Vox Veniae Podcast

On Easter Sunday, Christopher Mack contrasts the fear that caused the agents of empire to fall like dead men to the fear and great joy of the women at the tomb who go forward to tell of the vindication of the Jesus Way over the way of empire’s death dealing destruction. We are encouraged to listen to the conversation resurrection life is having with our own, listening to our sorrows, while we sing with sacred joy!     Reflection Questions: What has shaken your world to its core?  Where are you invited to revisit death’s door?  How is new life coming home to you?  

On Palm Sunday, Vanessa Maleare confronts the feelings of sadness, disappointment, and frustration we experience when something is different than we anticipated. Jesus didn’t act like the violent warrior king many of the people anticipated. What do you do when you face unmet expectations? Vanessa invites us to choose how we respond by realizing that “I can change what I do next.”   Belonging in the Wilderness lays bare the tension between our vulnerable humanity… our desire to simply be, without hustling for worthiness or trying to fit in… and our longing for Beloved Community with our friends, family, neighbors, enemies, creation, and our Creator. The wilderness is an unavoidable part of this journey. It is where we abandon the game of dressing up like our mythical heroes and begin to uncover the mystery of our one wild and true self.  A life so rooted in Divine Love, we find ourselves simultaneously set apart and intimately connected to God’s global family. We rarely choose to go to the wilderness, where all our distractions and pretense evaporate. Yet the wilderness invites us to live together for what really matters, because here there is energy for little else. There are no shortcuts in the wilderness. It is a solitary journey, which we cannot walk alone.     Reflection Questions: Have I been radically disappointed lately?  I can’t change the past, but what will I do next?  What this week, imagine yourself saving your own “Hosannas,” “Save me from injustice,” or “Save me from this toxic relationship [with cookie dough].” 

On the fifth Sunday of Lent, Christopher Mack acknowledges we live in times where nerves can easily get fried and hope can seem in short supply. Everywhere we turn, it seems the world is on fire. The Hebrew people also wondered if the chaos engulfing their world would ever relent and give way to new life. A valley of dry bones seemed to offer evidence of a sealed and gruesome fate. Yet for Ezekiel, these beyond dead bones, were the perfect canvas for a community to believe they could begin again. Belonging in the Wilderness lays bare the tension between our vulnerable humanity… our desire to simply be, without hustling for worthiness or trying to fit in… and our longing for Beloved Community with our friends, family, neighbors, enemies, creation, and our Creator. The wilderness is an unavoidable part of this journey. It is where we abandon the game of dressing up like our mythical heroes and begin to uncover the mystery of our one wild and true self.  A life so rooted in Divine Love, we find ourselves simultaneously set apart and intimately connected to God’s global family. We rarely choose to go to the wilderness, where all our distractions and pretense evaporate. Yet the wilderness invites us to live together for what really matters, because here there is energy for little else. There are no shortcuts in the wilderness. It is a solitary journey, which we cannot walk alone.   Reflection Questions: Can you acknowledge to yourself and to God where you feel bone tired, sapped of hor or where your well has run dry?  Which stage of grief resonates most with you?  What is one step you can take toward wholeheartedness? 

Belonging in the Wilderness: The Wild Bone Dried On the fifth Sunday of Lent, Christopher Mack acknowledges we live in times where nerves can easily get fried and hope can seem in short supply. Everywhere we turn, it seems the world is on fire. The Hebrew people also wondered if the chaos engulfing their world would ever relent and give way to new life. A valley of dry bones seemed to offer evidence of a sealed and gruesome fate. Yet for Ezekiel, these beyond-dead bones were the perfect canvas for a community to believe they could begin again.   Belonging in the Wilderness lays bare the tension between our vulnerable humanity… our desire to simply be, without hustling for worthiness or trying to fit in… and our longing for Beloved Community with our friends, family, neighbors, enemies, creation, and our Creator. The wilderness is an unavoidable part of this journey. It is where we abandon the game of dressing up like our mythical heroes and begin to uncover the mystery of our one wild and true self.  A life so rooted in Divine Love, we find ourselves simultaneously set apart and intimately connected to God’s global family. We rarely choose to go to the wilderness, where all our distractions and pretense evaporate. Yet the wilderness invites us to live together for what really matters, because here there is energy for little else. There are no shortcuts in the wilderness. It is a solitary journey, which we cannot walk alone.   Reflection Questions: Where can you acknowledge to yourself and to God where you feel bone tired, sapped of hope, or where your well has run dry?  Which of Brené Brown’s Guideposts resonates most with you?  What is one step you can take toward wholeheartedness? 

On this third Sunday of Lent, Eric Robinson roots us in a spirituality of the wilderness. Eric reminds us of how anxiety spreads through systems and communities to scapegoat either one of the most powerful people in the group or the least powerful. He encourages us to resist the temptation to emotionally fuse with anxiety or to cut ourselves off, but to instead self-differentiate. We are encouraged to look at the Triune God and imitate being separate-together.  Belonging in the Wilderness lays bare the tension between our vulnerable humanity… our desire to simply be, without hustling for worthiness or trying to fit in… and our longing for Beloved Community with our friends, family, neighbors, enemies, creation, and our Creator. The wilderness is an unavoidable part of this journey. It is where we abandon the game of dressing up like our mythical heroes and begin to uncover the mystery of our one wild and true self.  A life so rooted in Divine Love, we find ourselves simultaneously set apart and intimately connected to God’s global family. We rarely choose to go to the wilderness, where all our distractions and pretense evaporate. Yet the wilderness invites us to live together for what really matters, because here there is energy for little else. There are no shortcuts in the wilderness. It is a solitary journey, which we cannot walk alone.   Reflection Questions: What is a triangle you see in your own life? Where might God be inviting you to more self-differentiation? How might you be involved in changing societal systems that are triangulating? 

