Illume

Purity Tests - Approval is Passing (Focus 2 of 4)

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 19:04:59 +0000

When or where have you seen someone stand up against indignity or wrongful judgment in a way that was inspiring?

Purity Tests

Sometimes you hear people say things like, "Anytime somebody says __________, you can guarantee they..." or "I can't handle the kind of person who..." This Spotlight is here to put an end to that. By the time you finish this, you'll be able to recognize and avoid the kind of people who...no, wait.

That's not it.

Purity tests: They're not helping, but they're hard to get away from, too.

Now that you've answered the Icebreaker, here's another question - this one, about filters.

How many filters does a person possibly need?

It's a niche space, but if you start digging into the landscape-pond-water-feature world, you're going to find some people who are obsessed with filtering water. They'll do anything to keep whatever combination of algae and mold wants to grow on their backyard aquatic decorations, and they'll spend hours tinkering and thinking about how well or poorly it is all working.

And then they'll add some more filters.

What about you? How many filters do you run people through before you decide they're worth your time?

We all have these little checklists we run people through — consciously or not — before we decide: "Okay, you're in." We call it discernment. We call it wisdom. We call it knowing who your people are. But what about when it's something else?

What about when these filters, these purity tests we make each other take, are actually keeping us from the very people we're supposed to be in community with?

Because here's something this conversation keeps coming back to: Nobody likes being on the other side of someone else's test. Nobody likes being sized up, sorted, and found wanting, and yet we do it. All the time. To each other.

So what would it look like to just... stop? (God did.)

Hopefully that makes enough sense to get you started. As you continue into the Worship portion of the Spotlight, pray this prayer together:

Lord,
We come with our filters and our lists.
We come with the ways we've sorted and been sorted.
Loosen our grip on who belongs and who doesn't.
Remind us that we did not pass a test to get here.
Open us to the people we might have walked right past.
Help us be ready to listen.
Amen.

You'll learn more of his story in the Serve section of this Spotlight, but to begin the Worship portion, listen to these words from Civil Rights activist and Baptism Minister Will Campbell. While he is speaking specifically to the racial divide in the church, his words apply to something broadly significant: even though the love of God is meant to be for all, with no barriers or purity tests necessary for anyone to receive, we can't quite shake the need to filter people out.

Both of these things have been true for a long time:

Humans use standards of approval to separate from one another.
God means for us to be united by love, not by standards or externals.

We live in this reality; as the "is passing" Spotlight series always attest, the darkness is passing (which means it is still here even as it weakens) and the true light is already shining.

The Rev. Ralph David Abernathy with Will Campbell in 1968, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, hours after the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Loving an Approval-based World

Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. | Romans 14:13

William D. Campbell plays a unique role in Civil Rights history, and the article will explain why. Read the article and then discuss this question:

We are encouraged "not to put any stumbling block or obstacle" in anyone's way. This is tough. In what ways did Rev. Campbell succeed?

Read about William D. Campbell

Pray Together

Apart/Alongside - Reconciliation in a Certain Light (Focus 4 of 4)

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 20:00:00 +0000

Is there a food or beverage that you're confident you just won't ever like no matter how many people push you to enjoy it?

Apart/Alongside

The journey of reconciliation will always include change, including, very often, a change in perception. This is especially true when there is, at least as far as you can tell, no real hope for coming to an understanding with someone and restoring a relationship that has either fallen apart or could just never get going in the first place. In these situations, much of the reconciliation is an internal action, where you reconcile in yourself the discrepancy between the relationship you wish existed and the one that can.

Now that you've answered the Icebreaker, here's another question - this one, about getting along.

Hopefully that makes enough sense to get you started. As you continue into the Worship portion of the Spotlight, pray this prayer together:

Lord,
You know better than most that things don't work out
the ways we might wish they would.
Hearts break, differences feel insurmountable,
and the kind of unity and harmony
that should have been simply isn't.
Come alongside us as we navigate this breaking,
and give us hope and purpose in the grace of moving forward.
Amen.

This series has focused on the idea of reconciliation, but we must face a hard reality: Reconciliation isn't always available, and that can cause real pain. Use the meditation on Psalm 55 below as a way to remind yourself that God does not abandon you in this pain.

It may be helpful to have the Psalm open in front of you as you do this, but note that the verses will not be read in order. For some, that might make having the text more of a distraction. Be judicious - know yourself!

Though not all relationships can be restored, an important one is, and this hymn text reminds us of that. Sing the song "O Love that Will Not Let Me Go," and notice all the ways it appreciates the God who meets us in the difficult places.

James 3:13-4:3
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

With James' encouragement in mind, write a letter of resignation from a relationship that doesn't work. It doesn't have to be a very "present, in-the-moment" active situation necessarily. You can look back on something and have the benefit of distance. Whatever relationship you choose, follow these steps.

Spend a few minutes taking quick notes. What do you want to include for sure?
Read through James' words again. What do they add to your letter?
Try to write a draft.

After 10 minutes, pair up with someone. Talk about what it was like. Share what you want, but don't feel obligated! Thanks for doing this.

If you and your partner have talked it all through, take another look at the James passage. Why do you think the things in verses 17-18 come in that order?

A Fair Witness

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, open to persuasion, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”
James 3:17–18

We’ve been practicing a humble, curious posture toward generations other than our own -noticing what formed them, what they carried, what they got right and wrong. That practice is helped when you have some distance from the generations you're thinking about.

It gets a little harder when you're turning that same quality of attention toward your own generation. We tend to explain other generations in terms of their context. We tend to judge our own by its outcomes.

ON YOUR OWN 4 minutes
Write a brief honest response to each prompt.
'Don’t overthink it. Your first instinct is probably the truest.

What is something your generation is commonly criticized for that you think is more complicated or more understandable than the criticism usually allows?
What is something your generation genuinely gets wrong that you find it hard to admit out loud?
What is one thing you genuinely admire about your own generation that you don’t hear often enough?

IN PAIRS OR THREES 7 minutes
Share one of your own responses (whichever felt most true or most surprising.)
The others listen without immediately agreeing or disagreeing.
Once one person shares, reflect back to them what you heard: “What I heard you saying was…” Then move on to the next person.

Close your mini group with this question:
Was it harder to defend your generation, confess for it, or praise it? What does that tell you?

BACK TOGETHER 3 minutes
A few people share not what they wrote, but what surprised them in the exercise.

Close with this thought:
The wisdom James describes, which is impartial and open to persuasion, applies here. Being reconciled to your own generation doesn’t mean defending everything about it or being ashamed of it. It means being honest about what it is: the good, the broken, and the complicated. "Getting along with it" in the truest sense of those words.

Pray Together

Feedback Form

You've now completed all the Spotlights of this series, and we at Illume would love your feedback. This form is your way of saying what else might be helpful, what you'd like to visit further, and what you might want to see adjusted.

Unknown/Understood - Reconciliation in a Certain Light (Focus 3 of 4)

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 20:00:00 +0000

Have you ever unintentionally given an unfortunate first impression?

Unknown/Understood

The journey of reconciliation will always include change, including, very often, a change in perception. That perception change is especially noticeable when what we need to reconcile is simply differences (as opposed to wrongs.) The work that takes people from distant to together - unknown to understood - is daily, important work for humans that is very much informed by God's work toward humanity.

Now that you've answered the Icebreaker, here's another question - this one, about getting used to something different.

How would you teach a bee to use a door? Watch the video to see.

Bumblebee queen learning to use a protective door cover in <24 hours.
by u/Pedantichrist in Beekeeping

It gets exciting to watch, doesn't it? The idea that the bee knows where it wants to get, but getting there is intimidating and confusing, that there can be a way to help the uncomfortable become comfortable and the known become known, is exciting not only for bees, but also for us.

When we are faced with things that are different and that we don't understand, and when those differences feel like they are irreconcilable, it isn't easy. This is a version of reconciliation that is not based on offense or harm, but is simply based on how different things can be.

This kind of reconciliation, where we are figuring out how to overcome differences, is a very common need for our daily lives. Let's talk about how we can step into that space and move from the frightening unknown to the safety of the understood.

Hopefully that makes enough sense to get you started. As you continue into the Worship portion of the Spotlight, pray this prayer together:

Lord,
We are confused, and confusion feels unsafe.
Prepare us, then, not to need mastery,
but to draw near with reverence.
Prepare us to be present to people we do not yet understand.
Give us the patience of wonder, the courage of listening,
and the gentleness that comes from standing on holy ground.
Amen.

Read Exodus 3:1-12, a story that illustrates the vast unknown-ness and difference between God and humanity. The journey from "unknown" to "understood" is a complicated one here, but you'll notice themes of consideration, humility, and grace are as present as they need to be in human-to-human reconciliatory moments.

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”
4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
And Moses said, “Here I am.”
5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father,[a] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12 And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”

Moses said, “I will go over and see this strange sight.”
A bush was on fire and not consumed.

God of flame that does not destroy,
we turn aside from our hurry to look and listen.

Holy God,

You are not like us.

You come to us from a place we cannot manage or explain,
like a flame that burns without burning away.

You tell us to pause, to remove what does not belong here,
to receive this ground as holy.

We confess, not only our wrongdoing but also our limits:
that sometimes the first barrier to our love is not harm,
it’s that we do not understand.

A voice called his name from the fire: “Moses, Moses.”

And said, “Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals.
The place where you are standing is holy ground.”

We set down our defenses, our categories, our need to control.
We perceive the ground we share to be holy.

This is not a moment of blame; it is a moment of awe.
The difference is too much for us, and it is exactly what we need.

Where we feel confusion more than comfort,
and wonder more than certainty
God, meet us there.

Name us. Speak to us. Teach us how to stand near you as we strive to stand near one another.

Holy God, draw us into your presence.
Make us present to each other. Amen.

Creating Generational Understanding

This video shows an experiment that was done to help people rethink their sense of aging and implicit biases about what it means to get old. As a group, design an event that would take place on a Saturday morning that would invite multiple generations to specifically confront, explore, and/or combat ageism.

Have one group member email your event concept to info@illume.church.

Pray Together

Harmed/Healed - Reconciliation in a Certain Light (Focus 2 of 4)

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 20:19:11 +0000

Do you have a favorite myth, fable, or just-so story?

Harmed/Healed

The journey of reconciliation will always include change, including, very often, a change in perception. Let's consider how reconciliation turns the unavoidable reality of harm into a cycle of repairing, so that the many instances of harm around us - whether we observe it, receive it, or perpetrate it - can be viewed as opportunities for the healing power of reconciliation to create something better.

Now that you've answered the Icebreaker, here's another question - this one, about a ship from Greek mythology.

Hopefully that makes enough sense to get you started. As you continue into the Worship portion of the Spotlight, pray this prayer together:

Lord,
We know that the need for repair
is an ever-present part of being human.
As the one who made us,
you know how to make us again.
Teach us to find joy in the healing processes
that lead to reconciliaton.
Amen.

Healing Intergenerational Harm

Across generations, harm happens - sometimes by intention, often by accident. Healing requires humility, curiosity, and offering what we can without demanding anything back. Today you'll identify the strengths your group already holds, as well as the places we feel harm or misunderstanding has occurred, so that we can build a small healing action toward another generation.

Answer these questions to start:

Skills/Experience:
- What does my generation bring to the table? (work experience, tech fluency, resilience, creativity, caregiving, etc.)
Needs/Questions:
- What is my generation unsure about?
- Where have we felt misunderstood, dismissed, or harmed by another generation?
Networks/Access:
- What relationships or resources could my generation offer that might bless someone of another generation?

Designs a micro‑action of repair or blessing directed toward another generation.
Your "micro-action" would answer one of the following:

Where has my generation received harm from another age group?
Where might my generation have caused harm (intentionally or unintentionally)?
What could I offer this week that creates even a tiny bit of repair, dignity, or understanding?

Young adults write a short note thanking older neighbors for stability, wisdom, or labor that made their lives possible..
Older adults invite a young person they know into a low‑pressure one‑hour coffee to ask three curiosity‑based questions rather than share advice.
Parents write a blessing or affirmation for their children or children in their life about their courage in a changing world.

The micro‑action must be simple, short (60–90 minutes to execute), and realistic.
Write your micro‑action down so we can visit it next Spotlight.
Complete the healing‑oriented bridge action with at least one person of another generation in your real life, and try to capture one sentence about what happened

Pray Together

Free Indeed - On Letting Freedom Ring (Focus 4 of 4)

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 20:00:00 +0000

Have you had people - to whom you aren't related - become like family to you?

Free, Indeed

Finding the kind of freedom that the Bible talks about means finding a freely-given place in the household of God. This belonging is a gift and nobody can take it from you. At the same time, this freedom is offered to everyone you meet, which means that finding the kind of freedom that the Bible talks about means learning to see everyone around you as a free member of. God's family.

Now that you've answered the Icebreaker, here's another question - this one, about messes.

Hopefully that makes enough sense to get you started. As you continue into the Worship portion of the Spotlight, pray this prayer together:

Lord,
You are eager for the small compromises
that are required for collaboration
because you are eager for the great promise
of unity in love. For this,
you give us freedom to act and react,
and we are glad to see your kingdom come
in every moment of this gracious exercise.
Amen.

Begin by reading this story:

John 8:2-11
2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Discerning Trafficking

Hopefully you've appreciated the conversation about trafficking in this series. If you have more questions about it, please submit them.

Pray Together

Optional - On Letting Freedom Ring (Focus 3 of 4)

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 19:00:00 +0000

Have you ever put off making a choice until it was too late?

