Doors keep in and keep out. They make us feel safe, either by making sure no one gets in or by justifying our staying in. They are the border that insures separation from those who we suspect might harm us. This passage affirms that Jesus as the door is most certainly our security. But a careful reading suggests also that this is a rather permeable gate.

"I Am the Light of the World", Jesus said, according to the gospel of John. Light can be a warm, soothing gift when stumbling in the darkness but it can also be disorienting and downright uncomfortable. If you've ever stood under the flickering fluorescent light in a department store dressing room then you know exactly what that means. What does it mean to think of Jesus as light and should that thought comfort us, trouble us, or a little bit of both?

When Jesus says, “I AM the bread of life,” it is easy to limit this promise to our practices surrounding the Lord’s Supper. But Jesus reminds us that the offer of himself is not just for us on a Sunday morning, but also so that we might provide life for others. Jesus as the bread of life is for the sake of eternal life for all, life that is both the assurance of life after death, but also life while living, here and now.

Often we look too exclusively to the characters in bible stories, our humanness seeking out a narrative from which we can stitch together meaning. But in the transfiguration of Jesus, the most compelling 'character' may be the Light. This week Pastor Adam explores light, and the miraculous nature of it, and how it may require us to think differently about the very nature of God.

Don't miss guest speakers, Savannah Stever and Sarah Nowlin, who joined Pastor Melody for an inspiring and performative message on rest as resistance. Take a few minutes to practice rest as you experience this gospel good news from Downey Avenue Christian Church.

While in the plains of Moab, just outside the Promised Land, the people of God were given detailed instructions about how their growing numbers should be accommodated in the region. The details are just as much about preserving the land as they are about preserving the people.

The prophet Isaiah proclaims, "the year of the Lord's favor" for an oppressed people. Years later, Jesus doubled down on this proclamation, stating that, indeed, the proclamation had been fulfilled through Him. Why, then, do so many still experience oppression? Are we living in the year of the Lord's favor or not?

Maybe you've heard the expression, "There is no hate quite like Christian love". Sometimes, the Church and her members talk a good game but can't follow through with action. Being a welcoming church means that our love looks and feels like actual love; it means offering a refuge of safety for those who've been previously harmed in the name of "love".