The idea of the Trinity - a Triune God - Three beings in One is mysterious and perplexing, perhaps by design. Maybe the confusing nature of a God in three forms is intended to draw us into a sense of awe and reverence where we know the power of a God who created the world, knowing all; we sense the quiver of the wise, creative, compelling Spirit who nudges us toward good and right decisions; and we call upon the person of Jesus who is the embodiment of human and Divine perfection able to be compassionate and challenging; gentle and angry; loving and protective.
God is still speaking.
The Spirit of Pentecost
The Day of Pentecost is about celebrating the life, diversity, and vastness of the Spirit. The day of Pentecost reminds us that Jesus prepared the disciples for the work that they needed to do. This is a time to remember that most of the time the work of the Spirit defies our own expectations and reasonings.
We welcome everyone to our household.
Our table is only as big as our hearts.
Of course, it is stories -- not statistics -- that change us and expand our hearts. On Sunday, I shared about an experience that changed my heart resulting from an assignment in seminary. In an ethics class focused on the way the arts shape our theology and moral lens, our final was to create a piece of art that challenged us to compassionately portray a person or group of people we perceive as "the other."
Mother’s Day
Happy May Day!
Today is International Labor Day, and in the US, it commemorates the victory of an 8-hour work day following the Haymarket Affair in 1886. This year, people are taking to the streets not only to commemorate workers' rights but also to lift up the importance of education, healthcare, and immigration.
It's also a day that some - especially in Europe - dance around maypoles with different colored ribbons weaving together a beautiful pattern adorned with baskets of flowers, embracing the start of Spring, earth's flowering season.
No matter your understanding of May Day, perhaps it can be a time to practice spring—a time to notice what is flowering, what is bubbling up, and what needs to come together. Perhaps a practice of prating spring can be setting aside time to talk to our neighbors about what's most important, what you value, and what kind of world you want to spring forth around you.
As we welcome the springtime air and wrestle with the wrongs of our time, let us embrace the Eastertide gift of unexpectedly meeting Jesus on the road of our life's journey. Let us open our hearts to the prophetic imagination that can help us fashion a new kind of world more expansive, colorful, and vibrant than we have yet known.
Throughout this series, Pastor Adrienne is putting together an opportunity for you to talk with your neighbor by equipping you with some deep ways to engage in the imaginative ways of Jesus -- reversing our expectations of the way things have always been.
Join the group to get questions emailed to you every week and to share your experience of talking with your neighbors. Or, just go to the "Talk With Your Neighbor" tab on the website to download the reading and questions for the week.
Let us be transformed in the new ways we can practice spring by engaging with community in deep conversation.