“We have been given a similar opportunity to demonstrate that lovingkindness and sense of appreciation of the value of our neighbors’ lives. We have the opportunity to live by grace—in humble acknowledgement of the grace we ourselves have received, honestly acknowledging the profligate love that is at the root of such radical acceptance and forbearance.”
“Think about it. Some ancestor somewhere and sometime must have appreciated a single note or sound emitted from rough wood or metal and passed that appreciation and invention to another person, and to another generation, until at last an actual instrument took shape and form and capacity for scales.”
“The Lord walks with us:
in our streets, along country roads,
in our classrooms, down hallways,
on playgrounds, and on the fields.”
“As it turns out, “music of the spheres” comes from the phrase Musica universalis, and is a philosophical concept that regards proportions in the movements of celestial bodies – the sun, moon and planets – as a form of music.”
“Like all Christians, I am called to be an emissary of the Good News. There is another way to live, and it manifests in care for other people and for the planet. Christ teaches us this way. All that we have belongs to God; we are merely stewards. “
“Together, we pushed through and encouraged each other to remember our reasons for coming. On a day hike from base camp, we reached a higher pass, which created space for a draft to come through and give reprieve from the bugs. We sat in awe of the alpine backdrop and exchanged roundtable questions. ‘Do you like yourself?’ someone posed to the group. The chatter stopped.”
“Instead, though I find Paul’s language misses the mark of what our Christian vocation is truly about, I turn to the Gospels and find hope in Jesus’ message. This Sunday’s message makes it clear that the life lived while following Jesus is not one of militaristic force and power, but rather one that is freely given, and freely accepted.”
“Jesus, however, reveals a different standard for defining reality. Jesus comes into the world as part of God’s proclamation “God loves, therefore we are.” God freely sends God’s Son into the world as the Incarnate Word through love.”
God is love that lifts the hairs on the back of the neck. God is the love that catches its breath with hope and anxiety and empathy. God is love, compassion that lies alongside the darkness, waiting for the world to turn. God is love, mercy that knows the shape of a broken heart and how to hold it just so, patiently and for as long as it takes for the scars to form.
“Bless these pencils to write words of hope and love
bless these erasers as they remind us what it is to forgive and be forgiven
bless these papers and notebooks to be filled with stories, dreams, and unlimited potential…”
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