Dear Ones,

This week at the clergywomen's lectionary breakfast, Pastor Becky and I were part of a conversation about living in community. We all shared the vision we have of a world where everyone had food, and shelter, and healthcare, and the clothes they need, where no one was lonely or afraid, where everyone knew that they were valued members of a community. It was clear to all of us that this is the world that Jesus called the Kingdom of God; it took a little longer for us to realize that it is a deeply political vision. Becky recalled a time from her childhood when she and some friends imagined how it could be; an adult stopped their young visions by saying: “That’s communism.”

The conversation shifted, but I kept on thinking: this is what we are called to work for, to pray for, to dream about and to bring to our communities through our life together. The book of Acts gives us a description (probably idealized) of the earliest church: “All who believed were together and held all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.” (Acts 2:45)

We are entering a new time in the life of our country and in the Christian faith. More and more, Christians will be challenged to live and practice the values of God's reign — to live in the kingdom of God — as the world seems to be moving farther and farther from those values. We need to practice kindness — and sharing — and compassion — and love — to build up our community, and to welcome all who are left behind in our world today.

So the conversation in our life together for the rest of the Epiphany season and the season of Lent will be about building up community — working, praying, eating, and sharing together, so that we have strength for the journey.

I invite everyone to seek opportunities to deepen your relationship to Christ and to his body, the church. If you haven't found a place on a team or in a study group, talk to one of the pastors about where you might fit in. If you have a passion for a particular kind of service, and it hasn't taken shape in the congregation, let us know what your vision is. We can build a community that carries the message of love to everyone who comes through the doors, and that nourishes each of us so that we carry that message wherever we go.

As we continue to seek his will and to live by his call to love, we will almost certainly run into people who will call us crazy, or communist, or unpatriotic, or “sad”. But as we live in the light of Christ, we will know how to answer and when to keep moving forward toward his glory, by his grace.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Kimberly