When I revisited the familiar gospel for last Sunday—the calling of the first disciples (Matthew 4:12-23)—I was struck by how essential it is to keep hearing scripture with fresh ears. So much of life runs on familiar patterns, and it’s easy to stop expecting anything new. Yet this year, I heard two things in this story that felt newly alive.
First, Jesus does not call disciples as isolated individuals. He calls them in relationship—as pairs of brothers, and then a growing community of followers. Vocation is not a solo endeavor; it unfolds in community. That felt especially meaningful on our Annual Meeting Sunday, as we reflected on who we are called to be together.
Second, this moment marks the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, and Matthew shows it unfolding in three interconnected ways: proclamation of the kingdom of God, the gathering of community, and healing. These belong together. The kingdom of God is not a distant future or abstract idea—it is God’s reality breaking into this one. It is what Martin Luther King Jr. called the beloved community: a world shaped by justice, harmony, and love. This reality looks vastly different from the reality we hear about on the news and see in the street; the terrible reality human beings create through choices for hatred, violence and greed is often the polar opposite of the Kingdom (or “Kindom” as I like to day) of God.
Jesus stepped into a world that also looked like the opposite of God’s dream, and yet he proclaimed light in the darkness. Repentance, as Jesus names it, is not about shame but about transformation—a change of perspective. It is allowing our minds to be renewed so we can glimpse how God is already at work, even when circumstances feel unchanged, and how we are called to partner in that work.
This renewal happens in community, and it leads to healing, when we realize we are not alone. Our own shared healing journey over this past year has been remarkable. Few congregations and clergy walk through deep disruption and emerge together with trust and hope. That tells me God is not finished with us yet!
As I look ahead, I see three deep gifts of Grace that God is calling us to live into even more fully, especially beyond our walls: a desire to go deeper in faith, a capacity to love generously, and a commitment to passing that faith on to the next generation. At our Indaba table discussions on Sunday, we talked about the gifts of our worship life at Grace, and how we might be called to develop those so that even more people can discover this miracle of healing transformation in community.
I want to say this clearly: we do not have to be afraid. God has been with us, is with us now, and will continue to lead us. Jesus goes before us, calling us to turn our church not only upside-down but inside out for the sake of a world that needs to know that love will always have the final word.
In deep peace, and profound hope, Rev. Amy
PS Missed the meeting? Take a look at the 2025 Annual Report to get updates from staff, leadership, and our various ministries.
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