Optional

If you're going to talk about freedom, you're going to talk about choices. At the core of constraint is the idea that choice has been removed; when the constraints are gone, you are "now free to move about the cabin." At the same time, one individual person cannot have or be everything - choices must be made - and choosing becomes its own kind of constraint. If you go down one path, you can't go down the other. Yes, there are options. Yes, when you choose you are still choosing a set of constraints. So...how does one make the choice? Consider this together.

Now that you've answered the Icebreaker, here's another question - this one, about being picky.

Have you noticed how picky we are?

I don’t just mean about food. I mean picky about everything.
We don’t just watch a show; we scroll past 200 options first.
We don’t just order coffee; we customize it.
We don’t just listen to music; we curate playlists.
We don’t just date; we filter.
We live in the age of options.

The more options we have…
the more selective we become.
The more selective we become…
the harder it is to commit.

Has having more choices actually made us freer?
Or has it made us more anxious?
More hesitant?
More afraid of choosing wrong?
Because when everything is optional, nothing feels solid.
Finding a framework for choosing is important,
so let's talk about doing that.

Not in a heavy, threatening way.
But in a grounding way.
What if the deepest, most important thing in your life
isn’t something you get to curate, but is done for you?
What if you get to make all the other choices knowing that truth?

This Spotlight is called Optional,
and we’re going to explore the surprising freedom
that comes when not everything depends on you.

Hopefully that makes enough sense to get you started. As you continue into the Worship portion of the Spotlight, pray this prayer together:

Lord,
You could have made the universe
a perfect, untouchable snowglobe environment
that you controlled entirely.
In love, you didn't.
You made us instead.
We are grateful for this life
and the choice that comes with it.
Amen.

Rotating readers, read through these passages that reinforce this idea:

John 3:16–17
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

1 John 4:8–10
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Romans 5:6–8
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Ephesians 2:4–5
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

Titus 3:4–5
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

Jeremiah 31:3
The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:
“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.

Romans 8:38–39
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

When we did not exist -
God let us be.
When we were still sinners -
Christ died for us.
When we were dead in our transgressions -
God made us alive.
What can separate us from the love of Christ?
Nothing.
God loves you.
And there is nothing we can do about it.

You may find it helpful to open a Bible to 1 Corinthians 6 as you walk through this discussion.

Discerning Trafficking

Discuss together:

When you hear the phrase human trafficking, what images or scenarios come to mind?
Where do you think most of your understanding comes from?
(News, social media, movies, school, church, etc.)

What Trafficking Actually Is
Human trafficking involves force, fraud, or coercion used to exploit someone for labor or commercial sex.

Research shows many victims are:

Economically vulnerable
Experiencing housing instability
Young people lacking strong support systems
Groomed by someone they already know

It is usually not random abductions by strangers.

Discuss:

Does this match what you expected, or surprise you?
Why do you think the public perception is often different from reality?

When Awareness Becomes Fear
Awareness campaigns can help, but sometimes messaging becomes exaggerated.
You may have seen examples like:

Viral warnings about kidnappings in parking lots.
Claims that major events always cause huge spikes in trafficking.
Social media posts that turn suspicious situations into trafficking stories without evidence.

Fear-based messaging can lead to:

Panic instead of preparation
Distrust of strangers or outsiders
Missing the people who are actually most vulnerable
Loss of credibility when claims aren’t accurate

Discuss:

Why do you think fear-based messages spread so easily?
Have you ever seen or shared something online that you later learned wasn’t accurate?
What harm might come from exaggerating a real problem?

Where Risk Actually Increases
Trafficking tends to grow where vulnerability exists:

Poverty
Isolation
Lack of safe housing
Lack of supportive relationships
Economic desperation

This means prevention often looks like:

Strong communities
Support systems
Awareness training
Paying attention to people who feel unseen

Discuss:

How is this different from the “stranger danger” idea many of us grew up with?
What kinds of people in our community might be more vulnerable than we realize?
How could communities of faith play a positive role?

We don’t need exaggeration to care.
We don’t need fear to take action.
Clear understanding helps us protect people more effectively.
The safest communities aren’t the most suspicious ones.
They’re the most connected ones.

Pray Together

There is Freedom - On Letting Freedom Ring (Focus 2 of 4)

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 20:15:27 +0000

Do you have a "happy place"? If so, where?

There is Freedom

The freedom for which Christ has set us free is not theoretical, private, or fragile. It is real freedom that shows up in the way we speak, serve, and stand among others. In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul insists that “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom,” and he immediately connects that freedom to confidence: not confidence in ourselves, but confidence that God is at work through us. Let's explore how freedom is not primarily something we enjoy internally, but something that authorizes us to be present, honest, and generous with others. In the Spirit, freedom becomes shared space, where we can minister, reflect Christ, and invite others in without coercion or performance.

Now that you've answered the Icebreaker, here's another question - this one, about feeling free.

Hopefully that makes enough sense to get you started. As you continue into the Worship portion of the Spotlight, pray this prayer together:

Spirit,
Where you are, there is freedom -
so we are glad to be where you are.
Teach us to know, to sense, and to seek
the freedom that is there with you.
It is a gift you give to us,
let us not resist receiving it.
Amen.

Read together Psalm 118.

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
2 Let Israel say:
“His love endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron say:
“His love endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the Lord say:
“His love endures forever.”

5 When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord;
he brought me into a spacious place.
6 The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
7 The Lord is with me; he is my helper.
I look in triumph on my enemies.
8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in humans.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.

10 All the nations surrounded me,
but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
11 They surrounded me on every side,
but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
12 They swarmed around me like bees,
but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns;
in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
13 I was pushed back and about to fall,
but the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord is my strength and my defense;
he has become my salvation.
15 Shouts of joy and victory
resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!
16The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;
the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”

17 I will not die but live,
and will proclaim what the Lord has done.
18 The Lord has chastened me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.
19 Open for me the gates of the righteous;
I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord
through which the righteous may enter.
21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
you have become my salvation.
22 The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
23 the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.

24 The Lord has done it this very day;
let us rejoice today and be glad.
25 Lord, save us!
Lord, grant us success!
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
From the house of the Lord we bless you.

27 The Lord is God,
and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
up to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will praise you;
you are my God, and I will exalt you.
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

Finish the worship section with the song "Happily Hidden" by Pat Barrett and John Mark McMillan, a song that encourages us to find freedom where it is - as the Psalmist celebrated - instead of in ourselves or something else.

Watch this video until it reaches 21:30. This is from a BEST (Businesses Ending Slavery & Trafficking) lunch and learn.

Major events like the Super Bowl and the upcoming World Cup matches that will be in Seattle draw huge crowds, attention, and resources. Alongside the celebration, they also become opportunities for criminal networks to exploit vulnerability, like you heard about in the video. Research and awareness initiatives show that anti-trafficking efforts can be wise to intensify around such events, not because trafficking automatically spikes dramatically compared to other times, but because these gatherings bring together people from many places and demand coordinated vigilance from law enforcement, service providers, and the public alike.

Share one thing you’ve learned or hadn’t considered about human trafficking and how events or larger social structures affect vulnerable people.
Discuss: What is one practical way your group or community could be more aware of this issue in everyday life (not just during big events?)

Practice Vigilant Compassion
Use the following prompt to discuss simpler, everyday actions:

Seeing vulnerability: Who are the people in your community whose voices are least heard?
Knowing signs: What are some common indications that someone may be at risk or being exploited?
Responding with care: How can you safely connect someone who may be in need to resources (such as hotlines, local nonprofits, or trained professionals) rather than intervening alone?

Pray Together

Close with Prayer

Heavenly Father, we are not altogether convinced that darkness is a thing of the past. Many people in this world of ours feel their world is one of darkness and gloom. Pressures crowd in upon us and get us down.

The causes are varied: bereavement, illness, money, worries about family, trouble at work or not having work, drugs, drink, boredom, doubt, weariness, futility.

Then there are the world issues: war, poverty, climate change, disease, unfair trade and so on. It does not help when we feel that as Christians we should be doing so much better than we are. Gracious and loving God, we rejoice that you are with us in our troubles, you know us and you love us – always

Even though we have made a mess of things personally and collectively you remain faithful. We rejoice that your Son came not to a perfect world, but to a broken world, our world. To bring light to the darkness, our darkness.

We pray for our dark and dreary world, a world in need – in need not just of a technical fix, but in need of love and grace, forgiveness and new life, hope, peace and fellowship, in need of renewal, in need of YOU.

We pray that you would come alongside us and all those for whom we pray, that you would show us Jesus, the light of the world, the one who came (and who comes) to rid us of sin, to give us life and health and peace, peace that passes all understanding – not a temporary respite from trouble but the strength to overcome it and ultimately to receive life eternal

You don’t wave a magic wand for everything to sorted instantly – you require us to exercise our faith and to respond to your call to preach the gospel and to seek to live it out, to look to you for the strength that we need to share your love and grace. Help us to share the good news in word and action – the same good news that the fishermen were called to proclaim that there is a Saviour, a merciful king who loves us and whom we can love and adore.

We have been set free. Enable us to use our freedom to share in bringing in the kingdom. In the light of this we have something to celebrate, something to shout about – for even in our trouble and pain, even in our loss, we know that Jesus is with us.

Hear us as in a moment of silence we pray for those in darkness (of whatever kind) – let us pray that they may see and know the light of Christ:

Silence

The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Hear our prayers, Lord, spoken and unspoken and answer them for Jesus’ sake.
Amen.

Finish this Spotlight with the song "Finally Free" by Rend Collective.

For Freedom - On Letting Freedom Ring (Focus 1 of 4)

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 15:44:46 +0000

What is your favorite fictional depiction of "freedom"?

For Freedom

God's vision of freedom is larger than personal choice or protected liberties. Scripture speaks of freedom not as the absence of limits, but as release - be it from bondage, from fear, or from systems that deform love and distort community. In this Spotlight, let's consider how God’s freedom is a bigger thing because it is always shared, always relational, and always aimed at life together. This is not freedom from one another, but freedom for one another. It is a freedom that rings outward, reshaping people, communities, and the world God loves.

Now that you've answered the Icebreaker, here's another question - this one, about owning freedom. Before you tackle the question, watch this scene from the 1995 film, Braveheart. If you haven't seen it, Braveheart is about a medieval Scottish patriot named William Wallace who led a revolt against the English. This clip picks up as he riles up the army to battle.

With that in mind, here's the question to get this Spotlight started:

To whom does freedom belong?

Most hear that question and immediately think, “Well… to me.”
To the individual. To a person, especially when that person's rights are being threatened.

That instinct isn’t wrong.
Think of that famous line from Braveheart:
“They can never take our freedom!”

It’s powerful because it names something deeply human:
the refusal to be owned, erased, or reduced.
Freedom does matter at the personal level.

But there's a question beneath the question:
Is freedom something I possess…or something I participate in?
Because the moment you treat freedom as something you own, it becomes something you have to guard, defend, and sometimes compete for. My freedom against yours. My rights against yours.

Scripture quietly pushes us in a different direction.
Not away from personal freedom, but through it and into something bigger:
Freedom as a shared reality.
A realm.
Almost a kingdom.

Freedom doesn’t just belong to individuals.
Individuals belong to Freedom.
And in God’s story, freedom is not just something we claim. It’s something God creates, declares, and sustains among a people.
So as we begin this Spotlight, we’re not just asking, “Am I free?”
We’re asking a deeper question:
What does it mean to belong to Freedom itself?

Hopefully that makes enough sense to get you started. As you continue into the Worship portion of the Spotlight, pray this prayer together:

God of liberty and grace,
We have our desires, our wills,
our wishes, and our longings.
We have our constraints and our limits, too.
You have freedom,
and you offer it to us freely.
Move us to receive it and to settle for nothing less.
Amen.

The freedom that is often talked about in the Bible is a freedom from something. Freedom from guilt, freedom from fears of inadequacy, freedom from the patterns and laws that accuse us. The song "I See the Birds" by Jon Guerra talks about this freedom from as a freedom from worry, drawing on the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:26-27.

Read these words together:

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"

Find some rest and hope in this as you reflect on this song.

Reflecting on Freedom

Choose one person to read, and have the whole group join in on the bolded words.

Galatians 5:1
It is for freedom
that Christ has set us free.
Stand firm, then,
and do not let yourselves be burdened again
by a yoke of slavery.

Let’s begin by settling in.
Place your feet on the floor.
Notice your breath.

We’re going to move slowly through that single verse of Scripture, Galatians 5:1
phrase by phrase, backwards.
After each phrase, there will be time to personally reflect.

“A yoke of slavery.”
A yoke is something placed on the shoulders.
It’s designed to direct, to harness, to make effort productive - but it is also heavy.
As you hear this phrase, notice what comes to mind.
What feels like it sits on your shoulders right now?
What expectations, fears, obligations, or identities feel less like guidance and more like weight?
Don’t analyze it. Just name it quietly, if anything comes.
(pause)

“...do not let yourselves be burdened again…”
This phrase assumes something important:
You were free once.
You know freedom.
But the burden comes back.
Notice the gentleness here.
Not accusation. Not shame.
Just recognition.
Where have burdens returned that you thought you’d already laid down?
Where have old patterns, old pressures, old fears crept back in?
(pause)

“Stand firm, then…”
Standing firm is not bracing or clenching.
It’s doesn't mean force.
It’s about steadiness.
As you hear this phrase, ask yourself:
What helps me stay grounded when things feel unstable?
Where do I already experience a quiet steadiness, however small?
And what does this steadiness have in common with freedom?
(pause)

"...that Christ has set us free.”
Notice what this does not say.
It does not say Christ set you free so you would get it right.
Or so you would manage things better.
Or so you would never struggle again.
It says freedom is both the gift and the goal.
Christ does not free you in order to control you.
That wouldn't be freedom.
Christ frees you in order to form you.
Sit with that for a moment.
You are not being trained for tighter obedience.
You are being drawn into deeper freedom.
(pause)

“It is for freedom…”
Freedom here is not escape.
Not indulgence.
Not doing whatever we want.
This freedom is relational.
Freedom to live without proving.
Freedom to love without fear.
Freedom to belong without performing.
What kind of freedom do you actually long for right now?
Not the impressive kind—the honest kind.
(pause)

Repeat the whole thing:
It is for freedom
that Christ has set us free.
Stand firm, then,
and do not let yourselves be burdened again
by a yoke of slavery.

