The holy work of resistance

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December 18, 2025

By Rev. Riz Prakasim

“Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow.”
–Deuteronomy 27:19

Dear Church,

Scripture speaks with unmistakable force about our responsibility toward those who are vulnerable. God does not bless indifference or neutrality. Instead, we are commanded to protect the dignity of those whom society pushes to the margins. Today, these words confront us as we witness the persecution of Somali communities by the current political administration. Policies and rhetoric that target Somalis with suspicion, intimidation, and cruelty are not simply political missteps, they are moral failures that stand in direct opposition to the heart of God.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. declared, “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” When policy becomes a weapon, when leaders normalize harm, resistance becomes more than an option: it becomes holy work. Holy resistance is the courageous refusal to participate in systems that degrade human life. It is the spiritual discipline of saying “no” to injustice so that we may say “yes” to God.

Our Presbyterian heritage affirms this calling. The Belhar Confession, part of our constitution proclaims:

“We believe that the church must therefore stand by people in any form of suffering and need… witness against and strive against any form of injustice, so that justice may roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”

To stand by our Somali neighbors today means naming the truth plainly: what we are seeing resembles “administrative ethnic cleansing,” the intentional use of bureaucracy and fear to marginalize an entire people. This is not merely a political concern. It is a spiritual crisis that tests whether we will live out our faith or retreat into silence.

Martin Niemöller’s warning echoes through history:

“First they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the Socialists and I did not speak out because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.”

Niemöller, who once supported the Nazis, later recognized the devastating cost of his silence. His words remind us that injustice gains ground when good people remain quiet.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to speak before there is no one left to speak. We resist not out of anger, but out of love. Love for God, love for neighbor, and love for the vulnerable communities God entrusts to our care. Resistance is holy work because it aligns us with the God who liberates, heals, defends, and lifts up the oppressed.

May we be a church that chooses courage over comfort, justice over fear, and holy resistance over complicity, trusting that God walks beside us as we stand with our Somali siblings in faith, hope, and love.

In Resistance,
Rev. Riz

Effective at any size!

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December 11, 2025

By Rev. Rick King

A lot of ink (literal and virtual) has been spilled over the years on the small-church/large-church debate. Some say the age of the megachurch is past, others contend that large churches will be the only survivors when this reformation-revolution is complete.

What do YOU think? Some believe megachurches are inherently awful, just because they’re big, but much of this is opinion, not always borne out by the facts.

Yet there are pitfalls to the larger church. Retired United Methodist pastor Michael Slaughter, who in 1979 transformed a healthy, small, rural UMC located on the outskirts of Dayton, OH, into an effective megachurch, said the challenge with large churches is that they tend to produce Christians who are more like the surrounding culture: drawn by prestige, size, power and influence.

In other words, exactly the opposite of Jesus’ values. Slaughter said they had to work continually to overcome this tendency, and they did it by a huge emphasis on service and social outreach. In fact, they made serving in these ministries, along with service in community organizations, a requirement for membership there.

Carey Nieuwhof says we will likely continue to see large churches get larger, and multisite churches such as Eagle Brook will continue to experience explosive growth, as churches that are effective expand their mission through stronger churches merging with struggling ones.

One demographic trend we see is that millennials and others seek tighter connections in church communities—and that holds regardless of whether a millennial is part of a very large or a very small local church. Nieuwhof predicts that future large churches will probably become large by means of organizing thousands of attendees into much smaller gatherings, with decentralized, shared leadership.

Yes, the gathered church will continue to experience metamorphosis in response to cultural changes. But what makes a church of whatever size effective to a large extent transcends size.

The one difference? Resources. Often, small churches are challenged in this area, while large churches are often well-resourced.

Our merged church is starting out with an abundance of resources from combining those of two churches. What will we do with that abundance?

What do YOU envision we could be and do in our wider community?

Do not fear

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December 4, 2025

By Rev. Riz Prakasim

Saying Your name, Eternal One, I called to You from the darkness of this pit.
Surely You’ve heard me say, “Don’t be deaf to my call; bring me relief!”
So close when I’ve called out in my distress, You’ve whispered in my ear, “Do not be afraid.” – Lamentations 3:55-57

Dear Church,

As we enter the sacred season of Advent, we step once again into a story that begins with an unexpected and unsettling line: “In the time of Herod…” (Luke 1:5). To modern ears, it may sound like a historical marker; but for the early church, it was a reminder that Jesus was born into a world shaped by fear; fear fueled by oppression, political instability, economic hardship, and the misuse of power. It was not a calm or peaceful time. And yet, right there in the midst of it, angels appeared with a message we still desperately need: “Do not fear.”

