Maria McDowell

We proclaim a God who created a place, who made a place among a particular people, who became a human place in Jesus, and invites us humanity to celebrate, work, and rest alongside God in this place. What is this place? What does it mean to dwell in a place, to be shaped by the culture and politics of a place, to be vulnerable bodies in a broken place, to create a place of belonging and compassion through community and liturgy? What kind of place are we, and what kind of place are we becoming?

Everything we do after the confession and reminder of our forgiveness, sing, pray for one another, listen to the stories of God’s people, share a meal, is a communal and habit-forming practice of becoming who we are created to be, a people joyful enough to sing together, compassionate enough to pray for one another, and inclusive enough to eat with friend and stranger.