Category: Children’s Ministry

Juggling and the Meaning of “Immanuel”

Having fun at the Christmas Eve service at Commonwealth Chapel a few nights ago. This is a video of Jacob and I knocking the candy cane out of Pastor Rob’s mouth while passing around him! The teaching focus was on the fact that Jesus entered the world as a gift to community (Immanuel means, ‘God with us,’ as opposed to ‘God with me‘).  Thus, Jacob and I juggled together to represent community. We grow together, we worship together, and we receive God’s grace together. Just look at all the first person plurals used in the New Testament (especially 1 John) for the people of God.

And below is a shot of how I finished – balancing the ladder. Jesus is the ladder between us and the Father in heaven – just like Jacob dreamed and then Jesus declared to Nathaniel.

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Merry Christmas from Jesse Joyner Juggling!

My buddy Jacob Clarke and I got to share some juggling at the Christmas Eve service at Commonwealth Chapel in Richmond, VA a few nights ago. Here is a video of us practicing at my house before the service.

May you and your family have a wonderful Christmas season as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is God with us!

Virtual Reality and Faith

Now this is very intriguing, definitely worth some more reflection. But I’ll just put it out there:

When the Paris terror attacks occurred a few weeks ago, someone took a screenshot of an online role playing game. Where were the players? In the virtual cathedral paying their respects to the victims of a tragedy that happened in real life.

What does this say about our human longings both in the real world as well as in virtual worlds?

Does this point to a deeper reality that transcends what we experience as “reality”?

I have more questions than answers, but thanks to the above twitter user for bringing it up and please continue to both pray for and take action in any way possible that God’s grace would move us all towards peace and justice and away from oppression and terror.