This Advent, we invite you to join us for a devotional journey titled “What Do You Fear?” Together, we will reflect on how the good news of Christ’s birth speaks into our own fearful world, and how naming our fears can actually make room for courage, healing, and hope.

Each week, we will gather to explore a set of devotional components designed to speak to both the heart and the imagination. Each session includes:

–A poem
–A hymn
–A reflection on two scriptures
–A piece of art & reflection for each scripture
–Guiding questions and reflections

Our hope is that in this rich blend of music, poetry, scripture, and visual art, something will resonate deeply with every person who participates.

One of our guiding scriptures comes from Lamentations 3:55–57:

“I called on your name, O Lord, from the depths of the pit; you heard my plea… You came near when I called on you; you said, ‘Do not fear.’”

These words remind us that God’s nearness is not dependent on the absence of fear. God meets us in the depths, in the unknown, in the places where we do not have all the answers. Just as Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the magi did not deny their fears, we too are invited to move through fear — with honesty, courage, and hope.

Fear can divide us, paralyze us, or be used to control and silence. But our Advent devotional dares to ask a different question: What if we formed a new relationship with fear? What if naming our fears helps us see more clearly how God is breaking in right now?

As you journey through this season, may your hope become gritty and resilient. And may you remember: hope that trembles is still hope. This Advent, let us insist on hope — because good news is always greater than fear.

Seeing the sacred reflected everywhere

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November 27, 2025

By Rev. Rick King

Advent begins this Sunday, and with it, the countdown to Christmas. Marcia McFee is a creative artist, and a big part of her work involves using the arts in planning worship. I want to share her take on Advent worship and our preparations for Christmas this time of year. (www.worshipdesignstudio.com/sacred)

“The Word became flesh and made a home among us.” –John 1: 1-14 (CEB)

The Christmas season is a time when the juxtaposition of the sacred and secular feels sometimes blatantly opposed, and sometimes quite blurred. The word “sacred” points to something dedicated as “holy” and “set apart.” This year, you are invited to a spiritual journey of seeing ALL things pregnant with the Holy. What could our experience of the Advent and Christmas season be like if we lived it imagining that everything is reflecting the sacred?

The busyness of the holiday season can overrun the sense of the sacred. The irony is that setting time apart for connection with the sacred gets pushed aside in order to create the trappings of what is supposed to be the season of celebrating the incarnation of the Holy! We will begin our Advent journey toward Christmas by emphasizing the gift of being awake to the “now”… the gift of sacred time with God, with each other, and with those in need of hope.

Those at Falcon Heights know that a contemplative approach to life is important for ALL of us who want to live fully and partake of the richness God offers. I learned to meditate at age 12, and that marked the first time I felt I had the ability to reach out to God; before then, church was more like something I observed, and God seemed distant.

My ministry as a spiritual director is something I do alongside my full-time pastoral work, on a very small scale right now because this job keeps me pretty well occupied. But I work with people on deepening their spiritual life one-on-one because I believe God wants ALL of us to have a close, intimate, deep relationship with the divine.

The worship series starting this Sunday is meant to be an invitation into a deeper life with God in Christ, as a way of entering more fully than ever before into the sacred mystery of the Incarnation—of God becoming flesh in Jesus Christ.

Where do YOU experience the presence of God most?

On the roofline of possibility

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Nov. 20, 2025

By Rev. Riz Prakasim

Some men came, bringing to Jesus a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. – Mark 2:3-4

Dear Church,

Peace be with you. Over the past several weeks, we’ve been talking a lot about transformation—about caterpillars becoming butterflies, about shedding what no longer gives life, and about learning to stretch our wings for flight. In Mark 2, a group of determined friends break through a roof to bring someone to Jesus.

They faced obstacles. They faced crowds. They faced a situation where the usual path was completely blocked. And instead of giving up, they looked up, climbed up, and opened a brand-new way. Their holy imagination refused to accept limits.

In this season of transition, I can’t help but wonder if this is exactly where God has placed us: on the roofline of possibility, looking at what has always been and daring to imagine what could be.

What if now is our moment to “take the roof off” our ministry?

What if this new union between New Life and Falcon Heights isn’t just practical or administrative, but deeply spiritual, a chrysalis moment where something new emerges?

When a butterfly breaks free, it cannot stay still. It was made to travel farther than the caterpillar ever could. It carries memory in its wings, but it also carries momentum. That is the energy of the Holy Spirit guiding us now: honoring the past while inviting us to dream bigger than ever before.

So let your imagination roam for a moment…

What new ministries become possible when the roof is gone?

