Staying true to the disciplines of ordinary faithfulness is part of our calling as we follow the way of Jesus Christ; and engaging in them eases our burdens considerably.
It often feels as though faithfulness is going to cost us everything, but God is a God of wonderful surprises.
The crucified and risen Jesus reveals the truth about the triune God’s grace, love and communion, and calls us to reflect those relationships in our communal life.
The Spirit is there for us where ever we gather in the one place for that one purpose.
The gratuitous mercy made known in the resurrected Christ requires us to rethink the nature of God all the way back to creation.
Jesus offers himself to the world from a vulnerable place on the margins, and he calls us to trust the Holy Spirit and do likewise.
We have a distinct and privileged identity as God’s chosen people, but it does not turn us away from other people, but leads us to offer ourselves to and for them that all may share in the grace that has made us who we are.
United with Christ in baptism we cross the threshold from death to life, and in Eucharist we continue to touch the scars which nourish our faith and inspire our worship.
Social labels and divisions keep us parched and thirsting for intimacy and community, but Jesus seeks to break through them and give us the living water of love and acceptance.
God’s promised protection can only be understood through the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Temptations can hook us away from where we want to be, following Jesus, but perhaps we need them in order to discover who we are in relation to them.
In the face of a major disaster, Jesus’ call to not worry is both challenged and illuminated.
The salvation of the world lies in Jesus’ model of non-retaliation.
Jesus’ teaching on the new ethics for disciples do not weigh us down because they are wrapped in generous mercy and humour.
God has given us all we need to live out our calling with integrity.
In the growth of children, God reveals to us much of how we all should be growing and developing.
In the birth of the baby we see the presence of God in smallness and obscurity, enabling us to see that small beginnings are no obstacle to big visions of the reign of justice and peace and freedom.
When fidelity to Christ’s call is failing to bear the expected fruit, but is bearing good fruit, however humble, the call may be to persevere in hope.
The promise that God will bring new life from a dead stump challenges our haste to chop down whatever seems to be in our way.
God is so totally about life, life and more life, that we have trouble comprehending anything of what God is on about.