There is nothing you need to add to that.
Nothing you need to earn.
Just freedom. Given, held, and sustained by Christ.

We pray:
God of freedom,
we come to you not to claim what is ours,
but to receive what you give.
You are the one who declares freedom before we understand it,
who names us free before we know how to live that way,
who sets us loose not because we are strong,
but because Christ is faithful.
You tell us that it is for freedom that Christ has set us free—
not for productivity,
not for moral achievement,
not even for usefulness—
but for freedom itself.
And yet, we confess how quickly we trade it away.
We confess how easily freedom becomes another burden,
something we must defend, prove, or deserve.
How often we carry old yokes
of fear,
of self-justification,
of needing to be right,
of needing to matter.
We ask you now to loosen what still binds us.
Not by force,
but by truth.
Not by pressure,
but by grace.

Spirit of the living God,
teach us what it means to stand firm,
not rigid,
not anxious,
but rooted.
Lead us into a freedom that is not indulgence,
but relationship.
Not isolation,
but belonging.
Not domination,
but love.
Free us from the idea that freedom belongs only to individuals,
and awaken us to the deeper truth
that freedom is something you are forming among a people.
Form us into people who can live freely with one another
without fear,
without control,
without the need to justify ourselves.
As we move forward in this series,
give us courage to let freedom ring
not as a slogan,
not as a possession,
but as a testimony
to what you are doing among us.
We place ourselves in your hands,
trusting that where your Spirit is,
there is freedom.
We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ,
who sets us free
for freedom.
Amen.

Galatians 5:-6 | It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. 2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

As Seattle prepares to host six FIFA World Cup 26™ matches in summer 2026, the city faces not only the excitement of welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors but also the very real risk of increased human trafficking that often accompanies major global events, where traffickers exploit large crowds and transient populations to conceal their crimes.

In response, Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking (BEST) - a Seattle-based nonprofit dedicated to educating employers to prevent trafficking and creating safe employment pathways for survivors - is working proactively to raise awareness and equip businesses and frontline staff with the tools to recognize and respond to trafficking indicators.

Through partnerships with the Seattle FIFA World Cup 26 Local Organizing Committee, BEST is offering free training, workshops, and prevention planning resources so that local employers, from hospitality to retail, can help make Seattle not just a world-class host city, but a community prepared to protect vulnerable individuals and prevent exploitation.

Watch the video on the page that the button below will lead you to in order to learn more about BEST.

Learn about BEST

Pray Together

Close this Spotlight with the song "Be Thou My Vision."

Flow - Control is Passing (Focus 4 of 4)

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 18:28:33 +0000

When was the last time you felt "off"?

Flow

The idea of "going with the flow" isn't always good - it can be an apathetic way of escaping. Flow, at least in the way Jesus talks about it, is not escape. It is presence without panic. Flow is not the absence of pressure, but it is the refusal to let pressure define or control us. Let's talk about something from the love of God that might be called "flow" - something that moves through us not because we manage it well, but because we stop interrupting it with control.

Now that you've answered the Icebreaker, here's another question - this one, about flow.

Hopefully that makes enough sense to get you started. As you continue into the Worship portion of the Spotlight, pray this prayer together:

Lord,
It feels like many things
pull us in many directions.
Give us discerning hearts,
point us in a helpful, natural way,
to bring us where you are leading us.
Amen.

John 4:1–26 (NIV)
Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman

1-3 Jesus realized that the Pharisees were keeping count of the baptisms that he and John performed (although his disciples, not Jesus, did the actual baptizing). They had posted the score that Jesus was ahead, turning him and John into rivals in the eyes of the people. So Jesus left the Judean countryside and went back to Galilee.
4-6 To get there, he had to pass through Samaria. He came into Sychar, a Samaritan village that bordered the field Jacob had given his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was still there. Jesus, worn out by the trip, sat down at the well. It was noon.
7-8 A woman, a Samaritan, came to draw water. Jesus said, “Would you give me a drink of water?” (His disciples had gone to the village to buy food for lunch.)
9 The Samaritan woman, taken aback, asked, “How come you, a Jew, are asking me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” (Jews in those days wouldn’t be caught dead talking to Samaritans.)
10 Jesus answered, “If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water.”
11-12 The woman said, “Sir, you don’t even have a bucket to draw with, and this well is deep. So how are you going to get this ‘living water’? Are you a better man than our ancestor Jacob, who dug this well and drank from it, he and his sons and livestock, and passed it down to us?”
13-14 Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst—not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.”
15 The woman said, “Sir, give me this water so I won’t ever get thirsty, won’t ever have to come back to this well again!”
16 He said, “Go call your husband and then come back.”
17-18 “I have no husband,” she said.
“That’s nicely put: ‘I have no husband.’ You’ve had five husbands, and the man you’re living with now isn’t even your husband. You spoke the truth there, sure enough.”
19-20 “Oh, so you’re a prophet! Well, tell me this: Our ancestors worshiped God at this mountain, but you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place for worship, right?”
21-23 “Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this mountain nor there in Jerusalem. You worship guessing in the dark; we Jews worship in the clear light of day. God’s way of salvation is made available through the Jews. But the time is coming—it has, in fact, come—when what you’re called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter.
23-24 “It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.”
25 The woman said, “I don’t know about that. I do know that the Messiah is coming. When he arrives, we’ll get the whole story.”
26 “I am he,” said Jesus. “You don’t have to wait any longer or look any further.”

Consider this poem as a version of the woman's response to this interaction with Jesus.

Counting
way too impossible,
Sand on the beach
Pebbles in the universe,
The problems...
my work
the world,
time eaten,
masked chaos,
The giants puff nothing
but seem to rule my life.

Now searing sand
Heat Waves in the desert
baked dry
I stumble,
purpose parched,
Inward intense,
Loser lost,
Stuck in a loop.

"Oh God,"
I cry
for your forgiveness,
I need
Your possible.

And then my eyes discover
shimmering somehow singing...
a distant oasis
that Jumps closer,
God calls
from its depths,
I am the water
I am the bread
I am the life
I am heaven's kingdom closer
I am the birth
I am the Spirit
I am your Saviour
I am your well spring
I am.

There in the cross
locked oasis deep,
a Jesus relationship
a worship,
in tune with the Saviour;
a well that streams
flows living water,
My spirit connects
to the holy,
God present with me,
And I dwell deep
loved infinitely, completely,
in the smile of God
in the eyes of God.

Something has shifted,
Released, freed
seeing the Lord bigger,
Who pours
His joy welling
flooding Soul deep,
Overtaking
Overwhelming
Overflowing.

The water that
wells connecting, calling
deep to deep,
Dance with Him
Dance in the
River,
The water that
wells connecting, calling
deep to deep,
Flow
in the river,
The water that
wells connecting, calling
deep to deep,
waiting, resting and
found in the Lord,
The water that
wells connecting, calling us
deep to deep,
To be the water of life
As mirroring waters
flowing, flooding God's glory
To the city
To the Earth.

In summary, finish this sentence: Having walked through Psalm 1, flow feels like...

Let's talk about traumatic interruptions to flow.

We’ve talked about flow as life that isn’t forced, but rather is life that moves with trust rather than control. But sometimes flow doesn’t gently slow down. Sometimes it’s interrupted suddenly, painfully, and without our consent.

Bad news breaks in. A diagnosis. A phone call. A loss. A revelation.

These moments don’t feel like invitations. They feel like collisions.

When bad news comes (news you didn’t choose and couldn’t prepare for)
what do you notice yourself reaching for first?

Answers or explanations
Action or urgency
Control or information
Distraction or numbness
Prayer or silence
People or isolation

Looking back, what actually helped you move forward (even a little) when flow was interrupted?

Read together.

Flow doesn’t mean nothing breaks.
It means we don’t have to force meaning or momentum in the moment of rupture.
Sometimes faith is simply staying present when the current stops.

This series has been about the desire for control, about noticing how much energy control costs us, and about how the Spirit keeps offering life that doesn’t depend on holding everything together. This closing activity is not about solving anything. It’s about naming where control is hard, and then letting the wisdom of God flow over us rather than demand something from us.

Get into smaller groups of 2-3 if possible.
One person should share first:

Name one area in your life right now where control feels especially hard or especially tempting.
- This could be work, family, health, faith, identity, the future, or how others see you.
- You don’t have to explain why or what you’re doing about it.
- Just name it.

The person to the sharer's right should then speak the sharer's name into Psalm 1.
Blessed is __________
when not walking in step with the wicked
or standing in the way that sinners take
or sitting in the company of mockers.
Blessed is __________
when their delight is in the law of the Lord,
when __________ meditates on it day and night.
Then, __________ is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever __________ does prospers.

Pray Together

Close this Spotlight with the song "O Splendor of God's Glory Bright."

In the Spirit - Control is Passing (Focus 3 of 4)

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 19:50:27 +0000

Have you ever had a dispute with a teacher or boss about the wording of a question or instruction?

In the Spirit

It is common - almost instinctive - to experience God as another force trying to control things. Another authority. Another system of pressure. However, God’s desire has never been control. God desires freedom, but not indulgent, self-justifying freedom. This is not freedom from responsibility, but freedom for love. It is freedom within grace, freedom that does not require self-justification. God is not trying to manage outcomes. God is forming people - and that changes everything.

Now that you've answered the Icebreaker, here's another question - this one, about what makes someone significant.

What makes someone significant?

Most of us treat significance like a receipt. If you can point to what someone has done - what they’ve built, achieved, fixed, or influenced - then we say, that mattered. Significance becomes evidence-based. Outcomes prove worth.

But that’s not actually what the word means.

Significant comes from the Latin significare: to mark, to indicate, to point to something. A sign doesn’t have to accomplish anything on its own. A stop sign doesn’t stop cars because it’s powerful; it stops them because someone with authority said, this marks something that matters.

We’ve quietly shifted the meaning. We talk as if significance is earned through productivity or impact, when originally it was something declared. Something becomes significant because it has been named as such.

That opens up a different way of seeing people...and ourselves.

In the Christian story, God doesn’t wait for results before speaking significance. Jesus is called “beloved” before he heals anyone, teaches anyone, or goes anywhere. No accomplishments yet. Just a declaration.

Which means significance doesn’t have to be the reward for a life well-lived. It can be the starting point. God can mark something (someone) as significant even if they never accomplish what the world would call success.

And that changes the question from “What have I done?” to “What has God named?”

Hopefully that makes enough sense to get you started. As you continue into the Worship portion of the Spotlight, pray this prayer together:

Lord,
When we leave behind the measurements
and calculations of a merit based system,
we can find ourselves wondering how things are supposed to work.
Show us what living free looks like
in the spirit - and in the Spirit.
Amen.

Begin the worship section of this Spotlight by listening to the hymn "A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth." This hymn talks about Jesus as a lamb who goes, willingly, to slaughter, at the urging of his father. It's an odd picture, but the last three verses of the hymn celebrate the glorious result.

This sets us up to think of what Jesus "chooses" to do - how much control he does or doesn't exert over his own life, death, and the results of it all.

The video below will read you John 6:1-60. It's a big section with some big things happening - the feeding of 5,000+ people, Jesus walking on water, and then this whole conversation about bread and Jesus being the bread of life.

At the center of it is an important statement of Jesus about what controls him. He says he does only what his Father sends him. That means he becomes this bread for the people. It means he gives life. It means he has purpose. This is Jesus' version of being "in the Spirit."

Watch the video, then reflect using the responsive reading below it.

A Responsive Reflection on Freedom, Being Sent, and Life in the Spirit

Leader:
Hear these words from Jesus:

Group:

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will,
but the will of him who sent me.” (John 6:38)

Leader:
Jesus describes his life not in terms of control, but of purpose.
He is not reacting to circumstances.
He is not driven by fear of failure or loss.
He knows why he is here.
This is important, because John 6 is a chapter full of pressure.
The crowd wants more bread.
They want certainty.
They want guarantees.
Some want to make Jesus king.

Group:
And Jesus does not take control.

Leader:
Instead, Jesus keeps returning to the same truth:
He is sent.
He receives his life, his work, and his future from the Father.
That clarity gives him freedom; not freedom to do anything he wants,
but freedom to do what he was given to do.

Group:
Jesus’ freedom comes from trust, not power.

Leader:
Throughout John 6, Jesus refuses coercion.
He does not force belief.
He does not adjust his message to keep followers.
When people leave, he lets them go.
This tells us something important:
God’s work is not sustained by control.
It is sustained by faithfulness.

Group:
God does not manage outcomes.
God forms people.

Leader:
Now listen carefully to what this means for us.
Many of us experience God as another controlling force,
another voice demanding results, obedience, or certainty.
But Jesus reveals something different.
Jesus’ obedience is not anxious.
It is not performative.
It is not driven by fear.
It is relational.

