Vox Veniae Podcast

Sacred Heart

James Allison reflects on the Feast of the Sacred Heart and the love that we’re invited to receive and give [1 John 4:7-16].

 

Reflection

• How can we move from a cognitive to a relational understanding and practice of love?
• How are we invited to meekness in our attempt to love well and to receive love?

Resources

• Video: Vox Online Liturgy Replay

MWG Discussion Questions

• In what ways has love been more of a cognitive experience versus a relational practice?  What are the barriers that make it difficult to practice love?
• What associations have you made between the heart of Jesus and the love of God?  How have they been disconnected in your experience of faith?  In what ways have they been aligned with each other?
• How has our own experience of God's love (how we receive or don't receive it) impacted our ability to love others?

A Hope That Does Not Disappoint

Scott Erickson reflects on hope in the midst of our current circumstances [Romans 5:1-8].

 

Reflection

• What particular conversations are happening in your life because of these current circumstances?
• In what ways are you fighting being a student by trying to be a teacher?

 

Resources

• Video: Vox Online Liturgy Replay

MWG Discussion Questions

• How do we tend to respond to disappointment in our lives?  What is that disappointment based in?
• What has been our experience of perseverance?  Is it more about will power?  How might a framework of perseverance as an invitation impact our experience (i.e. exploring what we might be invited to consider versus just getting through it)?
• How do we experience the tension of the reality we experience in today's world (e.g. pandemic, racial injustice) and the hope that Jesus offers and promises?  What are things that keep us from hope?  What are some practices that might help us move towards hope?

Original Beauty

Jason Minnix reflects on how we’re invited to notice the intention of beauty amidst devastation. Nic Acosta also shares his reflections on this text [Genesis 1-2:4].

 

Reflection

• Where am I being invited to practice antifragility and fragility?
• How am I being invited into beauty this week?

Spiritual Practice

• Pick a practice that may be either supporting your fragility or your antifragility.  Journal, therapy, melancholy music, exercise, All or Nothing documentaries, act rather than just feel and think about things, take a break from action to think and feel, move out of empathy into strength, move out of strength into empathy, show up for your friends who are more vulnerable now, recommit to the paths you’ve discerned.

Resources

• Resources for Co-Laboring
• Book: Antifragile (Nassim Nicholas Taleb)

MWG Discussion Questions

• What strikes you as the difference between “good” and “beautiful”?
• Does changing the connotation of “good” change my views about how God views His creation?
• In what ways do I take on more than the world needs me to do? In so doing am I ignoring anything that is my unique task?
• What in my personal history has yielded anti-fragility in me? How does that show up now?

Pentecost: Uniquely Embodied Gifts

On Pentecost Sunday, Gena Minnix reflects on how the Spirit transforms our embodied selves and wounds into unique gifts that enliven the body of Christ.  Molly Clack also shares her reflections on this text [1 Corinthians 12:4-12].

 

Reflection

1. When you’re feeling most alive in your embodied self, what are you usually doing?
2. How might your unique gift to the community of Christ come from your own place of woundedness?

 

Spiritual Practice

• This week, notice what you’re doing when you feel most alive and at home in your embodied self -- how might that point to a gift of the Spirit unique to who you are?
• Spend time this week reflecting on a part of yourself you think of as wounded, weak, or imperfect -- how might that wound be transformed into an embodied gift needed by the community of Christ?

 

Resources

• Video: Vox Online Liturgy Replay
• Book: New Seeds of Contemplation (Thomas Merton)
• Song: Serenade by Franz Schubert (Itzhak Perlman on violin)
• Movie: All or Nothing: New Zealand All Blacks

 

 

 

Waiting

Weylin Lee reflects on what God is inviting us into during our season or experience of waiting.  Kelli Knight and Kristy Robinson also share their reflections on this text [Acts 1:6-14].

 

Reflection

• How can we participate in unexpected ways during our season of waiting?
• What might be some things we’re invited to let go of as we wait in loss?
• What could be some meaningful practices of prayer as we wait?

 

Spiritual Practice

• Welcome Prayer.  Welcome, welcome, welcome. I welcome everything that comes to me today because I know it's for my healing. I welcome all thoughts, feelings, emotions, persons, situations, and conditions. I let go of my desire for power and control. I let go of my desire for affection, esteem, approval and pleasure. I let go of my desire for survival and security. I let go of my desire to change any situation, condition, person or myself. I open to the love and presence of God and God's action within.  Amen.

 

Resources

• Video: Vox Online Liturgy Replay

 

 

 

 

Doorway to Presence

Gideon Tsang reflects on how we’re invited to dwell in our present moment.  Danielle Dalsey Kimball also shares her reflections on this text [John 14:15-17].

 

Reflection

• Are you present to what's alive in you?
• What practices can bring you back to the present moment this coming week?

