Let it Shine!
In Mark 4:21–25, Jesus asks a question, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket?” Light, by its very nature, longs to be seen. It is made for rooms, for streets, for the places where people stumble and strain to see one another clearly.
Jesus is alluding to a faith practice beyond our personal faith and is speaking about witness. About truth that insists on visibility. To follow Christ is not to hide the flame of justice beneath caution or comfort, but to place it where it can illuminate what has been obscured and expose what harms life.
Jesus continues with a warning and a promise. “Pay attention to how you listen. The measure you give will be the measure you get.” What we offer the world matters. When we show up with courage, compassion, and moral clarity, those seeds multiply. When we withdraw in fear, the darkness grows bolder.
Showing up at rallies, advocating for just policies, and standing with those whose lives are threatened is faith practiced in public. It is love practiced in public. The light we carry is not ours to hoard. It is entrusted to us for the healing of the world. So let it shine.
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Across our nation, communities are grieving and asking hard questions about violence, immigration enforcement, and the dignity of human life. In recent weeks, deaths connected to federal enforcement actions in Minneapolis have sparked deep anguish and public outcry, reminding us that fear and force are shaping too many lives.
Grassroots organizers are calling for Friday, January 30, to be a nationwide day of no school, no work, and no shopping. This pause is an act of moral witness. As people of faith, we are invited to stand with our neighbors to say “enough is enough” and affirm that love, justice, and human dignity must guide our common life.
RSVP here to join Jeannie and other Riversiders BEFORE 10AM Friday Jan 30 to get looped in on all up-to-date information: https://form.jotform.com/260205500143136
If you do not live in NYC, look for an action near you: https://nationalshutdown.org/actions
For artists, you can submit your posters and graphics to help popularize the historic nationwide shutdown in solidarity with Minnesota against ICE terror
through here: https://nationalshutdown.org/art-call
Feb 5, 7-8:30pm: Bronx Power Metro-IAF Rally
Dozens of churches, mosques, non-profits and associations are forming a new Bronx power organization. Together, with Metro power to win truly affordable housing, safer streets, better schools, mental health care services, and employment opportunities for everyone. Come witness the founding of your new organization and a better Industrial Areas Foundation, Bronx residents will finally have the future for our families. Watch as we hold newly-elected Zohran Mamdani accountable to deliver on our concerns.
Beyond Plastics Advocacy Day: HELP CUT TOXIC PLASTIC PACKAGING IN NY!
Covenant for Our Future
We are joining our partners at GreenFaith in supporting a multi-issue campaign. Covenant for Our Future is a new, multi-faith response to the damage and suffering taking place across this country. The so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” cuts food, healthcare, and clean energy programs while pouring billions into fossil fuels and tax breaks for the wealthy. It is a direct attack on human dignity and creation. The Covenant campaign responds with a shared moral vision: compassion over cruelty, care over greed. Join us for a community conversation as we strategize and share ideas about how we can respond to this moral crisis.