Familiar words of faith—especially the call to "do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God"—can suddenly feel newly urgent and radical, reminding us that the heart of the gospel is an uncompromising commitment to love, compassion, and care. Drawing on Jesus' proclamation of the "kingdom of heaven," this is not as a distant afterlife or political project, but as a present, lived obedience to God's expansive love that reshapes how we belong, act, and care for one another. Through examples ranging from the Martin Luther King Jr. lecture to prayerful public witness against violence and injustice, we see how the kingdom of heaven is "at hand" whenever communities choose solidarity, healing, and hope. Ultimately, we are called to clarify our mission in this season: to tend bodies and hearts, stand with the vulnerable, refuse exclusion, and hold on to one another in trust that God's dawn of justice and love is already breaking among us. Sunday, January 25, 2026 Rev. Molly Vetter