Vox Veniae Podcast

Upside Down Glory Where have you seen systems of oppression benefiting from the glorification of suffering? On this fifth Sunday of Lent, Christopher Mack glimpses an Upside Down Glory of God that does not require the renouncing of our Divine Image; sets us in solidarity on a path of downward mobility, and reveals the violence of othering and casting out. [John 12:23-32]   Reflection Are there deforming religious ideas of denying your humanity you are invited to name & renounce?  What might it look like to embody a self-giving love that honors your personhood as well as others? How might we become more aware of where our own impulse to cast ‘others’ out drives us? Resources Book: The Wisdom Way of Knowing by Cynthia Bourgeault Exhibit: The Archaeology of Silence  by Kehinde Wiley at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston Film: X-Men: The Last Stand  Directed by Brett Ratner Written by Simon Kinberg & Zak Penn Book: Pleasure Activism by adrienne maree brown

Where might you be misperceiving God’s intent in your life? On this fourth Sunday of Lent, Kimberly Culbertson considers how we navigate challenging seasons by looking at the story of the Hebrews wandering in the wilderness. [Numbers 21:5-9] Reflection How has God carried you through times of trouble? Where might you be “looking at snakes” and misperceiving God’s intent towards you? How might God be steadying you through a season of change even now?

What is your relationship to power and authority? On this third Sunday of Lent, Weylin Lee invites us to disrupt oppressive systems, embody our anger through protest, and reimagine decentralized power in light of the story of Jesus' confrontation in the temple. [John 2:13-22]   Reflection How are we revealing and disrupting oppressive systems? How are we connecting with and expressing our passions as a form of protest? How are we reimagining ways of decentralizing power and removing gatekeeping?   Resources Book: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson Film: Origin Written and directed by Ava DuVernay Book: Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames by Thich Nhat Hanh

How might we name the need for and create a different set of practices, as well as theological and communal pathways according to our uniquenesses? On this second Sunday of Lent, Christopher Mack interrogates a one-size fits all spirituality and invites us to “begin again, again” this season. [Romans 4:13-15, 18-22]   Reflection What might respecting how the Divine Creator has made you look like on this lenten journey? How might you incorporate learning from someone else’s perspective into your lenten experience? Where might you need healing from a one-sized fits all approach to the spiritual journey? Resources Book: Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices That Transform Us by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun Article: Faith: Instead of giving up something for Lent, what if we gave something to the community? by Josh Kulak https://www.statesman.com/story/news/local/2024/02/20/faith-give-something-to-the-community-for-lent/72661308007/ Webpage: Ash Wednesday & Lent Resources https://voxveniae.com/2024/02/ash-wednesday-liturgy-resources/

What have you embraced with your time and attention that is weighing you down? On this first Sunday of Lent, Vanessa Maleare compares the poetic psalms to the stories we tell and how each of us uniquely hears them in light of the story of our Christian faith. [Psalm 25:1-10] Reflection Is there something to which you give your time and effort, that hurts you? What is something that would bring you more life, that could occupy that space instead?

On this Ash Wednesday, Christopher Mack, Caroline Cody, Vanessa Maleare, and Weylin Lee invite you into a practice that is an amalgamation of a sacred reading and an examen. After a short reflection, they read a few verses of our passage at a time as we intentionally listen to the conversation between the text and our lives as we begin this 40 day journey of Lent together.   [2 Corinthians 6:1-10]   Reflection We are God’s co-workers, not the Most High’s minions nor the Almighty’s underlings. We participate in God’s salvific liberation with a posture of  “power with” rather than “power over.” How might you, as a Divine co-laborer,  reflect this participatory power this lent? What might this Divine co-laborer relationship be asking of us? What might it cost us in this season? We are invited here to participate in work in all states of being alongside our divine partner. This work can be joyful and strenuous. What might that consistent labor look like for you in this season? What emotions does this bring up in you? Where are the glimpses of hope that we are noticing that are emerging alongside the seasons of loss and grief?  How are we invited to hold both of those simultaneously in tension with each other?

What is possible when we speak boldly, listen intently, and connect expectantly? On the sixth Sunday after Epiphany, Brandon Kinder facilitates a panel discussion with YanHao Wong and Emily Galusha to reflect on their artwork in our Vesper art show “What Is Your Voice?” They discuss connections to spirituality and how artistic creativity is an exploration of finding our voice in the world. [Mark 9:2-8] Reflection Is there a piece of art that inspires you to find your voice? How have awe and wonder inspired your own creativity?  How does creativity fuel our inner healing and outer work of peacemaking and justice bringing?

Despite the evidence around us, how can we awaken to God’s posture of love and liberation for the earth? On the fifth Sunday after Epiphany, Virginia Cumberbatch names the disruption, disappointment and injustice we face, while guiding us to the liberation movements of acknowledging, awakening, and anticipating God’s loving presence all around us and our world. [Isaiah 40:21-31] Reflection How might we renew our strength, our faith, in the midst? How can the uncertainty or mystery of our human condition embolden us in our collective purpose for equity and liberation? How can we entrust the big, the unknown, the scary to God’s hands? Resources Book: Shoutin’ In the Fire: An American Epistle by Dante Stewart  

How has pride in our knowledge limited our ability to love? On the fourth Sunday after Epiphany, Weylin Lee invites us into a practice of discernment rooted in mutuality that respects difference, embodied contemplation, and a freedom that protects the vulnerable. [1 Corinthians 8:1-6]   Reflection Where does knowledge limit and hinder our posture and practice of love and mutuality? What is our invitation to consider meaningful relationships with those beyond our own comfort and alignment? What does a nonviolent practice of empathy look like as we hold space for difference? Resources Book: This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation, and the Stories that Make Us by Cole Arthur Riley

How might we creatively embody good news toward our enemies? On this third Sunday after Epiphany, Christopher Mack glimpses Divine Love enveloping our pain, extending toward our enemies, and shifting our perspective through the story of Jonah.  [Jonah 3:1-5, 10] Reflection Is there somewhere pain has you locked in a cycle that isn’t working?  Where might God’s Love invite you to shift your perspective? What might it mean to show up wholly for yourself and others?