Weekly Greeting - January 30, 2026
It’s Tuesday morning, day four of being inside due to the weather, and I will confess to you that I am over it.
Not that I’m really an outdoorsy person.
And so I lift my prayers this morning, as I have for the last several days, for those of you still without heat and power, who have had to dig out of the ice and find hotels or neighbors who will greet you with warmth. For those of you for whom the storm brings a pronounced sense of isolation and anxiety. For those of you who had to cancel plans that you were looking forward to.
These moments make us aware of how little control we actually have over our own lives, and they help us find joy in small things — a space heater, another log on the fire, a neighbor who opens their home.
When the power comes back on and the spoiled food is cleaned out of the refrigerator and the trees are cleared out of the road — when things in our own lives become “normal” again — I pray for the courage to be able to turn our attention back the desperate need for peace in our world. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr told us in a 1956 sermon that
“Peace is not merely the absence of some negative force — war, tensions, confusion but it is the presence of some positive force — justice, goodwill, the power of the kingdom of God.”
Our worship focus for this month is on building the beloved community, of which justice is a key aspect — the justice that is at the root of real peace. On the first week of Advent we remembered that Peace Grows from the Manger because Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace. True peace is not the absence of conflict. It is the flourishing and well-being of all of creation.
When the ice melts and the power comes back on, let’s dig deeper into that peace together — not just for ourselves, but for the sake of the world that God so loves.
Grateful for you,
Mary Beth