I once was thrown in to teach a Jr. High Sunday school class. They were studying the Fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5. A Star Wars movie had recently been released so I asked them about the Sith and the Jedi. We agreed that the Fruits of the Spirit in Gal 5: 22-23 were the path of the Jedi. So how do we focus on love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self control in a world that feels so chaotic? How do we hold onto the fact that God said let there be light and Jesus is the light of the world and the darkness will not overcome it? How can we bring calm, peace, joy and love to the world around us?

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The Transfiguration of Jesus is the text that we read the Sunday before Lent begins. Jesus is changed into his glorified state. But they must come down the mountain and re-engage the world. We too have to re-engage the world, but how can we be transformed and then engage the world in a more peaceful and divinely connected state?

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While sitting at a 4 way stop, I marveled at how simple and easy they can be when everyone does their part. You come to a stop, wait your turn, then go on your way. No one has to keep watch most of the time, we just stop, wait, then go again. But then I thought about the times that I feel slighted. When someone goes through even though it should have been my turn. I feel the same way when people cut me off in traffic.

So while at a stop sign, I started also thinking about Luke's continuation of the sermon on the plain in chapter six. One of the hardest verses "Love your enemies." Jesus talks about it is easy to love those who love us, but loving those who will not love us back - that is the hard part. That is the part we are called to do. So when someone cuts you off at a stop sign or in traffic, love your enemy. Take a breath and keep doing the right thing.

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The Gospel of Luke is about making things level. Jesus meets us where we are. Mary sings a song of resistance that the mighty will be made low. And in Chapter 6 we have the Sermon on the Plain. Jesus speaks about the Kingdom of God being a place of leveling. Those who are in need will be filled and those who have all the things of the world have gotten their reward already and will be brought down. In our current world, we are in need of this leveling and we are in need of helping bring it about. What can you do this week to help bring the world level?

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Yesterday was the Super Bowl, however it was also The Souper Bowl of Caring. This event has been around for 35 years and has collected over $163 Million dollars. They are now Tackle Hunger, but this is a signature event. It started with a prayer at a youth group meeting in 1990 at Spring Valley Presbyterian Church in Columbia, SC.

The congregation I serve has been participating and seeing if chicken noodle or tomato soup is the most popular. We are also competing with the local church that runs the food pantry we support. We collected over 800 cans of soup and canned goods.

This is one way that we can help to ease the chaos of the world. Perhaps a can of soup can help a family struggling to make ends meet. It seems simple, but it is a way to help others in the community where you live. If you are tired of the chaos and want to make a positive impact, find a local food pantry and help tackle hunger in your community.

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1 Corinthians 13 is often called the love chapter. Part of it is read at weddings. Love is patient, love is kind...but Paul also says that if we speak and have not love we are noisy gong or clanging cymbal. What determines which we are? Does it depend not only on our intent and our words, but also the hearer? Maybe they don't like what we have to say or wish we wouldn't be so loud. Which are you? I am working on this myself.

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We all make choices in life. What we choose has consequences. Things happen because of our actions or inactions. Director Jon Chu said in an interview that part 1 of Wicked was about choices and the 2nd part which will be released later in 2025 is about consequences. This past week choices were made by the new administration and by leaders like Bishop Marian Budde. We will see how those choices continue to play out. What are the choices you make and what comes of those choices?

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As we celebrate Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, let us think about what he was calling us to do and to be. He was a prolific speaker and writer. One speech, "The Transformed Non Conformist" caught my attention as to what he was calling Christians to. A reminder of what the early Christians said and did. Let us return to the work before us.

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