Vox Veniae Podcast

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?

Homily: The Good Work What stories and beliefs did you inherit about sexuality? On this second Sunday after Epiphany, Kimberly Culbertson invites us to question and explore our inherited beliefs and practice, in light of Paul’s paradigm of the good and beneficial.  [1 Corinthians 6:12-13]   Reflection As you consider the work of being human, can you begin to prayerfully ask God, “Is this beneficial? Or is this destructive in some way?”  How can you lean into community as you discern right actions for your life?   We are members of one another. How is your life helping your communities to thrive

Can you recall a life realization that in retrospect appeared glaringly obvious? On this first Sunday after Epiphany, Lilly Ettinger invites us to wonder at God’s radical inclusion and how it invites the formation of a Beloved Community experiencing rescue and restoration.  [Isaiah 60:1-6] Reflection Where might you “lift your eyes” and see the world around you? Is there a place where you once felt like you didn’t belong but now do?  What changed? What needs to change?  

Who do you know that gives really good hugs? On this Fifth Sunday, Vanessa Maleare leads the Wonder Moment for our New Year’s Eve liturgy and brunch. She invites children of all ages to remember and reside in our beloved belonging. [Galatians 4:4-7]