Thriving in Goodness: Our 2024-2025 Theme
Jesus reminds us, “The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. I came so that they might have abundant life—indeed, so that they might live life to the fullest,” (John 10:10, CEB).
We can all think of the systemic forces in our world that steal, kill, and destroy. They are plentiful and fill our 24/7 news cycles. There are also smaller habits and decisions we make every day that steal our time, kill our joy, and destroy our ability to cultivate inner peace.
Yet, Jesus calls us to a fuller life, and a more abundant way of sharing our lives with others. His invitation is rooted in our original goodness. In the first creation story in Genesis, God repeatedly calls creation “good” (tov in Hebrew). In Hebrew, tov or goodness, encompasses concepts of beauty, life-giving qualities, and moral goodness. Unlike the Greeks who understood goodness as perfection within the thing itself, the Hebrews understood tov to exist between things, not inside things. Tov is not about the perfection of “the thing,” or “the person.” It is about the thriving wellness of the relationships between things or people.
When humanity is created, God calls us “very good” or more accurately, “forcefully, abundantly, overflowingly good” (tov meod in Hebrew). This unique designation, given only to humans, is a powerful blessing. There is nothing we can do to increase or decrease this blessing of goodness; it exists within us by virtue of our creation. However, we can allow our tov meod to thrive with abundance in our lives by how we see beauty in the world, how we respect the life-giving qualities of all people and creatures, and how we live with ethical and moral goodness—loving God and loving others as we love ourselves. When we live in these ways, we bring forth the kin-dom of God here and now, collectively caring for all of creation and following in the radically loving way of Jesus. When we tether ourselves to our tov meod, our forcefully good nature, we are free to heal and thrive within ourselves and within and among all of creation.
…for Good and for GOOD
As we accept Jesus’ invitation from John’s gospel, we understand that to be a follower of Jesus is to first dwell within our created goodness—for in doing so, we will see the good in others and be the good for the world. When we thrive in the midst of this goodness, we 1) create Good within ourselves and in the world for others (in the here and now), and 2) we co-create the kin-dom of God for GOOD (the ultimate reality when all is finally and forever well with the world—when justice, mercy, and peace flow and exist for all).
In other words, when we are able to thrive in our goodness it is not only for the Good of the world “here and now,” it also creates the kin-dom of God which eradicates all pain, injustice, evil, and sin for GOOD (forever). That is the eternal reality for which we work, beginning with the “here and now” reality in which we live.
Touchstones
How do we thrive within our created goodness? First, we tell ourselves the story of our goodness and we look for how we see others thriving in goodness (or not thriving in goodness!). As we return to the Revised Common Lectionary this fall, we will use the assigned scripture texts each week to answer the questions: Where do we see thriving in goodness in this passage? Or a lack of thriving, which might serve as a challenge or invitation to our lives?
Second, we practice different ways of remaining tethered to our goodness when we are pulled in different directions that act like “thieves” to our goodness. This is incredibly important in a time when so much wants to steal, kill, and destroy.
Throughout the year we’ll be exploring 18 touchstones (9 pairs of practices) of Thriving in Goodness—the Goodness in which God created us and for which God intends for us to live. These touchstones include practices and rhythms that serve as reminders of our goodness; they shape our worship experience together, and they can shape our daily lives if we practice them with intention.
As we move throughout the nine months of this program year, we’ll focus on two practices each month—exploring them more deeply in worship so that we can more readily and easily incorporate them into our daily lives. These 18 touchstones are not a definitive or exhaustive list, yet they invite us to Thrive in Goodness in a variety of different ways that serve us well in different seasons of our lives. Thriving in Goodness is not about saying “life is good all the time.” It’s about remaining tethered to our original goodness that allows us, even in difficult moments, to be strongly anchored to our Creator and our created purpose in the world.
Dates Touchstones Season
September 8, 15, 22, 29 Center & Connect Gathering
October 6, 13, 20 Release & Receive Gathering
October 27, November 3, 10, 17, 24 Remember & Dream Stewardship
December 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Wait & Cultivate Advent
January 5, 12, 19, 26 Hold Fast & Reorient Epiphany/New Year
February 2, 9, 16, 23, March 2 Reflect & Respond Epiphany
March 9, 16, 23, 30 Acknowledge & Absolve Lent
April 6, 13, 20, 27 Lament & Rejoice Lent and Eastertide
May 4, 11, 18, 25, June 1 Bless & Challenge Eastertide
We have created prayer beads with 18 beads that correspond to the colors of these words. You may use these prayer beads as a reminder of these 18 touchstones or practices, or in your prayer and reflection time by focusing on one or two beads or praying or journaling about that practice. In addition to this tactile gift, you’ll also receive a reflection card each month with the focus words, so that you can dive more deeply into their meaning for your life—in worship, but most importantly, in your own life.
When you need to be reminded of your goodness, ask yourself what you need in the moment, pull out a card, touch the bead, and be reminded that through your breath, you can be reminded of your goodness once again. Each new moment is an opportunity to begin again, to become grounded, to remain tethered to your goodness, to find a new way to thrive.
Thriving in Goodness for Good and for GOOD
As Hebrew Bible scholar Walter Brueggemann says, “The God who gave the first breath in Genesis is the God who gives a second wind to those who are willing and able to inhale the goodness of God that yields courage, stamina, and steadfastness.”
Calvary, may we be a community Thriving in Goodness for the sake of our own wellbeing, for the sake of creating Good in the world each day, and for the sake of doing it all for GOOD, once and for all, forever!