to Christ; Christ welcomes all of us with love and compassion, and all we have to do is recognize it.
Read MoreThe World Might Be Ending, but It’s Probably Not
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Maybe the world is ending, but it probably isn’t. Maybe things are worse now, but they probably aren’t. Or, if things are worse, the world will likely right itself, or we will work to make things right. God offers us love and presence and care. Sometimes we have to work a little harder to notice, and I hope we do work to notice it, because that’s where we’ll find our solace.
Read MoreWe Keep Showing Up; We Give What We Have
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So, we keep showing up. We trust that our two cents are enough. Even when we don’t see much effect from our efforts, we keep showing up because God provides us with any coins we have and they don’t belong to us. Everything we have is for the service of the kingdom of God. And humanity. And creation. We show up together, and we keep showing up, and we give what we have. And God makes that enough.
Read MoreWhat Do You Want Me to Do for You?
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This week we get to spend some time with Bartimaeus. What can we learn from this disciple’s encounter with Jesus, and how would you answer Jesus’s question: “What do you want me to do for you?”
Read MoreGod With Us, Not Over Us
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God who is almighty does not hold power over us but seeks to be deeply with us. How do we open ourselves to God who wants to be close to us? And how do we mirror that loving presence to other people?
Read MoreIt’s Not Good for Us to Be Alone
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Each of us is a vulnerable, awkward human in need of connection and relationship. When things are good, it’s easy to feel self-sufficient, but that’s not real. We belong in community. There’s no need for us to be alone.
Read MoreWhoever's Not Against Us Is For Us
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Jesus uses strong words, but his message is simple: limit the things that make gospel living harder, have holy boundaries, and when it comes to knowing who’s with us or not, “whoever is not against us is for us.”
Read MoreDisciple Like a Child
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There’s no getting ahead in the Christian life. Each of us is dependent, called to disciple like a child, open to life as it unfolds and trusting that God is with us, taking care of us.
Read MoreWho Do You Say I Am?
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Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do you say I am?” and it’s clear that he wants them to know him for who he is. There’s something about all of us that wants to be understood, isn’t there? Ultimately, we want to be loved, but to be loved, we also have to be known.
Read MoreBe Opened
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This week we encounter Jesus as he heals a deaf person with the words, “Be opened.” His invitation to openness shows that the problem isn’t an illness that can be cured but a closedness that can opened. How open are you when it comes to speaking your truth? When it comes to listening to others? How open is your heart?
Read MoreTransformation, Inside and Out
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Jesus is calling us to alignment between our attitudes and our actions, an authentic living out of our faith. He's interested in transforming the whole of us, and if we’re open, we allow that transformation to happen, just as it happened to him.
Read MoreGod's Why
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There’s a lot going on in this Gospel, and the quick pace makes it seem like Jesus’s life is an action-packed adventure with lots of people who need help. Are these events just part of a busy day in the life of Jesus? These encounters have much to tell us about the healing ministry of Jesus – for those in the story and for us too.
Read MoreFear and Faith
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Uncertainty, difficulty, and change can make us feel disoriented, topsy-turvy, afraid, and vulnerable, not unlike being in a small boat with waves crashing around it and strong wind blowing. When you’re in a situation like this, how do you find your faith amidst the fear?
Read MoreJesus and the In Crowd
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Jesus had a close-knit group of people with whom he shared deeply. What would it be like to be in the inner circle of Jesus? And what does it mean for us today to belong to the In Crowd of the Kingdom of God?
Read MoreWhoever Does the Will of God
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There’s a freedom in following God’s will, a loving freedom which we offer to each other that transcends expectations. In fact, God doesn’t have expectations of us — only invitations.
Read MoreKeeping Our Covenants
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Because of God’s fidelity, we can be faithful too. And in our trying, in all of our little yesses, we grow and get better at saying yes. It’s not because of us but because God is transforming us every day.
Read MoreCome with Me
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On this Providence Sunday, and always, God invites us to trust God’s love and care, to trust it so deeply that we can surrender to it. How can we do this? Because God is with us.
Read MoreFire, Wind, and Spiritual Adulting
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Spiritual adulting can be hard, but it’s how we grow and learn and change. God loves us as we are but rarely leaves us alone to stay the same. God is always calling us to that edge where we have to risk and leap and trust.
Read MoreWorthy of the Call You Have Received
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What if instead of wondering if someone is worthy, we focus on being humble, knowing that we’re not perfect either? What if we live with patience, trusting that we’re all just doing the best we can? What if we were to bear with each other in love instead of judgement? And what if we didn’t even judge our own worthiness? Because why should we? God doesn’t.
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