VITAL SERMON OF THE WEEK

The Gall to Hope for Peace

Current events make it hard not to feel overwhelmed, says the Rev. Dr. Walter C. Dilg, of United Methodist Church Westlake Village in Thousand Oaks, Calif. So he goes to places such as the Borderline bar to view the memorial, to where homes once stood before wildfires, and to the 9/11 memorial to gaze upon the pools. It makes things concrete, especially violence. “Getting perspective has helped me feel like it is a specific thing that’s happening here among us. And it is not what God wants,” he says. “As followers of Jesus we are called to try to figure out how we can make it different.”