|
Dear Covenant Friends,
I’ve been sick most of this week, and more tired than usual. We all know the feeling—sick, tired, or sick and tired of (fill in the blank). Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “There comes a time when people get tired of being plunged into the abyss of exploitation and nagging injustice.” Perhaps we are living in such a time.
One of the unexpected gifts of being sick and tired, though, is the kindness of others. Gracious people who offer small benedictions to a weary soul: Feel better soon. Get some rest. Be kind to yourself. Drink some tea. Praying for you. Go home.
Under ordinary circumstances, we ask a lot of one another—attention, productivity, clear thinking, steady presence. And sometimes our bodies simply refuse. Faced with stress and germs and the relentless pace of life, they say, Enough. That may not be the medical definition of illness, but it often feels true.
Which is how I found myself driving to church on a snow day, while lucky children stayed home from school. I was grateful to be rejoining the land of the living. Without the fog of cold medicine, I noticed small blessings again: snow resting untouched on the ground, birds returning to the feeder, my friend Shannon spreading blue salt ahead of my steps so I wouldn’t slip on the way to the hospital, the deep quiet that winter brings.
In her book Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times, Katherine May reminds us that the natural world does not resist winter. Plants and animals do not pretend it isn’t happening. They adapt. They withdraw. They conserve energy. Winter, she writes, is not the end of the life cycle, but its crucible—a season where transformation quietly takes place.
The earth rests. Animals rest. Plants remain hidden beneath the soil. And we—who walk two-legged upon the earth—often imagine ourselves exempt from rest. Perhaps that is why Scripture returns to this truth again and again:
The Lord makes us lie down and restores our souls.
God promises, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Jesus says, “Come away to a quiet place and get some rest.”
And again, “Come to me, all who are weary, and I will give you rest.”
Friends, I see you out in the world, doing your best to live with kindness and courage. I know you pray for one another, resist evil, and long for justice. Keep doing these things—but remember that rest is also holy. Even when you are not sick. Everyone needs a snow day now and then.
I hope to see you on Sunday as we commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a special guest preacher. Watch the e-news for details. And until then, stay warm.
May God strengthen your love for justice, deepen your compassion for others, and grant you the rest that sustains faithful courage.
Peace,
Pastor Jessie
pastor@covenantweb.org
January 15, 2026
| 