On the second Sunday of Lent, Lilly Louise Ettinger reminds us powerfully and poignantly that the wilderness is not always received as a gift. We often find it the last place we want to be. Yet we still often find ourselves in the middle of it. Lilly suggests prayer labyrinths, morning pages, and the power of presence as lodestars to guide us in the wilderness.   Belonging in the Wilderness lays bare the tension between our vulnerable humanity… our desire to simply be, without hustling for worthiness or trying to fit in… and our longing for Beloved Community with our friends, family, neighbors, enemies, creation, and our Creator. The wilderness is an unavoidable part of this journey. It is where we abandon the game of dressing up like our mythical heroes and begin to uncover the mystery of our one wild and true self.  A life so rooted in Divine Love, we find ourselves simultaneously set apart and intimately connected to God’s global family. We rarely choose to go to the wilderness, where all our distractions and pretense evaporate. Yet the wilderness invites us to live together for what really matters, because here there is energy for little else. There are no shortcuts in the wilderness. It is a solitary journey, which we cannot walk alone.   Reflection Questions: What brings you to the wilderness? How do you feel invited to respond to God this week? Where are you experiencing tension in your journey right now?

On this first Sunday of Lent, Christopher Mack invites us to open ourselves to God’s Presence in the wilderness through Henri Nouwen’s suggested practices of contemplative prayer, forgiveness, and theological reflection. Belonging in the Wilderness lays bare the tension between our vulnerable humanity… our desire to simply be, without hustling for worthiness or trying to fit in… and our longing for Beloved Community with our friends, family, neighbors, enemies, creation, and our Creator. The wilderness is an unavoidable part of this journey. It is where we abandon the game of dressing up like our mythical heroes and begin to uncover the mystery of our one wild and true self.  A life so rooted in Divine Love, we find ourselves simultaneously set apart and intimately connected to God’s global family. We rarely choose to go to the wilderness, where all our distractions and pretense evaporate. Yet the wilderness invites us to live together for what really matters, because here there is energy for little else. There are no shortcuts in the wilderness. It is a solitary journey, which we cannot walk alone.      

God’s Love is in plain sight all around us, yet it seems so obscure. We may feel orphaned from homes where we once experienced spiritual vitality. Coercion and condemnation have left us on the streets looking for a better way. In John’s gospel, Jesus’ first words are, “What are you looking for?” and they’re followed by an invitation to “come and see.” We aren’t given certainty or a system to sell. We are invited to experience a common and awe-inspiring grace as we abide with Jesus. Where do people find transforming grace at Vox? What particular ways are we invited to embody Divine grace and invite others to experience this sustaining grace with us?  In the final message of this series, Christopher Mack leans toward the interplay of transformative presence and incarnational empathy at the scene of deep grief and disappointment of the death of Lazarus and wonders how we might practice empathy across difference. Reflection Questions: Where do you find yourself resisting healthy empathy and vulnerability with others? How do the relational dynamics impact your ability to care for yourself and someone else simultaneously? Where are you sensing an invitation to create space to listen, feel, and be with someone, particularly across difference?

God’s Love is in plain sight all around us, yet it seems so obscure. We may feel orphaned from homes where we once experienced spiritual vitality. Coercion and condemnation have left us on the streets looking for a better way. In John’s gospel, Jesus’ first words are, “What are you looking for?” and they’re followed by an invitation to “come and see.” We aren’t given certainty or a system to sell. We are invited to experience a common and awe-inspiring grace as we abide with Jesus. Where do people find transforming grace at Vox? What particular ways are we invited to embody Divine grace and invite others to experience this sustaining grace with us?  On this penultimate week of our series, Vanessa Maleare reminds us to bear witness to the good right where we are, making the most of opportunities before us to sing of the good news of justice, hope, and peace in and to our world. Reflection Questions: When are you tempted to “look away”? What ways might you make a small difference this week? What opportunities from your group are inspiring you?  Resource: Don’t Look Away PDF

God’s Love is in plain sight all around us, yet it seems so obscure. We may feel orphaned from homes where we once experienced spiritual vitality. Coercion and condemnation have left us on the streets looking for a better way. In John’s gospel, Jesus’ first words are, “What are you looking for?” and they’re followed by an invitation to “come and see.” We aren’t given certainty or a system to sell. We are invited to experience a common and awe-inspiring grace as we abide with Jesus. Where do people find transforming grace at Vox? What particular ways are we invited to embody Divine grace and invite others to experience this sustaining grace with us?  On this fifth week of our series, Christopher Mack explores how we are invited to realize God is justice, rest in God’s Presence, and rise to see and serve God in our neighbor. This is a lifelong journey of living and learning, huddling together to guard our collective hope in God’s good future. Reflection Questions: What is the wisdom of your body telling you about this present moment? Do you experience pressure for performative gestures, cynical critiques, or overwhelmed withdrawals? How has Vox been a voice of grace in the face of injustice in the past, forming us today?