Several times over the past few weeks, I have stumbled across parts of the poem “Anthem” by Leonard Cohen, “Ring the bells that still can ring.  Forget your perfect offering.  There is crack in everything.  That’s how the light gets in.”  Those words have touched my heart and inspired my thinking.

We seem to live in a world where we want everything to be perfect, everything to be just our way, everything to benefit us and everything to live up to our expectations all of the time.  But, that is not anyone’s reality – we need to learn to live in the imperfect and see that beauty of the light that is leaking into our lives. 

As we enter the season of Epiphany, it is incumbent on all of us to find ways to fill 2025 with light and hope and not just see the darkness and despair around us.   We can’t wait for perfection to surround us – it never will.  But the light of Christ has always shone the strongest and brightest in the darkness.  So this year is the year for us to shine brightly into the dark corners of the world and to love one another as if they were truly our brothers and sisters.   As the prophet Micah said simply “What does the Lord require of you but to seek justice for the oppressed, share kindness with all people and walk humbly with your God.”

And admittedly, Paul may have said it best. “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God,” (Rom 3:23) then went further to remind us  “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus,” (Gal 3:28) which is the ultimate vision of God’s kingdom here on earth.

May your light shine brightly this year.

Pastor Peggi