Brief Thoughts from Bren

Good art, good literature, helps us imagine what a new normal and a new world can be. It is vital in times like these to seek out that which helps us imagine a better world and encourages us to work together, perhaps in small ways like Sarah Smith, to build this new world now.

The father went on directing his remarks to Lilian, “You aren’t one of us. Why would my children play with you?” Lilian looked at the grown man. She could see kindness in his eyes even though his tone and words did not match it. She said to him, “Aren’t we are all God’s children, sir? That makes us one family … doesn’t it, sir?”

Time has been different since March 2020. Up on a white board in my office, I have started keeping a list of names of people that through the years I’ve often thought, “I should get in touch with her or him or them.” All of the names are listed under John Lewis’ name. You see, two years ago I wrote his name on this white board to remind me to write to him.

Know that the Koinonia commitment to live day in and day out treating all as brothers and sisters who are called to care for one another will not fade. Koinonia is a small place, but with all the resources we have, we will continue to work for justice and to live in a just way.

It is about an encounter. It is about reading slowly, sometimes even aloud, listening and pausing to reflect on a word or a phrase that captures you. It is about letting the text work on you rather than you working on the text.