James 5 – Prayer Matters

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James 5 – Prayer Matters

The many forms and styles of prayer – which we’ll talk about soon – help us create and nurture healthy, life-giving relationships with God, with ourselves, and with others. When we choose to engage with this powerful tool, the Kingdom of Heaven is filled with the energy of Divinity Itself. That energy, that power has transformed communities and lives for millennia; and prayer can do the same for us today. Let’s embrace this power and open our lives to God’s transforming Spirit.

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James 4 – Let’s draw near to God

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James 4 – Let’s draw near to God

James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” What a beautiful, interactive image. Imagine how you feel when you are naturally drawn to a beloved person or pet. Think about that desire you have to share time, touch, conversation. This is the kind of intimate relationship God wants with us. Notice that there is no qualification or “entry fee” to connect with God – if we simply make the effort, God is always ready and anxious to connect with us.

No matter who you are, what you have or have not done, what you have or have not achieved… none of that matters. The Kingdom of Heaven’s doors are open to all. Let’s draw near to God, together.

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James 3 – The Power of Words

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James 3 – The Power of Words

Rather than fall into the black holes of fear and hopelessness, we can embrace our freedoms and choose to let our faith inspire and direct us to try to be the best people God created us to be. We won’t always get that right, but if we make a consistent effort, we will become better models of heavenly wisdom over time. And that’s progress, and progress is good.

The world wants and needs to hear what we are for more than what we are against. The Good News is that we are for peace; with whom can each of us share some peace? We are for gentleness; with whom can we share some gentleness? We are for humility, not arrogance; how can we model that? And we are for mercy; how can we show mercy, not might, this week?

Let us freely use our words to marvelously remind people that we are ALL precious children of God, created to love and to be loved. This is what it means to be the Kingdom of God – welcoming others, with their flaws AND our flaws, into a community that cares about and wants the best for each other.

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James 2 – Favoritism and Faith in Action

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James 2 – Favoritism and Faith in Action

In today’s reading, James addresses what it means to reflect the personal, caring relationship God wants with every person. To offer extra grace or mercy to someone because of their higher socio-economic status implies that God’s grace and mercy are limited and only available to the highest bidders. But that’s not how the Kingdom of God is supposed to operate. Our doors should be open to ALL people, equally.

Our Christian faith proclaims that the Good News of God’s Love is for everyone so we shouldn’t get distracted by the superficial. I would love nothing more than for our town to describe us as “the church that will take anyone, it doesn’t matter who you are; if you want to love God, love yourself and love others… that’s all they seem to care about.” Let’s make that dream a reality.

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James 1 – Slow to Speak, Slow to Anger

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James 1 – Slow to Speak, Slow to Anger

The key to fully appreciating James’ urge for us to be slow to anger is being able to first recognize our emotions and the emotions around us and then understand how everyone’s feelings are responses to our environment. Wrapping that in prayerful conversations with God can lead us to managing our anger (and other emotions) so that we’re motivated in a positive way to fulfill what James calls the purest definition of religion: caring for the most vulnerable people in our society (in his case, widows and orphans).

How can our anger at social injustices motivate us to be quick to listen to the needs of our community, to the cries of the vulnerable? How can we then speak out for their needs?

By listening quickly, speaking slowly, and acting with great compassion, we can be God’s loving, transformative presence for our community.

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Curating Our Faith – Luke 9:23-25, 28-36 and John 21:24-25

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Curating Our Faith – Luke 9:23-25, 28-36 and John 21:24-25

Think about how you are curating your faith and your lives. Looking back, what have you embraced and rejected? Is it time for some spring cleaning and redecorating? Is it time to enhance your curated collection of treasured beliefs, behaviors, and people so that you can love God, love yourself, and love others more than ever before? If we curate our faith and our lives with intentionality, we can shape our lives, our homes, and our communities to look, sound, and feel more like the world God desires. And that will be Good News, Great News, for the people around us!

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Nurturing Our Childlike Faith – Mark 1:21-39

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Nurturing Our Childlike Faith – Mark 1:21-39

Whatever Jesus preached, He backed up with undeniable demonstrations of His message put into action. Today, our actions of service should reflect our words of faith. As our faith grows deeper, we can expect our actions to grow bolder as we share the Good News that EVERYONE is a precious child of the living God created in God’s loving image, designed to serve as God calls each of us.
Today’s story presents us several challenging questions.

  • First, listen: are we listening for God to speak to us in new ways and, perhaps, through unlikely people?

  • Second, grow: are we open to letting God’s activity in our lives increase our childlike faith – our willingness and capacity to believe in the mysterious?

  • Third, share: when we do experience God’s activity in our lives, are we willing to share that to encourage each other and attract others?

  • Fourth, reconnect: as much as we believe we are called to put our faith into the actions of serving others, are we willing to disconnect from everything so that we can reconnect with God through intentional one-on-one time?

  • Finally, clarify: are we willing to let the lure of God’s Spirit guide our lives rather than the lure of what our culture seeks from us?

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Accepting God’s Invitations – Mark 1:16-20

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Accepting God’s Invitations – Mark 1:16-20

When God calls us, it’s an invitation to become a more active participant with God as we, together, strive to live into Jesus’ command for us to love God, love ourselves, and love each other (Matthew 22:34-40). Every time we answer yes to God, we grow the Kingdom of God in our hearts and in our communities. In the coming days and weeks, I encourage each of you to pray, “Lord, I am available and willing. What do you have in mind for me?” With that as our prayer and God as our partner, our future is filled with incredible possibilities!

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