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The Curiosities of Christmas
“Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Read More
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Arianne Braithwaite Lehn | Read Romans 8:12-14
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Sign Up TodayRunning is a passion of mine. A year ago, I found myself on a muddy trail run, praying over and struggling with some areas of life where I yearned for freedom. For a long time, I thought freedom—being born anew—would come through one glorious breakthrough. I’d burst through the bramble...
Loving God, as I take in what dim light I find within the trees and keep making each step on the uneven trail, help me trust. To trust I am not lost but burrowed in a womb of life-giving mystery. To trust I am reborn and already free. To trust in the mercy and beauty of daily rebirths. Amen.
This Sunday we will celebrate the Trinity, the Christian belief that God is one being and exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Christian theologians point out that there are many references to this doctrine throughout the Bible. In Isaiah, the voice of the Lord asks, “Who will go for us?” not, “Who will go for me?” In the passage in Romans, Paul speaks of all three persons of the Trinity: We pray to the Father through the Spirit because of the work of the Son. Jesus also speaks to Nicodemus about the role of all three persons of the Trinity. This may not be the simplest of Christian doctrines, but it is foundational because it explains the nature of God and God’s work throughout human history.
• Read Isaiah 6:1-8. When have you experienced a cleansing by God, resulting in a greater willingness to serve?
• Read Psalm 29. As you read about the power of the Lord’s voice, do you find yourself frightened or drawn in? How approachable is God to you?
• Read Romans 8:12-17. What have you released to God? What bitterness has taken its toll on your soul? Are you ready to let it go?
• Read John 3:1-17. How has your life been reshaped by the Spirit? How did sins and failings manifest in the new creation?
Respond by posting a prayer.
While several strategies for reopening the world are being discussed, I encourage you—the people of God everywhere—to allow this season to be a formative one during which you can make new discoveries about God and increase your faith. Use this time to embark on a life of prayer, a life of study, and a life of action—involvement in the community.”
