A Message from Pastor Kaji

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I am overjoyed to share some wonderful news: my dad, A.B. Spellman, has been awarded the American Book Award in Poetry. This honor comes from the Before Columbus Foundation, which has celebrated groundbreaking voices in literature since 1978. Past recipients include Toni Morrison, Maxine Hong Kingston, Leslie Marmon Silko, and Joy Harjo. It is a community of writers whose work has shaped our nation’s imagination, and I am so proud that dad now joins their company.

I will be traveling to Berkeley on October 26 to celebrate with him at the awards ceremony, and I know I carry with me all of your good wishes. Thank you for the warm congratulations you have already shared! It means the world to our family.

Dear Church:

This week’s, our text from John is a reminder of the power of Jesus’ call. Even in places of silence or struggle, that call reaches us and awakens something new.

It’s a curious text, so let’s dig into it a bit more. 

Study Guide: John 5:25–29

In these verses, Jesus speaks of a voice that can reach even the dead and bring them to life. The passage holds both immediacy (“the hour is now here”) and future promise (“the hour is coming”). It names Jesus as the one who shares God’s life and authority, while also entering fully into human experience as the Son of Man. The resurrection Jesus describes is both/and…how Jesus’ voice calls at the end times and now.

1. What do you hear when Christ calls you by name?

2. How does His voice bring life into the present moment?

3. What does resurrection mean for you today?

I look forward to seeing you in worship on Sunday! Afterwards, I will be heading down to Trenton to offer the ordination prayer for our own member Tanya Young Williams, being ordained at the church at which she was born and raised. We are so proud of her and I know that you will send her your love and prayers.  

Pax Christi,
Pastor Kaji