January 29 Sunday Preview, from The Rev. Kaji Douša

Dear Church:

This week we turn, as we always must, back to Jesus. Our scripture from the Gospel of Matthew sees Jesus, again, in flight, this time on the heels of John the Baptist’s execution by the state. So Jesus returns to his homeland, Nazareth, and settles in Capernaum by the sea. Along the coastland he builds the very ministry that would create the movement we now follow.

This word “follow” is difficult for some types, including myself. I much prefer to lead; it’s a more comfortable stance. But even when we lead, we must always be followers. The trick is not to follow the wrong ones.

In church, we proclaim Jesus. But do we follow him? How do we know when we aren’t?

We will explore this and more in worship on Sunday.

Finally, please be sure to stick around as we meet to set some priorities for the congregation in our Annual Meeting. This is a chance to set the budget, hear my understanding of the state of the congregation, and decide on a path forward. My prayer is that wherever we go, we are very conscious that we do this following Jesus. Amen.

Pax Christi,
Kaji