It's the Sunday after Easter, so it must be the story of Doubting Thomas. Which it is. but it is also so much more. It is the story of coming out of your fear, coming through your questions, finding the power, the confidence, the permission to go out and do good work in the world, Jesus' work, the work of justice, and compassion, and love. It's the next step after the resurrection...because that's really just the beginning of the story.

A classic story from the Gospel of John, an obscure and sassy comeback to the Pharisees from Jesus, and the fine balance between Justice and Mercy, held together by our faithful relationship with the Other. It's a good one for the last Sunday before the start of Holy Week, both Good News and Challenge.

The Good News for the 4th Week of Lent is Protection and Care for the Vulnerable, rooted in two amazing passages...the Law of Moses, found in Deuteronomy, and that Law lived out in practical action, demonstrated by Jesus blessing the children in the Gospel of Matthew. These are not mere children's stories, but the commitment of God to those most in need...will we follow in that path?

Our Good News story for this week is one that shows up in one form or another in each of the four Gospels, a rarity to be sure. Luke's version tells it this way: an unnamed woman, known to be a "sinner," crashes a dinner party at a Pharisee's house to wash Jesus' feet with her tears, dry them with her hair, and anoint them with costly perfume. It's an intimate, extravagant, uncomfortable act...much, actually, like God's love for us. And in a wonderful flip, also the way we are to love others. It's a lot to consider in Lent, but we have 40 days...so let's dive in.

Lent, historically, at least, is a bit of a heavy season, with an emphasis on penitence, and self-reflection, and those things that are "wrong" in our lives and the life of the world. This year, we're shifting our focus a bit, to the fundamentals of the Gospel...the Good things that are the Good News. And so we start today with Good News from two places in the text, which highlight how the Gospel can surprise us...the Wedding at Cana, and Jesus' Parable of the Mustard Seed. Join us to talk joy, potential, and the goodness of life.

We've reached another classic section of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, the bit about salt and light. So familiar, so comforting, so...challenging?! But it is more than just a Sunday School song with neat little motions, it's about an entire way of life, bringing brightness and flavor to a dull and bland world. People will notice...and will be drawn to the source. But dull, bland, pointless...where does that get us? According to Jesus, not particularly far.

It's "Greatest Hits" week in the lectionary...foundational passages about what faith looks like in Micah 6 and Matthew 5. If someone were to ask, "What are the fundamentals of your faith," these are the places we might go. So simple, but so radical, in that they are rooted in the love of the Divine. Join us on the journey.

We're back, after a hiatus created by sickness, and travel, and the surprises of life. And today we are walking with Jesus beside the Sea of Galilee as he calls his first disciples. It's a familiar story, a Sunday School classic...but what is at the heart of it? Community, partnership, adventure, the call of the Kingdom of God? All of these things and more. It's a great story, a great adventure, a great call.