Beloved Community
December 12: What Does Beloved Community Look Like?
In Christ there is no east or west, in him no south or north, but one great fellowship of love throughout the whole wide earth. -John Oxenham This week we are proclaiming the dream of Beloved Community. This means sharing the good news of the Beloved Community; sharing our stories of growth and change, publically […]
December 11: Proclaiming the Dream of Beloved Community
Being part of a loving community is an incredible. The security of knowing that you can be who you are and still be held up in love and respected exactly as you are, it is a wonderful feeling. Becoming part of the Beloved Community of God is a tranformative gift, one that is available to […]
Advent 2: Proclaiming the Dream of Beloved Community
Pray the Collect for This Sunday. Read the Scripture Together: Mark 1:1-8 Reflection: Proclaim Good News God sent John the Baptist to proclaim the good news that we could repent, be forgiven, and return to God’s dream of restoration and salvation. John didn’t just cry out in the wilderness; he prepared people to enter the waters of baptism, to […]
December 8: The Five Levels of Truth-Telling
“The Five Levels of Truth-Telling: First, you tell the truth to yourself about yourself. Then you tell the truth to yourself about another. At the third level, you tell the truth about yourself to another. Then you tell your truth about another to that other. And finally, you tell the truth to everyone about everything. […]
December 7: On the Outside Looking In
Welcome feels good. Being included makes us feel warm and wanted. However, all of us, at some point in our lives, have felt unwelcomed, outside the group, unwanted. Today, reflect on a time you felt that sense of being on the outside looking in. 1. What does it feel like to be on the outside? 2. […]
December 6: Who is My Neighbor? Recognizing the Face of God in the Stranger.
Whether we live in small towns or big cities, defining our neighbor can be a bit of challenge. Who do we treat as beloved? Who do we look past? Especially at the busy holiday season, finding the face of God in the people around us can be difficult. There is so much to be done; […]
December 5: How Do You Practice Welcome?
We’ve all experienced a moment of feeling welcomed. What does that feel like to you? How do you practice welcome in your life? Share your thoughts on welcome in the comments section of our facebook page!
December 4: Telling the Truth: Looking in the Mirror
The focus for the first week of advent is “Telling the truth.” For congregations, that means examining our church homes with a visitor’s eye, and acknowledging the ways that we could be more welcoming to all. For individuals, this week is an opportunity to search our hearts for those things that separate us from the […]
Advent 1: Telling the Truth about Our Churches and Race
Pray the Collect for This Sunday. Read the Scripture Together: Mark 13:24-72 Reflection: Keep Awake In the gospel, Jesus promises a new day is coming. He also urges people to wake and get ready. What does that mean for us? One of the earliest, hardest steps toward becoming a community that reflects God’s dream is telling the truth. Like […]
December 1: Why Advent?
This Advent, the whole Episcopal Church is invited to journey toward becoming Beloved Community, as together we explore race, reconciliation and healing. Advent may seem like an odd time to focus on racial reconciliation. The world is full of sparkle and twinkling lights; why on earth would anyone want to focus on something as challenging […]