The Parish

Jesus is bringing a subversive kingdom where those considered losers and outsiders are brought to the table and celebrated.  

The Christian mission was never to make the world more christian, but instead to make it more loving, and the way of Christ will show us how. Conviction Three: The rejection of world domination and Christendom and embracing influence not control

Jesus is what God has to say. If we treat the bible as a flat text where every verse carries equal weight then we either resolve those conflicts by making arbitrary decisions about what applies and what doesn’t or we just stay confused. A Jesus-centered approach to scripture can help resolve the conflict.

Jesus is offering us a compelling way forward in a divided world.  Jesus is teaching us that instead of choosing a side we can choose a way.   Conviction one | We choose to follow Jesus not just worship him.

What if being the light of the world means taking a vital role in a silent movie?

What if God is not trying to heal the world for, us as much as heal the world through us. 

The message the shepherds were given about a baby in a cattle feed trough was vague and cryptic at best. They may have wished for a more detailed map but in faith they followed the sign they had been given and it brought them to Jesus.

Advent will teach us that we need search for the light of the world in these stories, so we know what it looks like in our own lives.

During the secular holiday season, it can feel as though we're expected to be happy all the time - have a holly, jolly merry Christmas!  But the message the angel brought to the shepherds on that first Christmas didn't offer happiness - it offered joy, which is a very different thing. 

The Advent story is showing us that something beautiful can come from the unexpected, even the misunderstood.  The journey might start with hope-but it will take us through surrender before arriving at peace.

Hope isn't a way to deny our current pain by envisioning a happier future. Hope is present in the messiness of our lives, giving us the courage for the next step forward.

By the time we begin to sing Christmas songs, and by the time the tree and lights are up, by the time Mary is showing, we are already in the middle of something.  The Magi have already left Persia heading east towards yonder star.  Let's be Honest.

The Greek woman with a sick child knew that in the cultural context Jesus and his disciples came from, she was very much an outsider. But she asked, and found that the abundance of Jesus' salvation could reach even her.

Jesus' invitation is to follow not to arrive, the transformation happens on the way.

We may think we are keen to learn new things about Jesus. But when those new things conflict with firmly held views, it may be hard to absorb them.

Sometimes the miracles we consume that look like our daily bread don’t seem as big.  But they desire to nourish us best.

Herod is an archetype for materialistic political leaders but Jesus is bringing a different kind of kingdom

If people cannot see that God is with us, they aren't going to be able to see God is in us.  

Jesus brought transformative change to the lives of those he healed. But they weren't the only ones who were impacted by the healing.

Jesus doesn't see sinners, he only sees people made in the image of God.  Week two of But not my pigs.

What if making the world as it is in heaven requires my pigs?

If perspective is motivation's silent partner, then let's change our thinking.

When our faith is defined by Who we believe rather than what we believe, we can create a community that is diverse and yet harmonious.  

We need gestures that embody things that cannot be adequately expressed.  Baptism is a 'here, let me show you what I mean' kind of thing.  

Hannah was wounded by the words of those who stigmatized her for her childlessness. But then she met one whose words brought blessing and hope.