Liturgy Father, I stretch my hand to thee — for no other help I know.Oh, my Rose of Sharon, my shelter in the time of storm.My Prince of Peace, my hope in this harsh land.We come to you waiting for freedom,We come to you crying for justice,We come to you longing for peace.We bow before you this morning to thank […]
Stories tagged:
spiritual growth
Liberated Into Community
How do we pivot from a past experience of deliverance to forming a community practicing sustained love and liberation? On the weekend of Juneteenth, Christopher Mack recalls the evolution of slavery to Jim Crow segregation to mass incarceration in the United States. How do our scriptures’ images of liberating eagles, nonviolent sheep, creative serpents, and peacemaking doves inform how we […]
Liturgy, Reflection, Benediction 2023.6.11
Liturgy God, you are welcome in this place. You have blessed us beyond measure by calling us out to be your people and to do the work of life together. May we welcome one another into your presence and recognize what draws us together. As we look around and see the body of Christ, many members but all one people; […]
Welcome
What helps you feel welcome? Gena St. David gathers us around the table to notice who feels welcome and who is missing. How might a nonviolent practice might help us follow Jesus in being good news to the marginalized while celebrating alongside one another? [Matthew 9:10-13] Reflection Who among us feels least welcome? Whose suffering might we relieve? How is […]
Liturgy, Reflection, Benediction 2023.5.28
Liturgy We sit here on the edge of summerAnd we long for signs of home.We want to be invited onto the porchAnd offered a cool drink of lemonade.God, we are looking for the familiar. We are all together in one place nowAnd we hear the whisper of a wind comingWe are filled in surprising waysAnd made into new people.God, we […]
Returning Home: Beyond Nostalgia
How might we stimulate one another to bring to today, the best of what we can from the past? On this Pentecost Sunday, Christopher Mack ponders how Mother Holy Spirit might animate our nostalgia to empower us in challenging times. [Acts 2:1-8, 12-13] Reflection How might you find a sense of home in some new and unexpected development? What might […]
Liturgy, Reflection, Benediction 2023.5.21
Liturgy Restore us, O Living God, by the breath of your Spirit,for some of us are wilted and weary. Some of us areanxious for restoration, and wonder if it will happen at all. Hear our voices crying out amidst the noise,where we hide to wait for a new day. Let us not be bound to the earth by ourweariness and […]