Welcome!
  

I have sent the weekly email out earlier than usual. For one, Veteran’s Day is Friday and the church building is closed. However, I also know there is a great range of emotion among you. I respect wherever you may be on the emotional spectrum and care for you. Some of you are hopeful and glad. Many on either side did not feel good about who they were voting for and are nervous, even if their candidate won. Many are distraught and the imagination is torturing them with visions of what might be. Others are grieving as they feel something has been lost in our country that we will never regain. You’ve come by, you’ve called or emailed, and I empathize.

It is so interesting that the two lectionary scripture readings read on this Sunday every three years deal with visions of the future. They are very different. You can click on them in the Scripture section of this email. Isaiah paints a beautiful vision of a possible future, “I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight. 19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress.”

However, in Luke, we are given a different vision altogether: “And he said, “Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them. “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.” Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.”

I think of the veteran’s and how many suffered the horrors of war in order to protect the freedoms we claim in our Constitution that we are privileged to enjoy. It’s good for us to remember that we elected our representatives to uphold that Constitution and that they are subject to it, lest we be “led astray.” I would say this no matter who was elected as this is not political, this is the role we are supposed to play as citizens.

As people of faith, we also proclaim that he is subject to Christ and the commandment to love God with your whole being and love your neighbor as you love yourself. No one is exempt from that. It is important to root ourselves in Christ, and not let any other lead us astray.

So the votes are in but the work is not done. It’s still up to us to choose which kind of future we want to work towards. As good citizens’ it is important that we hold our Constitution as the authority for our country, and, as people of faith, the ineffable God, as the sole authority of our hearts.

I leave you with a part of a Jewish prayer that I find myself reciting often:
To quote the third stanza:
“For all who live on earth shall realize
we have not come into being to hate or to destroy.
We have come into being to praise, to labor and to love.”
B’Shalom
From the traditional Jewish prayer book.

I hope you will join us this Sunday at 10:00am for meaningful worship, thoughtful exploration and community, as we explore this week’s text together. If you cannot join us in person, we will be attempting to stream this service through Internet Streaming.