IN A TIME LIKE THIS
“I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you” (2 Timothy 1:6).
Beloved in Christ,
There are moments in the life of the church when the question is not simply what we believe, but how we will live, and this feels like one of those moments.
In recent weeks, violence and conflict have come into clearer view again. The United States’ increasing involvement in conflict with Iran is one example. At the same time, the language of division and hostility seems to surface more quickly, not only in distant places, but in the spaces we inhabit every day.
In a time like this, it is worth asking who we are, and how we are called to live.
For the Church of the Brethren, that question has never been abstract. We have long understood that following Jesus means taking seriously his refusal to participate in violence. We have named this as nonresistance, as peacemaking, as a commitment to live in ways that reflect the life and teachings of Christ. But we have also understood something else that feels especially important right now.
Peace is not only about what we refuse. It is also about how we live together.
Our tradition has long held that truth is best discerned in community. We gather, we listen, we speak honestly, and we remain with one another long enough to move toward understanding. We call this consensus—not as a procedural requirement, but as a way of trusting that the Holy Spirit works through patient, communal discernment.
In a world that moves quickly toward division, this is a different way of being, and it raises questions for us.
How do we engage one another when we disagree? How do we speak about conflict, whether global or local, without mirroring the hostility we see around us? What does it look like to remain in relationship when it would be easier to withdraw or divide?
If our commitment to peace is real, it must take shape somewhere.
It takes shape in our personal lives, in how we respond to fear, in how we speak about others, and in whether we choose to escalate conflict or interrupt it.
It takes shape in our congregations, in whether we create space for honest conversation, in whether we model listening, and in whether we are willing to remain present with one another when agreement does not come easily.
And it takes shape in our public witness, in whether we are willing to say, clearly and without hesitation, that violence is not the way of Christ, even when that position feels out of step with the world around us.
To live as a people committed to peace is not to be passive. It does not mean withdrawing or remaining silent. It means choosing, again and again, to engage the world in a different way, one that refuses violence while still taking responsibility for how we live, speak, and act.
This is not easy work. It is slower than we would like, and it requires humility, patience, and a willingness to examine our own habits as much as the world around us.
But this is also the moment in which our witness is most needed.
In a time when violence is again being justified, explained, and normalized in public life, silence carries its own weight. If we believe that the way of Christ is a way of peace, then this is not only something to hold internally or practice privately. It is something to be named, embodied, and, when necessary, spoken with clarity.
The apostle Paul writes to Timothy, “I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you.” If we speak of being Kindled Anew, perhaps it begins here, with a renewed willingness to live what we have long professed, even when doing so feels difficult or costly.
So, I find myself wondering:
Where is peace being practiced in your life right now? Where is it being avoided? What would it look like for your congregation to be known not for its agreement, but for its commitment to remain in relationship? And what small, concrete step might you take this week that reflects the way of Christ in a world shaped by conflict?
We may not be able to change the course of nations, but we are not without influence in the places we inhabit, and we are not without a calling to live in ways that bear witness to something different.
In a time like this, that calling matters.
(2026 logo designed by Madalyn Metzger)
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