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Help Breathe New Life into Our Church Leaders
The week after my father passed, I returned home to St. Paul, Minnesota, to preside over Read More
Jackson Droney | Read Ephesians 3:7-12
There’s always more to say about the complexity and urgency to live out the gospel in ways that are truly inclusive of everyone. I could spend more words on race, gender, class, and sexuality and how we fall short of including everyone with respect to those parts of human identity....
O Holy One, help us see what blocks our ability to share your love with others. Give us courage to let go of our attachments so that we can more deeply welcome our neighbors. Amen.
This week’s readings illuminate key touchstones in our faith journey, all of which are drawn together in baptism. The prophet Isaiah invites us to consider living with divine hope, and the psalmist reminds us to use our power for the sake of the poor. Then, Paul challenges us with a call to radical inclusion. And the three wise men show us how to be present, open, and hold expectations lightly. These readings invite us into a deeper relationship with God. Things are not what they seem at first glance or consideration. We’re invited to keep growing in our walk of faith. With water, John baptizes Jesus who will in turn baptize us with fiery, life-changing love. Living in response to that love makes our faith journey not a chore or obligation but a source of deep joy and inspiration.
• Read Isaiah 60:1-6. How do you define divine hope?
• Read Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14. In what ways do you have power to effect change? How does championing the poor fit into your walk of faith?
• Read Ephesians 3:1-12. How has your understanding of what it means to include everyone changed over time? What was hardest to change?
• Read Luke 3:15-17, 21-22. What difference does being a baptized child of God make in your life?
Respond by posting a prayer.
