As Christian Pastors...

Artwork : local Tucson artist Cecilia Valenzuela Fuenzalida

As Christian Pastors, our hearts hurt at the events shaping our country.

As Christian Pastors, our heart hurts at the ways Jesus is being used as a weapon, a tool for hate.

The questions of how and why seem to pop up more often than not in this time.

And so, shall we approach this moment, with open hearts and an unwavering commitment to the call of Jesus—a call that invites us to love, to act, and to create a world where all God’s children can flourish.

When we look around, we see division.

We see fear.

We see systems of power that perpetuate injustice.

We see people crying out for dignity and hope.

Jesus’ ministry was profoundly countercultural. Jesus was NOT Prom King, he was not Student Body President or the Quarterback. He wasn't CEO or CFO of any company. He didn’t align himself with the powerful or the privileged. Instead, he broke bread with the marginalized, he touched the untouchable, and he spoke truth to those in authority.

Jesus reminded us that the Kin-dom of God is not built on the foundations of dominance or greed but on the pillars of justice, mercy, and love. And y’all, that is the Kin-dom we are called to build today, and have always been called to build.

Right now, we are witnessing the consequences of policies and ideologies that prioritize profit over people.

We see families struggling to put food on the table, neighbors living without access to basic healthcare, and communities ravaged by climate disasters.

This is not the world God dreams for us. In Micah 6:8, we are reminded of what the Lord requires: “To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”

To act justly means we must speak out against policies that harm the vulnerable. We must challenge systemic racism, sexism, and every form of ism that denies people their God-given worth.

To love mercy means we cannot turn away from those suffering on the margins—whether they are migrants seeking refuge, workers demanding fair wages, students who are LGBTQIA+ (especially our transgender neighbors) and just want the opportunity to live their lives in truth, to those grieving lives lost to violence.

And to walk humbly means acknowledging our role in systems of oppression and committing to the hard, holy work of repentance and repair. We can do better.

Let us also not forget Jesus’ words in Matthew 25: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me.” These words are not a suggestion; they are a mandate. They call us to show up for the hungry, the imprisoned, the stranger.

And y’all, showing up might mean advocating for policies that protect vulnerable communities. It might mean standing in solidarity with our LGBTQIA+ siblings, defending their right to live authentically and safely. It might mean demanding action to address the climate crisis, recognizing that the earth—God’s good creation—is groaning under the weight of our neglect. It might mean staying in the conversation when we can choose to leave at anytime.

The folks that are being marginalized are not strangers – they are our neighbors – our friends, our families, our children, the person we pass at the grocery store or on the street.

Scripture calls us in all through out scripture Matthew, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

But this work is not just about resistance; it’s about renewal. It’s about imagining and building a world that mirrors beloved God’s Kin-dom.

A world where children don’t have to fear gun violence in their schools.

A world where Black and Brown lives are valued and celebrated.

A world where we treat the earth not as a commodity to exploit but as a sacred gift to be stewards of.

This is our calling.

It can feel overwhelming. The problems are big, and we are small. But y’all, the beauty of our faith is that we don’t do this work alone. God’s Spirit moves among us, equipping us to be that movement for wholeness in this fragmented world.

We are empowered to act—not as individuals but as a community. And when we come together, when we put our faith into action, we become a force for God’s goodness. Because y’all faith, hope, and love remain, these three, and the greatest of these is love – LOVE.

God’s love is steadfast. God’s justice will roll down like waters, and God’s beloved Kin-dom is for us all.

We love y’all.

Pastor Kelley & Pastor Jessica