In the same way, some of us will tear our life apart to find what God wants us to do, even though it’s right here, in plain sight.  The bible is full of directives. Take the prophet Micah for example.
 
He makes it clear that “God has shown you what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8) That's it. It’s not a riddle, or puzzle to figure out. It’s just this: Love. Justice. Mercy. Humility. And Jesus, narrows the list down to “Love God, and love your neighbor as you want to be loved.”
 
As we pick up from where we left off in our study of Ephesians, Paul continues to awaken our Christ consciousness. Today he offers this:

'Coming on the heels of last week’s invitation to let your Christ light shine, Paul reminds us to be mindful of how we live. If we are the light of Christ, then take what you know about Christ and shine. Let this knowledge be the wisdom that guides you.
 
Last week Paul gave us this imperative: “Find out what is pleasing to the Lord.” Today, he says don’t just find out, but understand “what the will of the Lord is.”
 
Paul isn’t asking you to figure out some great master plan that God has in store for you. God’s plan, as Micah stated is simply this: Love. If you love God, you’ll love one another. If you love one another, you’ll be kind and merciful to everyone. And your humble heart will reflect Christ’s light, and God’s great glory.
 
This is every encounter Jesus has. He shows love to the outcasts. Mercy to those who are unable to help themselves. He even bends down and washes his disciple’s feet to show us how to be humble.

Jesus is the perfect example for us to know how to live out the will of God in real time. In real ways.
 
So, Paul warns us to be mindful of how we live. If we’re not busy loving, God’s will for us can get lost, or misplaced. Instead of getting drunk on wine, he tells us to get filled with the Spirit. If God’s Spirit is love, then let love be the thing that intoxicates you. Be so filled with the Spirit that it spills out of you everywhere you go.
 
Paul also says, “Be wise; make the most of your time.”

​Richard Rohr describes wisdom as, “learning to see as God sees, which always means seeing with love.” This tells me God’s will is less about mental intelligence and more about emotional awakening.
 
As my mentor Fr. Anderson taught me, “Think with your heart. Love with your brain.” You don’t need to know all the right answers. Just know what matters most to God. And live your life as if it's a form of worship. “Making melody to the Lord with your whole heart.”
 
This isn’t about performing elaborate rituals or grand gestures. It’s about seeing the world with the eyes of a compassionate heart. It’s about welcoming everyone with justice, mercy, and humility. Being generous with one another, as God is generous with you.
 
Victor Hugo so beautifully reminds us that, “To love another person is to see the face of God.” If you want to know what God looks like, or what God’s will for you is then you need to look no further than the person next to you.
 
Continuing to draw from Micah: Jesus teaches us something important about God’s justice. In his parable of the workers in the vineyard, Jesus sa

ys a landowner goes out to hire folks to pick grapes. Each person agrees on a salary and gets to work. This happens multiple times throughout the day, as there is more work than workers. Now here’s the twist…despite showing up at different times in the day, each worker gets the same paycheck.
 
That’s what justice looks like in the kingdom of heaven. It’s rooted in God’s grace, not our effort. It’s about making sure everyone gets what they need to thrive. Making sure no one is left out or forgotten. This is why we are to show God’s mercy to one another.
 
Mercy isn’t just feeling bad for someone. It’s moving toward them in love. A man with leprosy approaches Jesus and says, “If you choose, you can make me clean.”
 
Jesus sees the man with a compassionate heart and meets him where he is…embracing him saying: “I do choose.”
 
Choosing to act with compassion is a holy act of worship.
 
This is what God’s wants from us. Then when Jesus heals the leper, he humbly asks the man not to tell anyone about who did it. He knows he’s not the center of the story—God is.  And what is God's story? The greatest love story ever written.

 
I think if we want to be wise, if we want to do the will of God, then we need to see the world through God’s eyes. This is how we make the most of our time - living each day filled with the Spirit, giving thanks to God.
 
Why does this matter? Like Paul says the world is evil. It uses fear to gain power and control others. Fear is not just. Nor is it merciful. It’s certainly not humble.

But like Jesus shows us, love is the antidote to fear. Just as hate begets more hate, love begets more love. What's the most common side effect of kindness? More kindness. The same is true about mercy and grace.
 
