St. Croix Vineyard Church

During our Second Breakfast Potluck, Jess led us in a conversation about asking for help. Together, we considered the barriers we encounter when we need help, and shared our own experiences of giving and receiving help in times of need. The post Asking For Help: Second Breakfast appeared first on St. Croix Church.

Jess Williams shares what she's been learning about letting go. She considers the ways our culture glorifies independence, success, and getting by on your own, and how this is the opposite of the good life Jesus invited us into. Jess encourages us to let go of the things that keep us isolated and alone when what we need is the help and support of a loving community. The post Let Go! appeared first on St. Croix Church.

Renate shares with us the beauty and mysticality of abiding in God and God in us as we love one another. The post Return To That Place appeared first on St. Croix Church.

Mark continues where he left off in his last talk (on the temptations of Jesus - "Give Up Like Jesus ") after he shares some of his thoughts on how to read the Bible in a way that might make you more interested in being a Christian. Then he draws our attention to why it was important that Jesus started by building community with some fishermen. The post Just How Much Do I Want To Be A Christian appeared first on St. Croix Church.

At our Second Breakfast potluck, Janell shared about the variety of intergenerational connections she's had throughout her life, and continues to enjoy today. From growing up in a close knit church community, to moving to St. Stephen, and now working as a piano teacher and fitness coach for older adults, Janell has experienced the value and joy of nurturing relationships across the ages, and helped us all think about this as a way of being rooted together in Love as a community The post Intergenerational Connections appeared first on St. Croix Church.

Walter uses a story to make the point of how the political methods of Jesus were not at all on the same page as others - and this remains true to this day. The church that follows Jesus has only one approach to politics: to be communities of compassion, generosity and joy. The post Jesus the Lousy Politican: An Easter Story appeared first on St. Croix Church.

Our Easter Sunday service wove together music, liturgy, lectionary readings, personal "life out of death" stories from three beloved members of our community - Bill, Lorna, and Moriah - and a homily from Rachael. The recording begins with the three "witnesses" and is followed by Rachael's invitation to sit with the improbability of the resurrection of Jesus, allowing it to be less of a provable certainty and more of a miraculous mystery - that calls to us and shapes our own lived experience of loss and renewal. The post Life out of Death appeared first on St. Croix Church.

On Palm Sunday, Jess considers what happens in the space between the Palms of the Triumphal Entry and the Passion of Christ, emphasizing the way Jesus walked toward human suffering and encourages his followers to do the same. Jess invites us to pay attention to the suffering in our own lives, so that we can pay attention to the suffering of others as well. The post From Palms to Passion: The Path of Holy Week & Facing our Grief Together appeared first on St. Croix Church.

A few months after inviting us to "Bring Our Shadows to Church," Walter asks us to face the shadow side of God in order to prevent us from "calling evil good" (like genocide or threats of eternal torment) while also avoiding a naively optimistic minimizing of evil. We could choose to lament and wrestle with the mystery of evil that's present in God's Creation while trusting in the Presence of God's co-suffering love. The post And Yet…The Shadow Side of God appeared first on St. Croix Church.

At Second Breakfast this Sunday, we invited Rick, Wilma, and Rosie to reflect on Lent practices they've done and are doing. Then we enjoyed sharing our own experiences with each other, as we considered together the value of rituals such as this, and the kind of space it can make in our lives. The post Conversations on Lent appeared first on St. Croix Church.