Group:
This is the freedom of the Son.

Leader:
The New Testament describes this same way of living as life in the Spirit.
Paul does not say, “Be controlled by the Spirit.”
He says, “Walk by the Spirit.”
“Be led by the Spirit.”
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”
Life in the Spirit is not about managing everything correctly.
It is about trusting that you are sent, held, and guided.

Group:
The Spirit leads; we do not have to force.

Leader:
So let us turn inward for a moment.
Where do you feel pressure to control outcomes?
Where do you feel responsible for things that may not actually be yours to carry?
Where have you confused faithfulness with control?
Pause for reflection.

Leader:
Jesus’ freedom came from doing only what he was sent to do.
Not everything that could be done.
Not everything others demanded.
Only what the Father gave him.
Life in the Spirit invites us into that same clarity.

Group:
We do not need to control what is not ours.

Leader:
Being in the Spirit does not mean passivity.
It means trust without grasping.
Action without anxiety.
Faithfulness without self-justification.
This is the freedom Jesus lives and the freedom he shares.

Group:
Teach us to live as those who are sent.

Leader:
Holy Spirit,
free us from the need to manage outcomes.
Form us into people who trust your leading.
Teach us the freedom of Christ.

Group:
Amen.

Let's get into this "in the Spirit" idea.

Let's talk about protesting.

First of all, we discuss this unconditionally. Protest is a voluntary action that is not for everyone. We discuss it here because it is happening - and if we can't talk about things that are happening around us at church...what's the point of being the church?

What is the difference between protesting out of reaction and protesting as an act of being sent?
- How can you tell, in your own body and motivations, when an action is flowing from anger, fear, or ego (control) versus from a sense of call, trust, and alignment with God’s work?
In John 6, Jesus frames his freedom as faithfulness to the One who sent him. When you think about causes you care about, what would it feel like to ask first: “Is this mine to carry?” rather than “Do I agree with this?”
Jesus resists being pulled into every demand placed on him in John 6. How might being “in the Spirit” sometimes mean protesting loudly, and other times mean refusing to join a protest at all? What practices help you discern the difference?

Please close this discussion by praying for protestors, their causes, and those who are being protested against.

Pray Together

Close this Spotlight with the song "Now Rest Beneath Night's Shadow."

Entropy - Control is Passing (Focus 2 of 4)

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 17:29:08 +0000

What's something that you got really into for a period of time but eventually (perhaps more quickly than you hoped) lost energy to do?

Entropy

Attempts to control always fall apart. Always. This is where theology and our lived experience collide beautifully, because this thing that can be called sin is not just moral failure - it is foolish, unsustainable effort. Scripture repeatedly shows that human systems of control decay: Law multiplies rules. Power requires enforcement. Fear divides and escalates. Control creates exhaustion, rigidity, fragility, and (eventually) collapse. Entropy, therefore, can be seen not simply as punishment, but as exposure.

Now that you've answered the Icebreaker, here's another question - this one, about discovering entropy.

Hopefully that makes enough sense to get you started. As you continue into the Worship portion of the Spotlight, pray this prayer together:

Lord,
We see the exhaustion and decay all around us,
and we grieve for the pain
caused by desperate, human attempts at control.
Release us from our trust in these systems
that we might share peace and hope
with those around us.
Amen.

Reflect on humanity's addiction to and exhaustion from control and entropy with the audio reflection below. Near the end of the reflection, the full text of Psalm 2 will be read. It is provided below the audio clip so that you can follow along.

Psalm 2

1 Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together
against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,
3 “Let us break their chains
and throw off their shackles.”
4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.
5 He rebukes them in his anger
and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
6 “I have installed my king
on Zion, my holy mountain.”
7 I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:
He said to me, “You are my son;
today I have become your father.
8 Ask me,
and I will make the nations your inheritance,
the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You will break them with a rod of iron;
you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”
10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear
and celebrate his rule with trembling.
12 Kiss his son, or he will be angry
and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Psalm 2 concludes:
12 Kiss his son, or he will be angry
and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

It feels, at least for a moment, like a controlling Lord making demands.

It is not.

Who is the Lord's son? Jesus.

What does he stand for and represent and bring? Unconditional love, mercy, and grace.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Finish this Worship section with the song "Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me."

Jesus, Thy boundless love to me,
No thought can reach, no tongue declare;
Unite my thankful heart with Thee,
And reign without a rival there.
To Thee alone, dear Lord, I live;
Myself to Thee, dear Lord, I give.
Myself to Thee, dear Lord, I give.

O, grant that nothing in my soul,
May dwell but Thy pure love alone!
Oh, may Thy love possess me whole,
My joy, my treasure, and my crown!
All coldness from my heart remove;
My every act, word, thought, be love.
My every act, word, thought, be love.

This love unwearied I pursue,
And dauntlessly to Thee aspire.
Oh, may Thy love my hope renew,
Burn in my soul like heavenly fire!
And day and night be all my care,
To guard this sacred treasure there.
To guard this sacred treasure there.

O that I, as a little child,
May follow Thee, and never rest,
Till sweetly Thou hast breathed Thy mild,
And lowly mind into my breast!
Nor ever may we parted be,
Till I become as one with Thee.
Till I become as one with Thee.

In suffering be Thy love my peace,
In weakness be Thy love my power;
And when the storms of life shall cease,
Jesus, in that important hour,
In death as life be Thou my guide,
And save me, Who for me hast died.
And save me, Who for me hast died.

A time to consider, together.

The news of the week was hard, enraging, conflicting, and very, very human.

Let's talk about it for a bit, together, remembering that our goal can be to grow as a community by listening, caring, and understanding, and that everyone needs people around them who will be honest while also being unconditionally caring. Your group has done things together, and hopefully the desire for unity is one of the reasons you're here.

If it helps, here are a few questions:

When injustice and unrest rear heads in America, what is your personal response typically like? Has this been similar?
Is there anything in the discourse around this tragedy that you wish were being made clearer - that is, something you think might help?
Have you engaged with others in conversations about what happened? Have they mostly been people who feel the same way that you do, or have they been folks who feel differently?

Pray about This Together

Prayer for Mercy in Entropy

God of all that is and all that is becoming,
we come to you at the end of this time aware of how much we want things to hold together.
We want systems to work.
We want people to behave.
We want ourselves to remain steady and strong.
But we confess that we are tired.
Tired of maintaining appearances.
Tired of gripping outcomes we cannot secure.
Tired of pretending that with enough effort, enough force, enough control,
we could finally make the world stop breaking.
We see now how much energy that costs.
We see how control promises stability,
but instead accelerates collapse—
in institutions, in relationships, and in our own hearts.
Where we have believed the lie that everything depends on us,
release us.
Where we have blamed ourselves for not holding things together,
forgive us.
Where we have doubled down, tightened our grip,
and harmed ourselves or others in the process,
meet us with mercy.

God of grace,
you are not shocked by entropy.
You are not threatened by the unraveling of human systems.
You are not asking us to fix what cannot be fixed.
Instead, you meet us in what is breaking.
You dwell with us in what is unfinished.
You offer not control, but presence.
Not certainty, but faithfulness.
Teach us to tell a truer story;
one that does not deny loss,
but does not worship power either.
A story in which we can grieve what falls apart
without scrambling to dominate what remains.
Help us spend our energy on love instead of management,
on compassion instead of preservation,
on trust instead of fear.
And when the world feels unstable again,
as it surely will,
remind us that we are secure in you,
even when it seems that nothing else is.
We place what we cannot control into your hands, and we rest there.
Amen.

Close this Spotlight with the song "All Glory Be to Christ."

Hope, Shared - Hope in a Certain Light (Focus 4 of 4)

Sun, 28 Dec 2025 20:13:57 +0000

Are there things on someone else's bucket list that you honestly hope will happen for them?

Hope, Shared

This series has led us to this: Hope is meant to be shared. It grows when it is shared. It becomes more true and powerful when shared. Perhaps most of all, hope shared does leads to something almost holy: the connection of one person to another. Unity can be a product of the vulnerable, important, and exciting task of sharing in the hopes of those around us.

Now that you've answered the Icebreaker, here's another question - this one, about ambition.

What is the difference between hope and ambition?

At first glance, they seem almost identical. Both look forward. Both anticipate something good. Both can even inspire us to work hard. But here’s the key difference: ambition is about me - my goals, my success, my achievement. It often drives a person to compete, to climb, and to do something amazing, but it also drives a person to separate. Ambition says, ‘If I don’t make this happen, it won’t happen.’

Hope, on the other hand, is about us. It’s rooted in trust, not control. Hope unites because it says, ‘Even when we can’t make it happen ourselves, we trust that it’s possible.’

Ambition demands outcomes; hope rests in possibility.
Ambition isolates; hope connects.
Nobody needs to hide hope, but they may disguise ambition.

Here’s a beautiful thing: hope doesn’t shrink when life gets hard or things don't according to plan. Hope simply shines brighter, uniting those who share it all the more. So as we finish our exploration of hope in a certain light, ask yourself: where am I chasing ambition, and where am I resting in hope? Where am I sharing, and where am I isolating?

Hopefully that makes enough sense to get you started. As you continue into the Worship portion of the Spotlight, pray this prayer together:

Lord,
You call us to hope in many things.
In restoration against decay,
in love against hatred,
in peace against chaos.
May these hopes connect us,
both to you and to one another,
and carry us onward.
Amen.

Read responsively the songs of Zechariah and Mary, found in Luke 1, in which each of them are praising God for his saving work. You may, if you'd like, use the video above for background music as you read.

You'll need a leader to read the beginning and end portions. Zechariah's words can be read by the men in the group, Mary's by the women.

Singing the Songs of Hope

Leader: Lord God, we come before you with gratitude and joy. As Zechariah and Mary praised you when you announced your plan of salvation to them, so we praise you today, reflecting on the grace shown in the birth of the Messiah.
--
MEN
WOMEN

Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.

He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David
From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.

As he said through his holy prophets of long ago,
salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
To show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.

To rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.
--
Leader: We praise you, Lord, the God of Israel,
for you have remembered your people.
my soul glorifies you, and my spirit rejoices in you, my savior,
for you have looked upon the lowly and lifted them high.
you scatter the proud and bring down the mighty,
yet you raise up the humble and fill the hungry with good things.
your mercy flows from generation to generation,
like a river that never runs dry.
You have kept your promises,
spoken through prophets long ago,
and in your faithfulness you have redeemed us,
so that we may serve you without fear,
in holiness and righteousness all our days.
teach us to rest in your mercy,
to trust when we cannot see,
to hope when the night feels long.
Let our ambition fade into your peace,
and let our hearts be tethered to your promise.
For you are the mighty one who does great things,
and holy is your name.
All: Amen.

Sharing One Another's Hopes

Purpose
To serve one another by creating space for hopes to be spoken, heard, and honored. (Not ambitions, but hopes that unite and inspire.) Use the timer below to govern steps 1 & 2.

Step 1: Reflect

Take a few quiet moments to identify something you hope for right now.
- Think beyond personal achievement.
  - What do I long for that brings life, connection, or renewal for myself, for others, for the world?
  - What do I long for that would bring peace or renewal to my life?
  - What do I hope for in my relationships with family, friends, or community?
  - What do I hope for in the world around me?
  - Where do I wish to see healing, growth, or restoration?
  - What do I hope for in a coming season of life?
  - What hope feels fragile but still matters deeply to me?
  - If fear or control weren’t in the way, what would I dare to hope for?
- Remember: Hope trusts. Hope connects. Hope looks beyond control.

Step 2: Pair & Share

Find a partner.
Each person shares their hopes with their partner.
The listener’s role is to serve by listening earnestly - no advice, no fixing, just listen.
As you listen, ask yourself:
- What stood out to you in their hope?
- How does this hope connect to something bigger than just one person?

Step 3: Speak for the Other

Return to the larger group.
Each person introduces their partner’s hope to the group:
“This is what [Name] hopes for…”

This honors the act of listening and makes the sharing communal.

Remember:
Serving through listening means giving your full attention, valuing their words, and holding their hope with care.

Pray about This Together

Prayer of Lament and Hope

For those who are suffering.
For those who are injured.
For families that are separated.

For firemen, police, emergency medical workers and all public officials.
For those who answer the call to comfort and give aid.
For those who provide support thru their prayers.

For those who are dying.
For those who died while saving the lives of others.
For all who lost their lives.

For those who survived.
For the children who have been orphaned.
For the men and women who have lost their spouses.
For all who mourn and those who comfort them.

For generosity of spirit.
For hope in times of despair.
For light in the darkness.

Gracious and Loving God,
you are our comforter and our hope.
Hear your people's prayers as they come before you.
Strengthen us in this time of need.
Inspire us to acts of charity and generosity
and give us hope of a brighter future.
We ask this in Jesus' name.
Amen.

Close this Spotlight with the song "May You Find a Light."

Hope, Expected - Hope in a Certain Light

Sun, 14 Dec 2025 18:05:26 +0000

What’s your favorite package delivery service story, be it funny, weird, or frustrating?

Hope, Expected

Hopeful expectation can be a good thing, but when hope is about nothing more than outcomes, it becomes brittle. Hope does not have to be a passive waiting; it can be active, living as if what is hoped for is true. Let's explore how hope can shape the ways people act even when the fulfillment of their hopes has not yet (and may not ever have) arrived.

Now that you've answered the Icebreaker, here's another question - this one, about tracking packages.

Have you ever impatiently tracked a package online?

You refresh the page, hoping to see SHIPPED and then hoping for OUT FOR DELIVERY and finally hoping for DELIVERED. You pull up the confirmation email and check again...and again...

