This week, Mother Liz shares a prayer she offered at an interfaith healing service marking the first anniversary of last year’s presidential inauguration. Naming the grief, fear, and exhaustion many feel, the prayer holds before God those most harmed in these perilous times—immigrants and asylum seekers, people losing access to basic necessities, trans siblings, children and elders, and our wounded earth. With honesty and hope, Mother Liz calls us to renew our commitment to justice, to honor God’s image in every person, and to let even our flickering lights shine with courage, compassion, and love.

This week, Mother Liz shares a firsthand account from Linda Brandt, a former seminarian at Ascension now in Minnesota, describing the intense community response to ongoing ICE raids there. Her message, shared with permission, highlights widespread protest, mutual aid, and the emotional toll on neighborhoods where ICE activity has become a constant presence. Despite aggressive tactics and fear, Linda urges continued visible support, compassion, and solidarity. The rector invites the parish to keep Linda and all those affected in prayer, and to “keep showing up” in love and support for all persons.

This week, Mother Liz reflects on the Epiphany story’s blend of wonder and peril: the Magi’s awe-filled journey guided by a star, set against Herod’s fear-driven violence. She connects this ancient “realpolitik” to our own moment, naming contemporary acts of state violence and the ongoing harm to immigrant communities. Epiphany’s revealing light exposes both the world’s cruelty and God’s vulnerable, self-giving love. In that light, we are asked to choose what kind of power claims our allegiance—and to seek courage, compassion, and solidarity with our most vulnerable neighbors as we build beloved community together.

This week, Father Ed reflects on the growing influence of Christian nationalism and contrasts it with the gospel’s vision of God’s reign. Drawing on the story of the Magi and the fear their question provokes, he explores the tension between worldly power and God’s alternative politics—rooted in justice, equity, healing, and mutual service. God’s reign, he reminds us, is not about enforcing a religion, but about offering a better way of being human. As we enter this season together, Fr. Ed invites us to notice where that liberating vision is already emerging among us.