We shine with the light of God. We tend to identify with our feelings, ideas, actions and thoughts. But those are merely the container for who we truly are. We are the light, not the lamp.

To be “born again” isn’t some once-in-a-lifetime emotional experience: it means receiving life from God, being made new, again and again, and starting over: being vulnerable and humble, receptive and grateful, with “beginner’s mind.”

The Pentecost story is about diversity: God wants a church full of different languages, different styles, values, approaches and experiences. The Spirit–not our opinions or even our religion–is what binds us in unity amidst all that diversity.

After the resurrection Jesus ascended so that we, instead of he, would be the Body of Christ. So we pray to “channel” his Spirit and do God’s will each moment.

Christ is the vine; we are all branches of Christ. We are one with Christ, with God’s love flowing through us. And we are one with each other, indispensably and interdependently related.

God cares for us in Creation, and asks us to tend to Creation. We and Creation are shepherds for one another in the spirit of God.

Forgiveness is an experience of resurrection. When we forgive we become free of the past, free of judgment and the need for retribution, free to start anew and trust in God’s life-giving grace.

Thomas invites us to look not just for the risen Jesus but for his wounds, the wounds of our violence and injustice. That’s the context in which we receive redemption.