Sarah Thebarge
I had the opportunity to contribute devotionals to Zondervan’s NIV Women’s Study Bible that just released. Leave a comment with your favorite verse or sacred story, and I’ll enter you into the drawing to win a free, signed copy! Read more
I had the opportunity to contribute devotionals to Zondervan’s NIV Women’s Study Bible that just released. Leave a comment with your favorite verse or sacred story, and I’ll enter you into the drawing to win a free, signed copy! Read more
One of my favorite parts of the Advent story is the shepherds. God bless those shepherds. The angels appear to them and tell them that the Messiah has been born and he’s lying in a manger. And they don’t question the angel. They just say, “Oh, ok, cool!” And then they go running to the barn (which was more likely a cave than a wooden structure) where the star is, and they burst inside to find the infant Jesus lying... Read more
My nephew Isaac turns 5 today. When he was 3-years-old, I was babysitting him, and I decided to play a game with him. “Isaac, how much does Aunt Sarah love you?” I asked him. Then I prompted him, “Does Aunt Sarah love you to the moon and back?” He shook his head. I was surprised. Who doesn’t love the image of loving someone to the moon and back? “Well, then, how much do I love you?” I asked him. “You... Read more
When I lived in Portland, I had a townhouse with a big kitchen, hardwood floors and a fireplace. I loved living there because it gave me the opportunity to practice hospitality, which I love. Getting the guest room ready for overnight guests, putting together a basket of travel-sized toiletries just in case they forgot something, buying fresh flowers for the mantle, cooking a 4-course meal from scratch, dimming the lights and lighting the candles…. Even as I write about it... Read more
Today’s my birthday. I’m 37 years old. It’ll take me a few days to get used to saying that. I’m always honored on my birthday. Honored to celebrate another year of life. Honored by my friends and family and readers who have walked it with me. Every year, I experience this day a little differently. This year, my heart is heavy. I have two friends whose spouses died in December, and another friend whose mom died, and my heart aches... Read more
This past week I spoke at my old church in Portland, Imago Dei. I spoke on Luke 1 — a passage I came to love as I was studying it because there’s just so. much. joy. Mary’s joyful, Elizabeth is joyful, Zacharias is joyful, and so is their community. But as I was studying it, I realized that all of the joy the experienced for themselves and for each other could’ve been killed by one simple thing: jealousy. If they... Read more
It’s hard to be a woman during Advent. There are societal expectations — Christmas cookies (I’m a good cook but a terrible baker), presents (I suck at wrapping gifts), Christmas cards (it’s just weird to pose for pictures as a single woman. Don’t worry — I didn’t.). It’s difficult — ok, devastating — to engage with the story of Advent literally because it’s a lot about fertility and pregnancy and after cancer treatments, I can’t get pregnant. God could never... Read more
This coming Sunday I’m going to be speaking at Imago Dei, the church I attended when I lived in Portland. They asked me to speak on Luke 1, so this week I’ve been steeping in the story of Mary, the angel who appeared to her, and Mary’s response, the Magnificat. When the angel appears to Mary, he says, “Hail, Mary, full of grace.” This morning, I woke up wondering what Gabriel would say to me if he suddenly appeared. “Hail,... Read more
Last night I had my favorite kind of conversation — a good, long, deep, in-person one with two of my favorite Portland people. We were talking about human motivation — about what makes us do what we do — and my friend said that people are motivated by their deepest need. I stayed up late thinking about that idea, and woke up thinking about it again. I was thinking about my deepest need. My least healed wound. I realized that... Read more
It’s the first Monday of Advent. The beginning of the season where we remember the Nativity, where we meditate on the First Coming, where we make space for Emmanuel to come sit with us, to dwell with us in our fragile, finite frame. To welcome Emmanuel, the wise men brought three gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold because it’s valuable. Myrrh — embalming ointment — to honor Jesus’ humanity. Frankincense — incense — to honor Jesus’ divinity. This Advent, reflect... Read more
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