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This Lent, we’re preaching a series called “Tell Me Something Good.” Lent is a time of preparation and discipline leading up to Easter, so this series strips Jesus’ life and ministry down to their root as a way to remind us how we’re called to live. At their core, Jesus’ teachings are full of love, liberation, mercy, and grace. Despite how they’ve been weaponized, they are meant to be good news for all. If you’d like to follow along with this series outside of just the sermons on Sunday mornings, you can find poetry, a daily devotional, visual art, and more at the “Lent” tab on our website or app.

If God lived next door, I’d drop off a loaf of bread.
I’d use my mom’s best recipe.
I’d wrap it in parchment and ribbon and place it on the front stoop.
If God lived next door, I’d leave a note with my phone number.
Call anytime you need anything! I’m always happy to help!
If God lived next door, I’d keep sugar on the shelf,
just in case she needed a cup.
I’d put a picnic table in the front yard and begin taking my coffee there.
Whenever God passed by with their gaggle of rescue dogs,
I could say, Want to sit for a moment? Want to rest your legs?
I’d keep a jar of dog treats and water by the mailbox
and change my doormat to one that says:All are welcome here.
I’d invite God over for dinner.
She’d bring bread and juice.
I’d host a block party, so that everyone could meet her.
I’d start a community garden
so that the kids could run between rows of squash and tomatoes
while we adults put our hands in the dirt.
We’d share stories while we weeded,
and eat harvest meals at the end of the season.
If God lived next door, I’d want to build something beautiful.
Then again, who says she doesn’t?

May we all find ways to love God by loving our neighbor this week.

-Pastor Julia

Poem by Rev. Sarah A. Speed | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org