Scripture Reading

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” —John 1:5 (NRSV)

Devotion

Siblings in Christ,

We gather today not only to do the important work of advocacy and policy, but to root ourselves once again in the One who calls us beloved and sends us into the world to shine with the light of Christ.

But let us be honest: today we come together in a heavy moment.

The assassination of Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, the violent attack on Senator Hoffman and his wife Yvette, and the naming of 70 public servants targeted for harm—these are not just headlines. These are human lives, families devastated, and public trust fractured. For those of us who hold ministry and public service as callings, it is a profound grief to watch safety, dignity, and even life itself become casualties of rage and division.

So before we move into the business of our gathering, let us pause. Let us breathe. Let us remember that lament is also holy work.

In the first chapter of John’s Gospel, we hear a proclamation that does not pretend the world is free of darkness—but instead declares with defiant hope:

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”

These words anchor us in the incarnational truth at the heart of our faith—that God entered fully into the depth of human suffering, not to bypass it, but to redeem it from within. In Christ, the eternal Word took on flesh and lived among us—not in comfort, but in vulnerability. This light is not naïve brightness; it is God’s unyielding presence in the midst of real darkness: political violence, communal fear, and death itself. The theology of light and darkness reminds us that Christ’s light is not extinguished by the sin and chaos of the world. Instead, it exposes, confronts, and ultimately transforms it. This is the hope we carry—not that darkness doesn’t exist, but that it does not win.

Resurrection always follows crucifixion. In this truth, we are not only comforted—we are commissioned to bear that light in our public witness, to bear the light in our advocacy, and to bear the light through our faithful presence in this broken and beloved world.

We do not gather this morning with false optimism. We gather in Gospel truth: that death does not have the last word, that love is stronger than hate, and that our calling as advocates and people of faith is to stand in the gap; the gap for justice, for peace, and for one another.

The weight we carry today is not meant to be borne alone. The Body of Christ surrounds you. The Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And Christ, crucified and risen, walks with us still.

Let us pray:

Good and gracious God of Peace,

In the midst of violence, You are our refuge.

In the shadow of fear, You are our courage.

In the clamor of division, You are still speaking.

We pray for our state, for our nation, and for those who serve in public life.

We lift up the Hortman and Hoffman families in grief and in healing.

We pray for the 70 who have been threatened, and all who live under the weight of fear.

Grant us the wisdom to act justly, the tenderness to show mercy,

and the strength to walk humbly with You.

May this council, and the work we do together,

be a sign of your kingdom breaking in.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.