God IS love, and we are all invited in.

Jesus offers the disciples the image of he as the vine and God as the vineyard grower to help his disciples endure the events of his death in the following days.

In this Easter season we remember the words and image as a reminder for the life we are called...for the invitation we are offered.  We often confuse the idea of Love and then taint our relationship with our faith by trying to get God to fit into our own ideas.

Let's revisit the image and see LOVE for how God reveals it in Jesus Christ.  Let's consider how a disciple put this love into practice as a way for us to understand our own invitation today.

Come, grow into LOVE.

The strange scene on the resurrection day of Jesus offers us many wonderful images of grace and faith.  The scene eight days later follows up with a goldmine of images to reflect and ponder.

Let's walk through the passage and consider some of the more unsung details.

Let us hear how the story of Jesus is the story of us all.

The passage where we find two disciples heading to Emmaus is a popular and powerful scene.  The ways we can all relate to these two people (possibly husband and wife) are abundant.

Let us hear the story and hear our own story within.

Let us remember and be Re-Membered into the household of God through Jesus Christ.

Matt Hudson has been a member of Darlington UMC for a couple of years.  He asked to share his story to express his appreciation to God and the congregation full of his sisters and brothers in Christ Jesus.

This is his story and testimony.

The Gospel of Mark ends strangely...with confusion, fear, and misunderstanding.

Given the many stories of that nature throughout the Gospel, should we be surprised?

We all have our ending to the story, and we need to tell it and live it.

Or are we telling another story by the way we try and be the judge?

Let's revisit the story and consider the gospel of Jesus Christ UNCONTAINED.

We read the Passion of Jesus Christ from the Gospel of Mark.

It's Palm Sunday!  Jesus is riding towards Jerusalem...people are throwing their cloaks on the ground...branches are waving...and shouts of "Hosanna!" fill the air.

Just a few days later they will be shouting "Crucify him!"

What happened?

What changed?

What about their turn is true in our own lives?

Let's revisit the Way of the Kingdom and decide if we are ready to see what Jesus came to reveal to us.

Immediately preceding the Last Supper (two days before Passover) comes a scene at Simon's (the leper) house.  During the meal a woman comes in (we don't know from where) who is not named.  She breaks open a jar of perfume oil and pours every drop upon the head of Jesus.

Some people present (disciples?  Simon?  others?) get angry and try and discredit and even condemn her actions, but Jesus lifts up her act as important as the good news itself (v.9).

Why did she do this?  We never get insight into her motives but Jesus claims the gift as the sign of his imminent death as a king on his throne.

What does this story say to us?

How can this story speak to us about the Kingdom of God?

Let us leave everything behind and venture into the story to see in what way God's Holy Spirit is waiting to speak to us.

After some fierce debating and biblical sparring, a scribe asks Jesus a serious question out of respect and curiosity.  They exchange some wisdom on the greatest commandments as the scribe (an expert in the Law/lawyer) understands the love of God and neighbor as yourself to be greater than even the happenings of the temple...which they were standing in to have the discussion.

Jesus tells him, "You are near to God's Kingdom."

Isn't that what we all hope for?

So let's spend time with these great commandments to understand how we can invest our whole selves into the only thing worth investing them in: love.