Instead of just talking about loving God, others, and serving both—just do it. For “The real symbol of God is not power over others,” writes Elizabeth Johnson, “it’s love poured out for others.”

True worship is love in action. But it takes a willing heart.
 
A while back I saw a man in the park getting hassled for sleeping on the bleachers. Two dads, there for their kids’ game, were yelling nasty and degrading things at the guy to get him to leave. I don’t know what made me do it, but I went up to those dads and told them, “He could be any of us.”
 
One of them got up in my face and screamed, “You calling me a bum?” I simply said, “No. And I’m not calling him one either.” Then I reminded them, “We’re all someone’s son.”
 
As they rolled their eyes and walked away, I sat down next to the guy, while Cali loved on him. All he could say was, “Thank you for seeing me.” Faith isn’t a spectator sport. It’s how we participate in the redemptive work of the kingdom of heaven.
 
If you want to know God’s will, Mother Theresa would say, listen to the cries of your neighbor—and respond. "Each one of them is Jesus in disguise." So, love one another accordingly. Love is not a whispered thought. Or something left for saints to do. Love is something we must all become.
 
Jesus embraced his Christlikeness and lived as the very manifestation of God’s love, in the flesh. As we continue to build a community of love in the space between, may God’s way always be our guide and blueprint, shaping our actions, our purpose, and our very being. For “The best way to say, ‘I love God’ is by loving what God loves.” (Rohr)
 
May we never lose sight of this, but keep out in the open, right here in plain sight for the whole world to see.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Work Cited:
Johnson, Elizabeth A. She Who Is: The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse. New York: Crossroad, 1992.
Rohr, Richard. The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope For, and Believe. New York, NY: Convergent Books, 2019.

More often than not, our critiques of others tend to be base on what we don’t like about ourselves instead of recognizing the inherent goodness of every person.

​While we’re busy measuring each other up, God is looking at all of us and saying, “You are my beloved. I made you in my image.”

What if we truly believed that?  What if we could see ourselves as God sees us—made to reflect something holy, something good? Paul believes this is possible. And calls us out to make it happen.

Paul has this rhythm in his letters—first, laying out theology, then following it up with how we should live in response. For example, he tells us who we are in Christ. Then, he tells us how to live in a way that mirrors Christ’s love.

Today, Paul says we were darkness. But now? Now that we have been awoken to our Christ consciousness. Now we are light. Not just reflecting it or just basking in it. We …are … light. This light is our identity. So, live as children of the light – illuminating all that is good, right and true. Which of course should stop us from contributing to the darkness.

Of course, the simplest definition of darkness is the absence of light. But science suggests that’s not entirely true. While  dark matter swallows up most of the universe we still see the light, in its purest state, reflected on stars, planets and galaxies.

Light and dark share the same space. They always co-exist. What is true in the cosmos … is true within us all. We are light. But sometimes it takes a little effort to find it.

I remember staying at a friend’s place one night. His room was built into the center space of a giant warehouse. Which meant no windows, no outside light creeping in. When the lights were off, it felt like I was drowning in total darkness. It was suffocating and I was having trouble breathing.

But way over in the corner I spotted a  tiny green light glowing from his laptop charger. It was my lifesaver. The longer I focused my eyes on it, the brighter it got putting my soul to ease. That’s the power of light.The smallest glow can bring a glimmer of hope.

Jesus says, “You are the light of the world.” You. Are. Light.

So when life feels overwhelmingly dark, you always have something within—illuminating, even when you can’t perceive it. That something is Christ…the light of God’s love that reveals our true nature, and draws us closer to our divine source.

Barbara Brown Taylor writes, "When we allow ourselves to be the light of Christ, we do not need to seek it out; it already shines in us. To live as children of the light is not to be something we have to become, but to be something we already are."

You might think your light is weak or barely noticeable. But in a world stumbling through the dark, even the smallest glow matters. Light and dark co-exist. But here’s the thing: light doesn’t just exist for itself. It’s there to illuminate the darkness, to guide us through it, and to reveal what’s hidden in it.

