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.
The Light in Our Cosmic Darkness – Br. Jim Woodrum
Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Android | RSSJohn 1:1-14 What does true darkness look like? You might think this a peculiar way to begin a sermon for Christmas Day, but I think it is a valid question. From the Autumnal equinox we begin a journey into deep darkness as our days grow shorter and our…
Read MoreThe Poverty of Bethlehem, Nazareth, Calvary – Br. James Koester
Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Android | RSSIsaiah 9: 2 – 7Psalm 96Titus 2: 11 – 14Luke 2: 1 – 20 When I came to the community now slightly over thirty years ago, we had just begun the process of writing our new Rule of Life. The old Rule had been respectfully laid aside, and we…
Read MoreBeyond Expectation, A New Creation – Br. Keith Nelson
Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Android | RSS Isaiah 7:10-16; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-25 Worlds apart, though not a great distance, Mary and Joseph bear parallel but private burdens. What thoughts must have raced through their solitude? Oh God, what would he say if I told him the truth?What will he do if I…
Read MoreExperiencing the Wounds of Christ – Br. Geoffrey Tristram
Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Android | RSSSt. Thomas, the Apostle John 20:24-29 “Unless I see I will not believe.” These are words of the Apostle Thomas whom we celebrate today. These words have sadly clung to him in a negative way so that he is often called “Doubting Thomas.” But calling him…
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I Am the Good Shepherd – Br. James Koester
“We often read this passage of the Good Shepherd not because we know ourselves to be fluffy, wooly, little lambs, but just the opposite. We know ourselves too often to be, swarmed by flies and weighed down by muck and filth; we know ourselves too often lead astray, or lost, tempted by something just beyond our reach. Yet still the good shepherd goes after us, gathers us in his arms, and brings us home.”
Br. James Koester reflects on the meaning hidden in the familiar image of the Good Shepherd.
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Waiting and Watching – Br. Luke Ditewig
“Patience is hard, sometimes excruciating. Wait patiently by slowing down from squirm to stillness, from noisy chatter to silence. As anxiety lessens, we can see and hear more, including graced surprises. God comes in unexpected ways that may at first confuse us.”
Br. Luke Ditewig offers wisdom to help us move from squirming to stillness in this season of waiting.
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Blooming Prophets – Br. Keith Nelson
“The days and hours of Advent continue to invite us to the work of waiting and watching: by lamplight, by starlight, and in the darkness before dawn.”
Br. Keith Nelson invites us to draw close and breathe in the rich fragrance and truth of three bold blooms, pointing toward the God for whom we wait in Advent.
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God, grant him many years!
There will be a reception in honor of Brother David after the Eucharist on Sunday, 15 December. Please join us that day as we give thanks for Brother David.
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Chosen by God – Br. James Koester
“In looking at Mary we gaze not outwardly, or even upwardly, but inwardly to our own adoption as children of God because it is there that we find Mary’s true vocation, and ours as well, to be the adopted daughters and sons of God.”
On the feast of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Br. James Koester connects our vocation to that of the Mother of God and Queen of Heaven – Mary of Nazareth – who began, as we all do, as a simple child of God.
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Holy Waiting – Br. Sean Glenn
“ There is nothing wrong with the desire to give gifts to one another, per se. There is nothing wrong with warming the dark, frigid nights of a northern December with song, festivities, fellowship, and lights, per se. These are all good things, to be sure, and doubtless God can speak some word of life to us through it all. Nevertheless, the moment our culture attaches the name of Jesus Christ to this prolonged cultural season of excess, I have to wonder if we are really being adequately prepared for the significance of Christmas.”
Br. Sean Glenn invites us to experience the full-blooded, lean, and demanding season that is Advent.
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