Praise to the God who teaches us patiently.

Often life seems normal and ordinary, and suddenly love appears out of nowhere.

Just as Jesus was shunned by the masses yet rose again and lives as our Cornerstone, I pray that those on the margins will be received by their oppressors as the cornerstone and help us all to rise again with a new love, new life and new understanding of what it means to do God’s work and live into God’s Beloved Community.

Regardless of where this week takes you, may you be blessed as you come in the name of the Lord: fully human, needing one another.

These too are examples of a different kind of extravagance, one that I believe brings us closer to God.

In today’s Scripture, Paul boasts about his righteous heritage. In a twist of irony, Paul’s “boast” clearly becomes a confession – an honest assessment of owning up to past wrongs as a persecutor of the church.

In those times when you’re burnt out and it seems like there’s no way to revive your desire to keep moving forward, may God restore you.

Be proud that you are a miracle!

This week we are reminded that we have already been called, named and claimed as Christ’s own. As we move toward the events of Passion week and recount the journey to the Cross, let us remember our calling.

I’m comforted in knowing that although we may turn away at times, God waits in expectation of our return. God allows us to remember, and then accepts us, even if we don’t deserve it.