The pregnancy of Mary is connected to the promise of justice and joy in the readings this week. Mary’s womb becomes a sacred space for the gestation of grace that moves into, and is transforming, the world. We will ponder the spaces we inhabit at home, work, and community, asking whether they are feeding, nurturing, and reflecting the freedom and joy that is so desperately needed.

MESSAGE: "Sacred Places" by Pam Lee-Miller

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When we look through the lens of the sacred, we prepare our senses to recognize the holy in all people–to come to know them in a “steadfast and encouraging” way. Our world is crying out for harmony, and being able to see the Christ reflected in each other makes a path for this to be accomplished. We are inspired this week to see our own walk upon this earth as part of the call to be sacred people who usher in the presence of love.  

MESSAGE: "Drawing In the Dirt" by Silas House

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The busy-ness of the holiday season can overrun the sense of the sacred. The irony is that setting apart time for connection with the sacred gets pushed aside in order to create the trappings of what is supposed to be the season of celebrating the incarnation of the Holy! We will begin our Advent journey toward Christmas by emphasizing the gift of being awake to the “now”… the gift of sacred time with God, with each other, and with those in need of hope.

MESSAGE: "Sacred Time" by Kenny Bishop

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Most of us have more things, more stuff than we could ever need. Our attics, basements, and garages are filled with things we've collected, admired, then boxed away. The plan is to come back to them and admire them, but the truth is, they often just sit there out of sight and taking up space. These boxed-away things are part of who we are, but what do they mean to everyone else?

MESSAGE: "Treasures Unseen" by Kenny Bishop

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NOTE: Because of technical issues during recording, the audio quality of this episode is not up to our usual standard.

MESSAGE: "Abundantly Blessed" by Pam Lee-Miller

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November is Native American Heritage Month, and our special guest today is Landra Lewis (Cherokee). Landra shares with us some of her own stories of growing up in a community and a culture that realized both the earth's strengths and fragilities. She helps us better understand some of the misconceptions and mistruths that have been culturally accepted about the Indigenous people of North America.

MESSAGE: "The Spiritual Matrix" by Landra Lewis

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Today we honor our saints - those who have walked ahead of us, made paths for us, created spaces for us. We thank them for their faithfulness and their example, and we encourage one another with the messages of hope and promise they left for us. We pray for the courage to live by the faith we feel because of them... in our bones.

MESSAGE: "The Faith in Our Bones" by Pam Lee-Miller

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Before there was religion, a church, or even the bible, there was the earth and nature. The very first words ever known of, according to the Christian tradition, were uttered by the creating God. Those words spoke nature into being, set the planet into motion, and immediately set humanity up with the perfect sanctuary. We haven't respected it much or treated it well, but when we find ourselves in it, we find the perfect place to worship God naturally.

MESSAGE: "Naturally" by Kenny Bishop

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There once was a farmer who went out to scatter seed. He was either really sloppy about it or just didn't mind that a lot of it was going places it could never survive. As a matter of fact, most of the seed was landing on unfriendly ground - only about a quarter of it made it to healthy ground. However, that does not mean that all the other ground was not holy. God's presence can be found even in the inhospitable ground.

MESSAGE: "Holy Ground" by Kenny Bishop

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Queen Elizabeth was regarded as one of history's greatest characters. She had a huge impact on history, culture, and entertainment, and her death was big news around the world. Loretta Lynn was known as country music's queen. Her songs and lyrics did more than entertain, they challenged male dominance and masculine culture. Rita Swan would never think of herself as a queen. But those who knew her and knew of her great work would include her in any list of great women who did great things for others.

MESSAGE: "Queens" by Kenny Bishop

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