On the second Sunday of Advent, Jess invites a conversation about the kind of peace that Jesus came to bring, and how he went about bringing it. In the midst of social and political turmoil, she encourages an approach to those who differ from us that centres our shared humanity and the reality that our own well being is intrinsically connected to the well being of everyone else.
A huge need in people’s lives is to feel a sense of belonging. Jess, Lorna and Janell all share various stories where they have seen or felt this sense of belonging exist. They acknowledge its meaningfulness and how its goodness can trickle outward beyond an individual’s immediate communities. They further reflected on how communities of belonging create a dwelling place for God’s love and peace.
Mark explores a story of Jesus’ encounter with a man cast out by a well-off society–a clear illustration of how bringing someone to safety costs someone else their comfort. The gospel story is a challenge particularly to the comfortable: stop protecting our own peace at the expense of others… and start creating safe space, even when it costs.
This week, special guest, Jonathan Schut from MCC (Mennonite Central Committee), shared a dynamic and creative lesson from Queen Vashti (in the book of Esther) to introduce the importance of truth-telling to organizations like MCC as they work for justice and peace – and he masterfully integrated our theme of the “Roots of Resilience.”
One of my passions in recent years has been re-centering the concept of truth around “honesty” rather than “factuality.” This has partly been to distract from the pointless […]
Following a warm and festive Second Breakfast potluck, Lorna Jones shared some wise words of her own and others on reclaiming peace in our interior lives. She invited us to consider what keeps us from peace and what we might do to reclaim, recreate, and cultivate peace in ourselves and in the world
Bradley Jersak was with us this Sunday, and he shared the incredible example of Palestinian Christians who have chosen to walk the Jesus Way of choosing hope and peace instead of giving in to hatred and the inevitable cycles of violence that result.
On the Second Sunday of Advent, Jess Williams gives a talk on the Jeremiah passage that emphasizes that a surface peace that doesn’t face real and present divisions is no peace at all.