Light exposes truth, it casts out fear, it leads people home. Thus, we are called to radiate God’s love in our relationships, our communities, and the broken places where we think this light can’t reach. Like Lenard Cohen sang, “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”

Our job is not to hide what God has given to us,  but to shines through the cracks of our brokenness, bringing healing and hope to all. We are the light of the world. The light we possess is the Christ within us all.

Christ is the power of God’s love that breaks through the darkness. And allows others to see their inherent worth in God’s heart. St. John of the Cross reminds us, "In the evening of life, we will be judged on love alone. It is love that transforms us and others into vessels of divine light."

To walk in the light, is to walk in love that sees the goodness of Christ in others.

Think of the word, Namaste – the Hindu greeting that’s become a part of our vernacular these days.

It means “I greet the holy one in you.” To greet someone this way is to acknowledge the fullness of God in the goodness of every soul. It says, I unite my divine light with your light.

While so many of us love to say namaste, I’m afraid we don’t practice it very well. I think most of the political and social problems we’re having stem from our inability to recognize the divine light in each another.

This not only causes division among us, but it stops us from really understanding God and ourselves.

The Persian poet Hafiz wrote, “Look upon yourself more as God does, for He knows your true royal nature.” This takes us back to that first question of what if we could actually see the divine light in ourselves and others as God does.

That would be powerful to the healing and restoration of our communities and the world at large, don’t you think? The deepest part of us is always connected with God and when we tap into that source, we become the divine power that can heal and transform the world.

This is exactly what Jesus did when approached by a man possessed with a legion of demons. He looked beyond this man’s darkness to his divine light. By uniting his light with the man’s, healing and transformation happened. All that is good, right, and true became whole again.

Jesus did the same when he embraced the leper. And forgave the woman caught in adultery. In fact, this is what Jesus did with everyone he met. He said “Namaste. I see your light and give you mine.”

But like Chesterton pointed out, instead of being united by our divine nature we waste our time measuring ourselves against one another.

We allow the world’s judgment to snuff out or diminish our light, instead of letting God’s radiant love to shine through us.

Jesus says, “Let your light shine so others can see your good works and give God glory.” We are called to be children of the light —which exposes the darkness and reveals all that is good, right, and true.

This is our divine birthright. Our purpose in life. This is our calling. And how we actually love God, love others, and serve both. So, let’s be who we were made to be—beacons of love. Created in the image of God.

As we continue to build a community of love, we have a choice. We can be people who amplify the light in others. Or we can be people who dim it. We can call out love, justice, and mercy. Or we can choose bitterness, resentment, and fear. One of those choices leads to life. The other? Darkness.

Again, Barbara Brown Taylor writes, "The light that comes from God does not cast shadows. It calls us to step out of the darkness, to see one another as we are, to see each person as beloved, as worthy of God’s care, as a vessel for God’s light to shine through."

You are God’s beloved. You are the light of the world. You were made to shine reflecting God’s light in the purest form, like the star that you are. So shine on you crazy diamond. Shine on.


Work Cited:
Cohen, Leonard. Anthem, track 5 on The Future, Columbia Records, 1992.
John of the Cross, Sayings of Light and Love, trans. Kieran Kavanaugh and Otilio Rodriguez (Washington, D.C.: ICS Publications, 1991), Saying 64.
Taylor, Barbara Brown. Learning to Walk in the Dark. New York: HarperOne, 2014.

I knew what she meant, so I added “Why stop there? Let’s go back before women’s suffrage and Jim Crow.” She wasn't fond of my response. And on that day, I discovered I was a pioneer - getting unfriended years before it was fashionable to do so.
 
We all have moments when we long for the past. But the truth is—we can’t go back. The past no longer exists. All we have is this moment. This is where we’re “becoming” - who we are, and who we will be.

The thing evolution teaches us is that life isn’t static. It's not supposed to be. It’s constantly unfolding, always pushing us forward.

Yet, we resist - holding onto old mindsets, old grudges, old ways of being that no longer serve us.
 
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul reminds the good folks at his new church that this is not the way. Neither our bad reputation or living in the past will suffice. Below is an edited version of what Paul has to say:
 

My wife rightly believes that every marriage should be re-evaluated every ten years—because people change.

