A mother’s love for her infant is pure and unconditional, for the child’s sake, not her own. God loves us like that. We can love God like that. We can love our neighbors like that, with the very love with which we ourselves are loved.

The coin has the emperor’s image. It is his; give it to him. And you are made in God’s image. You are God’s. Give yourself to God each day.

Domestic violence affects a quarter of all the women you’ll meet. We often ask “Why does she stay?” But instead we should ask “Why does he hit?” Even better: “Why do WE stay?” Why do we tolerate violence? Christ calls us to create safety for those who live in fear, and to confront a culture of violence and the objectification of women.

A video of Pastor Steve’s sermon at the New England Conference’s Annual Meeting

As (mostly) white middle class Americans we benefit from a hidden, powerful system of power, privilege and exclusion, protecting us from the lives and vulnerabilities of the poor, people of color, and so on. As followers of Jesus it’s our work to confront the injustice of racism, sexism and all forms of exclusion, to establish relationships across those barriers, and to dismantle those unjust systems.

A river of grace flows from God’s heart through each of us. Unpredictable and yet reliable, invisible and yet real, it gives life in unexpected places, flowing out into the world with beauty and healing.

Everything is manna, a gift from God. God wants everyone to have what they need. There is no “earning” or “deserving” based on our own efforts. All that we have we are meant to share.

We tend to shy away from pain, mystery and powerlessness. But it is the way of grace. God invites us to go through the darkness, like Israel going through the Red Sea, to freedom, healing and wholeness.