What would it look like to completely give yourself over to Jesus? How odd would it be to truly trust that Jesus is the Messiah without reservation or fear, to live as if Jesus is the one who has come to rescue you, and you are not in charge of saving yourself? John the Baptist shows us that the Lamb of God offers freedom and life but in an unexpected and surprising way.

The single most magnificent mystery of the Christian life is the reality that the Eternal Word of God entered into and became a part of God’s creation. What would drive God to this? A loving longing to pursue the enemies of God, and make them friends.

A lot of us want to be friends with God, but what if God genuinely wanted to be friends with us? How could this change our view of ourselves, our neighbors, and our world?

Life is best lived with love. But in the midst of chaos and ever-changing circumstances, how can we remain composed enough to produce love for the people round us? That’s what mystical union with Christ is for.

The peace of God doesn’t just extend to our relationship with Him, it spreads and extends to those around us as well. Our union with Christ creates the opportunity for deep relationships of peace, harmony, and sacrificial love, and when it doesn't, it offers us a way forward.

Our lives are spent chasing a lot of different things. But what is the one thing that matters? Is it security? Influence? Self-realization? Paul challenges all of these and places racing towards experiencing our union with Christ at the top of what the Christian’s life should ultimately be.

God cares deeply for us and has from the very beginning. The reality of God's creative care in humanity's origin can transform the way we see God, the way we see others, and the way we see ourselves. Knowing God can shape the way we know ourselves.

We have been invited to experience true spiritual life. A spirituality void of pretense and hypocrisy, and full of God and his love for us. Jesus gives us all access to pure love and we’ve each been invited to experience the fullness of joy by experiencing God himself. Let’s enjoy God.

Suffering strikes all of us at different times and in different ways, but we all suffer. However God has promised that He will meet us in our suffering and encourage us. At the same time as His people He calls us all to enter into and walk with others as they suffer. Entering into this suffering means we must wholly depend on God. But what does that look like in our real day to day life?

The path of Jesus is a costly path, yes. It’s a counter-intuitive path, yes. It’s the path of lowliness and service, yes. But it’s the path of joyous love and divine comfort. Yes, please.