By Katie Harmon-McLaughlin, Director of Formation Ministries
God, the Eternal Creator, weeps for the poor, displaced, mistreated, and diseased of the world because of their unnecessary suffering. Such conditions are not God’s will. Open your ears to hear the pleading of mothers and fathers in all nations who desperately seek a future of hope for their children. Do not turn away from them. For in their welfare resides your welfare.
Where is God’s new community emerging? Right where it always has been.
I run early in the morning, crisp spring breeze on my face, and pass a man who is most likely carrying everything he owns on his back. This is common in my neighborhood. He smiles at me, and I smile back. Then he gives me a thumbs up and encourages me to keep going. I need the encouragement, and I feel a sacred presence in this deeply human interaction—where, for a fleeting moment, the typical power dynamics of role, class, race, and gender are diminished in the light of the morning sun.
There are just two humans meeting on a street, recognizing each other’s presence and offering grace.
The potential for these moments happens a thousand times a day, and we mostly miss them. I especially miss the moments when God’s new community is breaking through without my effort, and in places I am not inclined to see.
God’s new community is not waiting for the church to happen. It is already happening. Incarnation is always seeking expression, particularly where people most need grace, love, belonging, hope, and justice. It is not always a success story. Sometimes it is a quiet acknowledgment, but the kind that keeps our hearts soft while the world feels like it is on fire.
Running has gotten me onto the streets of my community. I am recognizing more neighbors from all walks of life, like the man in the wheelchair who lives in HUD housing and gratefully takes cans from the little free pantry on Union Street. He has a kind smile. Sometimes I want to knock on the door of the house and say, “I am here as a witness that your generosity matters.” I notice how my heart softens.
The new world is being stitched together in a million moments a day. If I wasn’t running, I wouldn’t see. If I wasn’t in my neighborhood, I wouldn’t witness. And if this is happening in this three-mile radius, what is happening beyond it?
How many small moments with ordinary people are occurring unseen across the globe, still holding the fraying fabric of our shared life together?
I walk my daughter to school and there is a Mother’s Day fundraiser. A friend notices some children cannot afford to buy their moms anything. Another friend overhears and asks how many students attend. “220,” comes the answer. Each gift is a dollar. He pulls out his wallet and says, “I want every kid to be able to buy their mom a present today.”
I am so glad I walked to school this day to be a witness.
I hear the church asking, “Where has God gone? Where is the Spirit?”
Jesus is still where he has always been—working through ordinary people, in streets and homes, making the world turn through a thousand small acts of love and kindness each day. We don’t have to make anything happen. We just have to be willing to see.
Prayer Phrase
“a new community…is being born” (Doctrine and Covenants 164:5).
Spiritual Community
Meditate on a time when you experienced true belonging—a moment when someone welcomed you, listened to you, encouraged you, or reminded you that you were not walking the journey of faith alone. Prayerfully consider the qualities that help build a Christ-centered community: hospitality, compassion, forgiveness, patience, courage, joy, and a willingness to walk alongside one another. Offer a prayer of gratitude for the communities that have shaped you and a prayer of commitment to help create spaces where all people can experience the love, peace, and presence of Christ.
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.