PENTECOST | 1 Corinthians 12:4-13 and Acts 2:1-21

As the Holy Spirit descends, things don’t get tidy; they get really, really messy. In fact, the disciples’ ways of life fall apart. The status quo—the way things have been, the 'good old days'—it splinters into pieces.

Luke 2:1-20

Christ is brave enough, strong enough, powerful enough to stand the smell of this world, the ugly reality we know, the darkness all around us, and invite it into his eternal light.

Luke 1:26-38

Joy makes us live in new ways, with new habits, and new families, and new responsibilities, because we are called to herald the complicated, yet saving birth of Jesus Christ. We are called to herald new life—each and every time—by choosing joy.

Luke 9:51-62

Let the dead bury the dead, and let’s start making room for the living. Everything depends on plowing a furrow ahead, getting ready for the Spirit’s seeds of hope, and anticipating a harvest that our children and grandchildren will reap.

Mark 4:35-41 and Romans 4:13, 18-25

Life is fragile. Even when it feels so settled, so unshakeable, so predictable. We’re always in that boat on the Sea of Galilee, waves undulating beneath us, sails blowing about in some fashion.