Our interests evolve, our responsibilities shift, and if we’re not intentional, we can become stuck in patterns that at best no longer serve our relationships. And at worst can do harm to others.
 
Charles Darwin said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”

Paul knew if the early church was going to survive, it had to move away from the old ways of living - its bad reputation. And step into something new.
 
A new mind. A new heart. Which when put together they can lead to a new way of being.
 
You might recall Jesus kicked off his ministry calling people to repent. This doesn’t just mean to say sorry but to change your mind. To see and do things differently so there's nothing to be sorry about.
 
Paul describes this action as being the likeness of God in all that is true, right, and holy. But this is more than making moral improvements or a religious commitment. It’s about discovering and living into your new awaken self —the Christ consciousness that transforms us into who God created us to be. The beloved.
 
Paul says, “Clothe yourself in your new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
 
This sounds great, right, until you realize this is going to require something from you. A kind of wardrobe change. Not from your closet, but from your mind, heart and soul. No longer can we cling to our egos or maintain control over anything, especially others.
 
As we’ve been learning through this letter, this new way of dress requires trusting God’s grace enough to live a life built on transformative power of love.

A new mind must lead to a new heart. And a new heart must inspires us to awaken the world to its Christ consciousness —the way of Jesus, the way of God’s will and righteousness.
 
This doesn’t mean the old way is going to give up that easily.

Each one of my siblings knows exactly which buttons to push to make me feel small, and stupid. They know all the backend ways to trigger my insecurities and ire. And it always seems to begin with my ego - which has a bad reputation to be quick to anger, always ready to defend itself.
 
Jesus says, what’s the point. Turn the other cheek. Walk away. Anger only begets more of the same. In all the ways Jesus demonstrates love, he reveals a truth that we’re all children of God—the beloved—part of the same divine family.

Realizing this and accepting this truth as my reality has allowed that connectedness to be the doorway to my new self. Now, when someone pisses me off, the Christ in me is able to recognize and meet the Christ in them, with love.
 
When we stop seeing people as the other—racially, politically, socially— recognizing we all belong to God, we can finally move forward, in “in true righteousness and holiness.”

This might not be as hard as you think.

Paul gives us practical ways to live into our Christ consciousness.

​Choose honesty over lying. Be transparent, and vulnerable in your relationships. Let go of anger before the day is over. Release resentment. Don’t let bitterness take root in your heart.

Share with those in need. Speak words that build up. Use your voice to heal, not to harm.
 
Live in love, just as Christ has loved you. Imitate God’s holy and righteous love and grace that has been given to you — with no string attached.

​Change your mind, and your heart will follow. Change your heart and the world will be transformed.
 
This is the work of the church. Not to go back to the good old days when the pews were full. But to go out into this day as a mirror of God’s glory to help others find their seat in the heart of God’s house.
 
Pope Francis once said, “We can make the church great again, or we can live by the marrow of the Gospel.” In other words, we can focus on keeping our old tired ways on life support. Or we can spend our time giving birth to the new. Jesus sends us into the world to birth the Gospel in the ordinary moments of life.
 
Like showing patience to an exhausted mother in the checkout line who can’t find her credit card while her baby melts down. Or practicing peacemaking among co-workers who constantly belittle and backstab one another. You can use your time moving toward healing your relationships instead of avoiding or blaming.
 
The old self holds grudges. The new self chooses forgiveness.
 
The old self reacts in fear. The new self operates in love.
 
The old self hoards. The new self shares.
 
Living in Christ-consciousness is more than just having an open mind. It is about having an open heart and open hands too.

It’s about being little Christ in every space we enter. Christ is the cornerstone we build a community of love upon. Just like Jesus was, we are called to mirror God’s love—to embody God’s justice, kindness, and grace.
 
“Love is how we practice God’s religion,” write the Sufi poet Rumi. It’s in the way we love God, love others and serve both that we confront the powers that hold us back and embrace the life that moves forward.
 
Salvation is not about believing in Jesus. It’s about becoming like him. But in order to embody his self-giving love, we must give up our old self and become new.
 
