In this Sacred Story, we go treasure hunting with Jesus! But Jesus’ treasure is not gold or diamonds or rubies or silver; the treasure of Jesus is the poor, the lost, the hurting, the sick, and the fearful. Jesus crosses heaven and earth and across land and sea just to find these, his treasure, to bring them the good news of God’s care and love. This story is from the Gospel of Luke 4:14-21.
Sacred Stories with Fr. Derek is a collection of short children’s homilies by the Rev. Derek Larson, TSSF, priest at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Plant City, FL. The homilies are also given live on the last Sunday of the month at our family service at 10:30am.
How has the understanding of my baptism influenced my identity, and in what ways do I recognize myself as “beloved” by God?
Reflecting on the metaphor of the river shaping the canyon, what aspects of my life need God’s transformative love to break down barriers and reveal the beauty within me?
In what ways can I actively allow the love I receive from God to shape my relationships with others, myself, and the world around me?
How do I experience the presence of God’s love in my daily life, and what practices can I adopt to remain mindful of this love?
What are some specific challenges or “hard rocks” within me that I need to surrender to God’s love in order to be shaped more profoundly by it?
In this Sacred Story, Fr. Derek tells us the medieval Christmas story of Barnaby, the Juggler for God, and how everybody has a gift to give.
Sacred Stories with Fr. Derek is a collection of short children’s homilies by the Rev. Derek Larson, TSSF, priest at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Plant City, FL. The homilies are also given live on the last Sunday of the month at our family service at 10:30am.
We awaken in Christ’s body, As Christ awakens our bodies There I look down and my poor hand is Christ, He enters my foot and is infinitely me. I move my hand and wonderfully My hand becomes Christ, Becomes all of Him. I move my foot and at once He appears in a flash of lightning. Do my words seem blasphemous to you? Then open your heart to Him. And let yourself receive the one Who is opening to you so deeply. For if we genuinely love Him, We wake up inside Christ’s body Where all our body all over, Every most hidden part of it, Is realized in joy as Him, And He makes us utterly real. And everything that is hurt, everything That seemed to us dark, harsh, shameful, Maimed, ugly, irreparably damaged Is in Him transformed. And in Him, recognized as whole, as lovely, And radiant in His light, We awaken as the beloved In every last part of our body.
Questions for Further Reflection
In what ways can we embody the message of the Incarnation in our daily lives, particularly in how we treat our own bodies and the bodies of others?
How does the poem by St. Symeon the New Theologian resonate with your own experience of being in your body? What feelings or insights arise as you consider the interconnectedness of Christ and our physical selves?
In what areas of my life do I currently feel like I am in a state of darkness or uncertainty? How can I embrace this time as an opportunity for growth and transformation?
Reflecting on my past experiences, can I identify moments when I felt lost or directionless, but later recognized them as times of formation? What insights did I gain from those experiences?
How can I be more attentive to the ways God might be shaping me in this current season? Are there specific actions I can take to nurture my spiritual well-being during this time?
In this collection of poems for Advent, Tania Runyan imagines Jesus speaking to his mother from the womb, each poem from another stage of the journey of pregnancy. Much of the imagery of this homily was inspired by Runyan’s poems, which I encountered throughout this season of Advent.
Thoughts on Faith 