We need to listen deeply to Jesus' promise that when things seem to be falling apart and the very forces of nature seem to wreak death, God is near, the reign of God is truly among us.

When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner”... And Jesus said to him, ...

Though it’s nearly cold enough to see your breath during early morning hours, actual freezing temperatures around the Bay Area are fleeting. But the chill in the air is reliable enough to create a yen ...