God's strength is love and God's power is grace. God comes to Jacob in his darkest moment to try again to lead him. Jacob won't submit and doesn't change his ways, but God still won't let him go. Grace looks like losing to the world, but to the recipient it leaves a mark and gives a new name, child of God. 

Genesis 32:22-32

Like us, even the great heroes of the Bible have times when they lack faith and make poor choices. We all have a hero and a regular sinner inside of us, and God still chooses us to work in and through, using all of us, even the broken side. Genesis 21:8-21

One of the hardest barriers for us to overcome is the one created by our own ideas, plans, and schemes. Mary shows us the way. When we live in and appreciate the moment, being mindful of Jesus' presence and what he has done for us, we can trust God's plan of love, sacrifice, and grace. John 12:1-11

Pressure of life, whether from expectations or from sickness and pain, can bend you over and weigh you down. Jesus wants to free you from the pressure by letting you know that before you have done anything or failed to do something, you are a child of God, beloved of the Lord. Luke 13:10-17

Jesus wants to free us from all our anxiety that is causing us great distress and creating barriers between God and our neighbors and us. Luke 10:38-42

Jesus is saying that drawing lines between us to shame sinners is not the way to hold each other accountable for our sin. Jesus draws a line around the whole crowd and says you are all sinners, all in need of God's grace and mercy, the mercy Jesus is offering to this woman.

When we engage in Jesus' mission to the poor, imprisoned, and oppressed, it is our blind eyes that are opened to new truth about his love. Luke 4:16-30

In his conversation with the Samaritan woman, Jesus crosses boundaries founded in past prejudice, ethnic division, misogyny, and personal shame to overcome personal and societal sin. The living water of grace overflows the boundaries we try to erect to invite everyone into a relationship with Jesus the Messiah. 

John 4:3-6

Jesus crosses social and cultural boundaries to engage with women during his ministry. At a wedding in Cana, his mom trusts him to use the opportunity of the wine running out to present his first sign. The miracle transforming of the water to wine at the wedding shows that Jesus is overcoming our ritualistic and procedural boundaries to offer grace for everyone and invite us to the all-time greatest wedding party ever.

John 2:1-11

Fruit of your God-inspired and God-empowered life will live on forever. Life that takes advantage of relationships based on power and privilege for selfish gain will be burnt up. Luke 3:7-17, 21-22