Welcome to our congregation! Open Arms presents basic Christian faith. If you are investigating Christianity, or if you are a follower of Christ who prefers contemporary worship, these services are designed especially for you. While we use up-to-date language, music, and drama, our Bible-based message is as eternal as the revelation of God's love through the life of Jesus.

Mark 1:35-38 The Message

While it was still night, way before dawn, he got up and went out to a secluded spot and prayed. Simon and those with him went looking for him. They found him and said, "Everybody's looking for you."

Jesus said, "Let's go to the rest of the villages so I can preach there also. This is why I've come."

***

This meditation follows the format of Daily Bread, a Community of Christ resource that is available for daily meditation. It includes a short message, a short excerpt from the Daily Prayer for Peace, a spiritual discipline, and a statement of a peace covenant.

As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick… —Mark 1:29–32

The cholera epidemic in Haiti that followed the devastating 2010 earthquake created panic among people who were slowly recovering from the aftermath of earlier hurricanes. Haiti is full of scenes that are in bitter and striking contrast to the loving intention God expressed in creating the Earth as a sanctuary for life.

I understand and empathize with my Haitian brothers and sisters who feel utterly abandoned, cursed, and isolated from the rest of the world. They navigate crucial challenges experienced by their country while having to deal with their own state of agitation and vulnerability.

Nevertheless, through the grace and power of Jesus Christ and the gospel, most of my Haitian brothers and sisters in Community of Christ have seen their despair turned into joy and renewed faith in God. For them, God continues to be relevant, loving, caring, and compassionate, regardless of the pain and atrocities they experience.

They continue to sing and dance. To them, God’s love is not distant or cruel; rather, it is present and capable of restoring them within God’s sacred creation. Amid difficulties, my Haitian friends experience the peace of Jesus Christ.

Their example teaches me I have responsibility to share this peace with brave confidence and without fear. We gather around Jesus and learn to serve!

--Bunda Chibwe,
Council of Twelve Apostles

Prayer for Peace

Healing God, make us strong so we may serve you and the community. Keep us faithful to your purposes so we may share the peace of Christ..

Spiritual Practice: Reading and Writing Psalms

Each day this week reflect on God’s call in your life. Begin by prayerfully asking to recall particular moments when you have experienced God’s presence and invitation. Write in your journal or just quietly reflect on images and insights that come.

When has God seemed most real in your life? How and when has God called you to use your energies and gifts? When have you felt most deeply connected and responsive to God’s movement in your life? When have you felt disconnected or resistant to God’s call? How do your gifts and callings connect with the call of God you notice in your family members, friends, congregation, or community?

Peace Covenant

Today, God, I will put myself in the place of those who have experienced tragedy. I will fast because they hunger. I will respond to their needs with my resources.