“Gracious God, you see me when I am down, and you invite me to tell you about it. You ask me, ‘What is your name?’ And in that moment, I can respond with the lies that cover me, or I can respond, ‘I am a child of God.’ No matter what I say, I know that you love me. What a gift to be seen and called by name. Amen.”
—Prayer by Rev. Sarah Are | @sanctifiedart
“I somehow came to religion in my teens. I came to my denomination in seminary after learning more about the Reformed tradition. Reformed theology emphasizes God’s initiative, which is consistent with my own experience. I can’t tell you that I ever really found God. It was God who found me, and kept finding me throughout…
“Friends, you’ve got mail.It’s an invitation to dust off your shoes,To go deeper,To trust that you’re worth it,To lose your keys and your faith,And then to find them both, along with your worth.You are invited.We are invited.Again and again and again.This invitation is for you.”— Excerpt from “Invited” by Rev. Sarah AreFrom the Again &…
“Jesus shines like a beacon atop the high mountain while former prophets appear. The disciples are terrified, but also want to live this moment forever, making the glory-filled rock face their home. At once a cloud descends, obscuring things further, and God’s voice echoes down, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, listen to him!’ (Mark…
“I wonder if Jesus could feel his heartbeatIn his throat, the way I do when I’m afraid.I wonder if he had to take deep breaths,In through his nose, out through his mouth,Tricking his body into a state of calm.I wonder if he was nauseous, like I amWhen I’m headed into a hard conversation.I wonder if…
“If there is one truth in my lifeThat unfolds again and again,It is the need to listen. For again and again, I will try, with good intentions,To act and walk with love.But again and again, I will make mistakes.Again and again, I will say the wrong thing.Again and again, they will call me Peter,And again…
“Great potter, if I am clay, then I fear I am being molded by the world. I fear that I am in the hands of news feeds, social media, to-do lists, and social pressures. However, what I want is to be clay in your hands. I want to be shaped by you. I want to…
