When I heard that God birthed Jesus. My body reacted to it.

I reached down and touched my own stomach. I remembered how heavy my stomach was and how my back ached. I remembered the pains of childbirth that left me on my hands and knees, only able to breathe and wait for the next contraction.

When God birthed Jesus, there must have been so much surrender, a setting aside of God’s self to bring Jesus, who was eternally born, always part of God but now separate, into the Trinity.

My experiences as a mother holding my own children reflect on a God who is willing to come to be with us as a human. Christ embodied in the same infant experience on Mary’s chest as my tiny, vulnerable, completely reliant, slick, and slimy, beautiful, perfect children on my chest.

I imagine the way that the savior of the world’s tiny infant’s head must have smelled when Mary brushed her lips across those tiny baby hairs on his head.

Oh, how God must love us!

My experience tells me that love that is birthed, is the same love that makes one willing to break their body.

Break their body either on their hands and knees, breathing between contractions, or as a crucified savior on the cross.

Our mothering God broke their bodies for their children

in birth and for our re-birth.

Broke their bodies so that we may live.

Flourish.

Eternally.

A bumper sticker reads: "Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven!" The implication of the bumper sticker seems to be that the only purpose of Christ’s work on earth was atonement. If that is the implication, the ever-pastoral, John Wesley, might commend them on the start of their Christian journey, encouraging them to continue realizing and embodying their forgiveness, into Christian perfection. Wesley might emphasize the “just” portion of the sticker, exclaiming, “But Christians aren’t just forgiven, they're so much more!”

And here is the Good News, my friends; he’ll find us the way we need to be found. Jesus isn’t afraid to get personal.

Do you remember?

So now what?

Do you remember the rest of the Good News too?

What difference does it make? What difference should it make to you?

Are you lonely? Feel Overlooked? Things are never enough? The message of Good Friday may be that you are enough, Jesus came just for you, to be vulnerable for you and there is nothing you can do or not do to change the truth that God sees you and is with you.

Is the world too far gone? Evil too prevalent? What’s the point of so much struggle? Good Friday may mean Jesus is on our side, Easter may mean that the world will actually change.

Do you ever feel like the devil is on your back? No matter what, you make the wrong choice, you are too far gone? You may see Good Friday as when you “come to Jesus.” You see how you are not supposed to be the reason for your own salvation, but Jesus is. Easter maybe when you see that God loves everyone, even the unlovable, even you!

If you are looking for a place in the bible that gets real with human emotions, drop me a message. I can point you to some people in scripture who may have felt the same.

Feeling like God is punishing you? There’s a book for that.

Feeling like the powers of the world are too much and that may never change? There are actually a few books for that.

Want to curse your STD while God listens? There’s Psalms for that.

The Bible is full of human experiences - which is why your human experience matters. Don’t let anyone cheapen your experience or the experiences of the very real people who tell the story of God in this sacred text. It’s deep and full of emotion - not cheapened by toxic positivity or false hopes.

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Easter morning, we delve into the story of Peter, a disciple whose journey reveals profound truths about faith and humility. As we reflect on his response to the empty tomb, let us glean insights for our own spiritual journey. The Beloved Disciple, with humble awe, saw signs of God's handiwork at the empty tomb. They embraced the mystery of God's plan, trusting in His love and sovereignty. Peter, though witnessing the same signs, struggled with doubt and pride. His journey teaches us the danger of relying on our own understanding instead of surrendering to God's will. Yet, through encounters with Christ, Peter's perspective changed. He learned humility and became a humble servant, entrusted with caring for God's flock. Peter's journey teaches us that humility is essential in our walk with God. By surrendering our pride, we open ourselves to God's transformative grace. As we conclude, let us embrace humility as the path to a deeper knowledge of God. Like Peter, may we surrender ourselves fully to God's love and become instruments of His peace and grace. Amen.

I think the common denominator here that Peter is missing, and I know I miss it too, is deep humility. Not humiliation, not shame, but a profound sense of awe at who God is and a deep realization that I am not God. It doesn’t matter what Rachel wants or thinks, it matters what God wants and thinks for Rachel. Not in a way that is removing the core of who I am, in a way that is liberating. Because God is God and I am not, I can make mistakes, I can be forgiven and forgive.

I relate to Peter’s doubts.

Bryan McLaren has a book called Faith After Doubt.

In this book, he explains that doubt is not necessarily a lack of faith

But a symptom of faith growth.

He says:

“ Faith before doubt: it’s about correct beliefs. Faith after doubt: it's about revolutionary love.”

He describes that revolutionary love looks like “loving with God – letting divine love fill us and flow through us” – the results of this are “loving without discrimination or limit, as an expression of the heart of the lover (God in us), not the merit of the beloved.

2 Wash me completely clean of my guilt;

purify me from my sin!

Clean from guilt – not just clean in some celestial ledger or trial of eternal judgment – David’s pleas for washing away from his guilt – not just the sin but also how he feels weighted down and heavy by this sin – now, in the present, in his life.

8 Let me hear joy and celebration again;

let the bones you crushed rejoice once more.

9 Hide your face from my sins;

wipe away all my guilty deeds!

10 Create a clean heart for me, God;

put a new, faithful spirit deep inside me!

Our first scripture today couldn’t get much more dramatic. The story begins with a bit of a spoiler. “When God was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind…” Wait what? God will take Elijah up in a whirlwind? I was immediately ready to dive into that story; that’s a page-turner right off the bat.

Write an affirmation for yourself, using the language used to describe hagia Sophia in Wisdom literature.

You can use any wisdom literature, but I have put together a list of the first places I would use.

I want you to read about Sophia Wisdom, read her characteristics, and think about what characteristics about yourself mirror hers.

The stubborn, strong, and cunning Jael, came out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Turn aside, my lord, turn aside to me; have no fear.” Jael has her own allegiances. She also has all the tools of a woman at her disposal. The general asks for water, she gives him soothing milk and covers him with her body. In the “bowl” reserved only for her lord, her husband, she feeds him. The general Sisera, between her feet he fell, he fell still. Fell still in his most unsuspecting moments, a tent stake driven through his temple. Jael had delivered herself and her people, weaponizing the very weakness so often exploited by armies of men. Jael stood outside her tent, her queendom, waiting for the pursuing army seeking the dead man, tent staked to her floor. “Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.”

Guest Blogger! Darren Sorrels share the story of Samuel’s call