 

Spiritual Practice

• Contemplative Prayer. Breathing in, I calm my body.  Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment, I know this is a wonderful moment.

 

Resources

• Video: Vox Online Liturgy Replay
• Podcast: On Being (Ocean Vuong)

 

 

 

On Earth as It Is in Heaven

Gideon Tsang reflects on how we can slowly practice getting out of the hell of our minds and into the experience of heaven that’s at hand.  Christina Cotham and Judy Peterson also share their reflections on this text [Acts 7:54-60].

 

Reflection

• What does heaven on earth feel like for you?
• How can you cherish the moments when you're at home without shame in this world?

Spiritual Practice

• Contemplative Prayer. Breathing in, I calm my body.  Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment, I know this is a wonderful moment.

Resources

• Video: Vox Online Liturgy Replay

Wanting

Jason Minnix reflects on our needs and how God is present in our deepest desires.  Caroline Cody also shares her reflections on this text [Psalm 23].

Reflection

• What does it look like to invite God to be with me in my longing?
• How am I being held amidst the unsettling meal before me?
• Where have I been followed by goodness and mercy in my journey?

Spiritual Practice

• Bring the tension of wanting and not-yet-getting into God’s guiding presence.  Speak or read Psalm 23 slowly with your breath. Name the tension you’re in as best you can. Close with another slow reading of Psalm 23.
• Make an object out of a difficult emotion for you this week and see how you relate to it.
• Name the threads of goodness and mercy that are returning you to a deeper life.

Resources

• Video: Vox Online Liturgy Replay

Listening

Virginia Cumberbatch reflects on what it means to listen during this season of isolation and separation.  Candice Boehm and Jennifer Cumberbatch also share their reflections on this text [Psalm 113].

 

Reflection

• How have you listened to yourself and God during the quarantine?
• What does it look like this week to create intentional space to listen?

 

Resources

• Video: Vox Online Liturgy Replay
• Video: Quarantine Goals
• Song: I’m Listening (Chris McClarney)

 

 

Peace Be With You

Weylin Lee reflects on the spaces in our lives right now where we’re invited to experience peace.  Kelly Cutbirth, John & Catie Brewster and Liz Schepel also share their reflections on this text [John 20:19-29].

 

Reflection

• How might we engage our senses in order to experience peace and extend peace to others?
• What are our spaces of disbelief that might offer ways to experience peace in an unexpected way?
• How might wounds serve as a reminder that our story isn’t finished?

 

Spiritual Practice

• Embodied Peace. What do you need to touch, see, hear, smell or taste to feel peace?  How can you share embodied peace with someone else?

 

Resources

• Video: Vox Online Liturgy Replay
• Podcast: Brene Brown and David Kessler on Grief

 

 

 

 

The Paradox of Rebirth

Gideon Tsang reflects on the paradox of rebirth on this Easter Sunday.  Matt Inman, Gena Minnix and Virginia Cumberbatch also share their reflections on this text [Matthew 28:1-10].

 

Reflection

• What have you experienced during this gestation period before an eventual rebirth?
• How can you hold the paradox of fear and joy this week?

 

Spiritual Practice

• Create a tomb in your home to place the sources and feelings associated with loss that you have experienced.
• Leave yourself a reminder to “embrace the suck” during this challenging season.

 

Resources

• Video: Vox Online Liturgy Replay

 

 

 

Places of Thirst

As we observe Palm Sunday and experience our first online liturgy, Jason Minnix reflects on our places of thirst during this global pandemic and season of physical separation.  Claudia Harding and Brittany Acosta also share their reflections on this text [Exodus 17:1-7].

 

Reflection

• What are my places of thirst today?
• If I had permission to complain, what would I say during this time?
• Could God be a place of standing for me when the world’s on fire?
• What is my honest prayer this morning?

Spiritual Practice

• Name the places of thirst.
• Prayer of Complaint: Make a place to post your prayers and complaints to God this week
• Have an honest conversation with God this week about how you’re doing, about what’s happening.

Resources

• Video: Vox Online Liturgy Replay
• Podcast: On Being (Padraig O Tuama)

A New Conversation

As we continue in the season of Lent, Matt Inman reflects on how our faith intersects with our belonging [Romans 4:13-17].

 

Reflection

• What parts of your story might need to be honored more for you to feel a greater sense of belonging?
• What kinds of new conversations do you long for?  Who in your life do you trust enough to allow them to interrupt you?

 

Spiritual Practice

• Journal through these three questions.  Where have you felt loving connection with your parents/guardians?  Where might your parents have struggled to know how to love you? Imagine what acceptance and belonging might have looked like in those spaces.
• Conversation.  Have a conversation with a friend or a colleague about where fear of punishment finds its way into your faith, thoughts, relationships and dreams.

