Sunday Afternoon Soundtrack (on Monday morning)
In the Morning, Branches
I’ve been listening to a lot of Branches lately. I saw them by happenstance in SF at a house show a few weeks ago. Then two weeks later I saw them perform at the Barn in SLO. I’m hooked. They are ushering in my summertime in lovely fashion.
{Sunday afternoon soundtrack}
But for You Who Fear My Name, The Welcome Wagon
Sang this one at church today. Hope!
I am thankful that spring has arrived. April is here and the earth shows it. There are tender green leaves budding out from the tree outside my window. The days stretch out a little more with each sunset, leaving more time to soak in the sweetness. Another sign of spring is that my urban herb garden is absolutely thriving. The plants grew a bunch over spring break and I’m excited to harvest some basil soon.
The new life and growth of April reminds me of the hope that I have in Jesus. One of my all-time favorite songs is Chicago by Sufjan Stevens. In the song Sufjan sings, “You came to take us, all things go, all things go/ To recreate us, all things grow, all things grow.” This is true of a life that is made new in Christ. Jesus’ death and resurrection make way for us to have new life. Just like the little basil seeds in my garden grow each day as I set them in the sunshine, we cannot help but grow as we walk with him. He brings new life as we abide in him.
Jesus himself uses lots of plant metaphors to describe the Christian life. In John 15:5 he says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, it is he that bears much fruit.” As we abide in (or live in) the true life that Jesus offers, we flower and grow and bear fruit for his glory. Let the springtime growth remind you of the true life and growth that is in Jesus, the source of life.
{Sunday Afternoon Soundrack}
Safe and Sound, Taylor Swift ft. The Civil Wars
That’s right folks. I went to The Hunger Games this weekend. It far exceeded my expectations, and I’d love to hear what you thought of it too!
{Sunday afternoon soundtrack}
History of Painters, Loveliest (performed at Sally Loo’s Wholesome Cafe)
Something about this wants to make me run across the golden gate and shout for justice.
“I’m scared and a little nervous,” Karisa answered me when I asked her how she felt about going out on Sproul Plaza today to get into some spiritual conversations. I have felt much the same way this week as my team prepares for the Veritas Forum to come to the UC Berkeley campus. Each day my team has been out on Sproul, “tabling” and engaging students in conversations about religion, science, and the relationship between the two. A ten-foot, schoolbus yellow question board announces our presence to the students who rush by on their way to or from class. The board asks the questions
Below each question their is blank space where passers-by may write in their responses or just read what others have shared. I’ve been observing, carefully watching and deciding just the right moment to enter into conversation with those who approach the board, their minds full and their answers quick on their lips. This is where I let faith in Jesus push me beyond my fear, this is where I step out and trust that the gospel is more powerful than any lofty argument raised against it, this is where I am moved by compassion to speak because they are like sheep without a shepherd.
We engage in conversation that is much beyond my intellectual level and we reason about ethics, religion, truth and meaning. I feel a little like Karisa: scared, nervous that my small voice will be overpowered by the onslaught of the masses. But the truth is that we are a city on a hill, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Please be praying for the Veritas Forum at Cal, which is taking place tomorrow night. Dr. Troy Van Voorhis of the MIT department of chemistry will be speaking to our campus. He will share “Why Science Isn’t Enough: Faith, Reason, and the Human Need for Certainty.” Please be praying that God would use this event for his glory, that he would open up opportunities to share the good news of Jesus, and about why he alone is enough.
Sara Beth Kelly
Raised and nurtured in the fertile soil of the central valley, transplanted to the bay to abide and bear fruit in the season of early adulthood: serving on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ in Berkeley, CA. Land of the free, home of the hippie.
