Vox Veniae Podcast

Is there an object of place that connects you to prayer? Amy Wolfgang dusts the cobwebs off the ritual of the rosary prayer, from their religious upbringing, infusing it with joy and sacredness in our lives and being. [Revelation 12]   Reflection  Can you take a moment to meditate on the needs of a person or group you might pray for intercession for this week? Where has God invited you into a “queer-ing” of your experience of Christianity? If Mary spans the divine and human, interceding on our behalf and welcoming us to heaven; how can you take the next small step to root your prayers in spiritual and earthly action? Resource Book: Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal by Christine Valters Paintner Website: Pride Resources Mentioned in Homily

What gives people power in Western societies? Eric Robinson cultivates compassion and curiosity around how we relate to power in light of the cross and resurrection, as we seek to embody a multicultural and diverse body of Christ. [Isaiah 11]   Reflection Where is God calling you to lean more into the cross? Where is God inviting you to embrace resurrection? How might you intentionally change one thing in your life this week to live out the Peaceable Kingdom?

What is the difference between an encounter and an interaction? Caroline Cody explores the merciful Samaritan parable through the lens of how we can open ourselves more fully to people we encounter in our paths. [Luke 10:25-42]   Reflection What is a creative way you can show up differently to put yourself more in the way of others? Who might Jesus have pointed to as your “neighbor” if you could ask him today? In what ways can we also embody care for our neighbor like Mary, by sitting at the feet of Jesus?

What is your life desperate for? Jennifer Cumberbatch of Full Measure preaches about how we our desperate for connection to the life of God and deep relationship with one another, and how Christ embodies this Hope and in-breaking reality.  [Colossians 2:6-15]   Reflection What am I desperate for or about? How would it look to truly be alive without guilt? Can you ask God to restore your hope in Christ

What needs to be said or done in the world right now? Vanessa Maleare and Brandon co-share a message about how we sync with the Cosmic Christ and one another through a rich understanding of the incarnational and transcendent life of God. Seeing the world through the Cosmic Christ imbues our lives with meaning.  [Colossians 1:15-20]   Reflection What is my Big Idea that feels sacred? How can I connect with the Cosmic Christ, through small/humble moments? When do I feel the most in sync with God’s presence,  and why? Resource Book: The Way of the Heart: The Spirituality of the Desert Fathers & Mothers by Henri Nouwen Book: Good Enough: 40ish Devotionals for a Life of Imperfection by Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie

What does it look like to prayerfully open up more fully to both suffering and hope?  Christopher Mack wonders how we attend to the Goodness of God as an invitation to grow in prayerful discernment, empowerment, and liberation. [Colossians 1:9-14]   Reflection What is one way I can grow in attending to God’s Nonviolent Inclusive Kin-dom? Where do I need to grow my endurance for building Beloved Community? How might  I compassionately welcome this moment without feeling resigned to the status quo? Resource Book: The Way of the Heart: The Spirituality of the Desert Fathers & Mothers by Henri Nouwen Book: Good Enough: 40ish Devotionals for a Life of Imperfection by Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie

On this 5th Sunday worship, centered around tables and brunch, and inclusive of all ages, Vanessa Maleare reflects on the recent Art Camp and what it means that kids and all of us are created to be creative, just like our Creator.  [Genesis 1:26-27]   Reflection What do you create? What makes you want to create? How might you involve the Creator to become involved in your process? Resource Book: The Creator In You, written by Jordan Raynor and illustrated by Jonathan David

What songs evoke lament and joy for you? Gina Bastone looks at the psalmist’s cry like a mixtape to the heavens, which invites us to companion our grief and imagine how God is calling us to participate in building a new world.  [Psalm 22] Reflection What is causing your lament, what is causing your praise, and how is God showing up in between? What kind of world do you want to build—with our Vox community in Austin, Texas, and in our world more broadly? How might we dwell in God’s possibility and open our narrow hands to gather paradise in these difficult times? What phrases might we add to the space after the em dash?

On Trinity Sunday, we conclude our series, Teach Em How To Say Goodbye: Jesus’ Parting Words to a Community in Transition, which looked at the final discourse of Jesus with his disciples before the whirlwind of his death, resurrection, and ascension. Today, we consider how God is shaping our leadership for our own lives, our faith community, and the larger world.   [John 16:12-15]   Reflection In what ways can I courageously lead in my larger community? What can I do to tend to my full self while I am doing that?

On Pentecost, we are in the penultimate message in the series, Teach Em How To Say Goodbye: Jesus’ Parting Words to a Community in Transition, which looks at the final discourse of Jesus with his disciples before the whirlwind of his death, resurrection, and ascension. Today, we consider how God might be inviting us to bear witness to beauty and brokenness, as we humbly listen to one another’s stories.   [John 14:15-27]   Reflection As we sit together in our own metaphorical upper room, can we pray together that the Holy Spirit would astound us with unexpected beauty? How might God be inviting you to speak into or bear witness to another’s beauty and brokenness? How might God be breathing beauty or possibility into the broken places in or around you?