Day 18 – 3/6

“God invites us into thorough self examination and authentic relationship. In this image, a person kneels with arms extended, basking in the glow of God’s all-encompassing love. It is in the true pursuit of God, this intimate, inward turning, that God sees you. It is in our full, embodied, intentionality that we find deep connection…

“We might expect the long-awaited Messiah to greet his new followers like the kings before him have—with a pompous coronation, with hunger to exert power and control over his populus. Instead, Jesus steps in line along the river’s edge, blending in with the crowds, joining in solidarity with those around him. Jesus doesn’t demand any…

“In this image, God’s hands hold various animals and plant life, and are surrounded by the bands of the rainbow, shielding Creation from the swirling waters of chaotic destruction. I chose not to image humanity because the hands are at once God’s and ours. We must respond to God’s covenant by protecting and keeping the…

“Despite humanity’s constant breaking of covenants, God continues to seek reconciliation and pours out grace upon grace. Why not let this grace transform us? It is in receiving God’s grace, responding in gratitude, and offering grace to others that God forms us into who we were made to be. God saves us from ourselves, writing…

“If you hold a newborn in your arms,All at once you will understandThe crook of your elbowAnd the cup of your palmAs never before—Ordinary curves of the bodyTransformed into a resting space.You were designed for love.”— Excerpt from “Hold” by Rev. Sarah AreFrom the Again & Again poetry collection by @sanctifiedart

For personal devotion, we have the Stations of the Cross set up in the courtyard, and we have a set in the sanctuary if you would like to follow the journey of Jesus to the Cross inside after worship. The Stations of the Cross will remain up through Holy Week for you to follow as…