That’s how we often think about 'hoping' - that it is a matter of waiting for something we want to arrive. But hoping doesn't have to be something as passive as that. Hope doesn't have to be about refreshing the page until life changes. Hope can shape the way we behave as we wait, turning the waiting into living, and that living can have positive ends.

Everyone who has ever functioned "by faith" has acted without yet seeing the outcome of whatever they hoped for. In the story of the flood, Noah built the ark before the rain ever came. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob passed the promise of God on to their children even though it hadn't come true in their lifetimes. They had hope, but they didn’t wait for certainty. They lived as if the thing they had not seen was in fact coming.

So here’s the challenge: Where in your life are you just tracking hope, waiting for what you want to show up, when God might be inviting you to practice hope instead? That’s what we’re exploring in this Spotlight: Hope, Expected. Not passive waiting, but active trust. Let’s talk about it.

Hopefully that makes enough sense to get you started. As you continue into the Worship portion of the Spotlight, pray this prayer together:

Lord,
Lead us to find the value of hope
even when things feel unfulfilled or confusing.
When we feel we have run out of trust,
been too disappointed,
or feel filled with doubt,
keep us from despair
and surround us with those
who will encourage us live as people of hope.
Amen.

Living in hope and acting in expectation of that hope is not the same thing as what is sometimes called "manifesting" an outcome, nor is it the same thing as "earning" it. Explore that, and find comfort in this difference, using the responsive dialogue below. You may, if you'd like, use the video above for background music as you read.

You'll need 3 volunteer readers.

Finding the Light of Hope

Reader 1:
Listen to the words of the prophet Jeremiah:
Hear and pay attention, do not be arrogant, for the Lord has spoken.
Give glory to the Lord your God before he brings the darkness,
before your feet stumble on the darkening hills.
You hope for light, but he will turn it to utter darkness
and change it to deep gloom.
If you do not listen, I will weep in secret because of your pride;
my eyes will weep bitterly, overflowing with tears,
because the Lord’s flock will be taken captive.”
(Jeremiah 13:15–17 NIV)

Response (All):
Lord, we hear your warning.
Teach us to walk in your light.

Reader 1:
Jeremiah speaks to a people who hoped for light but refused to act as if God’s light was real. They needed outcomes and misunderstood obedience. We do this too by waiting for certainty before we risk action. We hope for light but hesitate to strike the match.

Response (All):
Lord, forgive our hesitation.
Help us trust your presence more than our plans.

Reader 1:
“Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well,
but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.”
—Vaclav Havel, Author and former President of the Czech Republic
Sit with that for a moment.
Hope is not about guaranteed outcomes,
it’s about living as if the hoped-for-thing makes sense even when results are unclear.

Response (All):
Lord, teach us to trust and act,
even when the path is dark.

(Pause 30 seconds for reflection.)

Reader 2:
Close your eyes.
Picture a dark hill at dusk.
You’re holding a lantern, but you hesitate to light it
because you think the sun may rise soon.
You hope for light, but you do nothing.
What does that hesitation feel like?
Now imagine striking the match.
The lantern glows.
Unlike sunrise, it doesn’t change the whole landscape -
but it changes your next step.
That’s what hope, practiced, can feel like.

Response (All):
Lord, give us courage to light the lantern of faith today.

Reader 2:
A farmer stood at the edge of his field, waiting for rain.
He prayed for rain every day - but never planted a seed.
He said, ‘Why waste the seed if the rain might not come?’
His neighbor planted anyway.
When the rain came, only one field was ready.
Hope without action is like seed in a sack.
It never grows.

Response (All):
Lord, teach us to plant even when skies are gray.

Leader 2:
We have waited for certainty before acting in faith.
We have hoped for light but refused to strike the match.
We have trusted in outcomes more than in obedience,
and in control more than in presence.

Response (All):
Lord, take away our fear.

(Pause 30 seconds for reflection.)

Reader 3:
We have delayed love until we felt safe.
We have generosity until we felt secure.
We have postponed forgiveness until we felt sure it would be received.
We have treated obedience as a way to earn blessings
instead of as an act of faith.

Response (All):
Lord, free us from the need for guarantees.

Reader 3:
We have believed hope is a distant, future reward rather than a present calling.
We have waited for heaven instead of living as if heaven is breaking in.
We have forgotten that obedience is not a transaction but a testimony:
a way of saying, ‘We trust you, God, even when the outcome is unknown.’

Response (All):
Lord, teach us to live as if your light is already here.

Reader 3:
Take a moment in silence to name where you’ve been waiting instead of acting;
where you’ve hoped for light but perhaps refused to strike the match.

(Pause 30 seconds for reflection.)

Reader 3:
God of light, transform us.

Response (All):
Give us courage to plant seeds even when skies are gray,
to light lanterns even when hills are dark,
and to trust that your kingdom is near,
not because we’ve earned it,
but because you are faithful.
Amen.

Gifts for University Avenue

Illume is hoping to provide 10 gifts for unhoused friends in the University District through the work of the Streetlight Initiative. These gifts are one way to communicate communal hope, letting people you've never met know that they matter to you.

Pray about This Together

Prayer for Communal Expectation

God of hope, you call us into community, not isolation. You remind us that hope is strongest when shared. When we grow weary, you give us one another to strengthen faith.

Thank you for the gift of one another.

When the path is dark and outcomes are unclear, remind us that obedience is not a way to earn your favor but a way to trust your heart. Teach us to act in faith, even when we cannot see the end.

Help us trust you more than our plans.

Forgive us for the times we have tried to carry hope alone.
Forgive us for isolating ourselves when you designed us for interdependence.
All:
Draw us back into your family of faith.

Thank you for the cloud of witnesses who lived by faith - Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Rahab - none of them saw the promise fulfilled, yet they acted and found themselves in good company. Make us companions in that same faith today.

Give us courage to walk together in hope.

When one of us falters, let another lift them up.
When one of us doubts, let another speak courage.
When one of us rejoices, let all rejoice together.

Teach us to carry each other’s burdens and share each other’s joy.

We remember Jesus, “the pioneer and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

He lived from hope, and because of him, we can too.

We see from Jesus that hope grows when it is given away. So send us out as encouragers, burden-bearers, and light-bringers in a world that feels dark. Make us instruments of your hope and peace.

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace as we act in trust, so that we may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Close this Spotlight with the song "May You Find a Light."

Grace or Disgrace - Justice is Passing (Focus 4 of 4)

Sun, 23 Nov 2025 09:41:25 +0000

Use the arrows to see more variations of Jenga success...

It's all about having just the right touch at the right time.

That can also be said of how one makes use of mercy and justice, which is what we're focusing in on in the final Spotlight of this series: "Grace or Disgrace."

Before diving in, permit just a little review of where you've been in the series to set things up for its final Spotlight. Justice is passing, as a series, has been exploring humanity's (individuals, groups, societies, or everybody's) relationship with the big idea of a just world.

At first, you focused on what justice just isn't, pointing out that if one is talking about a "good" version of justice, it will not include vengeful, retributive, or punitive motives.
Next, you focused on a rational explanation of God's wrath: When God acts in wrath, or in a way that is punitive, it is done in order to disillusion humanity of the desire for the version of "justice" in which God pursues full, fair, merciless judgment.
Once you're moving away from a God who would act (and encourage people to act) with unflinching justice, how should you react when God puts you through things, even natural consequential things, that can be unpleasant and feel like punishment? In the third focus of the series, you saw that there are times when God is using the refiner's fire to move you toward the purer, better, mercy-oriented world that he has for you - despite your resistance.
And finally, today, you'll explore how both justice and mercy are tools you are equipped to use in moving the world toward God's loving kindness (and away from putting faith in justice.)

Here's where you're headed:
There are still times when a justice-focused action or motivation can be appropriate even as you acknowledge that the true system in which humanity is meant to live - or better, needs to live - is an unjust (read: merciful!) one because it is defined by unconditionally loving kindness. Those who find hope in the story of Jesus are shaped by this, because they recognize that they are certainly not beholden to justice and certainly are beholden to mercy. This leads Jesus' followers to ask: What will it look like to think and act in a way that does not reinforce justice or enable injustice, but rather leads to loving kindness and mercy?

Now that you've answered the Icebreaker, here's another question - this one, about a bending universe.

Hopefully that makes enough sense to get you started. As you continue into the Worship portion of the Spotlight, pray this prayer together:

Lord,
Place in our hearts a dream of a world that
thrives beyond the constraints of justice,
where love and mercy are plentiful, free,
and sufficient to satisfy every heart.
Use that dream to draw us together
to act as if that world is here among us, even now.
Amen.

This loyal love of God - in Hebrew KHESED or HESED - is used to talk about mercy, love, and is sometimes even translated "lovingkindness" because it is too big a concept for just one English word.

In 2017, I (Kent) tried to write a song that explored how this quality of God transforms things for us. I called it "The Line" because it feels, sometimes, like this love puts you between some big concepts, including the big Biblical ideas of "Law" and "Gospel."

When theologians talk about "Law," they're talking about a set of standards that need to be met for everything to be OK - standards which, if left unmet, will have consequences.

When theologians talk about "Gospel," they're talking about the story of Jesus living a perfect life and giving the credit for that perfection to humanity in order to "make up for" our shortcomings when it comes to the "Law."

HESED kind of supersedes all this. If the Law was given to disillusion us of "justice," and the Gospel tells us that even within the justice-system we are loved by God, HESED tells us that all of this is true because God has always loved us.

Below is a pretty...mid-quality?...recording of the song. I offer it here because I think that lyrically it offers a couple of useful ways to consider what it feels like to be enamored with this "HESED" kind of love in a world where it doesn't always fit.

A Prayer of HESED

God of loyal love,
before there were commandments, before there was a cross,
there was you -
choosing us, holding us, delighting in us.

We confess that we still feel the weight of the Law;
the standards we cannot reach,
the justice we cannot secure,
the fear that we will never be enough.
We confess that we cling to the Gospel
as though it were a loophole, instead of a gift,
because we cannot imagine a world
where mercy is the starting point.

But your hesed -
this stubborn, steady, pursuing love -
stands before all of it.
It is older than our failures,
truer than our efforts,
stronger than our shame.
It does not wait for us to improve.
It does not negotiate.
It simply loves.
So teach us to live in that love—
not escaping the world,
but inhabiting it differently.
Let your HESED soften what judgment hardens,
heal what guilt corrodes,
and free what fear constricts.
Let it reshape our imaginations
so that mercy feels like home.
And when we find ourselves standing on the line
between justice and grace,
between command and promise,
between who we’ve been and who you are making us,
remind us that you are there too,
not pushing, not demanding,
but staying.
Thank You for being the beginning and the end
of every story we tell about ourselves.
Amen.

Christians and the Justice System

Jesus mentions visiting prisoners in the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25. It's a significant parable and has significant implications regarding the ways Jesus' followers should act toward those who are in prison. Here are all the mentions of prison in the parable:

Matthew 25:36 | I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
Matthew 25:39 | When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
Matthew 25:43 | I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
Matthew 25:44 | “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

Based on these, what seems to be the problem people face when imprisoned - at least, what problem can a Christian take action to remedy?

Have you ever had contact with people who are actively imprisoned? If you have, please share with your group when, how, and what it was like.

In case you don't have experience with it, as a group, do a little internet searching and see if you can come up with 5 ways to take that action within the next month. You don't necessarily have to take any action, but if you're ever wondering what you can do for Jesus...this is one great example (because Jesus provided it to you.)

Pray about This Together

A Covenant Prayer: Recommitment to Justice

This closing prayer requires 3 volunteers.

One: O God, who has created your children to be free,
we attest in word and deed
that you are our God and we are your people.
From our earliest days you have called us forth
from self-seeking bondage, comfort,
complacency, and complaint,
to freeing and redeeming action for justice
everywhere in the world.

All: You are our freeing God,
and we would be your free and freeing people.

Two: O God of Exodus and the Burning Bush,
of the Prophets and of Jesus,
we hear your powerful calling to be your servants
in the service of all those who are oppressed.
At every turn we hear your voice in the cries of the poor,
the hungry, the imprisoned, and the broken,
for you made yourself one with those who seek justice,
freedom, and peace.
We share a vision, a promise,
and a yearning for the day of your reign, O God.

All: You are our servant God,
and we would be your serving people.

Three: O God, Our Sustainer,
search our hearts and reveal to us our sinfulness,
all the ways that we contribute to injustice
and to self-destroying bondage.
Give us deep courage to find the true path of your way,
ready to give our very selves as living sacrifices for your will.
We have heard your calling.
Hear us now as we make our pledge.

All: You are our God and we are your people.
We pledge ourselves now to pursue relentlessly
that living, breathing grace
which transforms persons and peoples.
To your will for justice we recommit ourselves
and pledge ourselves, our funds, our actions.
Through Christ we pray. Amen.

Close this Spotlight with the song "May You Find a Light."

Refiner's Fire - Justice is Passing (Focus 3 of 4)

Sun, 16 Nov 2025 20:15:01 +0000

When was a time when you knew change needed to happen even though you also knew it would be unpleasant?

Once justice can be seen simply as a useful tool (and not the goal of all things, because mercy triumphs over judgment), the ways that justice is and isn't used can be examined in daily life. Sometimes, God uses his work in his role as a "refiner" - not a punisher, in this case, but the one who burns away what is false, clarifies what is true, and brings increased capability to the one being refined. That slow, sometimes unpleasant, process can free us from what dilutes us (i.e. an obsession with justice, etc.) and turn us toward the clarity of Christ's compassion.

