Jesus is always inviting people into relationship, and he has help from others who call out God’s presence in him. How do we hear that invitation to renew our relationship with the Lamb of God who takes away sin and calls us to “come and see” more? Pastor Mary’s message is based on John 1: […]
When Jesus is baptized, a voice speaks words of love and encouragement to him. God speaks to each of us, too, calling us beloved and giving us courage to live in God’s Spirit. How will we live into God’s words for us? Pastor Mary’s message is based on Matthew 3: 13-17 and Isaiah 42: 1-9. […]
Though our faith in Jesus Christ is grounded in Scripture, the arts, including literature and films, profoundly influence how we think about and understand God. When characters long for something or yearn for something, when they celebrate, all of these moments can be viewed through a lens of prayer even though the character may not […]
People yearn for tangible, clear signs of God’s presence. This series, “Star Words: A Spiritual Practice for Epiphany and Beyond,” will offer people a chance to focus on one word in 2020 as an opportunity to grow in faith and see God’s presence in a new way. Pastor Mary’s first message of 2020 is “Follow […]
As we live in the joy of Christmas, we encounter the rest of the story – a fearful and vengeful ruler who has it out for the newborn “King” Jesus and takes it out on the children of the land. The cruelty of the story is hard to fathom, and we’re challenged to consider what […]
“Joy to the World, the Lord is come!” We celebrate the world-altering truth of the inbreaking, indwelling, incarnation of the Holy One among us. It changes our lives, our outlook, and our world forever – and offers us “deep joy.” This is not simply happiness, which can be fleeting, but the promise that – no […]
Emmanuel means “God with us.” We continue to yearn for “Emmanuel” with those who have come before us – for god to become so present that God’s peace, truth, love, and justice reign among all the world and bring balance to what feels out-of-sorts. Psalm 98 names the joyful expression of all creation as the […]
The holidays can be a difficult time for those who are dealing with any loss, and any word about joy can seem, at first, especially difficult to withstand. Joy might indeed be elusive. But the phrase for the Psalmist, “joy comes in the morning” could also be “joy come in the mourning.” Joy is not […]
Joy doesn’t wait for the struggle to be over. Mary “rejoices” during her pregnancy, a state of affairs that would have put her in a position of dishonor among her people. She sings out powerfully because she knows that this turn of events will usher in the Presence of justice for the oppressed and freedom […]
Music can resonate in our soul so powerfully that we can’t help but join in. That’s the vision of “Joy to the World” as the reverberating phrase urges us to “repeat the sounding joy” of the good news of Love. The prophet Isaiah offers a vision of radical love, and we’re invited to claim God’s […]