If I’m being honest, folks in 12-step programs do a much better job at this than most Christians who profess to follow Jesus. People in recovery know that letting go of the old self is the only way to survive. They know they have to wear this newness not just day-by-day, but second-by-second.

How many Christians honor and worship a homeless man on Sunday, but then completely ignore him on Monday?
 
In his second letter to the church in Corinth, Paul writes, “In Christ, …old things have passed away…all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17).
 
Christ is already in you. You are already God’s beloved. And like everyone else in this holy family, you are held in grace. Loved unconditionally. And sent to do the same to one another.

Our job, on this journey of faith, is to live in that reality.
 
To let go of everything that keeps us bound to the old and step fully into the world as imitators of God.

With a new mind…a new heart…and a new life in Christ.

Some are in the spotlight, others work behind the scenes, but everyone’s essential. When we bring it all together, something beautiful happens.

​​In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul, urges the community to work together in the Spirit, with gentleness, patience, and love. And he encourages them live a life that reflects our calling as beloved children of God. Here’s what he has to say:

The toughest part of this job isn’t preparing a sermon or always being on-call. It’s the pedestal. That imaginary platform people put ministers on that make this job challenging.

While it’s wonderful to be in the spotlight, it does expose me as an easy target for people to cast stones at. I have also learned the hard way that pedestals are very wobbly – one wrong move and down you go.

But here’s the thing, ministry is a team effort. We all play a role in its production. Jesus calls us all to share the good news. To speak of God’s redemptive love and saving grace in all that we do.

Paul writes, some of us are called to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Each role is vital for the building up the body of Christ. And nobody's “more than” or “less than” anyone else.

It’s easy to think that some gifts are more valuable than others. You might think because I have a fancy theology degree and got ordained, I'm the only one who can do this stuff.
 
But last summer, Aurora and V totally dispelled that notion when they led worship. It was beautiful to see Paul’s point come alive as they worked together to share the gospel. Each one of us has a gift. And every gift —seen and unseen, big and small—is a vital block in this community of love that we are building.
 
Jesus has entrusted us to make heaven come to life in the ways we proclaim and teach God’s love – with our words and deeds.

​Paul reminds us that the church is one body, made up of different parts. A foot has a job but is useless without the leg. And the hand is limited without the arm. In the same way, what good is our church vision if no one is living it?
 
So what’s your gift that you can bring? Perhaps you’re an amazing listener, creating space for others to feel heard. Maybe you’re an organizational ninja keeping everything running smoothly behind the scenes. Maybe your gift is making others feel welcome. Or bringing the gospel to life through poetry, art, or music.
 
Now, it’s easy to fall into the trap believing you have nothing to give. Or to hold back sharing your gift believing someone else will do it better. But let me throw this out to you. What if what you're holding back is exactly what someone else needs? When our kids were little one of them asked me, “Why do you smile and say hi to everyone?”
 
My answer seemed too simple. Because that might be the only taste of kindness that person receives that day. It could be the one compassionate thing they need to not do something harmful to themselves or others.
 
Robin Williams said, “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.” A smile, a kind word, a gentle glance offered without demand or measure can be the hinge on which a weary soul swings back toward the light.
 
To love in small ways is no small thing. Kindness given without knowing its reach may be the very thread that keeps someone from unraveling. This is the work of grace. The way each one of us makes God’s love visible. Why would you want to hold that back?

You are part of a great symphony, where the deep resonance of a cello is different from the bright clarity of a trumpet.
 
As the percussions keep time, the violins soar with melody. Each instrument has its own unique part in the orchestration. When they come together something amazing happens. If everyone played the same note, the song would sound flat and lifeless. The church is no different. When individual parts come together, following the same conductor, the kingdom of heaven comes alive.
 
Jesus says, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit" (John 15:5). Like tendrils on a grape vine, we each extend outward in our own unique ways, but we are all nourished by the same source—Christ, the Divine maestro of God’s love.
 
In her poem The Summer’s Day Mary Oliver asks, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
 
Jesus calls us to bear the fruits of God’s kingdom.
 
This will take someone being an Apostle, one who is sent to plant churches and guide their mission.