Now that you've answered the Icebreaker, here's another question - this one, about the writing process.

One important note as you dive into this topic:
There are times when God is refining people and it can feel like judgment or even "wrath." There are also times when things are unpleasant...but not because God is working to refine. The world doesn't always work the way it should, and believers sometimes seek to explain the brokenness by suggesting that God is doing something.
Maybe God is, or maybe not.
Maybe it's just a bad thing.
Learning to discern this is a skill we hope to help you develop further in this Spotlight.

Hopefully that makes enough sense to get you started. As you continue into the Worship portion of the Spotlight, pray this prayer together:

Lord,
You love us - of this we can be sure.
You want what is best for us - you've promised as much.
So much gets in between your love and its intended recipients.
Help us notice when it breaks through
and find joy in the purity of your grace.
Amen.

Come Down, O Love Divine is a hymn based on a 14th century Italian poem by Bianco of Siena. The whole text is a prayer to the Holy Spirit of God, asking that the spirit be a "holy flame" that would do all a flame does: give light, burn what needs to be discarded, and refine the pure.

Use the song as a prayer to open this Worship section, either read aloud or sung.

Finish out the Worship section by reflecting on God's relationship with justice using the song "All is Forgiven." You can listen to the song sung by its composer, Pastor Caleb Schmiege, and follow along with the words below.

Christians and the Justice System

Take a look at the participant handbook and ReadMe guide of the "Mentoring a Returning Citizen" course offered by Prison Ministries. This is an excellent resource for anyone who is interested in helping people re-acclimate to society after incarceration.

View the resource here or scan the code below.

Pray about This Together

God of truth and tenderness,
you see us fully - our wounds, our fears, our hidden places.
You reveal what is broken not to shame us, but to set us free.
Reveal in us what leads to life, and heal what keeps us from love.
Where your light exposes the things we’d rather hide,
give us courage to stand before you without pretending.
Meet us in honesty, and teach us to trust your mercy.
When your judgment names what harms us,
remind us that your purpose is always restoration.
Let your justice be our healing, and your correction our peace.
As we face the truth about ourselves,
help us not turn against one another.
When we see each other’s struggles,
help us not turn away.
Make us companions on the path, bearing one another’s burdens with grace.
Where wrath has revealed our fractures,
let mercy bind us together.
Where fear has divided us,
let love make us whole.
Form us into a people who walk the way of the cross -
together, honest, forgiven, restored.
God who brings light out of shadows and resurrection out of ruin,
stay with us as we go.
Strengthen us to live what we have seen tonight.
Lead us in your truth.
Heal us with your mercy.
Unite us in your love.
Amen.

Close this Spotlight with the prayer "O Splendor of God's Glory Bright."

Rational Wrath - Justice is Passing (Focus 2 of 4)

Sun, 09 Nov 2025 17:20:37 +0000

When was the last time you had to "get involved" to end a dispute or fight - be it physical or interpersonal?

The Bible often portrays God’s "wrath" as a direct response to injustice. At first, it seems like punishment, but God is not acting to punish; God is clearing the way for love. That thing that is often called God’s wrath exposes what breaks love and clears away what blocks compassion. In this Spotlight, we’ll explore how these divine actions do not negate grace, but rather bring us out of our punitive ways of thinking and into God's kingdom of mercy.

Now that you've answered the Icebreaker, here's another question - this one, about who it hurts when we're angry.

Do you think it’s true when someone says, “This is going to hurt me a lot more than it’s going to hurt you”?

That saying often comes up when someone is about to punish, and it tries to make the punishment sound compassionate. The problem is, punishment is still about pain. Psychologists have shown that this approach (using pain as a teaching tool) doesn’t just fail to help kids; it actually harms them. It creates fear, damages trust, and teaches that love and punishment go hand in hand. That’s not healthy, and it’s certainly not the way God works.
When the Bible talks about God’s wrath, it’s easy to imagine something similar: God saying, “This is going to hurt me more than you” as he punishes people. But that’s not what’s happening. God’s wrath isn’t about inflicting pain or proving a point. It’s not punishment for punishment’s sake. Instead, it’s about clearing away what blocks love and removing what breaks compassion so that mercy can triumph.
Today, we’re going to explore how God’s wrath is not his true way of working in the world. It’s not his modus operandi. At best, it’s a way of saying, "This system of justice is hurting you a lot more than it could ever help. You need to want to get away from it."

Hopefully that makes enough sense to get you started. As you continue into the Worship portion of the Spotlight, pray this prayer together:

God of justice and mercy,
You see what breaks love and what builds it.
Help us not to fear your wrath, but to understand it.
Clear away what blocks compassion in us.
Lead us out of judgment and into mercy.
Let your love triumph in our hearts today.
Amen.

Take a look at the words of this hymn text from the 1600s, which brings up the ideas of justice and wrath in its opening verse:

1 Not in anger, mighty God, not in anger smite us.
We must perish if Thy rod justly should requite us.
We are naught; sin hath brought, Lord, Thy wrath upon us.
Yet have mercy on us!

2 Show me now a Father's love and His tender patience.
Heal my wounded soul; remove these too sore temptations.
I am weak; Father, speak Thou of peace and gladness;
Comfort Thou my sadness.

3 Weary am I of my pain, weary with my sorrow,
Sighing still for help in vain, longing for the morrow.
Why wilt Thou tarry now! Wilt Thou friendless leave me
and of hope bereave me?

4 Hence ye foes, He comes in grace; God hath deigned to hear me.
I may come before His face, He is inly near me.
He o'erthrows all my foes, death and hell are vanquished
in whose bonds I languished.

5 Father, hymns to Thee we raise here and once in heaven,
And the Son and Spirit praise, who our bonds have riven.
Evermore we adore thee whose love hath stirred us
and whose pity heard us.

Taking in the whole text, this is not a hymn about a just, wrathful God. What kind of God is it about? (Also, don't move on with out taking note of the very cool old English word, "inly.")

Justice System: Just the Facts Challenge

We'll spend the rest of the series talking about the justice system (not to be confused with biblical or godly justice.) To start, what do you know about your justice system? Work together to find the answers to the following questions.

Questions to Research

How many people are currently incarcerated in King County?
(Hint: Search “King County jail population report.”)
What is the racial breakdown of incarcerated individuals in King County?
(Look for official county or state data.)
What is the average length of stay in a Washington State prison?
How many people are released from prison in Washington each year?
What programs exist in Washington for reentry or rehabilitation?
(Search “Washington DOC reentry programs.”)
What percentage of incarcerated individuals in Washington are there for nonviolent offenses?
What local organizations support returning citizens in Seattle?
(Search “Seattle reentry programs” or “Seattle prison ministry.”)

Pray about This Together

Leader: God of justice and mercy, you see what is broken in our world.
All: Clear away what blocks love and compassion.
Leader: When we fear your wrath, remind us it is not for destruction.
All: Your power is meant for healing and hope.
Leader: When we cling to judgment, call us out of our retributive ways.
All: Lead us into your kingdom of mercy.
Leader: For those harmed by injustice and those caught in its systems,
All: Surround them with your protection and peace.
Leader: For our own hearts, tempted by anger and vengeance,
All: Refine us with your love and make us instruments of grace.
Leader: In all things, let mercy triumph over judgment.
All: Amen.

Close this Spotlight with the hymn “Be Thou My Vision.” Originally drawn from a 6th-century Irish poem inspired by St. Patrick’s life, this hymn follows the structure of a "lorica" - an ancient prayer for protection. In its verses, the singer calls on the fullness of God’s power as a shield against evil in all its forms. It’s a fitting conclusion to the focus of this Spotlight, reminding us that the strength of God is never meant to harm, but to guard, guide, and surround all people with love and care.

Just Isn't - Justice is Passing (Part 1 of 4)

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 18:57:22 +0000

Do you have a time when something trivial but unfair happened that still sticks with you?

There are times when a thing people refer to as “justice” is evoked - in the wake of injustice, in the agony of unfairness, in the defensive response that rises up in anyone who sees what they know to be right be ignored or perverted - but that thing, that “justice,” is a hateful, vengeful desire. As natural as the feelings are and as reasonable as the response seems, the consequence-oriented, quid-pro-quo, eye-for-eye response (that is often justified societally) just isn’t justice - or if it is, it just isn’t godly.

Now that you've answered the Icebreaker, here's another question - this one, about a common phrase:

Hopefully that makes enough sense to get you started. As you continue into the Worship portion of the Spotlight, pray this prayer together:

Lord,
Your hands are capable of justice,
but they are not tied by it.
You invented and imparted a sense of justice into us,
but it does not limit you.
Even so, you are never unjust;
for you are always good.
Let us define goodness in you and you alone.
Amen.

First, read responsively the words of Isaiah 59, a chapter that paints a pretty bleak picture of humanity's relationship with justice.

With that in mind, reflect on justice with this guided meditation.

We were fortunate to have Rev. Mark Parsons of Truth in Love ministries present on their work with people coming out of Mormonism. This video gives a good example of their current strategy.

Pray about This Together

While it's good to put justice in its place, it is not bad at all to desire more justice in our ever unjust world. This is an old, famous prayer for justice. Read the lines together.

God, you have given all peoples on common origin.
It is your will that they be gathered together
as one family in yourself.
Fill the hearts of humankind with the fire of your love
and with the desire to ensure justice for all.
By sharing the good things you give us,
may we secure an equality for all
our brothers and sisters throughout the world.
May there be an end to division, strife, and war.
May there be a dawning of a truly human society
built on love and peace.
We ask this in your name.
Amen.

Nations can't be Christian. (Christian Nationalism, Power, and Faith)

Sun, 26 Oct 2025 19:17:02 +0000

What’s something imperfect that still brings you joy?

Christianity here on earth will always be as imperfect as the Christians of whom it is composed - and (especially if you consider yourself among them, you know that) those Christians will always be imperfect. Despite this, there is occasionally a hope or even call for this group of people, referred to as "Christianity," to be a force for something good. The reality, however, is that Christianity isn't meant to be a force. It is not given the tools or mission to be anything that might be described as a force, because it is not given greater power as a collective.

Now that you've answered the Icebreaker, here's another question - this one, about nations and faith.

It may seem overly simple to say that "only a person can be Christian" when things like Christian books, charities, and churches are all common and it seems perfectly sensible to call them Christian because they're meant to help people who follow Jesus. However, even in those examples, the purpose of a book or charity or congregation is to help Christians, not to do their work in their place or to fulfill the mission that Jesus has given to his people when he said, in John 13:34–35:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
It won't be by books or nations or charities or churches. Hopefully that makes enough sense to get you started.

Jesus,
You are the prime example of love:
unadulterated, pure, and unconditional.
May your followers be reflections of that love.
Let your kingdom come
and your name be shown as good
through love and through love alone.
Amen.

Reflect further on that with a song inspired by Wendell Berry's poem: The Road, the Rocks, and the Weeds by John Mark McMillan.

Not all Christian leaders are helping. Some are loud, influential, and deeply nationalistic. But others are quietly leading with wisdom, humility, and love. How do we find them and help others find them too?

As a group, brainstorm 3–5 traits that distinguish non-nationalistic Christian leaders from those who blend faith with political force.
If someone asked you how to find a trustworthy Christian voice today, what would you tell them to look for?
Who’s one Christian leader, writer, or thinker you’ve found helpful in resisting nationalism?

Pray about This Together

Choose one person to read the non-bolded words.
Everyone else, read the bolded lines together.

Jesus, you came not to dominate, but to dwell among us.
You laid down your power and took up a cross.
You formed a people not to conquer, but to serve.

Shape us into your body, humble and brave.

We confess that we have longed for influence more than faithfulness,
for victory more than mercy,
for control more than compassion.

Forgive us, and teach us the way of love.

You call us your church—
not an empire, but a body;
not a nation, but a holy people;
not a force, but a light.

Let us shine with grace, not glare with power.

You gave us no armies, only the armor of God.
No thrones, only a table.
No weapons, only the Word.

Clothe us in humility, and send us in peace.

We reject the lie that your kingdom comes through coercion.
We renounce the myth that nations can be Christian.
We embrace the truth that your power is made perfect in weakness.

Make us bold in love, patient in suffering, and faithful in witness.

Until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord,
not by force, but by the slow, radiant work of grace—

Make us your people, O Christ.
Not a force, but a family.
Not a power, but a presence.
Not a nation, but a new creation.
Amen.

Spotlights about sensitive topics such as this aren't simple, and it can be easy to give a wrong impression or just plain be off. If you felt like that was the case in this Spotlight, please let us know. Thank you.

How can we improve?
Did something seem incorrect?
Would you like to talk more about this?

The Narrative of Persecution (Disagreement, Anti-bias, and Love)

Sun, 19 Oct 2025 19:42:41 +0000

Have you been part of a playful rivalry - be it sports or personal or otherwise?

Recent events (like the Executive Order Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias and the creation of the White House Office of Faith) suggest a growing sense among many American Christians that they are oppressed or targeted. This sense seems strong enough to either motivate people in government to act against it (or, at least, for those people in government to manipulate it. Either way, it's not great.) Let's explore why that narrative has taken hold, what it reveals about our theology of persecution, and how Jesus reframes persecution — not as something to fear or politicize, but as a chance to witness through humble endurance.

Now that you've answered the Icebreaker, here's another question - this one, about persecution.

Hopefully that makes enough sense to get you started.

God of truth and mercy,
teach us to see clearly.
Keep us from confusing
comfort with faithfulness,
or privilege with blessing.
Give us security in our convictions
even as you give us humility enough to listen.
Make our lives a testimony of grace, not of grievance.
Amen.

