New year blessings to you, from me and all of us at LeaderSHIFT. And, hoping this Friday evening message finds you when you can take, or create, a cozy moment for the news within; consider the invitations before you and the collective delight of sacred-birth-story-sharing and all that new life offered!

Depending on the choices your community of faith has made, you may have either just celebrated the baptism of Jesus in worship, or are about to. The baptism of Jesus is one of my favourite stories of our faith. Jesus is claimed as God’s own, as God’s beloved, in whom Goddelights - and all before he has done one. single. thing.

celebrated

Jesus is not beloved because of what he’s accomplished, what he’s taught, who he’s healed, or the stories he’s told. He just IS beloved, because he is a child of God. In Jan Richardson’s blessings, “Beginning with Beloved", she suggests, “Begin here: Beloved. Is there any other word needs saying, any other blessing could compare with this name, this knowing? Beloved."

 In Jesus, God comes to be with us, to be one of us. We too, are children of God, who are beloved just as we are, without having to earn, accomplish, deserve, or achieve one. single. thing.

beloved

Of course, beginning with beloved leads us to notice and affirm the beloved-ness of the rest of God’s people and the entire creation, too. Which compels us to stand in solidarity with those whose beloved-ness is denied, by the forces of racism and sexism, homo/bi/transphobia, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, unfettered capitalism, and the drive for power. As Howard Thurman wrote,

“When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, when the shepherds are back with their flock, the work of Christmas begins: to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among others, to make music in the heart.”
 

invitation

The opportunities that follow are an invitation to you, and to your community of faith, to begin with Beloved, to join together in the work of Christmas that has only begun.
 

Living Generously: A Stewardship Webinar Series
Beginning Jan 23, 2024, Four sessions in total, Online Via Zoom

Daring Justice: Uniting in Dialogue and Reflection Course
Beginning Feb 15, 2024, Six sessions in total, Online Via Zoom

Lenten Book Study: 'Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory"
Beginning Feb 20, 2024, Online Via Zoom

Anti-Racism Work & Action: First Third Ministry Leadership Conference
April 4-6, 2024, In-Person Only at Vancouver School of Theology

Introduction to the Theological Banquet: For Ministry Leaders
April 16, In-Person Only at Jubilee United (Sussex) Burnaby BC
 
Guatemala: a Tour for Ministry Leaders with Treena Duncan, World Pilgrim Global Education Tours
Tour Date: 2-12 August 2024
Info Sessions: Jan 30 or Feb 9, 2024, Online via Zoom 

So many opportunities to learn, grow and build life-giving community. Full details (date, time, investment, registration) are below. Please scroll down to take it all in. Won’t you join us?
 
Blessings,
 
Michelle