The rhythm of marking Jesus' death and resurrection every year attaches us to the reality of God's continued alive-ness in our lives and world today, and how we can participate daily in resurrection.
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If we want alive and lasting spiritual fulfillment (and not just a passing experience of faith that's nice but nonetheless fades), Jesus tells us to "seek first the Kingdom of God" -- in other words, set our sights higher than just our own selves, and look to participate in the grand, all-of-history-spanning story of all life. This Kingdom of God story, it seems, is as relevant as ever in light of current events.
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A reflection on Christmas from Co-Lead Pastor Kyle Hanawalt
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The question "What are you about?" is posed to us more often than we might think. What if that doesn't have to feel overwhelming? What if we all have within us a unique set of values that God wants to help us discover, so we can be driven by those values, instead of reactive to anxiety? We want that to be true of our church!
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From the chaotic and unsure standpoint of the suddenly-freed-from-Egyptian-slavery Hebrew people, the Ten Commandments was the most compassionate and revolutionary offer of guidance that anyone could have asked for. But what really shows us the enduring helpfulness of the Ten Commandments -- even today! -- is the perspective on them Jesus would add.
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Jesus' parable of the workers demonstrates how normal and human it is to perceive new people or new situations as threats to us personally, but it also shows God's desire to help us navigate away from self-centeredness toward open-heartedness.
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Whether the Greco-Roman rat race of 1st century Colossae, or the modern American rat race of today, human beings have always been (and maybe always will be) surrounded by messaging and social pressure that is high-anxiety & soul-sucking. Maybe a way to regularly escape this messaging and pressure is one of the biggest benefits of following Jesus...
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Following the trail of where my money goes can, maybe surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly), help me make self-discoveries about what sorts of things my heart is invested in. And, if that's true, maybe my money gives me an opportunity to awaken in me genuine passion and inspiration and spiritual alive-ness.
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Feeling recognized is an unavoidable need we all feel. Looking to other people or our a built-up image or reputation to meet that need sadly just never seem to fill the bill. Jesus' promise is that God wants to reward us with a sense of recognition in private that we could never get in public.
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Connecting with God as a mother is an often-missed opportunity. BLV's pastors share stories of their own mothers and the ways their mothers have reflected God's heart to them.
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