Called to Community

Jesus says, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Matt. 18:20). At this time in the church year we are repeatedly reminded that God has not abandoned us and that Christ’s resurrection and ascension are a beginning for us, not an end.

One focus is the practical work of the gathered Christian community: turning from sin to repentance, from conflict to reconciliation. The question is as relevant today as it was for the disciples and the first Christians: How do we live together, work together, as the body of Christ? We have been saved by grace, liberated by God’s love to love one another. What does it mean for us and for our community to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 13:14) and to clothe ourselves in love?

We keep asking these questions because the way we gather as Christians continues to be profoundly countercultural. We do not gather as a social club, drawn and kept together only by shared demographics and interests. If church is only a social club, there is no reason to continue to gather if conflict arises, if uncomfortable issues are raised, or if “the way it’s always been” begins to change. If church is only a social club, there is no reason to do the hard work of reconciliation and forgiveness.

God calls us into community knowing that being in community is hard. In scripture we can find practical guidance for gathering through good and hard times. The Holy Spirit is always at work—in, through, and among us—to gather and regather us again. In community we meet and become Christ’s body in ways that are impossible for us as individuals; all the commandments are fulfilled in this call to neighbor-love (Rom. 13:9).

adapted from Sundays & Seasons

There Must Be Another Way

Peter may be the “rock” on which Christ will build the church (Matt. 16:18), but when Jesus reveals the suffering that will come first, Peter becomes a tempter and stumbling block. Assuming God must have a different way to save the world, Peter protests Jesus’ suffering and death. Jesus explains to Peter and all his disciples that, in fact, this is the way to life—losing one’s life in order to find it.

 

By tempting Jesus to an easier way than his journey through suffering to resurrection, Peter personifies a temptation common to all generations of Jesus’ disciples: seeking a way to avoid “losing oneself” instead of surrendering all to and with the one we follow. Rather than losing our lives—our selves, possessions, and time—we hold on more tightly, afraid of what will happen to our comfort, success, and identity if we let go. Those things we hold onto then become, like Peter, stumbling blocks along the way of self-giving love.

But while “saving one’s life” sounds sensible, those things also stand in the way of the new life into which Jesus beckons us to follow him. Perhaps Peter’s problem is that he sees only the suffering and death, without grasping the new life that comes through it. In times when we too are tempted by worldly ways of comfort and success, convinced that surely God must have an easier way than the way of self-giving love, this gospel reminds us that resurrection and life await on the other side of suffering and death.

This is the way of our God who becomes human in Jesus: emptying himself of power and dignity, losing his very own life for the sake of the world’s life. Seen through the lens of resurrection just ahead on the journey, what other way could there be?

Sundays & Seasons

Welcomed with Open Arms

The story for the Sunday after Easter Sunday is what we've come to know as "Doubting Thomas". The risen Jesus appears to his disciples, offering them a benediction, a commission, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. But one of their number, Thomas, is missing, and his unbelief prompts another visit from the Lord. We are not told why Thomas is missing.  But we do know that he had trouble accepting what the others told him.  The other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” 

 

His response?  “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

 Thomas is criticized for doubting, but he asks for nothing more than the same experience of the risen Christ the rest of the disciples had. By the grace of God, Jesus returns a second time and offers his body as living proof to Thomas. In the presence of Jesus, Thomas discovers he did not need the proof he demanded.

Thomas’ story is our story. We are not always where we need to be. Sometimes we even find ourselves in places we should not be at all. But Jesus comes to us, seeking us out and giving us the gift of faith. Thomas is not criticized, he is not condemned. Instead Jesus loves Thomas back into a relationship and shows the disciples what the words “Peace be with you” mean when lived out.

This Easter season is an opportunity to proclaim the power of the resurrection and the grace of God, who welcomes Thomas with open arms.

Surrender Death’s Final Word: Live in Resurrection Hope

Easter is God’s joyful, earth-shaking announcement that death—of the body, of dreams, of hope—never has the final say. Throughout Lent we have been giving things up: noise, perfectionism, judgment, control. But what we release prepares us for what God gives in return: a new beginning rooted not in our efforts but in Christ’s victory over death. Resurrection is not a metaphor; it is the center of our faith. It is God’s declaration that nothing is beyond redemption, restoration, or renewal.

In the light of the empty tomb, every “ending” in our lives looks different. The places where we feel stuck? God can bring movement. The relationships that feel fractured? God can bring healing. The fears that whisper “this will never change”? God whispers back, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Easter invites us to surrender our belief that brokenness is permanent and to live instead with resurrection-shaped expectation.

As Easter dawns, let your heart stretch toward hope again. Let the risen Christ breathe courage into weary places. Let joy stand where sorrow once lived. Because Jesus lives, everything else can live again too. This is the gift and promise of our faith: death is defeated, love is alive, and we are people of the Resurrection. 

Let Go of the Messiah You Want: Welcome the Messiah Who Comes

The crowds who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem shouted with joy, waving palms and imagining the kind of Messiah they wanted: a powerful liberator, a triumphant king, someone who would overthrow Rome and make everything right immediately. But Jesus entered in humility, riding a borrowed donkey, heading not toward a throne of power but toward the cross. Palm Sunday reminds us how easy it is to want God to meet our expectations instead of receiving Christ as he truly comes. In our own lives, we often pray with conditions: “Lord, help me—just do it this way.” We want quick fixes, obvious victories, unmistakable signs of strength. But the God revealed in Jesus chooses the way of humility, mercy, and costly love. Jesus doesn’t rise to meet the world’s expectations; he transforms them.   Palm Sunday invites us to examine the expectations we place on God and to loosen our grip on the versions of Christ we prefer. As Holy Week begins, we are invited to welcome Jesus not as we imagine him, but as he truly is: the surprising, self-giving Saviour who brings life through love, not force. Lay down your palm branches—your expectations, demands, and conditions—and receive the Messiah who meets us with compassion, truth, and grace.  In our "return to God with all our hearts", welcome the Messiah who is.