As the year comes to a close, many of us are celebrating and rejoicing through a variety of rites and rituals. Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, winter solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, or other special events, Interfaith America wishes you the best.

Personally, I like to carve out space this time of year to pause and reflect. I find that I desire an intentional step away from the ongoing celebrations and to-do lists. Meaningful to me this week was my church’s evening service marking the longest night of the year. We spent the evening in darkness, in quiet, in reflection using the words and music of a special liturgy. Together we sang “Love that fills the night with wonder, love that warms the weary soul, Love that bursts all chains asunder, set us free and make us whole.”

Sitting in the peaceful darkness, I found myself grateful for the many ways “love” was expressed and supported through the work of Interfaith America in 2022. As Chief Program Officer, I’m fortunate to have a wide view on the many ways we bring people together, fill each other with wonder, and make one another whole through relationships. May the work bring you peace or joy or hope this season. If you, too, are craving a moment of pause, here are just a few pieces from 2022 to get you started:

  • IA started the year preparing people to bring their values to bear via the “Vote is Sacred” and calling people to beloved community.
  • Over the summer, IA’s higher education network came together at the Interfaith Leadership Summit. It was the first time many of us had seen one another in person for several years. The sense of homecoming was palpable.
  • Young leaders and educators were so motivated by their “Faith in the Vaccine” projects in 2021 that they continue to explore the critical intersection of faith and health in 2022. Listen to some of them share their experience in their own words.
  • Sacred Journey Fellows, the most seasoned leaders living out their interfaith commitments, took on a variety of projects this year. Fellow Joe Morrow wrote about pilgrimages, proclaiming that pilgrimage is ultimately about the “renewal of our collective sense of community and purpose through ever changing and troubling times.”

As a Christian, I believe that it’s the coming of Jesus Christ, celebrated at Christmas, that “bursts all chains asunder, sets us free and makes us whole.” To me, the bridgebuilding work of interfaith leaders is a manifestation of that freedom. Whatever is filling you with love and helping you feel whole this season, I hope Interfaith America has offered some small wonder along the way.

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