Moving Forward
I heard lots of different opinions in the past week. Lots of folks have been sharing with me their thoughts and opinions with regards to how I as the pastor of Wright’s Chapel should or should not respond to the recent election results. Do you know anyone who has lots of opinions? Do you have any opinions? I decided on Sunday not to preach on this topic, but I shared a few words, words that I will share again in this blog. I’ve listened to lots of opinions. I’ve read lots of opinions. I was most struck however by the thoughts of a minister I admire from Dallas, Rev Paul Rasmussen, who helped me to think through some of the issues and how to express my own opinion.
One of the things I love and treasure about our church is the diversity of thought among our congregation, our staff and our leadership team here at Wright’s Chapel. I believe that that diversity makes us better as a church. I know that diversity of thought doesn’t happen in every organization and honestly it doesn’t often happen in churches. That diversity of thought has been reflected in the many conversations I know I’ve had, and I suspect you’ve had over the past 16 months concerning the Presidential election. I’ve had these conversations at lunch, at dinner, in my office, in line at the grocery store, over email, but up until a week ago those conversations really remained in the land of theory. Those conversations remained in the land of “what ifs” or “can you believe” or funny Saturday Night Live Skits. Some of you have thought, “How did we get here” and others have thought “it’s about time.”
The outcome of the election has brought a sobering exposure to raw emotion. Some of you are thrilled and some of you are despondent. Some of you are scared and some of you are hopeful. Some of you are all together indifferent and some of you are just glad that the whole election is over.
So whatever the case and wherever you stand, I hope as your pastor that we’ll learn to support one another and to truly love one another in the name of Christ.
One of Jesus greatest traits was an extraordinary ability to relate to and love people who were nothing like him. And ironically people who were nothing like Jesus seemed to be drawn to him as well. So as we begin this new journey on this new day, let see if we can do the same as well.
Part of the reality we face in our country and I suspect right here in our church is a division of understanding. The truth as I’ve talked to many folks, is that there are those among us who really feel scared for themselves and for those they care deeply about and they struggle to understand how anyone can feel thrilled about what has happened. To be clear, the folks I’ve spoken to are not fearful of others in our church or others in the community who they know and care about and yet who they might disagree with politically. But there is an anxiety they feel about people who live on the fringes, those who they do not know and yet who now feel more emboldened by the rhetoric of the past 16 months and are there is anxiety about how those people might respond. There are others I’ve spoken to who are thrilled with the outcome and they struggle to understand why others are actually frightened and they believe those fears are an over reacting or the response of sore losers. They just want everyone to “get over it” and let’s move on together.
Perhaps we at Wright’s Chapel can be a model and a witness of how we can all live together as we seek to serve God and make disciples of Jesus Christ to transform the world. And so as your pastor let me encourage you, if you feel victorious, don’t gloat, and if you feel devastated and scared don’t hold offense to those who cannot relate to your grief. Let’s all try and listen more before we speak and before we post what’s on our mind.
Let us each just try to live out our call to kingdom like behavior. What does Kingdom behavior look like? Perhaps the prophet Micah is an approach we should emulate. For God has told you, O People, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you, but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.
Somehow in this great nation of ours we will have to cut through the division’s and move forward, and what better place to start than right here within the walls of our church and with our brothers and sisters in Christ in our beloved church family.
Peace Charles