For 25 January 2026, Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, based on Matthew 4:12–17
(Photo by Ray Hennessy on Unsplash)
Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
‘Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people who sat in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
light has dawned.’
From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’
——–
One of my favorite things about my home state of Minnesota is its state bird, the common loon. Presbyterian minister and poet Eugene Peterson, who had deep ties to Minnesota, wrote this poetic contemplation on encountering the divine Presence—in the manner of a loon diving deep into the water:
Our latest guest, a common loon, arrived this winter unannounced and bringing gifts—guests do that, bring gifts—filling heart and home with beauty: wild, elusive, sleek, low in the water, the contemplative loon is an icon for living present but detached. I rarely see him fly but he can fly. This loon dives, dives long and deep. No mere surface bird, he goes for the depths. When he dives I think he prays, searching deep waters for what keeps him and us alive, grace and quiet, buoyant with Presence. (“Quiet” by Eugene Peterson, in Holy Luck)
Today, in chapter 4 of Matthew, Jesus dives deep into Isaiah. He speaks of Galilee of the Gentiles, saying, “The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.” And he goes on to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Would that all God’s people, each in our own tongue, could hear and take to heart this prophetic command.
Throughout the land, the ugly voice of hate raises its voice. I was particularly shaken by the obscene and hateful misogynist epithet muttered in Minneapolis by the Customs Enforcement agent after he shot Renee Nicole Good.
The challenge to beloved community laid down over sixty years ago by Martin Luther King still lies before us. I am mindful of Galatians 3:28, as translated in The Message Bible by Eugene Peterson, which says, “In Christ’s family, there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us, you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ.”
The people of Minnesota invite us to consider their situation, and Jesus invites us to repent as if their situation is our own, to dive deeply, pursuing with tough-minded affection the human connection required by beloved community. No to prejudice, no to racism, no to misogyny. Diving deeply into our communities, we say présenté. We repent, and we undertake real presence to one another, in our communities, here and now.
Scripture passage from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright 1989, 1993, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 
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25 Jan 2026
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(Photo by Ray Hennessy on Unsplash)
Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
‘Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people who sat in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
light has dawned.’
From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’
——–
One of my favorite things about my home state of Minnesota is its state bird, the common loon. Presbyterian minister and poet Eugene Peterson, who had deep ties to Minnesota, wrote this poetic contemplation on encountering the divine Presence—in the manner of a loon diving deep into the water:
Our latest guest, a common loon, arrived this winter unannounced and bringing gifts—guests do that, bring gifts—filling heart and home with beauty: wild, elusive, sleek, low in the water, the contemplative loon is an icon for living present but detached. I rarely see him fly but he can fly. This loon dives, dives long and deep. No mere surface bird, he goes for the depths. When he dives I think he prays, searching deep waters for what keeps him and us alive, grace and quiet, buoyant with Presence. (“Quiet” by Eugene Peterson, in Holy Luck)
Today, in chapter 4 of Matthew, Jesus dives deep into Isaiah. He speaks of Galilee of the Gentiles, saying, “The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.” And he goes on to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Would that all God’s people, each in our own tongue, could hear and take to heart this prophetic command.
Throughout the land, the ugly voice of hate raises its voice. I was particularly shaken by the obscene and hateful misogynist epithet muttered in Minneapolis by the Customs Enforcement agent after he shot Renee Nicole Good.
The challenge to beloved community laid down over sixty years ago by Martin Luther King still lies before us. I am mindful of Galatians 3:28, as translated in The Message Bible by Eugene Peterson, which says, “In Christ’s family, there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us, you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ.”
The people of Minnesota invite us to consider their situation, and Jesus invites us to repent as if their situation is our own, to dive deeply, pursuing with tough-minded affection the human connection required by beloved community. No to prejudice, no to racism, no to misogyny. Diving deeply into our communities, we say présenté. We repent, and we undertake real presence to one another, in our communities, here and now.
Scripture passage from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright 1989, 1993, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.