We believe passionately that God has given us a mission: to draw others to know and experience in their lives the love of God in Christ. Sharing this “Good News” is at the center of our call and our life. In our chapels and retreat houses, and our online teachings, we hope to offer a still point in the midst of the chaos of contemporary life. We hope that as you explore these pages, you’ll find “Good News” that will help you live authentically, responsive to God’s call of love.
Forum Curriculum Now Available
We’re pleased to have once again partnered with Lifelong Learning at Virginia Theological Seminary in offering accompanying materials to support the Lent 2020 series, Signs of Life: Why Church Matters. The full forum curriculum is now available online.
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How do you pray?
How do you pray? Br. Keith encourages you to try a new way. Check out his invitation preview to the Signs of Life series.
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Signs of Life Reader
Have you explored the Signs of Life Reader yet? It is designed as an invitation to explore Signs of Life, a five-week series to be released in Lent 2020 by SSJE and VTS.
Read MoreA Love Beyond Purity – Br. Sean Glenn
Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Android | RSSMark 1:40-45 There are many words in Scripture that, as it were, set my teeth on edge. True, some words or concepts in the pages of scripture are supposed to make us uncomfortable, meant to make us squirm in our seat, posed to turn us from our self-regard.…
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Chapel Closure
Please note, the chapel will be closed from after Evening Prayer on Sunday, 19 January, until Morning Prayer on Tuesday, 28 January.
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The Rhythm of Engagement & Withdrawal – Br. Keith Nelson
“Without some empty space, there will be no room for God to abide. In order to fully live out our callings, to make wise and inspired choices directed by God’s will, to become conduits of God’s healing, or to offer words that reflect Christ’s good news, we must come to know the withdrawal of Christ to the desert, if only from time to time. Otherwise, we are in danger of a bloated, blinding, loud, and supremely self-directed journey with God.”
Br. Keith Nelson delves into the true meaning of withdrawal, inviting us to discover the restorative balance modeled by Christ.
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Found by Jesus and Marked as Safe – Br. Jim Woodrum
“In a world that is unpredictable, unsafe, and seems filled with evil looking to exploit and harm the most vulnerable, we could wonder where in the world is Jesus in all this? We know there is suffering, malice, hate, greed, fear, and evil lurking about. Many of us are following the proverbial star of Bethlehem, searching for Jesus frantically.”
Br. Jim Woodrum steps into the story and suggests two rich ways to pray with the scriptural lesson of Mary and Joesph finding Jesus’ teaching in the Temple.
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Hinges of our History – Br. Sean Glenn
“I love these oddities of the church calendar because of their signature “fuzziness,” as if we were removing one pair of spiritual glasses for another. Like thick plumes of fragrant incense that obscure our vision and sting our eyes, these hinge periods remind us that so much of God’s work in us and God’s promises for us are outside our control and beyond our wildest imaginings.”
Br. Sean Glenn celebrates the meaningful possibility of the “hinges” in the liturgical calendar – and our own lives.
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Seeing Godliness – Br. Nicholas Bartoli
“Perhaps, by practicing silence and stillness, and fostering our awareness of Christ’s Light, we can welcome the grace of Christmas to each moment. And the Peace and Joy we find as both our source and our salvation will truly be the greatest gift of Love we can offer those around us.”
Br. Nicholas Bartoli invites us to find inspiration in the example of Saint Seraphim of Sarov
Read MoreThe Beams of God’s Light – Br. Curtis Almquist
Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Android | RSSJohn 1:1-18 In this Gospel lesson appointed for today, there is a recurring word: light. In the opening verses of the Gospel according to John, we are reminded – seven times – that God is light, “the true light that enlightens everyone.” Light is a recurring…
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