"Artificial."
It’s a word stitched into so much of our world—sweeteners, colors, flavors, intelligence, etc. And too often, it describes the promises we hear: shallow, empty, fear-filled. In an age where anxiety and isolation are at an all-time high, our souls are crying out—not for performance, but for presence. We crave what’s real: authentic relationships, meaningful experiences, true belonging, and love that affirms every person as a child of God.
In Acts 3, Peter and John meet a man not with coins, but with healing in the name of Jesus—a name not used to exclude or divide, but to restore and uplift. It’s a gospel not of artificial noise, but of real liberation and justice: where the silenced are heard, the marginalized are lifted up, and the oppressed are empowered to walk and leap into new life.
This Sunday, we’ll reflect on the radical power that Jesus’ way offers—one of healing, community, and sacred resistance to all that dehumanizes. Come as you are, and come ready to rediscover the power of a gospel that still moves through us today.