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:
Liberation
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 2023.2.26
Liturgy Loving God, as we come into this spaceWe settle and check in with ourselvesAnd with You. We notice we are hungryPartly in our bellies, but also in our heartsWe all have some empty places waiting to be filled.May you be the One who fills us, God. We notice we feel anxiousKnowing that life is uncertain and unpredictableWe all want […]
Naming Empire’s Enticements
What does it say about our spiritual imaginations that Lenten fasts often center on our relationship to food, drink, or media, but less often on our relationship to power? As we begin Lent, Christopher Mack examines the testing of Jesus in the wilderness through the lens of how we steward and are enticed by power. [Matthew 4:1-11] Reflection Where do […]
Recounting Goodness
As we recount God’s goodness, what are the ways we’re invited to embody that goodness for others? Weylin Lee explores how we might embody the goodness of Christ in seasons of disruption and challenge. [Psalm 145: 1-5, 17-21] Reflection In what ways are we invited to participate in restorative justice? How might we practice proximity with the most vulnerable? What […]
What’s God Like?
God’s Love gets on eye level with us and God’s Liberation lifts up the marginalized. Christopher Mack shares how Hosea pictures God as a loving caregiver who we can mirror in our own life through steadfast solidarity and working for the common good. [Hosea 11:1-11] Reflection How might you reflect on who you are called to be in the world […]
Lamentations: An Act of Love + Liberation
On Juneteenth, Virginia Cumberbatch invites us into practices of acknowledgement, confession, and lament on our collective journey of liberation [Romans 5:1-5]. What might the church need to acknowledge before sojourning on its journey of reconciliation and justice? How might we individually and corporately consider lamenting racial injustice and collective harm? How can you lean into God’s definition of righteousness and […]