Scripture: Matthew 13: 1-9, 18-23
In a season in which we are closer to home, and perhaps digging in the dirt little more, Jesus’s “Parable of the Sower” invites us to reflect on the extravagance of love that God plants in the world, and how we might nurture our own spiritual soil to receive those gifts.
Scriptures: Psalm 145:8-14, Romans 7:15-25
The Apostle Paul writes of the bind of human life: where we so often do the very things that contradict our deepest commitments and values. How are we called, as Christians living in nations, to bear witness and move in hope among the contradictions inherit in our nation’s values and public actions? How do we call our communities, states, and nations to more closely match the compassion and justice we hear described in God’s coming realm of peace?
Scriptures: Psalm 89:1-4,15-18 and Matthew 10:40-42
Jesus invites us into a ministry of welcome… but before he does, he invites us to reflect on what that will cost us. If we are to be a part of God’s liberation for all people, how must our welcome center the “guest” and not the “host”?
Scripture: Genesis 18:1-15
Our ancestors in faith, Sarah and Abraham have waited so long for signs of new life that when they hear they will have a child, Sarah laughs… can we share in her laughter, overcoming our own complacency to be a part of new life—and maybe new justice—God is creating within us?
Scriptures: Numbers 11:24-30, Acts 2:1-21
Pentecost invites us to find a language that reaches people, just as the disciples did… invites us to speak in our words and actions, so all may understand God’s love.