Contemplating Grace

Season of Advent: Peace, Day 5 Reading: “The day the power of love overrules the love of power, the world will know peace.”[1] Reflection: In its common usage, peace is not a singular concept but has many applications, several of which are relevant in preparing for the birth of the Christ-child. One common understanding of … Continue reading Season of Advent: Peace, Day 5

Season of Advent: Peace, Day 4 Reading: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”[1] Reflection: In war, peace comes when one side surrenders to the other. In business, peace may come through consensus where competing sides find a resolution … Continue reading Season of Advent: Peace, Day 4

Season of Advent: Peace, Day 3 Reading: “Christmas comes with many assumptions – some helpful, some not so much. Spirituality also comes with many assumptions, and the ones that fail us are the ones we make about what it’s supposed to look like, who is worthy for it to happen to, and what kind of … Continue reading Season of Advent: Peace, Day 3

Season of Advent: Peace, Day 2 Reading: “He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in the place of the two, thus making peace.”[1] Reflection: The more than 600 laws set out in the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) to guide … Continue reading Season of Advent: Peace, Day 2

Season of Advent: Peace, Day 1 Reading: “For a child has been born for us…and he is named…Prince of Peace”[1] Reflection: Peace, the first theme of Advent, springs from the Hope we find as we experience Emmanuel – God with us. Peace comes as we learn to trust that God’s presence within and around us … Continue reading Season of Advent: Peace, Day 1

Third Day of Thanksgiving Reading: “Are not five sparrows sold for one penny? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight.”[1] Reflection: A helpful exercise for growing our gratitude is to stop overlooking the ordinary in search of the extraordinary so we can find the extraordinary in the ordinary. The Christmas stories in … Continue reading Third Day of Thanksgiving

Second Day of Thanksgiving Reading: “The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.  Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able … Continue reading Second Day of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day Reading: “Gratitude can transform any situation. It alters your vibration, moving you from negative energy to positive. It’s the quickest, easiest, most powerful way to effect change in your life...” Oprah Winfrey[1] Reflection: The focus of Thanksgiving is (supposed to be) Gratitude. Developing a sense of gratitude is a key to experiencing God’s … Continue reading Thanksgiving Day