–Creation-care and climate justice: solar partnerships, repair clinics, community gardens, education around sustainable living.
–Reconciliation work: anti-racism learning, interfaith conversations, youth peace-building, and spaces for community healing.
–Compassion-focused ministries: outreach to unhoused neighbors, support for immigrant families, companionship for isolated elders, care for LGBTQ+ youth and their families.
–Arts and storytelling: creative expression, community concerts, visual arts, and shared spaces that uplift the beauty and diversity of our neighborhoods.
–Mental health and community resilience: caregiver support circles, grief groups, mindfulness practices, and mentoring for young leaders.

These possibilities aren’t far-off dreams. They are the kinds of ministries that become possible when two congregations unite their gifts, passions, and callings.

As we prepare to build something new, we do so knowing Christ is already “in the house.” And with the roof gone, there is no limit but our imagination.

May we be the roof-breakers this world needs.
May we be the butterfly people God is forming us to be.
And may the Spirit guide us into a future where the sky truly is the limit.

Online church as an entry point

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November 13, 2025

By Rev. Rick King

Lately I’ve been thinking and writing to you about the relationship between church in its online and its in-person manifestations. And while online church was a lifeline for many during COVID, afterwards it became a back door through which people made a slow exit from ever attending church again.

While online church can do a good job of supplementing in-person involvement in a local church, a worship livestream, website or social media presence doesn’t often lead to spiritual growth, and can often become an off-ramp for Christians whose commitment to growing in faith might be less now than it was earlier in their life.

It’s a question of balance: I still seek restaurant recommendations from friends who’ve eaten at them, even though I also search for restaurants and reviews online. The same goes for any purchase Linda and I are thinking of making: We research it online first.

If I have a Sunday off and want to go to church, as I did during my 2023 sabbatical, I went online to churches’ websites, whether as a first look at where I might go, or to supplement my experience by visiting the website afterwards to see what they offer: small groups, recordings of other services or messages, or to take a look at their vision and mission statements to see what they say about themselves.

Let’s face it: Most of the new people we will be seeking to reach as a new church live much of their life online as well as physically.

It makes sense that a church’s online presence is becoming a first church home for people, which for many, will lead to becoming active in the gathered, physical church and hopefully, to a deeper relationship with God.

I’d love to hear about your experience. Where do you experience church best, and why?

Traditions

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Nov. 6, 2025

By Rev. Riz Prakasim

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. – Acts 2:42

Dear Church,

Peace be with you. When the earliest followers of Jesus gathered, they did so with devotion—to God, to one another, and to the sacred rhythms that shaped their life together. They didn’t yet know they were forming what we would one day call “the Church.” They simply knew they belonged to God and to each other, and that something holy was emerging in their midst.

That same Spirit continues to guide us as New Life Presbyterian Church and Falcon Heights Church come together in this new season. We are rooted in long-cherished traditions, yet open to the Spirit’s invitation to imagine and create anew. We carry beloved practices that have shaped us, while trusting that God will reveal traditions yet unknown—traditions that will speak to the hearts and hopes of a community being formed right now.

Every family of faith carries its own liturgy of life—rhythms that hold memory, joy, and identity. At New Life, Quilt Sunday wraps us in warmth and prayer as quilts adorn the sanctuary and are blessed for ministry. Super-Sundae Sunday launches us joyfully into fall. Our All Saints recognition reminds us of the saints who have crossed into glory. Youth gather each Advent for a Christmas party that sparkles with laughter and faith. And in the days of Knox Church, worship concluded with “The Song of Hope,” sending us out in blessing and courage.

These traditions have stitched us together: threads of memory, faith, and care.

Falcon Heights, too, brings its own meaningful practices and celebrations, beloved ways of gathering and serving that have shaped us for generations. As we unite, we honor what each community brings. We cherish the familiar prayers, songs, and celebrations that have taught us how to love God and one another.

But we also look forward with holy curiosity. Throughout history, the Church has continued to evolve, guided by the Holy Spirit into new expressions of faithfulness. All Saints Day, which is celebrated on Nov. 1 each year, is one of the most tender and sacred observances in the Christian year. It did not originate with the apostles, yet over centuries it emerged as a way for the Church to remember, honor, and celebrate the great cloud of witnesses. It reminds us that tradition can be both inherited and inspired.

So as we step into this shared future, let us hold reverently the traditions that brought us here. And let us also listen for the quiet rustling of new traditions forming, new songs, new celebrations, new acts of service, new ways of nurturing community and witnessing to Christ’s love. We stand in the stream of faithful ones who came before us and we are also the ones building what will be handed on. Rooted in love, rising in hope.