Understanding mission as a project feels helpful, at least to me. Being assigned a project is far less daunting than being sent on a mission. Mission inspires me, but it also overwhelms me. A project is doable, one step at a time.

Through the progression of those holy days, a cosmic shift has happened, and nothing will ever be the same again. The scars of crucifixion linger on his glorified body. . . . Resurrection doesn’t cancel out crucifixion; they are both integral parts of the story.

And with God, all things are possible—even resurrection from the dead, even the transformation of the entire universe, and even Jesus still alive and with us, today!

If we open ourselves, we may suffer with Jesus. We may hurt as his experiences resonate with our own, but by uniting with him in suffering, we may also heal our pain. This week will be intense, but even so, I hope we enter in. God is in it all as we live into this holiest of weeks and the Paschal Mystery itself.

As we endure the crosses in our own lives, we have to dig down deep into hope. Resurrection is on its way. God makes all things new.

Human beings are complicated in this. We sometimes need discernment and healthy boundaries and self-protection when relationships break down. However, God, who is infinite mystery, is not complicated in this. God wants us to return no matter what. God loves us whether we’re bratty or whiny, lost, searching, wayward, or unfaithful. When we are lost and return to God, God rejoices.

Brokenness is real, but it is redeemable. As community, we can bring our woundedness together, owning our incompleteness, and drawing near each other. God is present when we come together in our brokenness, God who has chosen to be vulnerable too.

The air on mountain tops is thin so the journey back down is a healthy choice. It is in the day-to-day events that faith is both displayed and supported. For me, and probably for most of us, the only visions we will have are ones that we recognize not in blinding light, but in little glimpses of God’s love mediated through our companions.

The call I hear in the reading is to try and recognize what leads me: is it the Spirit of God or something else? If it’s the Spirit, then I am on the way toward God and toward good. If what is leading me is not of God, then I can always change directions.

We each have the ability to produce good fruit, to act out of the goodness – the God-ness – inside of us. But we also have it in us to act out of what’s not of God. My decision to do good, to move in the direction of the Spirit, (or not!) reflects on who I am as a person

The ears of my heart tell me the truth. I need to push myself to say the kind word and think the kind thought. I need to be generous and not “measured.” I need to value my life as God values it.

I try to weather the storm of despair when in comes and remind myself that it doesn’t come from God. God is deeply and profoundly with me in all things, calling me beloved, even when I can’t hear it. Eventually, the storm subsides, God’s Spirit descends again, and once more I know hope and love and joy.

“I trust that the same God who sent a powerful sign to the magi also guides us. What if the star was there for all to see – bold and bright in the sky – but only those few wise ones noticed it and followed? Maybe other people could have, had they had the desire and the insight to see it. What if God has placed a star in front of us now, and, if we pray for discernment, we’ll see it too? What if the star is within us?”

Whatever your family situation – blood relatives or chosen family or all of the above – I hope it’s inclusive too. I hope it gives you the feelings of love and belonging that God has for you.