Jesus’ encounter with an outsider among outsiders offers us a glimpse at the offer of spiritual life. The Father is not merely looking to excuse us or make us right, He desires to enter into the core of who we are and have relationship with us. This is spiritual life, this is Divine intimacy, this is prayer. How can we participate in this kind of spiritual life? The woman at the well can help us.

When Jesus tells us to love our enemies what does He really mean. What does Jesus expect from us? What is love and how do we really love our enemies? The way of Jesus is so radical, dangerous and transformative it will require a miraculous transformation of our hearts steeped in Divine love. When Jesus tells us to love our enemies, we start with prayer.

Jesus teaches us to come to the Father boldly and confidently ask for all we need. But what happens when God does not give us what we want or need? What does this mean for us? What does this say about God? How do we move forward, continuing to pray with confidence in God and God's love for us? This week Jesus shows us what it looks like to pray and not get what you've asked.

One of the most foundational and crucial elements of spiritual life is prayer. Yet, most of us would confess that we struggle to know how or what to pray. Jesus helps us with this. Jesus teaches the disciples about prayer, revealing that the act of prayer may be unexpectedly more than we first think.

From Old Covenant to New, surveying the Biblical narrative can give insight and context to Jesus’ work of redemption. By having a sense of where everything has been and where it is headed, we can begin to understand our place in God’s story of redemption as well as find appreciation for the personal restoration offered through Jesus’ love.

The birth of Jesus was about much more than God coming down to us. It was about God becoming one of us. The incarnation sees the Son of God condescending to our level in the person of Jesus so that He might bring us up to His. He joins us in our world, in our suffering, and in our death so that we can join Him in life. This idea will transform our hearts and lives if we will slow down and begin to believe it is true.

The light of the world has come and enlightened our hearts. The blind man in John 9 experienced this light, and we like him have begun to see. The light gives us hope because it reveals to us the true nature of God and the true nature of our world. A new and glorious morn has dawned. The light of the world has come.

The coming of God into the world signals the end of the world’s power structures and value systems. Mary understood this. How can we participate in the incarnation this Advent season? We can join in Jesus’ condescension into the brokenness of the world to subvert its brokenness. We can stand with Mary and join in her song of hope for the poor. Here’s how.

During a season of veneer happiness and superficial peace, where can we find deep, authentic, soul transforming delight? Mary shows us how this season, along with all the others, can be a season of sincere cheer and optimism. If we will slow down and allow the grace of God to capture our hearts, our souls, like Mary's, can leap for joy.

Jesus invites us into fellowship and communion with Him. This friendship is a present and powerful reality that, if we allow it, will shape and impact our spiritual wellbeing and day to day lives. But Jesus also asks that we share this fellowship. Jesus asks us to spend our lives feeding His sheep. Friendship with Jesus is so powerful and good that it fills our hearts so completely that we are enabled to share it with others in ways that can change their lives forever. This is spiritual friendship. This is the community of Jesus.