January 16, 2025

1 Peter 1:13-16 13 Therefore prepare your minds for action, discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. 14 Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. 15 Instead, as the one who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct, 16 for it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

It's an interesting time to live in history. We are on the precipice of a shift that frightens many and emboldens others. In addition to our manufactured political reality, we are feeling the direct effects of our climate crisis, resulting in devastating fires and floods, leaving death and destruction in its wake. There seems no place to turn where the world, as we experience it, feels safe. 

Dr. Vivek Murthy, the outgoing surgeon general, wrote a prescription for the American people, aptly entitled “Parting Prescription for America.” In its 32 pages, he addresses Americans’ struggles in everyday life. In that vein, he speaks distinctly of loneliness and how it not only leads to health crisis but to the destruction of the nation- one person at a time. "Through my work over two terms as Surgeon General, I saw that the answer to 'What's missing?' is simple, yet profound: community," Murthy wrote. "The loss of community has become one of the defining challenges of our time. In response, we need a fundamental shift in how we build and prioritize community. This ‘fracturing of community’ is driving a deeper spiritual crisis that threatens our fundamental well-being.”

Monday, January 20th is Martin Luther King Day, when we give thanks to a leader who is synonymous with the Civil Rights Movement and the dream of equity in America. Dr. King well understood the power of vision meeting community. A pastor, he was well acquainted with the transformative work that happens individually and corporately when we come together and support one another impartially. Whether we are advocating for social change or giving someone in need a ride to the grocery store, standing up with and for someone makes a difference.

As we make our way through the next week (and beyond), I encourage us to survey the landscape of our world not from a place of bitterness but with an eye to building a community that promotes equity. As scripture reminds us, words mean nothing without action. What if this was our mantra? In times of trial, we are at our best when we are working together to create solutions that benefit the whole body. We both celebrate and mourn deeper in community. As a people of God, we are measured not only by who we include but also the world we create for the gathered. Let us create a kin-dom where all are valued and live without distinction.