The Beatitudes, which begin the Sermon on the Mount, describe the values of God's kingdom, which stand in opposition to worldly values like greed, violence, and power.

Jesus' first words in John's gospel are a question: "What are you looking for?" It's a question that confronts us not just once but again and again. As Jesus' followers, just what are we looking for, from him, from life, etc.?

The story of Jesus' baptism opens a discussion into our understanding of what baptism is and what it isn't.

Some ancient belief systems taught that the physical world is corrupt and therefore incompatible with the spiritual or divine. Judaism and Christianity believe that the physical world is good and that we encounter the divine within it.

Matthew's gospel shows that the birth of Jesus is the fulfillment of God's promise to never abandon God's people.

John the Baptist's doubts about Jesus lead us to question our own expectations about Jesus.

Our path to God can sometimes get cluttered or blocked. In this Advent season, John calls us to clear and straighten that path.

On Christ the King Sunday, the story of the two criminals crucified with Jesus asks to ponder what sort of king we imagine Jesus to be.