What songs evoke lament and joy for you? Gina Bastone looks at the psalmist’s cry like a mixtape to the heavens, which invites us to companion our grief and imagine how God is calling us to participate in building a new world. [Psalm 22] Reflection What is...
Is there a part of your life that feels exiled or stuck in a rut? On this third week of Advent, Christopher Mack hears in the message of John the Baptizer, an invitation for our lives to be joyfully undone in the wilderness of waiting. [Luke 3:7-17] Reflection When...
How powerful can we be when our one voice is not just one voice? Vanessa Maleare tends to our collective healing with four admonitions inspired from Ecclesiastes: grab your people; conserve energy; grab hold of your joy; and make decisions. [Ecclesiastes 4:9-12]...
Liturgy Joy comes with the morningThe kids are downThe dishes are awayOur pets stand guard(Or act like they do)Joy comes with the morningOur minds settle, or perhaps they begin their footmarchPerhaps our tears beginPerhaps we are a mother to our tearsAs the Psalms...
When you feel joy… how do you know? On the eighth Sunday after Pentecost, Gena St. David, delves into the relationship between joy and grief, and points us to how embodying joy can be an act of sacred resistance. [2 Samuel 6:14-19] Reflection When you’re experiencing...
How might your life work differently when you can feel in your body the joy, safety, and pleasure of which the psalmist writes? On this Pride Sunday, Amy Wolfgang encourages us to feel the embodied confidence of God beside, before, and within our being. [Psalm...
When have you been surprised by joy? On the third Sunday of Advent, Christopher Mack ponders how Mary and Elizabeth found deep joy in challenging circumstances through gratitude, kindness, peacemaking, and solidarity. [Luke 1:46-56] Reflection How might I cultivate...
Liturgy Heavenly Lord GodMaker of Heaven and Earth,The hills and rivers sing out your name.As we light the candle for Joy,We pray to find peace and a moment of warmth.Call us into your light,We are ready to be still and listen.Jesus Christ, our Holy Savior,Your love...
Liturgy God in heaven, you number the stars.You hold the pillars of the earth firm.You have searched each of us and known us.The inmost being of every personHas been created and gently held by you. We look to you and your strength,Seeking your face always. We see only...
What hope might you create space for in order to stay close to God’s promises? Virginia Cumberbatch opens up about audaciously holding on to hope through seasons of challenges, disappointments, and injustice. [Psalm 105:1-5] Reflection What would it look like to...