It is hard to come up with ideas in a vacuum. Having conversation partners is so helpful. This week I am preaching on Mary’s Song in Luke. As she thinks of the tiny person who will be born out of her, she sings that he will bring justice to the lowly and weak. Jesus was born into Mary’s hopes for a better world. His life would be shaped by her vision of wholeness and her belief that no life is worth less than another.

As we discussed yesterday in the blog about the tie that binds, I felt the sermon coming together around that conversation. Some of you were asking questions or making points that really fleshed out the sermon, like: “What does it mean to be an individual?” and “What does it mean to share in the common life?”

I’m so grateful to people who come by the blog and share in our conversations here. It is wonderful to get affirmation, or to have my feet held to the fire as I grope to say things. Our agreements and disagreements are equally helpful. So I felt a wave of gratitude and just wanted to thank all of you who stop by the blog and also those who join in the conversation. As I write this week, or give my sermon this Sunday, I will be in your debt.