Emmaus Blog

Monday, January 19, 2026: Martin Luther King Jr. National Holiday:  There can be no gainsaying the fact that racial injustice engulfs this community. "Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]"16 April 1963 My Dear Fellow Clergymen: While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities "unwise and untimely." Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas. If I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would have little time for anything other than such correspondence in the course of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work. But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms. I think I should indicate why I am here in Birmingham, since you have been influenced by the view which argues against "outsiders ...

 Saturday, January 17, 2025: Important Announcement for Tomorrow -- Meet us at the Jail: Sunday, January 18, 2-3:30, MLK Vigil In Front of the County Jail to Call For No Collaboration With ICE!  2777 Ventura Way, in Santa Rosa. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 15, 2026 Contacts: Reverend Lindsey Bell-Kerr, lindsey.bellkerr@cnumc.org, 412-576-5763; David Dodd, david.g.dodd@gmail.com, 707-364-3817 The Faith Leaders of the Sonoma County Sanctuary Coalition will lead the wider community in a Vigil to be held outside of the Sonoma County Jail on Sunday, January 18 at 2pm, as we call for the County Board of Supervisors to Pass a Sanctuary Ordinance that includes a Sheriff’s Office Non-Collaboration Policy with ICE. There will be music and readings by Faith Leaders and Community Organizers, as well as updates on Coalition work. The Sonoma County Sanctuary Coalition is urging all community members to join in continued advocacy by pressing the County Board of Supervisors to implement a co...

Friday, January 16, 2026:  Prayer is our humble answer to the inconceivable surprise of living. Part 2: James Talarico in conversation with Ezra Klein. Thank you Ed I’ve heard you talk in different clips and interviews about the difference between a living religion and a dead religion. This difference between a religion that has been absorbed into structures of power that now is itself a structure of power, versus one that is still challenging the ways of this world? JT: Yes, the separation of church and state — I was taught that constitutional boundary was sacred, not for the benefit of the state, although there are benefits to our democracy, but for the benefit of the church. Because when religion gets too cozy with power, we lose our prophetic voice, our ability to see beyond the current systems, the current era. One of my favorite verses in the New Testament is in the Sermon on the Mount. I encourage everyone to go back and read it, especially as Christianity is more and more i...

Thursday, January 15, 2026:  Jesus liberates, Christian nationalism controls. Jesus saves, Christian nationalism kills - James Talarico Can James Talarico Reclaim Christianity for the Left? This is a transcript from the Ezra Klein Podcast provided to us by Katie, Ed FitzGerald's daughter. It's a gift for all of us -- and it's only Part 1 of a lengthy interview. Stay Tuned: There is Hope! Ezra Klein and State Representative James Talarico of Texas discuss his faith, his politics and his Senate race. This is an edited transcript of “ The Ezra Klein Show .” You can listen to the episode wherever you get your podcasts. We’ve talked a lot about how the Trump administration uses attention, how Zohran Mamdani uses attention. But somebody who has been breaking through over the past year in a very interesting way is James Talarico, a state representative from Texas. Talarico is a little bit unusual for a Democrat. He’s a very forthright Christian politician. He roots his politics ve...

Wednesday, January 14, 2026:  “If you want I’ll talk to you about God and salvation. I’ll turn up the volume of heartbreak to the maximum, so to speak.  The fact is that I am a Christian, which usually rather sets me up as an example for constant ridicule in the Anti-Corruption Foundation, because mostly our people are atheists, and I was once quite a militant atheist myself.  But now I am a believer, and that helps me a lot in my activities, because everything becomes much, much easier. I think about things less. There are fewer dilemmas in my life, because there is a book in which, in general, is more or less, clearly written what action to take in every situation. It’s not always easy to follow this book, of course, but I am actually trying. And so, as I said, it’s easier for me, probably, than for many others, to engage in politics. … ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.’ I’ve always thought that this particular comma...

Tuesday, January 13, 2026: The Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity protects, enriches, nourishes and upholds the Human Integrity of all people, builds beloved communities, centered in spiritual values & the leadership of people impacted by immigration, incarceration, and militarization. Holy, Loving and Compassionate One, We hold grief in our hearts at the brutal and tragic ICE killing of Renee Nicole Good, a beloved daughter, mother of three, poet, and good neighbor—whose life was taken in Minneapolis during an ICE enforcement operation. Every person deserves safety, belonging, and freedom from fear, harm, and discrimination. May her life be honored with justice, compassion, and the sacredness of every human life. We say her name. And we say the names of at least 6 other loved ones who have been killed in ICE operations since the beginning of 2025: parents, workers, immigrants and citizens: Jaime Alanis Garcia, Silverio Villegas Gonzales, Marimar Martinez, Roberto Carlos Monto...

 Monday, January 12, 2026:  We honor Renee Macklin's memory by living her values: rejecting hate and choosing compassion Becca Good wrote a loving letter about her wife Renee Nicole Macklin Good - the woman killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. I wonder about the composure and love it took to write this in the depth of her grief as she grieves for a companion lost, the impact on the lives of her child and family, and our loss as a community and nation. Here is that letter: First, I want to extend my gratitude to all the people who have reached out from across the country and around the world to support our family. This kindness of strangers is the most fitting tribute because if you ever encountered my wife, Renee Nicole Macklin Good, you know that above all else, she was kind. In fact, kindness radiated out of her. Renee sparkled. She literally sparkled. I mean, she didn’t wear glitter but I swear she had sparkles coming out of her pores. All the time. You might think it was...