The daffodils are blooming! The trees are unfurling their leaves! The robins are hopping about! It seems as though spring might be upon us, after all. Alleluia! Although... the bright, warm days don't erase the horror that daily pummels us with news of astonishing violence and cruelty. (In case we have forgotten, the U.S, has now killed at least 185 people by blowing up their boats, and the operation is ramping up, according to yesterday's NYT. And if I hear about one more woman who has been assaulted or murdered by a man my head might explode. And the dismantling of our medical and scientific infrastructure should have us all terrified... And some of us are caught in our own personal horrors brought on by grief or illness or abuse.)
And yet we continue to go about our days, because what else can we do?! And so we revel in the daffodils, we rage at the news, we hug our loved ones, we vent our anxiety, we breathe... and we find comfort and grounding in good food, community, worship, prayer, music and maybe even the second season of "Beef" on Netflix.
This Sunday we will hear the well-known story of the Road to Emmaus, how two disciples met (the risen) Jesus on the road, but didn't recognize him. But when he took bread, and broke it, and blessed it, they SAW him.
How can we find sustenance and sacredness in sharing bread together? Where can simple rituals build a hopeful scaffolding around us? How can we offer this hope to a desperate world?
Join us! And glimpse the holiness that is around us, always!
Also
If you would like to take a deep dive into American Christianity and politics with author, Middlebury professor and environmentalist Bill McKibben, this article from the Guardian is just fabulous: "Pope Leo has stirred awake a progressive Christianity. It can rise again." (April 26, 2026)
