Life Transformed: The Way of Love in Lent

God's people prayed throughout their exodus from slavery in Egypt. The Israelites cried out to God. Moses cried out on behalf of the people. Miriam gave thanks with tambourines and dance. In this episode we look at the different ways we pray.

Life Transformed: The Way of Love in Lent

As Christians we are continually called to repent and be

renewed in faith. This episode introduces the Way of Love and invites us to

reflect on themes of repentance in the new life we have in Christ through

baptism.

"In this language sin is something that has a hold over you and the wages of sin, as Paul says elsewhere in Romans, is death, which is to say the cost of your enslavement to sin is death. So, the Christian response, instead of saying, well then let's save you from death, is, well then let's get the death part over with. Let's do the death thing and now you're dead to sin, so the baptism becomes a liberation event rather than a cleansing event." ~ the Rev. Philip DeVaul

In this week's episode, Anny and Phil discuss how the birth of Jesus reveals the Way of Love as a journey into the world. The Angels appear before the shepherds proclaiming the good news of Jesus' birth. Then the shepherds went in haste to see the infant Jesus, journeying into the world to tell others what they had seen. The Way of Love cannot be contained. The Way of Love bursts out into the world crossing boundaries and offering blessings to many. It demands to be told.

In this week's episode, Anny and Phil see the Way of Love as a journey with community. The witness of Zechariah and Elizabeth, who bring infant John to the temple to be circumcised, reminds us of the importance of our faith community to sustaining the Way of Love. Just as the community did for John's family, communities provide a place for discernment sometimes challenging us and other times affirming us. Communities celebrate and mark important moments along the journey.

In this week's episode, host Anny Stevens-Gleason and the Rev. Philip DeVaul invited to see the Way of Love as a journey that can expand to include family and friends. Mary said yes to the call to birth Jesus, God's Word, into the world and immediately went in haste to share her good news with her cousin Elizabeth who lived in the Judean Hills, a four-day journey. Isn't that what happens when we hear good news? We are driven to go and tell others. The Way of Love is good news that demands to be shared.

Host Anny Stevens-Gleason and the Rev. Philip DeVaul orient themselves to the Way of Love and see the Way of Love as a journey that begins by saying yes to God, called to birth new life into the world. The call is gentle, yet powerful. A call fully embraced will grow beyond our imagination, spilling out of ourselves for our family, friends, and community and into the world. This episode invites us to join Mary on her encounter with the Angel, who announced that she will conceive and bear a son. The episode is intended to launch us into not just studying but birthing and living the Way of Love.

"Don't Be Afraid," by Ana Hernandez and Fran McKendree is sung at the end of the episode by Anny Stevens-Gleason.

In this episode we hear the Rev. Philip DeVaul share the story of how Church of the Redeemer was and is being called into the work of Becoming Beloved Community. This story was shared during a Becoming Beloved Community Teach-In held by the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio.

In this episode, our first of this format, Anny Stevens-Gleason sits down with Hannah Teetor, Church of the Redeemer's new Director of Children's Formation. Hannah shares about the influences of her childhood, her love of The Episcopal Church, and what gives her joy in both life and her work.

"I love that going between worlds, telling really personal stories to then talking about really big ideas or these specific scenarios with all this really intimate imagery to then just talking about how you're liking your day."

"And God made me aware right then about two things: that she needed to talk about dying and I needed to be still and listen." - Gale Sheldon

Parishioner Gale Sheldon joins host Anny Stevens-Gleason for a talk about Gale's calling as a Lay Eucharistic Visitor (LEV), calling it a "wonderful opportunity to serve God and his people."

In this episode of Interrupting Grace, Anny Stevens-Gleason takes a look at Church of the Redeemer's long time relationship with Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN) in conversations with past champion, Hollis Bass and with more recent volunteers, Sarah and Steve Nord. Hollis shares some history of Church of the Redeemer's involvement as well as what has been our standard set-up. Then Sarah and Steve talk about the effect of volunteering with this ministry has had on them as volunteers. Although the current pandemic may require some long term changes to the IHN structure, the involvement will surely remain as fruitful. As Sarah puts it, volunteering with IHN "gives you a different level of compassion."