Is the story of the Skywalkers symbolic about how God seeks to work in our lives and hearts, no matter our faith? The word Christ ultimately means savior and the force of Divine Love that works for our salvation from oppression and hurt (which is the Sith), and we’re told that it seeks to do that saving (Jedi) work in all of our hearts.

Churches and places of worship should work as support groups for us agers, as we walk and grow through life.

None of us are perfect, there’s always room to grow - indeed, we’re told that all have fallen short of the glory of God in all things. Despite this we tend to harshly judge ourselves and others, carrying the voice of our childhood critics, harsh rule-setters, and bullies as our own and often not giving it a second thought. The woman at the well is often criticized as living a blatantly sinful (meaning 'missed-the-mark') life - but are we any different? Who’s to say our anger, lust, judgment, anxiety and on (and on) aren’t similar states - distancing us from peace and love? Even so, the Lord tells us that we are at a well with the very source of living water offering us a drink of transformation! That we no longer have to thirst at shallow states of life, but that all of us, even us outcasts, are embraced by the living wellspring of eternal life and truth - and asked to cast aside the staleness of ego-driven ideas and desires.

I sometimes get caught up in some of the trappings of the rat-race, I confess. I think we all do. It’s easy to care about riches and our beauty and togetherness for shallow reasons; for our image with our friends and strangers, on social media, at work, for our dating life, and on. We often want these things to feed our ego and to feel a somewhat hollow comfort. We can want the dressings of extravagance and wealth for its prestige and perceived safety in spite of its impact on others, and in today’s world we can easily feel encouraged in that. And yet, what we know about ourselves and what God(dess) tells us encourages quite the opposite: true health, within and without.

Both Genesis of the Hebrew Bible and the book of John from the Christian New Testament start off by describing, In the beginning.. Although seemingly very different, both accounts uplift a personable God that resembles humanity in God's ability to speak, see, and work to uplift us away from the void and into the light and warmth of his/her love. This Sunday let's explore these verses side-by-side and see what empowering insights they can provide for our personal and communal walk in this life with the living Lord.

The Lord's Supper is something that we all receive as we remember Divinity and all the sustenance that we receive from him/her. Let's look at the root of this idea and explore how it takes form at church, in community, and in all of our lives, asking, what is the Meaning of the Last Supper and the Eucharist / Communion?

What happens when we die? Looking at near-death experiences (NDE's), Books of the Dead, Swedenborg, and other sources of insight, we explore what might happen to people when we pass over to the other side.