A Message from Pastor Kaji

Dear Church:

Last Sunday was just…extraordinary.

Our Anna Fast workshop saw the strongest attendance we have had in my time here. (By far!) There were faces I had not seen in a long while. (Welcome back!) New faces. Familiar faces. Journals open. People leaning in. The sanctuary was full, and not just with bodies, because the Holy Spirit was moving. Someone even brought a tambourine, talking about the Holy Ghost. 

Truly. I am so grateful for the many colors of our church and for the light and truth God keeps breaking open among us.

Which brings me to this Sunday. This week’s reflection picks up right where last week left off. Because discernment becomes revelation when we hear God’s voice. Discernment continues with recognizing who walks with us once we hear God’s voice.

In Trust Your Gut Revelation, my daily devotional published last week by the United Church of Christ, I wrote about about Epiphany and how some revelations are meant to be shouted from the rooftops, and some are meant to be held tightly. What many of you named after you read it is how much discernment that takes. Not every person gets access to every part of what God is doing in you.

That realization becomes the hinge.  

Which brings us to John and Jesus and our text from Matthew. One hint for worship: search up images for the word “yoke”, if you don’t already know what it is and looks like. There’s your teaser for Sunday.

A Note of Gratitude and Joy

In two Sundays, I am honored to serve as the keynote speaker for the 2026 Houston Metropolitan Area Chapters of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Founders’ Day Celebration, themed Pearls of Power and Promise: Celebrating 118 Years of Service. The luncheon will gather approximately 825 women from the Houston area. 

I am grateful for this invitation and for the opportunity to speak into this powerful sisterhood.

Study Guide for Worship

In Matthew 11, Jesus speaks of a yoke. A yoke was designed to distribute weight so that no single body bore the full strain. 

In Matthew 4, when John is arrested, notice what the text tells us about what Jesus does. 

Questions for Reflection and Conversation

1. Who in your life helps you carry weight rather than adding to it? How do you know the difference?
2. What burden are you carrying right now that may be holy, but not meant to be carried alone? 
3. Where might God be inviting you to trust someone with part of what you have been holding by yourself? 

I cannot wait to be together again this Sunday. Keep your journals close. Keep listening. Keep noticing who is walking beside you.

Pax Christi,

Pastor Kaji

SCRIPTURE
Matthew 4:12–17 (Year A, p. 102)

12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he went back to Galilee. 13 Then he left Nazareth behind and settled in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
15  “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
on the sea road, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
16  the people who sat in bleakness
have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
light has dawned.”
17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the realm of the heavens has come near.”