December 23: Carpenter's Tools

We aren't releasing a new season of We Wonder: Advent this year. But we wanted to let you know what we will be up to this month, and how you can connect. You can find us on Instagram at: @WeWonderPod. And to make sure you don't miss any of the reflections, just click the little bell next to the account name to turn on notifications.

Welcome back to We Wonder: Lent. All during this season, we have been traveling with Jesus toward Jerusalem, and now we are at the end. Today is Holy Saturday: the last day of the Triduum, and the last day of Lent. It is a day of quiet, and a day of waiting. Jesus lies helpless in the grave, and together we watch to see if God will act, if we will see him again. So for one last day: can we make our minds quiet, and our hearts open? Can we grow in love and gratitude for all that God has done for us? Join me, as we listen to the words from Matthew’s gospel and sit in the quiet dark of Holy Saturday.

Welcome back to We Wonder: Lent. All during this season, we have been traveling with Jesus toward Jerusalem, and now we are here. Today is Good Friday: the central of three days that are also called the Triduum. These are the high and holy days when, in the words of one of my favorite writers, we “relive together the terrible and wonderful things that Jesus did to bring us back to God. We do not understand this story with our minds, but with our hearts; and we are deeply thankful for what Jesus did for us.” So today and tomorrow: can we make our minds quiet, and our hearts open? Can we grow in love and gratitude for all that God has done for us? Join me, as we listen to the words from Matthew’s gospel and gather at the foot of the cross.

Welcome back to We Wonder: Lent. All during this season, we have been traveling with Jesus toward Jerusalem, and now we are here. Today is Tuesday in Holy Week. This week, many of Jesus’s followers around the world will pray using a practice called the Stations of the Cross. This is a way of walking with Jesus, step by step, through the very last hours of his life. Together, we are doing something similar. We are listening to the words that Matthew gave us about Jesus’ final day: but not just as listeners. Instead, let’s try to go inside the story. Let’s imagine ourselves there in Jerusalem, with him. And let’s try to stay close to Jesus, all the way to the end, because he went through all of this to bring us back to God. Each day this week we will, in the words of one of my favorite writers, “relive together the terrible and wonderful things that Jesus did to bring us back to God. We do not understand this story with our minds, but with our hearts; and we are deeply thankful for what Jesus did for us.” Can we make our minds quiet, and our hearts open? And then join me, as we walk each day with Jesus to the cross.

Welcome back to We Wonder: Lent. All during this season, we have been traveling with Jesus toward Jerusalem, and now we are here. Today is Monday in Holy Week. This week, many of Jesus’s followers around the world will pray using a practice called the Stations of the Cross. This is a way of walking with Jesus, step by step, through the very last hours of his life. Together, we are going to do something similar. We will listen to the words that Matthew gave us about Jesus’ final day: but not just as listeners. Instead, let’s try to go inside the story. Let’s imagine ourselves there in Jerusalem, with him. And let’s try to stay close to Jesus, all the way to the end, because he went through all of this to bring us back to God. Each day this week we will, in the words of one of my favorite writers, “relive together the terrible and wonderful things that Jesus did to bring us back to God. We do not understand this story with our minds, but with our hearts; and we are deeply thankful for what Jesus did for us.” Can we make our minds quiet, and our hearts open? And then join me, as we walk each day with Jesus to the cross.

Welcome back to We Wonder: Lent. All during this season, we have been traveling with Jesus toward Jerusalem, and now we are here. Today is Palm Sunday, and it is the first day of Holy Week. This week, many of Jesus’s followers around the world will pray using a practice called the Stations of the Cross. This is a way of walking with Jesus, step by step, through the very last hours of his life. Together, we are going to do something similar. We will listen to the words that Matthew gave us about Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, and then his final day: but not just as listeners. Instead, let’s try to go inside the story. Let’s imagine ourselves there in Jerusalem, with him. And let’s try to stay close to Jesus, all the way to the end, because he went through all of this to bring us back to God. Each day this week we will, in the words of one of my favorite writers, “relive together the terrible and wonderful things that Jesus did to bring us back to God. We do not understand this story with our minds, but with our hearts; and we are deeply thankful for what Jesus did for us.” Can we make our minds quiet, and our hearts open? And then join me, as we walk each day with Jesus to the cross.

Welcome back to We Wonder: Lent. We have made it to the fifth week of Lent. It is a long season, and I wonder if we are getting tired? Still, the road to Jerusalem is stretching out in front of us, and Holy Week is coming, so we will continue to walk with Jesus, step by step, to his journey’s end. As we do, we will trace the final stretch of that road as it was recorded by Matthew. Even if our feet are tired and our spirits have grown weary, we will keep listening to Jesus’s words and trying to imagine that we are there with him. And we will do our best to pay attention, each day, to what we see, and hear, and feel. Even as the season of Lent stretches on, we still need to meet and listen for God, in all that is happening to us. I wonder what we will notice, as we listen to the same words over and over, all week long? I wonder what we will have to say to God? I hope that you can listen every day this week, and let these words take deep root in your heart. I hope that you can find a way to keep traveling with Jesus, little by little, as we make our way to the end of Lent. This week’s reading is from the gospel of Matthew, chapter 20, verses 17 through 28. Jesus and his friends are coming close to Jerusalem: they are traveling up, from the low country around Jericho, along the road that climbs to the city. As they do, he reminds them what is waiting for him at the end of the journey. I wonder, though, if the disciples are able to really hear what he is saying, or to understand.

Welcome back to We Wonder: Lent. We have made it to the fifth week of Lent. It is a long season, and I wonder if we are getting tired? Still, the road to Jerusalem is stretching out in front of us, and Holy Week is coming, so we will continue to walk with Jesus, step by step, to his journey’s end. As we do, we will trace the final stretch of that road as it was recorded by Matthew. Even if our feet are tired and our spirits have grown weary, we will keep listening to Jesus’s words and trying to imagine that we are there with him. And we will do our best to pay attention, each day, to what we see, and hear, and feel. Even as the season of Lent stretches on, we still need to meet and listen for God, in all that is happening to us. I wonder what we will notice, as we listen to the same words over and over, all week long? I wonder what we will have to say to God? I hope that you can listen every day this week, and let these words take deep root in your heart. I hope that you can find a way to keep traveling with Jesus, little by little, as we make our way to the end of Lent. This week’s reading is from the gospel of Matthew, chapter 20, verses 17 through 28. Jesus and his friends are coming close to Jerusalem: they are traveling up, from the low country around Jericho, along the road that climbs to the city. As they do, he reminds them what is waiting for him at the end of the journey. I wonder, though, if the disciples are able to really hear what he is saying, or to understand.