 

Resources

• Film: Billy Elliot

Remember Mercy

As we enter the season of Lent, Gideon Tsang reflects on what we need to remember about God’s goodness [Psalm 103:1-6].

 

Reflection

• What does it look like to bring your shame into the magnitude of mercy this week?
• How does it make you feel knowing God wants to satisfy your needs with goodness as long as you live?

 

Spiritual Practice

• Marinate in the vastness of mercy.  Where’s the furthest place you’ve been on earth?  Drop off your shame on a trip across the world.

 

Resources

• Film: Portrait of a Lady on Fire
• Music: Only One (Kanye West)

 

Facing Our Fear

Gena Minnix reflects on the Transfiguration and what it means to allow Jesus to come alongside us in our fear and to trust enough to take a small leap towards authentic love [Matthew 17:1-8].

 

Reflection

• How is fear shrinking my perspective on God, myself, others, or what’s possible?
• What would happen if I allowed Jesus to come alongside me and give me a new perspective?
• What "leap" am I afraid of taking in my relationship with God?

 

Spiritual Practice

• Breath Prayer. “God, even though I’m afraid… help me choose love.”
• Breath Prayer. “Jesus I can’t, you can… I’ll let go.”

 

Resources

• Video: Yes Theory Bungee Jumping with Will Smith

Growing in Maturity

Weylin Lee reflects on our spiritual growth and how we can tell if our faith is maturing or not [1 Corinthians 3:1-9].

 

Reflection

• What life-giving rhythms are we feeding ourselves to experience growth?
• Who do we view through a lens of rivalry and how can we look for the movement of God that’s stirring in us and them?

 

Spiritual Practice

• Craft a Rhythm of Life.  Select intentional rhythms and practices that are appropriate for your emotional development. Personal rhythms (scripture, prayer, generosity). Communal rhythms (liturgy, sharing resources). Missional rhythms (hospitality, neighbor, partnerships).

 

Resources

• Book: Emotionally Healthy Spirituality (Peter Scazerro)
• Rhythm of Life
• Podcast: Fresh Air (Bryan Stevenson)
• Film: Parasite

 

Delivered

Judy Peterson reflects on the feminine Epiphany of how Jesus arrived and what it means for our ability to view our own bodies more charitably [Luke 1].

 

Reflection

• What would it look like for us to step away from the dualistic thinking that says we are either holy or sinful and instead simply acknowledge that sometimes we are just human and that's more than alright?
• Is it possible that the hidden, vulnerable or even shame-filled part of your life or story might just be the exact portal through which God wants to be delivered into this world?

Close to Home

Gideon Tsang reflects on what we might find in God’s home, which is us [Psalm 84].

 

Reflection

• How is God inviting you into yourself this week? 
• Where are you in your pilgrimage to find your own strength?

 

Spiritual Practice

• Reflect on how comfortable we are with ourselves.  Are you comfortable with yourself? What parts are you not comfortable with?  What parts are you comfortable with?
• Reflect on your pilgrimage.  What part of this pilgrimage are you on?  What is your valley? Do we trust that we’ll find springs in the valley?

 

Resources

• Video: Dave Chapelle at DC Improv
• Video: Space12 Move

 

 

Dawning

Jason Minnix reflects on how Jesus carries light to bring people into their calling [Matthew 4:12-23].

 

Reflection

• Where do I sense the light that seems too good to be true?
• How can I begin or continue to listen to my deeper desires?

 

Spiritual Practice

• Attending to the Light of Desire.  Are my desires being sacrificed for my habits, or are my habits supporting my deeper desires? Examine your habits over time to see if they help you realize your deeper desire. 
• How has way closed behind me?  Am I doing a bunch of good things, or am I getting closer to the best things to invest in? Take some time to look back and name some limits more visible now in the things that haven’t worked out. Ask someone you trust if they agree with your list of limits and sense of what you’re best at.

 

Resources

• Book: Let Your Life Speak (Parker Palmer)

Life of Service

Weylin Lee reflects on how are we invited to live a life of service that’s sustainable and connected to what God is doing [Isaiah 49:1-7].

 

Reflection

• If you listen to your life, what is it revealing about your calling?
• How might you live a life of service in more sustainable ways?
• Similar to light, in what ways are you simply revealing God’s love?

 

Spiritual Practice

• Personal Compass.  Use the image of a compass to reflect on your life.  Reflect on the four directions and what they each represent.  Allow your life to speak back to you and help you begin to discern your calling. (exercise link below)
• Centering Prayer.  Practice consenting to God’s presence and action.  Consider service from a second half of life framework.

 

Resources

• Book: Let Your Life Speak (Parker Palmer)
• Book: Journaling as a Spiritual Practice (Helen Cepero)
• Personal Compass Exercise