Kindred in Christ,

What an unbelievable couple of weeks we’ve had so far in 2021. An armed insurrection and assault on our democracy in the U.S. Capitol. And COVID cases continue to rise. Yet I have also found much encouragement by the power of the people to make change through the efforts of Black organizers such as Stacey Abrams. And I continue to be hopeful in the slow yet steady administering of the COVID vaccine in our country. In all these struggles, I am reminded of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s words, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” These prophetic words are a reminder that we do not strive for a better world in vain. Rather, any small act of compassion, mercy, and justice is in line with the (albeit long) arc of the universe toward God’s coming justice in the world. As we join our country in remembering the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King this weekend, may you rely on the spiritual truth that you are always held in God’s moral arc towards universal justice.

Rev. Paul Ortiz