Emmaus Blog

Monday, August 3, 2026:   Jesus makes use of his own Scriptures to teach a message of radical inclusivity, mercy, and justice Just because you use Scripture, even in a God-affirming way, does not mean you are using Scripture for life and love, growth and wisdom—and for the sake of God or others. -  Richard Rohr    Jesus never once quotes from nineteen of the books in his own Hebrew scriptures. In fact, he appears to use a very few favorites: Exodus, Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Hosea, and Psalms.  Jesus appears to ignore most of his own Bible, yet it clearly formed his whole consciousness. That is the paradox.  If we look at what he ignores, it includes any passages that appear to legitimate violence, imperialism, exclusion, purity, and dietary laws—of which there are many.  Jesus is a biblically formed non-Bible quoter, who gets the deeper stream of God’s unconditional love, the spirit, the trajectory of his Jewish history and never settles for mere surface r...

Friday, July 31, 2026: Note from Steve Lyman as we  set our course toward the dreams of kinship From Steve Lyman: Dear Emmaus Community, T he Fall monthly Reading Circle will resume in September. We wil be reading Teilhard's essay "The Eternal Feminine" using the Lectio Divina method. To obtain the Zoom link please email Kathleen Duffy SSJ at kduffy@chc.edu and request to be added to the group. She will probably send a copy of the essay as well. See the schedule below. We will meet on Monday's and Wednesday's. The same content will be presented on both days. I hope to see you there. Steve Lyman September 21 & 16 October 12 & 14 November 16 & 18 December 7 & 9 Biblical Christians have thrived when we use the Bible with the goal of becoming good people who, because we follow Jesus, do good works in God’s good world. And we have languished and wandered when we have used the Bible as a weapon to threaten others, as a tool to intimidate others and prove...

Monday, July 27, 2026:  Prayer of Mary of Magdala: It's so good to rethink the life and reality of Mary of Magdala. We did that yesterday as we worked through the inspiring and thought provoking celebration created for us by Victoria and Dan.  To follow up with more about Mary of Magdala: Here's a prayer we received this afternoon: “Do not be afraid of the dark mornings or the empty places in your life. I know what it is like to sit in the stillness of grief, wondering where the light has gone. But I promise you, the teacher is always nearer than you think, calling you by your true name in the quiet of the garden. Stand strong at the foot of your own crosses. Do not let the world silence the truth of what you have seen, felt, and known. Your deep love and your willingness to stay, even when everything seems lost, is your most radical act of faith.  Rise bravely into each new dawn, because every ending you face is just the beginning of a transformation. You are a witness t...

Sunday, July 26, 2026: Join Us Today  and Celebrate the Feast of Mary of Magdala. We begin at 3:45 with a greeting followed by our celebration and potluck. In person at Christ Church United Methodist 1717 Yulupa Avenue, Santa Rosa 95403 or on Zoom Or Join the Zoom Meeting using this link (copy and paste it into your browser) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5193158573?omn=85439930916 Passcode: 1234 or start Zoom and copy the meeting ID when prompted Meeting ID: 519 315 8573 Passcode: 1234 Liturgical Order of Service Celebrating  the Feast of Mary Magdalene Victoria rings the Singing Bowl X 3 (to signal the start of liturgy),   greets and welcomes the Emmaus Community and any new participants and offers a brief explanation of the theme of our liturgy Dan Opening Prayer: (written by Dan Vrooman) As we celebrate the Apostleship of Mary Magdalene today, let us imagine the authority Jesus deposited into her as she was sent to ‘go and tell the others.’ Ah, Mary of Magdala, were y...

Saturday, July 25, 2026: Join Us Tomorrow and Celebrate the Feast of Mary of Magdala. We begin at 3:45 with a greeting followed by our celebration and potluck. In person at Christ Church United Methodist 1717 Yulupa Avenue, Santa Rosa 95403 or on Zoom Or Join the Zoom Meeting using this link (copy and paste it into your browser) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5193158573?omn=85439930916 Passcode: 1234 or start Zoom and copy the meeting ID when prompted Meeting ID: 519 315 8573 Passcode: 1234 Liturgical Order of Service  Celebrating  the Feast of Mary Magdalene Victoria rings the Singing Bowl X 3 (to signal the start of liturgy),   greets and welcomes the Emmaus Community and any new participants and  offers a brief explanation of the theme of our liturgy Dan Opening Prayer: (written by Dan Vrooman) As we celebrate the Apostleship of Mary Magdalene today, let us imagine the authority Jesus deposited into her as she was sent to ‘go and tell the others.’ Ah, Mary of Mag...

Today is Friday, July 24, 2026: Get Ready for Sunday, July 26, 2026:   Emmaus Community  Celebrates the  Feast of  Mary of Magdala The essential question is  "What does Mary of Magdala have to teach us today?”  By Victoria:  Our upcoming Emmaus liturgy celebrates the feast of Mary Magdalene, and we will honor her legacy by exploring what Mary of Magdala might have to teach us.  We’ll use scriptural texts, video, poetry, and prayer, and our liturgy will look at how a woman who was barely mentioned more than a dozen times in scripture, can come to be known as “The Apostle to the Apostles.”  The essential question is "What does Mary of Magdala have to teach us today?”  Mary seemed to love Jesus with her whole being -- she "got" his message, maybe in a way that the more fearful apostles didn't. Jesus knew this.  He felt this love.  It was Mary to whom he first appeared. She didn't recognize him at first, thinking he was the ga...