Sit with this poem and see what the Spirit might bring up for you.

This week we’re talking about being sent out by Jesus to care for those on the margins.

Today we’re going to look at one of the challenging teachings of Jesus about what it means to serve.

Jesus connected with all kinds of people - rich and poor, men and women and eunuchs (the non-binary people of the day), the sick and the healthy, the insiders and the outsiders.

When Jesus looks out on the people (including the disciples) he sees all their needs.

One of the biggest shifts that we need to make in doing ministry is the realization that we don’t get to wait for a hero to show up who will ‘do the ministry.’ We’re all ministers.

Sometimes the strongest work of evil is to convince us that we can’t make a difference in the world.

There are so many issues that need to be addressed. It often feels like the world is on fire.

John the Baptist gives this challenging word to the normal, everyday people who are trying to connect with God and figure out how to follow God’s ways for just living.

A prayer for the new year

2025 has already started off with plenty of violence in our country and around the world. This is not Jesus’s vision for the world.

Is there some small way you could commemorate God’s goodness on this day, the first day of 2025?

For some of us, these verses feel old and worn - and sometimes they’ve been used against us. We need to acknowledge this history.

As you prepare for the new year, spend some time talking with God about whether there might be ‘another way’ that would be more helpful for you to go this year.

This is the poem that was shared in Sunday’s service.

So many of us build our lives around things like family and work and play - because we value loyalty and contributing to the world and joy. Sometimes church leaders have condemned us for these things. But what if there’s a different way of seeing things?

On Sunday, Nechelle Spencer described what God is like to her, that being a stream of light through a window in the morning.

The point is that Christ ends up being everything we really need and everything good about God.

Living in a consumer-capitalist-driven society renders us constantly to “do” and “produce,” especially as Christmas looms on the horizon.