COOS Love Podcast

While there is no one right way to pray for others, if we desire to be channels of God’s love and power we will want to find ways to spend time in prayer. One way to do that is to use our imagination and envision God’s light touching someone in need. Another way would be to use a form of the Jesus prayer to soak a person in prayer. The goal of any such method is to devote time and energy to prayin...

The only people who will welcome a savior are the people who know they need a savior. John the Baptist criticized the religious leaders of his day because they did not truly want the salvation which Christ would bring. They were self-sufficient. Jesus offers us wholeness and unity with God, and the best we can prepare to receive that is to not be self-sufficient but rather to acknowledge all the w...

The Psalms assure us many times that God answers prayer, but what does that mean? We’ve all had the experience, for example, of praying for healing and not receiving it. Clearly prayer is not magic, nor is it a way of invoking an indifferent God to intervene in our affairs from a distance. Prayer is a way of channeling God’s love, and cooperating with that love as we focus it on people who need th...

Rather than fearing the unexpected, Advent invites us to ready ourselves in a way that helps us to recognize Christ’s presence in the midst of our ordinary days. While Jesus speaks of his future return, we also remember that God is continually arriving here and now, breaking into our lives in both big and small ways. This season becomes our invitation to slow down, stay awake, and make space for t...

Jesus models a radically different kind of kingship and kingdom; one marked by mercy, servanthood, vulnerability and wide-open welcome. Through the lens of two queens; Queen Emma of Hawaii and country music legend Dolly Parton. What does it mean for us to participate in the upside-down Kingdom of God in our world today? Watch the video HERE (sermon starts at 32:58). Read the sermon HERE . Connect...

Our fear of death often drives us to hold on too tightly - to build, achieve, or outlast. Yet Jesus points us toward a larger truth: that death has no power in the presence of the living God. When we trust that love is stronger than death, we are set free to fully and freely live in this world and the next. Watch the video HERE (sermon starts at 37:52). Read the sermon HERE . Connect with Church o...

Many Psalms address our desire for God and our search for God. Psalm 27:11 reminds us that we seek the “face” of God, meaning to know God as God really is. Such a desire is implanted in us by God, and acting on it at all is a sign of the Holy Spirit’s presence within us. If we are willing to follow the Spirit’s lead and seek for God, we will find God in the many different circumstances of our live...

Mystics and saints through the centuries have affirmed a core truth of the New Testament: we are all one. In the midst of our diversity, with all our different gifts and experiences, we are united to one another and all creation. The ethics of Jesus really demand that we see ourselves as being one with others. The church is where we can all learn to be united in love. When we do that, we become a...

Trusting in the mercy of God is a fundamental feature of the life of faith. Doing so does not prevent us from going through times of pain, but it does remind us that all of our life experiences – the good and the bad – are enfolded in the infinite love of God. God’s mercy ensures that everything we go through will lead us to our ultimate fulfillment and happiness. Trusting in that enables us to ke...

Even when our prayers feel unanswered, God’s persistence never wavers. Jesus invites us through the story of the persistent widow to not lose heart but, instead, to keep coming, keep praying, and keep trusting. Because it turns out that persistence in prayer isn’t really about changing God’s mind, it’s about transforming our own hearts. Watch the video HERE (sermon begins at 34:36). Read the sermo...

Jesus formed a community because we need each other to grow in love and faith. One of the gifts that other people offer us is help with discernment. Sharing thoughts and ideas with people we trust can help us determine if it’s of God. Others can help us see how a possible course of action is impacting us, and they can also provide insights into whether something seems in sync with Christ or not. W...

Giving thanks to God isn’t for God’s sake, it’s for ours. The story of the ten lepers reveals how gratitude transforms mere healing into true wholeness. While we often rush from one crisis to the next, forgetting past blessings, gratitude slows us down to notice God’s constant grace. Expressing our thanks to God is not about exercising good manners but a deep form of prayer that connects us with t...

One of the things we can do when trying to discern whether God is leading us to do something is to sit with the idea and see if it produces “good fruit.” If it leads to feelings of love, peace, and happiness, then the Holy Spirit may well be at work. If it leads to negative feelings of anger, resentment, pride, or self-righteousness, then it is probably not from God. Whether we are assessing a fut...

While we may feel like we need more faith, Jesus assures us that we have the faith we need. Even faith the size of a mustard seed is enough to do wondrous deeds. Our task as followers of Christ is not to wait until we have great faith before we act, but to use the faith we have and trust in God’s love and goodness, even when we don’t feel confident or certain. Watch the video HERE (sermon begins a...

Trying to discern whether God is speaking to us or leading us in a certain way requires knowing ourselves well. God is intimately close to our souls, our true selves, and so it is helpful to  practice meditative or contemplative forms of prayer that allow us to go deep and connect with our souls. It’s also crucial that we practice awareness and pay attention to what is really happening within us a...

Connect with Church of Our Saviour HERE    

Jesus teaches that we should pray for everyone, and that includes all those in positions of authority. The Apostle Paul says the same thing in his first letter to Timothy. Even when we disagree with them or actively oppose them, praying for them is a way to keep us grounded in love and to remind us that even leaders doing harm are still human. Our prayer gives God a way to touch their hearts and o...

We may cherish the outward forms of religion, but all true religion should lead us to deeper love. Our rituals, traditions, and doctrines are a means to a greater end: to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourself. We can enjoy the clay jar that contains the treasure, like we can enjoy liturgical worship and our way of being church, but it’s the trea...

The Jesus Prayer is a simple and effective way of praying continually. Developed by the early Christian monks beginning in the third century, it has been practiced ever since. There are different forms, but the basic prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me” can be repeated gently as we go about our daily lives. As the prayer becomes engrained as a habit, it can help us stay deeply connected t...

All forms of private prayer presuppose that we are also regularly involved in corporate prayer. Praying with others is an essential part of spiritual growth and a key component of Christ-centered living. It is not a dry obligation imposed on us by God, but rather a life-giving way for God to bless us and use us to bless others. Connect with Church of Our Saviour HERE    

Centering prayer (a modern title for an ancient practice) is about being with God in silence, without use of words or images. We use a prayer word to indicate our intention to be with God whenever distracting thoughts or feelings arise. This way of contemplative prayer connects us with our deepest self, which is where we are one with Christ and one with God.  Connect with Church of Our Saviour HER...

We often approach the Bible intellectually and analytically, but the primary way the earliest Christian monks used the Bible was as a tool for prayer. The simple method they used was called lectio divina, which is Latin for “holy reading.” This is a way of reading Scripture that doesn’t try to analyze it but lets the words sink in and become prayer within us. Anyone can do this – it requires no ed...

Prayer is not a religious obligation imposed on us by God, but an invitation to intimacy with God. The fullness of God already dwells within us, and God rejoices in any effort we make to connect. All we need to connect – all we need to pray – is intention. If we intend to draw close to God, if we intend to connect with the divine Presence, then we are praying. Connect with Church of Our Saviour HE...

When Jesus talks about relieving us of heavy burdens, the greatest burden of all is self-justification, the need to make ourselves feel like we are fundamentally okay. We are precious just because we exist, and we do not need to justify ourselves to God or anyone else. That means we can abandon the onerous burden of constantly comparing ourselves to others.  Connect with Church of Our Saviour HERE...

We are both spiritual beings and embodied creatures, a reality described in Genesis and perfectly revealed in Jesus Christ. We want to embrace the world as both spiritual and physical beings, which means being agents of mercy and love in a creation which is both beautiful and limited. It is our privilege to be Christ and manifest God in the midst of creation. Connect with Church of Our Saviour HER...