"Thankfulness" Tagged Sermons
THANKFULNESS
“Thankfulness” is an original song about gratitude that begins close to the body and expands outward into creation, memory, and renewal. The lyrics ask what it means to thank one’s own body for carrying us through life, often without acknowledgment, and then move into images of flowers, mountains, childbirth, rivers, wounds, and healing. Gratitude here is not abstract; it is rooted in the physical, ordinary, and sacred experiences of being alive. Theologically, the song frames thankfulness as a practice of…
Being Comfortable In Our Own Skin
John’s gospel begins by telling us that “the Word became flesh and lived among us.” (John 1:14) Reflecting on the gospel of John, preaching professor Karoline Lewis writes: “This is a full sensory Gospel. Sometimes it’s tasting (John 6), sometimes it’s smelling (John 11), sometimes it’s hearing (John 10), sometimes it’s touching (John 13:23), and sometimes it is seeing. This is what it means to be human and to experience relationships as human beings. A full, intimate, meaningful relationship will…
DEEP COMMITMENTS: REFLECTION
Luke 2:41-47 John Wesley, the founder of the 18th Methodist movement and what became the worldwide Wesleyan tradition, was an advocate for theological reflection and education for all people (regardless of their social status). Embracing the intellectual component of our humanity, he believed that “reading Christians are growing Christians. When Christians cease to read, they cease to grow.” Consequently, he believed that reason (along with experience, scripture, and tradition) is one of the fundamental sources we draw upon in order…
