This Week from Mitch

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I hope and pray that you are well! I want to start today on a personal note. Thank you all for the prayers, the cards, the popsicles, the meals, the get-well wishes, and the snacks. It's been a long time since I've been sick. It has been an eye-opening experience for me. Thank you for the support and the space. Pneumonia is the pits, the coughing is subsiding, and my energy is slowly returning.

Amidst the craziness of the news this week, I have been struck and moved by the story of Buddhist monks walking through South Carolina, witnessing and praying for peace. It reminds me that as Christians, our universal duty is to pray for and work for peace. The Christmas message is undeniably a message of peace. This is not a new doctrine; rather, it is a theology that is as old as our faith itself. We should advocate for peace, decry violence, and work for a more peaceful world. 

This week, we will baptize three children: one infant and two who will speak for themselves. Together, as we baptize, we will answer a question: "Will you do all in your power to support these people in their life in Christ?" Together we will answer, "We will!" As I lean more and more into that answer, I realize that one of the most important things we can do for the children of tomorrow is advocate for and work for a more peaceful world. This means mourning for victims of violence while also decrying and working to change the very systems that led to said violence. It means constantly looking for alternatives to violence vs celebrating it. It means truly reading scripture, knowing that the constant arc of all scripture is to work toward a world where swords are smithed into plowshares and tools of death are turned into tools of life. 

This week, I encourage you to keep the Christmas message of peace alive. As you can, I invite you to work for, advocate for, and pray for peace. Tomorrow will not get better without effort today.

Peace,

Mitch