March 6th, 2026 | Rev. Rachel Williams

Dear Friends,

          I hope you have been able to join us here at Memorial for one of our Lenten studies or events. There are many to choose from, so you certainly have a variety to fit your needs. While I am delighted to be co-teaching the Wednesday night class at 6:15PM with Pastor Charlie, and I always leave the Midweek Ecumenical Worship services feeling encouraged and pensive, I am especially enjoying our daily study through the book of Luke. Don’t worry, we’re only entering chapter seven today, so if you would like to join us it will be a bit of reading but will have you caught up in no time. (you can find the reading list HERE)

If you are caught up, you’ll note that we completed the Sermon on the Plain. You’ll recall that we did a sermon series back last summer on this section, but I’m curious if you came away from your reading with any fresh perspective, as Scripture is alive in every reading we make.

For me, I continue to sit with Jesus’ call to love our enemies, to do good to those who harm us, to bless those who curse us, and to pray for those who abuse us. Especially in a time when news cycles will tell us that certain people and certain countries are our enemies, this command pushes back to humanize those who are God’s beloved creation. Note that Jesus does not say that we need to spend all of our time with our enemies or relinquish boundaries with those who might abuse us, or condone actions that bring harm. But what he is saying is that our charge is to extend the transformational love that we experience through Christ to every person we encounter through deed or prayer. I anticipate that this may be a place where many of us need transformation. So today I bring forth this prayer to guide my steps into the next day:

God, mold me and move me, that you root out the bitterness of my words and thoughts and replace them with the sweetness of your everlasting love. Saturate my soul with your grace and goodness, so that I may offer nothing but love into this world. Let nothing that I put into this world lack your light. Amen.

With Love and Grace,

Pastor Rachel