It's been a minute. And what could be more wonderful to come back to than the Apostle Paul's musings on love in 1 Corinthians 13? It feels like he wrote these words about how we are to be in the world, and with each other, with this time in mind. Easy? No. Necessary? Yes. Love, he seems to be declaring, should be, must be, at the heart of the Christian life.

Happy New Year! This week, we explore the different gospels' renderings of Jesus' baptism - especially that of the Gospel of Luke. Less of a public declaration and more of a private revelation, Jesus is reminded who and whose he is - all in the wake of John the Baptist's arrest and imprisonment. Jesus is praying about what's next, and the answer he receives is: "You are what's next. I love you - now get out there and get to work!" In some ways, this is the story of all our baptismal callings: "I love you. You have what you need to make a difference. Now go do it!" Like Jesus, this is a call we need, not even during challenging times, but especially.

It' s the second week of Advent, and our scriptures this week bring us the amazing and hope-filled stories of both Ruth and Naomi, and Mary, Mother of Jesus. And on of the things that resides at the heart of both of these wonderful tales is chesed, the indwelling faithfulness and commitment of God to us, and of us to each other. Join us for a journey through the scriptures today.