HopeGateWay

During this series, we're exploring the transformative power of giving thanks. Gratitude is a spiritual practice, and part of the challenge is remembering that gratitude, like love, takes the form of both noun and verb. Listen!

During this series, we'll explore the transformative power of giving thanks. Gratitude is a spiritual practice, important not only when life is good and easy and filled with hope, but also and especially when things are challenging and confusing.

Today's challenge: What if you woke up tomorrow with only the things you were thankful for today?

Based on the story of Jesus healing the paraplegic in Mark 2: 1-12, we reflect on who carries us in difficult times and to what lengths we are willing to carry our neighbors when they are in need.

Who is your neighbor? A better question is who isn't your neighbor. If Jesus tells us to love our enemies and to love our neighbors as ourselves, then we can't exclude anyone from being our neighbor.

We give thanks for the many contributions that workers make, and we celebrate the way each of us is called to use the gifts God has given us for the common good. We commit ourselves to upholding workers' rights - to ensuring that everyone has wage, benefits and work hours which allow them to enjoy the fullness of life. This sermon explores the importance of Sabbath and the balance between work and rest.

What's in a name? What gives you hope?

Christian life is about a deepening relationship with the One in whom we live and move and have our being. Paying attention to this relationship transforms us.