Jesus cut through rigid rules to reclaim the point of spiritual practices in the first place—promoting life and wellbeing.

The kingdom of God is a gift that comes only by God's grace, and we're called to be a part of the larger story: extending grace and hope to neighbors, strangers, and even our adversaries.

Jesus teaches us to live lightly, putting aside our focus on material possessions, and instead being vigilant so that we can respond to the needs of our times without fear.

The words of both Ecclesiastes and Jesus witness to the vanity of placing our trust only in worldly pursuits for ourselves. Instead, we're called to honor our relationship with God and one another.

We live a world in which many bonds of trust are frayed and broken. In Jesus, we receive a prayer and a spirit that helps us on the way, and we see a God worthy of our renewed trust who is capable of making things new.

Love of God and neighbor are intertwined, with devotion toward God providing the insight and calm to care for others.

How do we inherit the life God offers? We begin by creating a world in which every neighbor is loved and treated with dignity, even the foreigners in our midst.

At the center of the Christian message is a peace that is offered to each of us and is extended to everyone, creating communities and societies that reflect God's vision for wellbeing and justice.

Christian faith not only frees us FROM the forces that would bind us, but inspires us to use our freedom FOR the sake of our neighbors.

In a time of deep divisions and conflict, we learn that a healthy community and society does not start with laws and rules, but with love, grace and belonging. Only after that can rules provide necessary correctives along the way.