October 31 Message From Your Pastors

My dear friends in Christ,

This is a difficult week. We have been preaching on being rooted in Christ this fall for good reason. The U.S. is once again in the midst of a contentious election and the consequences are severe for many of us. For those of us who grew up in the U.S. this unrest is still new. We remember a time when the candidate who lost graciously stepped aside. We remember when democrats and republicans compromised. If you grew up in Connecticut or Massachusetts, like I did, there was more tension between Red Sox and Yankee fans than there was between democrats and republicans. We long for a day when politics is more civil and compromise moves policies forward.

Our friends who did not grow up in the U.S. came here in part because of the historical peaceful passing of power. Now, they will tell you, that this contentiousness feels all too familiar. They thought they would be safe here.

We are supposed to be the “united” and uniting states. I remember one preacher who said we are actually the “yet to be” United States.

What we can do:

1. Consider who Jesus would want you to vote for.

2. Vote. If you haven’t done so, and if you can; you need to. Ladies, let’s remember that in the U.S., women have only had the right to vote for the past 104 years. Let’s keep it going!

3. The first two ingredients of love are patience and kindness (cf. 1 Cor 13). How are you employing these virtues online, with co-workers and in your home? Consider if you have any apologies that you need to offer. Go for it! Say “Sorry.” You’ll be glad you did!

4. Resource yourself. The After Party by Curtis Chang is a great non-partisan resource. There is a free video curriculum you can access yourself online (highly recommend!). Watch it with your family this week.

5. Root yourself more deeply in Christ in this season.

   1. Consider how the Israelites lived in exile. How did they get by? How did the early Christians live when they didn’t have any political power?

   2. Ask friends from other countries where they place their hope.

   3. Pray. Pray for your enemies. Pray for our leaders. Practice godly resistance. Check in with your more vulnerable neighbors. Are they ok? Do they need anything?

   4. Try a breath prayer. Make up your own, or try the one here:

      1. Breathe in: “Your goodness and love follow me.”

      2. Breathe out: “I will not be afraid.”

   5. Do a tangible act to resist hatred. Stand up for a friend. Speak peace to power. Reach out to a neighbor. Write a letter.

We don’t know who will win this election. And I’m not going to say that it doesn’t matter. But I do think it is important to remind ourselves that the world is watching the people who profess to be Christians. Will they know us by our love? If we don’t start with patience and kindness, they won’t wait around.

Looking forward to being together on Sunday.

Pastor Karen