Beloved,
The world can be so very harsh.
Power always defends itself. Many benefit from the way things are. But our Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities know what it is to be overlooked, preyed upon, rendered invisible by the machinery of empire — and to persist anyway.
Into this reality, Jesus speaks: “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” (John 14:1)
He said this in the shadow of the cross, knowing exactly what disrupting the status quo costs. And still he promised: In God’s house, there are many dwelling places. The Way of Love is not a wall. It is a welcome.
When we act in love – naming injustice, showing up for one another, refusing to disappear – we are not alone. God steadies the heart. God companions from within. We are held across time and geography by every ancestor who faced a hard thing and did not turn back.
No policy, no erasure, no administration of fear can sever what God has joined.
Tend your heart. Keep showing up. You are not alone.
I look forward to being with you Sunday at 10 am on 1130 Balclutha, Zoom, or Livestream as we look at John 14:1-14 and recognize and celebrate with liturgy created by PAAM (Pacific Islander Asian American Ministries) of the United Church of Christ.
In faith and solidarity,
Rev. Michael