Dear Siblings in Christ,,
In this time post election, a number of you have shared with me how emotionally fraught this time is for you. This has compelled me to write a note of encouragement.
For those who celebrate the outcome of the recent national vote, I encourage you to (please) not discount what some are saying about their fears, in very real responses to what they've heard said by candidates and supporters. I also ask that as you are able, to please provide support and, if need be, a protective stance to those in our congregation and wider community who will be most negatively impacted if what has been threatened and is feared does come about (possible violence against some, loss of freedoms and rights). If your siblings now enmeshed in a web of fear can come to trust you and others to have their backs if the need comes to be, I don't doubt that the initial reactivity of being in a fear state will lessen and quiet and relationships of mutual care again become possible to nurture.
This scripture came to mind:
Philippians 2:1-8 (from Paul) If, then, there is any comfort in Christ, any consolation from love, any partnership in the Spirit, any tender affection and sympathy, 2 make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or empty conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not to your own interests but to the interests of others. 5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he existed in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
assuming human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a human,
8 he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death-
even death on a cross.
And for those who are currently weighed down with fear or in despair, this within a longer section reminding us that we are held in God's care-Matthew 6:34 "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today." So to you who are hurting and in despair - feel your feelings as they well up, and seek the support of others so as to not drown in them. Then, as you are able, let go of perseverating on what
—
might happen as much as you can, to focus on the day at hand and what can be done to maintain justice and peace today. For when we spin with worry about what could happen at some future point, we give up the power of today. And we can become blinded to potentially more productive awarenesses and action possibilities that are trying to emerge around the edges of our fear.
Do you recall when I mentioned with regard to uncertainty and being in the "in between", an analogy of one of my teachers last year: to envision ourselves standing on a rock in the middle of a foggy pond, unable to immediately see where to step next to safety, even though we know there are other rocks out there that can help us move to more stable ground and safety? That after pausing on the rock, acknowledging the reality of where we are and our desire to jump toward presumed safety without knowing the way, the fog will begin to lift a bit so that the next stone can be seen and we can move forward at least that one step toward the shore, moving from one stone to the next as they become visible, until we reach the safety of the shore. It seems we are in just this sort of middle place - both as a congregation wanting to return to building and as a people trying to see our way forward in how we show up in the world as Jesus' people with a role to play in God's healing mission of love and reconciliation. Many of us have experience with the reality that reactivity is more apt to bring about negative outcomes that harm self and/or others than to change circumstances. We may recognize as well, even if not how our bodies and minds first respond to threat, that thoughtful, intentional, informed response is more likely to pave the way to solutions we otherwise cannot perceive. Let us seek direction of the Holy Spirit to clear our vision of what is possible.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth. O God, who have taught the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant that in the same Spirit we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in his consolation through Christ our Lord. Amen (a Catholic prayer I learned through Via de Cristo. It has been strong in my heart and mind in recent days.)
With you, in Christ,
Pastor Jean
360-433-7341 for those desiring pastoral care
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