God’s generosity is truly amazing, and we have all been given so very much from God’s love. Moving into our new normal, we must learn to follow the example God has given to us and be extravagantly generous to the world around us. We have been given so very much, and all we have and all that we are is entrusted to us to be used to share Christ’s love.
There are so many things in life that we dispose of or wish we could get rid of, that God can use in amazing new ways. What would it look like if we recycled all of life’s experiences and gifts and used them in new ways to experience and share God’s love? God calls us to live a zero-waste lifestyle that uses all that we have and encounter: the good, bad, and ugly, to glorify and honor God. How might we use the things we often toss out to share and experience Christ’s love more fully this summer?
With good reason Jesus invites the little children to come to him. We have much to learn from the youngest in our midst. Children’s’ ability to ask questions, find joy in the ordinary and share the gift of laughter helps us all be more faithful in our lives. Join us as we gather at the kid’s table and find value there instead of at the adult table where we often sit.
Galatians 5 tells us that there are obvious fruits that the Spirit gives and that we are to produce as followers of Jesus Christ. If we can experience and exhibit love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, we are well on our way to being the people God created us to be. God offers this abundance of fruit for each one of us, and we can offer these fruits at every table where we find ourselves.
This year we will journey through the last week of Jesus’ life on earth together. The final days of Jesus teach us a lot about the sacrificial love we are all given as well as how quickly we as God’s people can go from shouting “Hosanna” to “Crucify Him”. While it’s a dark week in our history as God’s people, it shows the immense love God has for each of us in the person of Jesus Christ.
Repentance is a key aspect of the Christian life, and the season of Lent is a season of reflection and repentance. Knowing how, why, and when to repent can be quite difficult in a culture that either promotes never being wrong, or always feeling wrong. Christian repentance is a healthy combination of knowing our value as beloved children of God, while seeing opportunities for growth and learning for the future.
There is no better way for us to learn about the amazing presence of God’s love and how we can learn from that love than by looking at the example of Jesus Christ. Jesus was the perfect example of how God loves us and how we are supposed to live as faithful disciples. Looking at the stories of Jesus around the table while he lived here among us gives us insights, learnings, and hope about how we too can be more inviting around the tables in life.
Join us as we begin this new year gathered around God’s table. We will seek together to connect with God through Holy Communion and through Holy Baptism as we see the thin space between our experience and God’s unconditional love and claim on our lives. God has set an amazing table of abundance for all of us, come and join us around God’s table.
As we look ahead to celebrating Christmas, we realize that the greatest journey ever taken was God’s journey to be born among us in the person of Jesus Christ. God has been so willing to do anything to come and be with us and show us that we are never alone. How can we learn about our journey, as we look at the journeys connected to the first Christmas, so that we might be more connected to God’s love, presence, and grace this Christmas season?
Our attitude and how we see the world around us is one of the biggest parts of being a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ. For those who are walking daily with Jesus, we see the world through Jesus’ eyes, not just from our human perspective. This means that no matter what, we see reason for gratitude and thanksgiving (rejoicing in all circumstances) and finding the Good News, even in the difficult times of life.
No journey or trip is possible without the right supplies, planning, and support. Our generosity and our willingness to support the journey that God has called us to is what makes it possible to experience God’s love and presence in our life and in our world. Giving of our gifts is what makes God’s love and grace tangible and real for the people and helps us better understand our relationship with material things and know that all we have is a gift from God.
One of the greatest purposes of Holy Scripture is to show us stories about God’s people that we can learn from throughout history. Jonah was on a journey of faith and life just like each and every one of us. His journey was a bit more dramatic, but his struggles, triumphs, and attitude along the journey gives us great insight into how we should live, and often insight into how we should not live, as we strive to be faithful followers of God’s love.
In our journey of life and faith, we do not travel alone, but are always journeying with God and with others who travel the twists, turns, mountains, and valleys of life alongside us. Along the way, we are called to be faithful disciples who work to serve others. During the month of August, our sermon series, “Journey of Service” will take a closer look at how we can use our gifts and abilities to better serve one another.
