An animated movie and the baptism of Jesus have something in common. Both are about change. The film "Inside Out" portrays the emotions of a young girl who moves to a new city, and Jesus's baptism was the beginning of a transformation that prepared people for the change of the coming Messiah.

Dealing with change is difficult and uncomfortable. Change can cause some of the emotions portyed by the characters "Inside Out" movies, including sadness, fear, and anger. When we change, we trade the certainty of how things are now for the uncertainty of what will be different.

Change is necessary for long-term survivial. Two businesses, Eastman Kodak and Blockbuster Video, were both worth billions of dollars in the 1990s. However, both filed for bankruptcy years later, because they didn't adapt to the growing use of digital photography and streaming video. Churches need to adapt as well. The COVID pandemic was the catalyst for the widespread adoption of livestreaming Sunday worship.

In addition to businesses and churches, adapting to fulfill the goals of the kingdom of Heaven is necessary for Christians. Those changes include implementing routines of Sunday worhip, daily prayer, community service, and being ready to share your faith story. This week's guest speaker, Patrick Miesen, reminds us that although those practices aren't easy, they're worthwhile. Faith pushes away things that provide short-term gratification in favor of things that are long term and meaningful.

The one constant in the universe is change. This week, Pastor Mia helps us understand how we were made for change. God created us to be moldable, like clay, to be shaped and reshaped. Neuroplasticity, the ability to rework our brains by building new neural connections, makes spiritual growth possible.

Change is constant, and so is God. As God molds and shapes us, we change but God remains the same. This theory is fundamental to understanding how prayer works. When we pray, we don’t convince God to do what we want. Instead, God has given us the gift of repentance which makes change possible.

With repentance, we can turn toward God by changing our hearts, our minds, and our ways. Go allows us to repent again and again and again. This is good news for all of us who mess up. It’s not complicated. When we go astray, we can start over. What matters is that we walk in the right direction, toward God.

On Pentecost Sunday, we celebrate the beginning of the human community called the church. This journey started when Jesus’s apprentices, the disciples, were filled with the Holy Spirit and became the apostles who went out to preach.

Today, the journey continues with us and the places we will go. Despite the rewards, faith journeys aren’t always without challenges. One of the difficulties is the realization that the destination constantly seems out of reach. The more we learn about God, the more we realize the day we know it all is never going to happen in this life. In this moment, we need to understand that God is found in both the journey and destination. God has been there all along—we need to realize it.

Part of a faith journey is constant change and constant reformation. One of the first changes after Pentecost is described in the Acts of the Apostles when Peter stated, “God shows no partiality.” Peter realized God accepts people who were not of Jewish descent, God accepts the people who worship him, and God accepts the people who do what’s right.

Peter’s realization was big moment in the church’s metamorphosis. Pastor Mia reminds us that there have been more transformational moments since then and more are to come. Every wall we build to separate ourselves, God will bring down.

Mark’s Gospel tells the story of four people tearing a hole in the roof of a crowded building so they could lower a paralytic down to Jesus for healing. They didn’t do the healing, however, they were essential to the story.

Healing for the paralytic was an urgent matter for the four . They couldn’t wait for Jesus to finish preaching to the crowd—they needed to get the paralytic to Jesus immediately. Their faith and creativity caught Jesus’s attention. He forgave the paralytic’s sins and gave the order to, “take your mat and go home.”

During the encounter with the paralytic, Jesus had a mission to forgive and to heal. He still has the mission to forgive and heal. Today, the forgiveness and healing is for each of us.

This week, Pastor Mia highlights an important theme in the story of the paralytic. With Christ’s healing, we can emerge from darkness like a butterfly leaving the cocoon and taking flight. To fly, we must be dedicated to our own healing and we need the help of others to make it possible.

Carrying a rock on the Camino de Santiago became a powerful symbol of letting go—of burdens, grief, or sin. As I journeyed, I realized the rock I needed to release was my hyper-vigilance, a habit born from years of living in an unsafe home environment. Though it once served a purpose, it had become damaging, and God made it clear it was time to lay it down. Letting go is never easy, even when we know it’s necessary. It requires deep trust that God will be present and faithful as we step into the unknown.

The transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly offers a vivid image of this process. As a caterpillar, clinging to the branch is survival; as a butterfly, letting go is the only way to soar. The spiritual life is much the same: we must release what no longer serves us, even if it once kept us safe. The mantra “gulp, leap, soar” captures this journey—pausing to breathe, taking the risk, and discovering that God’s faithfulness holds us up. Until we let go, we cannot experience the freedom and strength God has prepared for us.

The Israelites, freed from slavery, struggled with the uncertainty of the wilderness. They longed for the familiarity of Egypt, even though it meant bondage. God provided for them in new ways—manna and quail—teaching them to trust in unfamiliar freedom. We, too, often resist change, preferring the comfort of what we know, even if it limits us. Yet, the only way forward is to trust God and step into the unknown.

When Jesus rose from the dead, the whole world changed and there was no going back. The disciples who followed Jesus knew things would never be the same after the crucifixion, but they didn’t see the future clearly. When they encountered a stranger on the road to Emmaus, their eyes were opened. At that moment, the disciples discovered Jesus is Lord.

This week, Pastor Mia highlights the ways in which the disciples’ journey to Emmaus mirrors our faith journey. The disciples prayed together, and today Christians practice faith in community at Sunday worship, Bible study, and singing together. The disciples also ate meals together. Communion and fellowship are part of today’s worship experience.

On the road to Emmaus, the disciples experienced a mysterious encounter with God. Perhaps you’ve had a vision or a strong experience with God. Furthermore, Jesus opened the disciples minds to understanding the scriptures. The stranger the disciples encountered chastised them for looking for the God they wanted, instead of the God who is. We are no different.

For the disciples, faith was not the arrival but the journey. It is the same for us. When a stranger joins us and a truth is received, our lives are changed.

Mary Riedl, guest preacher, takes us into the difficulty of leaving comfortable places. It's difficult for butterflies, and it's difficult for us. But we are made for it. Leaving comfortable places is where we find life. What safe grave do you need to leave?

Wombs, tombs, and cocoons. In this message about emergence and transformation, Pastor Mia reminds us that Easter is God’s invitation to new life.

The transformation to new life begins in the dark. Sometimes the darkness is a place of pain or sorrow—a tomb. And sometimes the darkness is a place of safety and warmth—a womb. Emerging from the darkness is challenging, especially when it’s comfortable, because we aren’t sure about the new life promised.

Like Jesus and like caterpillars, we have an instinct to move toward transformation. However, emerging to that new life requires the willingness to trust the darkness where transformation begins.

At the crucifixion, Jesus’s disciples betrayed him and they ran and hid. After the resurrection, it all changed. Those disciples publicly preached about Jesus the Christ Risen, and ultimately they were executed for their teachings. That’s a big a transformation.

With the resurrection, we can emerge with Jesus out of the darkness. Like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, we can be unfurled to all the beauty God calls us to be.