Why did Jesus say the things he said? Why did he teach about the kingdom of heaven in the code language of parables? In today’s gospel Jesus offers everyday images that reveal to us the reign of God: a tree that becomes a sheltering home, yeast that penetrates and expands, a treasured pearl, a net […]

It is an age-old question: why is there evil in the world? In the parable of the wheat and the weeds, Jesus suggests that both grow together until the harvest. Perhaps we are more like wildflowers—some good, some bad, mostly both depending on your perspective. Having both weeds and wheat within us, we humbly place […]

God’s word is like the rain that waters the earth and brings forth vegetation. It is also like the sower who scatters seed indiscriminately. We are like the soil, ever-changing in our response, but God never gives up on us. Even from what appears to be little, dormant, or dead, God promises a harvest and […]

Points are everywhere in life. Officially or unofficially, we love knowing just how well we’re doing at life and how close we are to winning. But there is a dark side to the points system: it’s exhausting, it’s dehumanizing, and it gets in the way of how God designed us to be. Jesus overturns the […]

Can God be trusted? Is God really benevolent, or does God just give us blessings and then curse us by taking them away? Will God really provide what we need? Our readings today give us a complex picture of what God wants us to do. God commands Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. Jesus teaches […]

“Feeling seen” is the theme of our Scripture readings today. God does not promise that the path of the disciple will be easy. Hagar cries out in desperation after being manipulated and rejected. Jesus declares that his words may bring stark division. Even so, we need not be afraid, for God sees and values every […]

Only ten percent of an iceberg is visible above water…the rest is hidden underwater. Everyone has a story that is far deeper than what we can perceive, and pain that often is hidden. Jesus sends the disciples (and us) to go and preach the good news, not just by sharing words of hope, but by […]

What is God calling me to do? We ask ourselves variations of that question throughout our lives as we navigate life choices time and time again. In today’s readings, God calls Abram and Jesus calls Matthew to go into uncharted territory and empowers them to do the important work of blessing and helping those in […]

How can God be one and three at the same time? It’s a good question, but it’s a question about our world as well. How can we be ourselves and be part of a greater whole at the same time? Which one is more important? Who gets to decide what that looks like? Because we […]