Enfolded in Compassion | August 23 | Jason Gaskin

August 23, 2026

Storied Church

What if the call to offer our bodies as "a living sacrifice" isn't rooted in fear, but in belonging? This week we sit with Romans 12:1-8—a passage many of us memorized in youth group, long before we understood it. Drawing on scholar Douglas Campbell's "Translation for Pagans" and his re-reading of Paul's letter as a text of radical inclusion, we ask what changes when we hear ourselves as first enfolded in compassion, before we're ever asked to give anything back. We explore what it means to offer not just our best, most put-together selves, but our whole humanity—the stress, the grief, the unanswered questions—and how the ordinary, unglamorous work of community (the coffee, the setup, the showing up) becomes sacred offering. Wherever you're standing—one foot in, one foot out—there's room to lean in a little further. Find out more about Storied Church @ STORIEDCHURCH.org TO GIVE storiedchurch.org/give JOIN SC DISCORD: https://discord.gg/MdqSpQPxkH JOIN OUR LISTSERVE: storiedchurch.org/connect instagram.com/storiedchurch facebook.com/storiedchurch