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A post shared by Benjamin Cremer (@brcremer)

Pray about This Together

Choose one person to read the non-bolded words.
Everyone else, read the bolded lines together.

Christ who was misunderstood, rejected, and betrayed —
teach us what it means to follow you in a world that does not always understand.
When we feel small or dismissed, remind us: You were with the outcast and the ignored.
Forgive us, Lord, when we mistake discomfort for persecution.
When we wear the language of victims though we hold power,
or use our wounds as weapons instead of invitations to grace—
free us from that smallness of spirit.
Release us from the need to be right, so we can be whole.
When we are tempted to defend our place or protect our comfort—
teach us to choose love over control, service over safety.
Form in us a courage that does not need to win.
When others speak against us, or when we are simply not seen—
let us meet their eyes without resentment, and their needs without condition.
Give us joy that cannot be taken, even when our standing is.
When we suffer for doing good, or lose what we thought we’d earned—
remind us that your kingdom grows not through power, but through mercy.
Let us count it blessing to share even a fragment of your cross.
Lord Jesus, who lost everything to love us—
teach us to lose well, to love deeply, and to rest in you.
Amen.

God Has Chosen People (Israel, Gaza, & Modern Christianity)

Sun, 12 Oct 2025 19:45:08 +0000

Have you ever visited a country in the Middle East?

Now that you've answered the Icebreaker, here's another question - this one, about finding a way to a ceasefire.

Hopefully that makes enough sense to get you started.

Pray this prayer to get into it:
Lord,
We pray first and foremost for the grieving,
the frightened, the displaced,
and all whose lives will never be the same.
May there be many, including us,
who seek to bring restoration
and hope to them.
Amen.

A lot of the theological complexity around Israel and Jerusalem comes from promises God made that identified and established his "chosen people." Use this video to reflect on what God is doing as he chooses a people to be his chosen ones.

Support in Ceasefire

Thankfully, there has been progress toward a ceasefire. Helpful organizations are ramping up now to make the most of whatever window exists to meet the needs of those who have been cut off from basic necessities during the bombardment.

See how UNICEF is getting ready.

Read the Story

Donate to Support

Pray about This Together

Choose one person to read the non-bolded words.
Everyone else, read the bolded lines together.

God of mercy and justice,
You see the pain of your children in every land -
in Israel, in Gaza, and in every place where fear and anger rule.
You know the grief of parents, the cries of children,
the heartbreak of those who have lost homes, hope, and peace.

Lord, in your mercy, bring peace.

Forgive us for the ways we have turned away,
for our numbness, our confusion, and our comfort.
Help us to see that your image is not confined to one people or one place,
but shines in every face, every life you have made.

Lord, in your mercy, bring understanding.

Where hearts are hardened by hatred,
soften them with compassion.
Where leaders seek power,
turn them toward justice.
Where vengeance seems easier than love,
remind us of the cross:
the place where violence met its end in you.

Lord, in your mercy, bring healing.

We pray for those who mourn,
for those who wait for news,
for those trapped between violence and vengeance.
We pray for the courage to listen, to learn, and to act
in ways that reflect your kingdom of peace.

Lord, make us instruments of your peace.

God of all nations,
teach us to long for the new Jerusalem —
not a city built by human hands,
but a world renewed by your love.
Until that day comes,
let our faith move us to compassion,
our hope move us to peacemaking,
and our love move us closer to you.
Amen.

After It Happens - On Letting It Happen (Focus 4 of 4)

Sun, 28 Sep 2025 18:49:16 +0000

Do you have an event from your childhood that you perceive very differently now than you did as you went through it?

Focus 4 | After It Happens

Just because you're through it doesn't necessarily mean you're done with it.

Now that you've answered the icebreaker question, here's another to consider - this one about "getting over it":

See what this Spotlight is focused on.

So far in this series, we've seen that

Unpredictable, uncontrollable, unfortunate things happen and God uses them to draw near to us with his grace.
The struggle can begin before those things happen, as worry or fear of what might come tries to control us. Love - from God and for others - is the antidote.
In the middle of "going through it," we have a God who doesn't avoid pain or struggle, but shows us the goodness of being with him no matter the circumstance.

Tap on the words "Focus 4" in the image below to read this Spotlight's summary.

Hopefully that makes enough sense to get you going. Say this prayer together as you transition into the Worship portion of this Spotlight:

Lord,
We endure, we pass through, and we know
that bad things don't last forever.
But they do last - they stick with us
in more ways than one.
Help us as we reflect, process, and recover
and fill us with hope.
Amen.

Read the story of Jesus reaction after something pretty awful happened.

Matthew 14:1–14 (NIV)

John the Baptist Beheaded
14 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, 2 and he said to his attendants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”
3 Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, 4 for John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet.
6 On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much 7 that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 9 The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted 10 and had John beheaded in the prison. 11 His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 12 John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

Reflect on the story with this video.

Pray this prayer that is based on the story.
Choose one person to read the prayer.

Merciful Lord,
You know what it is to receive bad news.
You know what it is to feel pain and to need space.
You showed us that even the Son of God needed time to step away,
to breathe, to grieve, to seek the Father in silence.

We thank you that our grief is not foreign to you.
You do not ask us to be strong when we are weak.
You do not shame us for tears or for silence.
Instead, you welcome us into your presence,
and you carry what we cannot carry alone.

We pray for those here and far away
who are in the aftermath of difficult things:
who are stunned by tragedy,
who are weighed down by what happened,
who are trying to find their next step in the dark.

Give them the grace of rest.
Give them companions who will not hurry their healing.
Give them hope that does not erase pain, but stands with them inside it.

Lord Jesus, just as you withdrew to a solitary place,
draw near to us when we retreat.
And when the time comes to return,
renew us with compassion that can flow into the lives of others.

Until that day when you wipe away every tear,
teach us to honor our grief and to trust your promise.
We rest our hearts in you.
Amen.

Life often confronts us with things we cannot predict, control, or explain. Jesus himself experienced this. We are not asked to pretend it doesn’t hurt. Instead, we are invited to bring it into God’s presence and not carry it alone.

Step 1 – Sharing:

Each person takes a turn to briefly share one or two “unpredictable, uncontrollable, or unfortunate” things they are going through right now, or something weighing on their heart.
The others listen silently, without advice or fixing: only with love and attention.

Step 2 – Silent Holding:

After each person shares, the group sits in quiet for a short pause, silently lifting that person’s burden to God.

Step 3 – Spoken Prayer:

After the silence, one of the listeners prays aloud for the person who just shared.
The prayer can be simple:
- “Lord, have mercy on [Name].”
- “God, hold this sorrow with them.”
- Or whatever you'd like to say.

Step 4 – Blessing One Another:
After everyone has shared and been prayed for, close by saying together:

God, you are our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Carry what we cannot carry.
Be with us in what we cannot control.
And teach us to trust your love, even here.
Amen.

Feel free to submit a prayer request by filling out the below form.
(If you choose to make your request public, you'll see it display in the Current at the end of the Spotlight along with anyone else who did the same.)

Pray through your requests—together—as a group.
After submitting your requests in the above form, take some time to share with your group whatever requests the group might have for this week.

Close with the song, "Abide with Me."

Let's wrap things up by taking a look at what's Current at Illume.
Tap on the buttons in the frame below to see what’s currently happening at Illume—information on everything from current and upcoming online content to live events and opportunities to serve in the community can all be found here.

As It Happens - On Letting It Happen (Focus 3 of 4)

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 19:59:54 +0000

How do you react when you realize a spider is on your person?

Focus 3 | As It Happens

It's hard to know exactly what to do or feel in the moment as you walk through something difficult. Let's consider the ways others have acted and see what God has to offer.

Now that you've answered the icebreaker question, here's another to consider - this one about how you handle difficult things:

See what this Spotlight is focused on.
Tap on the words "Focus 3" in the image below to read this Spotlight's summary.

Hopefully that makes enough sense to get you going. Say this prayer together as you transition into the Worship portion of this Spotlight:

Lord,
Nobody is immune to going through things
that are challenging and painful.
Help us to be open about this universal reality
and may it move us to have greater compassion
and empathy on those around us.
Amen.

Read the story of the two people in crisis who went to find Jesus.

Mark 5:21-43
21 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22 Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 23 He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him.
A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”
32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
35 While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”
36 Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 But they laughed at him.
After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

Reflect on the story with this video.

Pray this prayer that is based on the story. Choose one person to read the prayer.

Lord Jesus,
you walked among the crowds who pressed in on every side,
and you stopped for the one who reached for you.
You looked with compassion on the woman who had suffered so long,
and you called her “daughter.”
Look with that same compassion on those suffering today.

For the ones in pain,
for the ones carrying chronic illness,
for the ones exhausted by waiting for answers,
be their healer, their strength, their rest.

You took the father’s trembling plea,
and you walked with him toward his child.
Walk with all who stand at the bedside of those they love.
Be near to the dying.
Be near to the grieving.
Be near to the ones whose hearts are breaking open.

Lord, you are not only the giver of life;
you are the companion in every valley.
So whether the healing comes or not,
whether the answer is what we long for or not,
hold us in your presence.
Teach us to trust not in outcomes, but in you.
For your mercy never fails, and your love endures forever.
Amen.

Here's a short video that goes over a common, six-step plan that therapists use when dealing with crises. You're (probably) not a therapist - but there's something interesting about it.

Richard James’ Six-Step Plan for Crisis Intervention:

Define the problem
Ensure safety
Provide support
Examine alternatives
Make a plan
Commit to follow-up

As a group, name times when you've seen a step of this plan be used to support you or someone you know as you've gone through something difficult. What do these look like in regular exchanges? Try to come up with at least one example for each step of the plan.
--
After going through the steps, notice patterns:

Which steps felt most common?
Which ones were more rare, but powerful?
How might these steps shape how we walk into conversations with friends who are in the middle of something hard?

Pray through your requests—together—as a group.
After submitting your requests in the above form, take some time to share with your group whatever requests the group might have for this week.

Close with the song, "May You Find a Light" by the Brilliance

Before It Happens - On Letting It Happen (Focus 2 of 4)

Sun, 14 Sep 2025 20:01:18 +0000

Is there anything of which you're "unreasonably" scared?

Focus 2 | Before It Happens

Bad things happen, and they'll keep happening. How do we keep from translating that reality into worry?

Now that you've answered the icebreaker question, here's another to consider - this one about worry and realistic faith:

See what this Spotlight is focused on.
Tap on the words "Focus 2" in the image below to read this Spotlight's summary.

Hopefully that makes enough sense to get you going. Say this prayer together as you transition into the Worship portion of this Spotlight:

Lord,
There is plenty to be concerned about.
There are real, predictable, affect-able things that we can do about some of them.
For those things we cannot predict or affect,
give us humility and calm in trusting
that you endure them with us
and carry us through.
Amen.

Read the story of the prophet Elijah and the widow.

1 Kings 17:7-24
7 Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the Lord came to [Elijah]: 9 “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” 10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”

12 “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”

13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’”

15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. 16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.

17 Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. 18 She said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?”

19 “Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. 20 Then he cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?” 21 Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!”

22 The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived. 23 Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, “Look, your son is alive!”

24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.”

Reflect on the story with this video.

Pray this prayer that is based on the story. Choose one person to read the prayer.

Hear us as we pray for those who are thirsty,
places where there is drought,
or a lack of a clean water supply.
And for those who have to carry water for miles to keep everyday life feasible.
We pray for those who are hungry,
places where the harvest has failed,
or some disaster or accident has affected the crop yield.
For those who are struggling to find employment
and so struggling to afford to put the food they would like on the table.
We pray for those who are struggling because they are widows or widowers,
for those who are bereaved
having experienced the death of someone important to them
whom they loved and still love.
We pray for those who are ill or near death,
those known to us
and those unknown to us but known to you.
Move your people to reach out to those who suffer in circumstances they cannot control,
as evidence of your love for each of us.
Amen.

Begin by reviewing notes from a University District meeting of ministries that are working to assist the unhoused. You'll use this review for a discussion/activity.

UD Meeting Summary

UD Meeting Summary – September 11, 2025
Opening

We gathered for a time of response to the reality of homelessness and a reminder that our focus is on relationships that lead to human flourishing.

Updates
Ashley – Friday Feast

Praise: The meal ministry continues strong. Local church volunteers are engaged, and the medical team (after a year of presence) is gaining trust with guests. Doctors are learning how to love neighbors well—some even adjusting their practices to better serve this population. This is opening new doors for people to trust medical care.
Prayer: Finding an effective and affordable way to heat the garage. Needs an electrician. (Possibly ask Evergreen.)

Liz – Companionship Workshops

Praise: Hosting 3-hour workshops that help people overcome fear of building relationships with those in crisis. Content covers safety, balance, presence, and holding hope, based on Souls in the Hands of a Tender God.
Prayer: How to help participants move from new knowledge to real, ongoing action.

Bruce – “String on the Finger”

Relationships are built step by step. Like a reminder string, we must always ask: What is the next step toward relationship?
Compassion is different from punishment, and we must be intentional about shaping actions that build real human connections.

George – Ballard Task Force

Their committee uses presentations to challenge assumptions and invite groups into honest reflection.
Plan: take PowerPoint to faith communities, facilitate breakouts, and provide action steps to engage.

Lavan – Attitude of the Ladle

The way we serve is as important as the service itself.
“How you see people is how you treat people.” Love and dignity must undergird everything, whether one-on-one or through shared meals.

