Beloved in Christ,

​

February often arrives quietly. The energy of the new year has softened, the days can feel long, and the world around us can feel heavy. We continue to linger in the season of Epiphany, a season about light being revealed, and yet there are moments when that light can feel hard to see.

​

If we are honest, this has been a time when it sometimes feels hard to be a Christian. And maybe even harder, at times, to simply be human. We carry grief when violence steals life. We feel anger when dignity is denied. We feel heartbreak when neighbors are treated as threats rather than beloved children of God. We feel weary when compassion seems in short supply. And yet, it is exactly the kind of world into which Christ’s light shines. Epiphany does not tell us the darkness isn’t real. It tells us the darkness does not win.

​

Scripture calls us “the light of the world,” not because we generate light ourselves, but because we reflect the One who is Light. That calling matters especially when the world feels uncertain or fractured. It matters when fear grows louder than love. It matters when people are hurting and wondering whether anyone sees them.

​

Being light does not mean pretending everything is fine. It means choosing compassion when it would be easier to withdraw. It means standing with those who are vulnerable. It means telling the truth with courage. It means practicing mercy in everyday ways that often go unnoticed but never unimportant. At Grace, I see this light already shining, in care offered to one another, in prayers spoken for neighbors, in acts of welcome, in the quiet commitment to keep showing up with love. None of this is small. All of it is holy.

​

As we move toward Lent, February invites us to root ourselves again in the love that sustains us. Not a shallow or sentimental love, but the steady, courageous love revealed in Jesus. A love that persists. A love that hopes. A love that shines even when the night feels long.

​

Friends, the world does not need perfect Christians. The world needs people willing to be human in the way Jesus was human, tender, brave, compassionate, and committed to justice. 

May we be people of light.

May we be people of love.

And may we trust that even now, God is at work among us.

Grace and peace,  

Pastor Amy