Someone will have to be a prophet, and speak for God before the kings and rulers, calling for repentance and justice.

Although the fruit of evangelism has been soured lately, maybe you’re being called to reclaim its power - bringing others to Christ.

​There is always a need for a pastor, who will care for those hurting and suffering. Or a teacher who nurtures the spiritual growth of one’s faith.
 
Jesus calls us all to the table of fellowship - he turns no one away. Each person is just as important as the other. Every gift is needed in this community of love. What is a house if it has no roof to shade you from the sun? Or walls to keep the cold wind at bay?
 
In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus tells a parable about four men who were trusted with their master’s money. Three invests what is given to them, and make more money for their boss. But one buries his to keep it safe, afraid of what might happen if he loses the money (Matthew 21:33-46)

In the same way, God has given us all gifts that are meant to be used, not hidden because we're too scared or insecure to let them be seen.
 
This aligns with what Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount, “Let your light shine. For No one lights a candle then puts it under a bushel. Put your light where it can be seen…where it can illuminate the entire room.” Jesus is inviting us to participate in God’s redeeming work. (Matthew 5:14-16)
 
By lifting our baskets, we realize the power of this divine light within us, and begin to see that we are a part of God’s heaven here on earth. You have been given a voice, a heart, and hands. Gifts that help you make heaven come alive right now.

You might not think your light is bright enough, but when we combined our small flickering flames  with each other’s we can shine so powerful that not even darkness could defeat it.
 
Jesus and Paul both encourage us to embrace and celebrate what others bring to the table, because goal isn’t for any one person to shine alone, but for the whole body to shine in harmony, growing together in love.

​Love is the glue that bonds our gifts together into a community who can fulfill the mission Jesus has called us to: to love God, love others, and serve both.
 
Jesus surrounded himself with all sorts of people - fishermen, tax collectors, street workers, rebels, and skeptics. He still calls people from all walks of life to bring their gifts because we all have a place in the redemption and restoration of the world.
 
You might believe you’re not enough to make a difference but God says you are more than enough. You are God’s beloved child, formed and fashioned by love, for love since the beginning of time.
 
God doesn’t focus on our flaws but calls out our gifts – gifts born out of unmerited grace and unconditional love, for the building up of one another, until our faith and knowledge matures to the full stature of Christ – the very incarnation of God’s love made manifest for us.


SIDE NOTE: Wendell Berry, the poet, farmer, and environmentalist, often writes about living intentionally, honoring one’s place in the world, and using one’s gifts in service of community and creation. Here’s an excerpt from

 "Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front" 
So, friends, every day do something
that won’t compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.

​For the life of me, I cannot remember where I took this photo. But when I came across it the other day, I couldn’t help but think about what it means to build a community of love. One that looks out for and tends to the needs of those who are hurting.
 
The sculpture itself reminds me of the story about an island that had barely survived a massive storm. It had destroyed most of the island’s infrastructure and the people’s spirit as well.  One day, a young girl slumped over in the square, too weak from despair to get up.

​Seeing her struggle, an elder knelt beside her, offering his strength to steady her. But he too was weak. But then another neighbor leaned in to support the two. Soon, one by one, villagers joined inn and together they held one another in their grief.
 
As the years passed, this act has remained a ritual of sorts. Whenever someone falls—physically, emotionally, or spiritually—the community gathers, sharing the weight of the burden. From the strongest to the weakest, no one stands alone. Every gesture of care is like a brick in an invisible structure that holds them together against every storm.
 
The Early Church was just like this—a community that lifted the weak, comforted the grieving, and rejoiced together in hope. “They shared everything, so no one was without” (Acts 2:45). I believe this is the model Anamesa is choosing to live by – a living reflection of Jesus’ sacrificial love.
 
As we continue to build this community of love in the space between, we do so knowing the church is not a pristine building. It’s a bunch of fragile, imperfect people bound together in Christ’s love. When we hold and carry each other’s burdens, we become the hands and feet of Jesus in the flesh.

Each one of us plays an important part of this mission. In our shared love, may we always lift each other up so the world can get a glimpse of the kingdom Jesus brought near.