Jeannie – Spirit at Work

Praise: “Agape House” is relaunching to support BIPOC girls aging out of foster care.
Praise: Bruce has also launched “Stop the Sweeps Ballard” to oppose costly sweeps and advocate for sanctioned camps.
Prayer: Fun run on October 11 to raise funds for Agape House. All invited.

Mike’s Story & Updates
Mike shared from his lived experience of homelessness and his journey with Jesus.

Common Reality: People often respond to the problem of homelessness rather than the person experiencing it—leaving individuals feeling invisible and alone.
Encounter with Jesus: In deep addiction and isolation, Mike realized the Gospel truth of God’s love as an already reality. His heroin addiction disappeared, and he began sharing this good news.
Shift in Focus: Over time, he moved from offering “plans” for people to simply being present—living out God’s abiding presence with others.
New Direction: Mike feels called to “street chaplaincy”—bridging the disconnected worlds of street community, service organizations, and the church. The vision is for chaplains in every Seattle neighborhood.
Hope for the Future: Growing humility across communities. Different denominations and groups are now sitting together at the table—thanks to being united by the unhoused.

Support Need: To move this forward, a stretch goal of $125,000 is set for the first year to allow Mike to focus on strategy and presence.

Reflection
Two “funnels” are at work:

Walking with the unhoused toward healing relationships.
Walking with would-be helpers toward relational, not transactional, engagement.

When both are aligned, they move toward a shared vision of community where, like in Acts 2, “they had everything in common.”

If you ask people working with the unhoused in the University District, one thing is clear: most of the time, ministry doesn’t always look like fixing crises on the spot. It usually looks like building consistency.

The Friday Feast and People's Breakfast happen every week, so people know they’ll be fed. That’s one less thing to worry about.
The med team shows up again and again on Fridays — so people begin to trust and know they’ll be cared for. That’s one less thing to worry about.
The Companionship Workshops give people tools so they’re not paralyzed by fear when they interact with the unhoused — that’s one less thing to worry about.
Even something as small as the attitude with which a ladle is held when serving soup either adds to or takes away dignity. When love is consistent, dignity becomes one less thing to worry about.

When life is full of unpredictable, uncontrollable events, faith shows up in faithfulness by making sure people can count on small, reliable things. Consistency becomes a ministry of reducing fear.

Here's a way to practice finding consistent solutions to daily worries. Try to do at least 5.

Identify Worry Points:
- As a group, brainstorm everyday things that cause low-level worry for people in a neighborhood or community. (Examples: “Will someone watch my kids if I’m late from work?” “Will the neighbor’s sidewalk be shoveled when it ices?” “Will there be someone to check in when I’m sick?”)
Name a Consistency Practice:
- For each worry point, write down one small practice of consistency that could give someone “one less thing to worry about.”
- Example: “Every month I check in with my elderly neighbor.” “Every week I send a text of encouragement to my friend who lives alone.”

Pray through your requests—together—as a group.
After submitting your requests in the above form, take some time to share with your group whatever requests the group might have for this week.

Close with the song, "All Glory Be to Christ" by Kings Kaleidoscope.

Witnessing Beyond - Witnessing by the Book (Focus 8 of 8)

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 19:00:00 +0000

Have you ever met someone who knew about you before you met them? How does that feel?

Focus 8 | Witnessing Beyond

It's no wonder that Jesus' promise that the disciples would be witnesses went outward the way it did. The link between faithful witness and growing reach is reasonable! (So, also, though, is our hesitance to trust that it will happen.)

Let's talk about the last thing we hear of Paul. We're fast-forwarding to the end of the book here, getting a sneak peek at how things play out.

Acts 28:17–31
17 Three days later he called together the local Jewish leaders. When they had assembled, Paul said to them: “My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. 18 They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death. 19 The Jews objected, so I was compelled to make an appeal to Caesar. I certainly did not intend to bring any charge against my own people. 20 For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.”
21 They replied, “We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of our people who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you. 22 But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect.”
23 They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus. 24 Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. 25 They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet:
26 “ ‘Go to this people and say,
“You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”
27 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’
28 “Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!” [29] (Some manuscripts here say: "After he said this, the Jews left, arguing vigorously among themselves." This is not well attested and in most ancient manuscripts and that's why it is in brackets here.)
30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!
__
Paul, as a witness, never stops. Why?

See what this Spotlight—and series— is focused on.
Tap on the words "Focus 8" in the image below to read this Spotlight's summary.

During the last major episode of Paul's story in the book of Acts, that word that is translated "witness" (and sometimes "testify") comes up again:

Acts 23:11
The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”

Let's find some rest and reassurance in what was happening immediately before this vision.

Acts 21-28 tell the story of the end of Paul's ministry, which culminates in the final clash between Paul and the authorities that wish to stop the message of Jesus and those who bear witness to that message. It's an epic set of chapters that include high-stakes moments (Paul being nearly killed multiple times), shipwrecks, bureaucratic hijinx (Paul's Roman citizenship comes in handy more than once), and - in the middle of it - Paul, witnessing.

He tells his own conversion story - twice. (Chapters 22 & 26)
He makes his own defense before multiple authority figures in various places.
He encourages everyone he can.
And he ends up on a sort of "missionary journey" - just not one for which he sets the itinerary.

Use the gallery below to get an overview of Paul's journey.

Read through chapter 25-26 using the questions below to discuss.

Acts 25:1-12

Paul escalates things in this section. How?

Acts 25:13-22

This is a unique moment - two leaders talking about Paul's situation. What do you notice?

Acts 25:23-26:23 (Paul's witness to Agrippa is worth thinking about!)

What do you think of Paul's testimony?
Notice anything new here?

Acts 26:24-32

Paul is never not witnessing. How is that shown here?
What does Paul know about Rome that Agrippa doesn't?

Many good answers could fill this blank.

Among them, though, must be Jesus, of course. The hope and transformation Paul had experienced from Jesus drove him.

Among them, also, must be the call. This Jesus who had transformed Paul had also called him to be a faithful witness, and Paul would not ignore that call. That's a good thing.

A reminder, though, as we end, that this isn't all on you. Rev. Walter Wangerin Jr. puts it well in this message he preached at Duke University in 1988.

Just as you are a witness to others, others are to you. Don't miss it!

Pray through your requests—together—as a group.
After submitting your requests in the above form, take some time to share with your group whatever requests the group might have for this week.

You've reached the end of Witnessing by the Book.

Thanks for being a part of this series, for exploring the idea of being a witness through the lens of the book of Acts, and for working alongside whomever it is you do Spotlights with - hopefully you grew together in the process.

By way of light review, a few questions:

What are you taking away from this series? How has it made you think, change, or be reassured?
What else do you want to know/talk about/think about when it comes to either witnessing or Acts?

Sing this song as you close out this Spotlight.

Witnessing Collaboration - Witnessing by the Book (Focus 7 of 8)

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 19:00:00 +0000

Who, in your life, has been a favorite person to work with? Why?

Focus 7 | Witnessing Collaboration

This witnessing isn't done, and shouldn't be done, alone. The witness must be willing to work alongside everyone who has seen what they've seen.

Let's talk about doing things on your own.
Listen to this clip when you’re ready to begin today’s Spotlight.

See what this Spotlight—and series— is focused on.
Tap on the words "Focus 7" in the image below to read this Spotlight's summary.

Read Acts 15:36-41. Summarize what happens, in the very aftermath of the restorative meeting in Jerusalem.

Use these prompts (have one volunteer for each) to pray about this.

Thanksgiving
“Lord, thank you for the gift of collaboration and the people you’ve placed in our lives.”
Confession
“Forgive us for the times we’ve let pride, fear, or hurt divide us.”
Intercession
“We pray for those we’ve disagreed with. Heal wounds. Restore trust. Use even our separations for your glory.”
Commitment
“Help us to be humble, courageous, and wise in our partnerships. Teach us to love even when we part ways.”

Paul is often seen as a bold, independent missionary, but the Book of Acts reveals a rich network of collaborators who supported, traveled with, taught alongside, and hosted him. The information below helps you explore those relationships and reflect on what they mean for Christian witness today.

Who Did Paul Work With?
Match each name to their role and location. Use Acts references to help you.

Barnabas	Early missionary partner	Antioch, Cyprus	Acts 9:27; 13:2–3
Silas	Travel companion on 2nd journey	Philippi, Thessalonica	Acts 15:40; 16:19
Timothy	Young disciple, joined Paul in Lystra	Lystra, Macedonia	Acts 16:1–3
Luke	Author of Acts, travel companion	Troas, Philippi	Acts 16:10 (“we”)
Aquila & Priscilla	Tentmakers, teachers, hosts	Corinth, Ephesus	Acts 18:2–3, 18:26
John Mark	Early companion, later reconciled	Cyprus, Jerusalem	Acts 12:25; 15:37–39
Lydia	Host and supporter	Philippi	Acts 16:14–15
Jason	Hosted Paul, faced persecution	Thessalonica	Acts 17:5–9
Apollos	Taught by Priscilla & Aquila, preacher	Ephesus, Corinth	Acts 18:24–28
Aristarchus	Travel companion, suffered with Paul	Thessalonica, Ephesus	Acts 19:29; 27:2
Tychicus	Messenger and companion	Asia Minor	Acts 20:4
Trophimus	Travel companion	Asia, Jerusalem	Acts 20:4; 21:29
Gaius	Companion, faced riot in Ephesus	Derbe, Ephesus	Acts 19:29
Sopater	Companion from Berea	Berea	Acts 20:4
Secundus	Companion from Thessalonica	Thessalonica	Acts 20:4

Reflection Questions

What patterns do you notice in Paul’s collaborations?
How did hospitality play a role in Paul’s ministry?
What do you learn about teamwork and conflict from Paul’s relationship with Barnabas and John Mark?
Which collaborator’s story inspires you most? Why?
How can you be a collaborator in gospel ministry today?

Pray through your requests—together—as a group.
After submitting your requests in the above form, take some time to share with your group whatever requests the group might have for this week.

Read together the words of this prayer by Sam Hargreaves.

We are many,
God's great diversity,
yet we are one in Christ.

Different faces,
different races,
yet we are one in Christ.

Butchers, bakers,
website makers,
bankers, tailors,
teachers, sailors,
yet we are one in Christ.

Fathers, mothers,
sisters, brothers,
single, married,
broken, carried,
yet we are one in Christ.

The happy, the clappy,
the barely out of nappies,
the ancient, the modern,
the famous, the forgotten,
yet we are one in Christ.

Some hopeful, some hopeless,
some cope well, some cope less.
Some sure and some doubt,
some whisper, some shout,
yet we are one in Christ.

Those with abundance,
those with need,
those who are generous
or wrestle with greed,
yet we are one in Christ.

Elbows, tummies, knees and noses,
kidneys, femurs, teeth and toeses.
Some unmentionable, some protected,
some accepted, some rejected,
yet we are one in Christ.

A broken body,
torn apart,
mars God's image,
breaks God's heart.
And yet our Father knows how the end will be,
when all his kids will sing in harmony,
the bride will dazzle, her branches bloom,
so add your voice to hymn the tune
that we are one in Christ.

Sing this song as you close out this Spotlight.

Illume

Purity Tests - Approval is Passing (Focus 2 of 4)

Purity Tests

Loving an Approval-based World

Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. | Romans 14:13

Pray Together

Prayer Requests

Apart/Alongside - Reconciliation in a Certain Light (Focus 4 of 4)

Apart/Alongside

A Fair Witness

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, open to persuasion, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”James 3:17–18

Pray Together

Prayer Requests

Feedback Form

Unknown/Understood - Reconciliation in a Certain Light (Focus 3 of 4)

Unknown/Understood

Creating Generational Understanding

Pray Together

Prayer Requests

Harmed/Healed - Reconciliation in a Certain Light (Focus 2 of 4)

Harmed/Healed

Healing Intergenerational Harm

Pray Together

Prayer Requests

Free Indeed - On Letting Freedom Ring (Focus 4 of 4)

Free, Indeed

Discerning Trafficking

Pray Together

Prayer Requests

Optional - On Letting Freedom Ring (Focus 3 of 4)

Optional

Discerning Trafficking

Pray Together

Prayer Requests

There is Freedom - On Letting Freedom Ring (Focus 2 of 4)

There is Freedom

Pray Together

Prayer Requests

For Freedom - On Letting Freedom Ring (Focus 1 of 4)

For Freedom

Reflecting on Freedom

Pray Together

Prayer Requests

Flow - Control is Passing (Focus 4 of 4)

Flow

Let's talk about traumatic interruptions to flow.

Pray Together

Prayer Requests

In the Spirit - Control is Passing (Focus 3 of 4)

In the Spirit

Let's get into this "in the Spirit" idea.

Let's talk about protesting.

Pray Together

Prayer Requests

Entropy - Control is Passing (Focus 2 of 4)

Entropy

Psalm 2

A time to consider, together.

Pray about This Together

Prayer Requests

Prayer for Mercy in Entropy

Hope, Shared - Hope in a Certain Light (Focus 4 of 4)

Hope, Shared

Singing the Songs of Hope

Sharing One Another's Hopes

Pray about This Together

Prayer Requests

Prayer of Lament and Hope

Hope, Expected - Hope in a Certain Light

Hope, Expected

Finding the Light of Hope

Gifts for University Avenue

Pray about This Together

Prayer Requests

Prayer for Communal Expectation

Grace or Disgrace - Justice is Passing (Focus 4 of 4)

Christians and the Justice System

Pray about This Together

Prayer Requests

A Covenant Prayer: Recommitment to Justice

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, open to persuasion, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”
James 3:17–18