We explore the two verses from Leviticus commonly used to condemn LGBTQIA people by examining the historical context, original language, and intended audience. We discuss how the category of sexual orientation didn't exist in ancient times, how the word homosexual wasn't coined until 1869, and what the Hebrew word toveb (abomination) actually means in terms of ritual purity rather than universal moral law. We also examine how Christians already apply Leviticus selectively in modern life, and argue that reading the text carefully reveals it addresses specific cultural practices, not LGBTQIA people as a group. We conclude by noting that the gospel addresses LGBTQIA people as beloved, included, and made in God's image. #Leviticus #LGBTQIA #BibleStudy #ContextMatters #HebrewLanguage #ReligiousInterpretation #Inclusion #Gospel #FaithAndAcceptance #ScriptureAnalysis #HolinessCode #RitualPurity #ChristianValues #ReadCarefully

We explore John 14:16-17 and the promise of the Holy Spirit as our Advocate. Through the story of Felicitas, an enslaved woman facing martyrdom in a Roman arena, we discover what it means to have the Paraclete—the one who stands beside us in court when systems have all the power and we have none. We talk about how Jesus promised his disciples they would not be left orphaned, and how this same Spirit dwells in us today, giving us a voice and witness that transcends earthly powers. Whether facing a school board, immigration office, or any system that makes us feel alone, we are reminded that another will be in us, suffering and standing with us.

We discuss the sobering reality of political violence coming from both the left and the right, and explore how our righteous anger can lead us to justify force. We examine Jesus's teaching in Gethsemane and the Sermon on the Mount, which call us to love our enemies and refuse the logic of violence, even when our cause is just and the threat is real. We talk about the church's third way: truth-telling, neighbor-loving, and the refusal to become what we oppose—a harder path that reflects the shape of God's power through the cross, not the sword. #christianpeace #love #nonviolence #peace #thethirdway #jesus #christiancommunity #politicalviolence #religiousviolence

We explore the meditation on Sunday's gospel story of the road to Emmaus, focusing on the phrase We had hoped and what it means when our hopes are crushed. We discuss how the stranger (Jesus) doesn't argue with the disciples' despair but instead walks with them, listens, and opens the scriptures to show that suffering and hope are not opposites. We reflect on how Christ reveals himself in the breaking of bread at table, not in private experience, and how this encounter sends the disciples back to Jerusalem burning with a hope they can't keep to themselves. We discover that the resurrection doesn't skip grief—it walks right into it and transforms us from we had hoped to we are beginning to hope again.

We talk about Sunday's gospel of doubting Thomas and what it means that Jesus kept his scars after the resurrection. Rather than seeing Thomas's doubt as weak faith, we explore how he was actually refusing a resurrection that forgot the cross. We discuss how God doesn't redeem by forgetting or heal by pretending wounds never happened. The risen Christ carried his history in his body, scars and all, as proof of who he was. We're reminded that if you're carrying wounds from what's been done to you or your community, you are not disqualified from resurrection hope. You are not too scarred for the story. Jesus shows his hands without shame, and neither should we be ashamed of what we've survived. #DoubtingThomas #Resurrection #Gospel #Faith #Scars #Healing #ChristianDevotional #Hope #Redemption #SurvivalStory #Spirituality #BlessedWeek