When Jesus calls us to “take up our cross and follow him,” it can be difficult to know what it really looks like to respond. That’s a daunting call, and we sometimes hear that Christ going to the cross is to keep us from that experience. How can we take Jesus seriously, strive towards faithfulness and live out the values of the cross in our regular lives?

Doing our best to stand firm in faith in God’s goodness, provision, and walking with us through our lives can sometimes make understanding difficult and painful seasons of life, and where God is during them, really challenging. Hearing stories of how God has made meaning in people’s lives, even of what seemed it could only be meaninglessness, can help us make sense of our own circumstances.

It is easiest for us to relate to the most redemptive or seemingly blessed people that God walked with in scripture, but we also have seasons of our salvation life where we are having experiences more like characters/people we put less focus on. What might God show us and help us with if we are honest about these experiences too?

Salvation is joyful and exciting, but sometimes the transformation of salvation life in God’s Kingdom stretches and challenges us in ways that are challenging and uncomfortable. How can we be honest about our own feelings like this in seeing how God walked with people in similar circumstances?

It can be tempting to follow how God is leading us in the values of the Kingdom as far as we are most comfortable or brings us particular blessing. Paul’s words are sometimes taken for some people’s advantage, but the full context of Colossians shows us the transformation God is making for everyone.

Some of the practical aspects of living faith together in community that Paul writes about can seem a little confusing - like saying relying on moral rules can be empty, while also giving strong moral instruction. Our own examples of what it’s like to teach subtle, complicated things might help us understand what following a loving God of guidance and freedom together can be like.

We all seek to avoid anything that will leave us left out of belonging or ashamed before others, and we hope to hold on to anything that gives us assurance we are accepted, secure, important, even better than others. This can be true in day to day life, and our faith lives. Paul offers another mindset that embodies God’s invitation and Jesus’ loving, gracious values.

As we move through life and do our best to discern how best to live as God’s people following Jesus’ example, sometimes it’s valuable to re-root ourselves by beginning at the beginning. That can help us follow Jesus’ ways instead of getting swept into other things powers in society tell us have the most value.

Sometimes the people in our midst and the people we once were can end up having transformative meaning for the understanding of what it should look like to live as God’s people. Can Colossians, the Exodus, and the Civil Rights Movement help us see how that’s true for our own context?

The epiphanies of the Magi in encountering Jesus were not just about God’s readiness to connect with all people, including Gentiles, but also about the implications of God being the baby born to a poor family - not someone in the power center of Herod’s court. How does this and other stories of epiphanies help us understand the impact our faith can have when we encounter God?

The Bible declares how God is often up to new things for new circumstances, and also emphasizes how we are transformed into new creations in salvation so we can participate in and contribute to these new things. When we face our own transitions, changes, and opportunities, how do we stay rooted in God’s ways?

In caring for Mary and Jesus, Joseph accepted an invitation to call God’s family his own, despite accompanying complications. This is similar to what we’re invited to do when we join God’s family - what foundation of love helps us to live that way?

The arrival of Jesus means we are able to experience the Joy of the reality of God’s Kingdom with us on earth as it is in heaven, even amidst a world that tells us the only way things can be puts us at odds with each other and saps joy at the expense of having stuff or power. What teachings and stories help us stay rooted in and live out that reality?

Advent brings us an amazing spirit of Peace, and there are lots of ideas and pictures of what this can mean. In a world full of conflict, peace will rarely just happen, but needs to be made. What does God offer us to lead this that we can find our own ways to participate in, even when it is difficult?

Advent brings us a wonderful spirit of Hope of all God has done and will do, but it’s also true that the Messiah was hoped for in Jesus’ time and he spent a lot of his ministry reframing people’s expectations with God’s true hope. Are we open to the same reframing we may need?

Honoring the range of titles God holds, roles God plays, and ways God connects with us in our lives. Especially appreciating the ways God is a king with reign and influence in our lives, but with a character quite different than earthly kings.

Sometimes we can feel as if there is no room left for us in God’s movement in the world, or that important things happening are only for certain kinds of people that doesn’t include us. How can we be ready to bring our full experiences to God and discern what place God does have for all of us in the Kingdom that transforms the whole world?

Recognizing and being thankful that God is able to move in people’s lives without being frozen by choice paralysis or overlooking what others might deem unimportant. Can we be led to find our own specific roles within God’s kingdom to participate and not be caught up in the crowd?

As we reflect on the meaning of All Saints Sunday and get ready for an especially busy time of year, how does a unique example of Jesus encountering death help us better understand the fullness of living salvation life in connection with our spiritual family across time, space and circumstance?

We continue to learn how God can bring grace, dignity and love to every season and circumstance of our lives through a powerful encounter Jesus had with a community that transformed everyone in each perspective of the encounter… starting with a woman whose struggles left her feeling unworthy of any place.