[In a world that seems increasingly chaotic and broken, many of us feel helpless and afraid. We may question what we can do to make a difference. To build collective courage, in this space we will share examples of how individual members of GEC are practicing the way of Jesus, in private action or in the public arena. How might you find inspiration and hope in the small steps others are taking?]

"My wife Betsy S and I recently decided to host a meet and greet at our home for Mayor Jacob Frey. I saw that Kathy M L is hosting a meet and greet for mayoral candidate Dwayne Davis. I’m sure that regardless of who we support, we all believe practicing Jesus' way of defiant, embodied, joyful love in our city means we try to create spaces for respectful civic discourse and engagement. Defiant and perfect love casts out all fear and rebukes resignation and defeatism."—submitted by Mark F

Tags: politics, Faith in action

Beloved in Christ,

Like most people, I am at my worst when I believe I have something to prove. When I think I need to prove to others that I am smart enough, or good enough, or right enough, or likeable enough, or worthy of love, or whatever, then everyone who is different than me is a threat, every criticism is an attack, every disagreement is a battle I have to win. That gnawing feeling we all carry somewhere inside that we are deficient in some way is called shame, and when we live from this place, our whole life feels like a fight.

Our reading from 2 Timothy this week urges us to stand before God as “a worker who has no need to be ashamed.” The heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that we are loved, immeasurably and unimaginably, not because we have proven ourselves worthy, but simply because we have been created by the God who is infinite love.

To be sure, we are called to act morally, to live righteously, and to reflect holiness. But not in order to convince God and others that we are good enough. Our actions, like the Samaritan leper’s gratitude in this week’s gospel, are a response to what God has already done for us. We don’t act in order to win our freedom, we act because we have already been set free.

Our current culture and politics frames life as a binary battlefield with only winners and losers. It secures that field by constantly poking at the shame inside us. You don’t have enough. You haven’t done enough. The world, or the nation, or the church, or your family, would be fine if you just tried harder and did more. It’s all a lie. Following Jesus is about subverting that lie with the gospel of God’s limitless love.

If you are discouraged by the state of our nation, if you want to be a force for healing and good, then instead of just fighting harder in a world designed to lock us in perpetual warfare, try standing “before God as one approved by him. A worker who has no need to be ashamed.” Try starting each day, each conversation, each encounter in that place.

When we set down the struggle to secure some imagined freedom, and accept that we have already been set free, we find, finally, the power to join God in setting the whole word free with irresistible joy, with unshakable hope, and with revolutionary love.
Grace and Peace,

 
The Right Reverend Craig Loya
Bishop X
Episcopal Church in Minnesota

Tags: Freedom, shame, politics, Bishop Loya

Friends,

Yesterday, my sermon focused on the surprising meaning of a 6th-Century BCE scrap of real estate history -- the prophet Jeremiah, after decades of prophesying doom, releases his hold on that story just as the doom is about to come to pass. He lets go of that story and claims hope for the future, with prophetic performance art: the practical action of buying a field. You can listen to the sermon here.

This story has direct relevance to what I hear from so many of you and feel deeply myself -- a sense of despair that we are powerless to stop the authoritarian government we see now in the United States. I shared research from Erica Chenoweth, linked below, to offer hope: it takes fewer people than you might think, acting together, to help the silent majority withdraw its cooperation from an authoritarian regime.

Jeremiah's claim to the deeper story -- that God's dream of shalom is greater than all empires and authoritarians -- is what we stand on today, too. And because we trust that God's love prevails, we can offer our own performance art for God's kingdom, where we are, with what we have.

So: what story do you need to release in order to trust that God's vision of shalom will prevail? How could you practice the way of Jesus in this historic moment? What's the (metaphorical) field you can buy, where you are, with what you have?

With love,
Susan+

Dig into Erica Chenoweth's Research
Here are a few links to get you started:
Video: The Science of Protest, on the Civic Forum
Podcast: Why Protest Works, on We Can Do Hard Things
Website: ericachenoweth.com/research

Tags: politics, Despair, Hope, Rev Susan

[In a world that seems increasingly chaotic and broken, many of us feel helpless and afraid. We may question what we can do to make a difference. To build collective courage, in this space we will share examples of how individual members of GEC are practicing the way of Jesus, in private action or in the public arena. How might you find inspiration and hope in the small steps others are taking?]

After hearing Susan’s moving sermon last Sunday, I went to prepare a train-the-trainer for canvass leaders. One of the most visible ways I put my faith into action is through my involvement in local politics, this year focused on the mayoral race in Minneapolis. I am co-organizing a group of everyday workers, parents, musicians, and more who are committed to knocking 10,000 doors for Omar Fateh because we share a vision for a city leader who walks the talk when it comes to advocating for affordable and quality education, creating lasting support systems for our unhoused neighbors, refusing to cooperate with the detainment of our immigrant community members, collaborating with colleagues including fellow candidates DeWayne Davis and Jazz Hampton, and so much more.

I wasn’t always interested in canvassing. Knocking on people’s doors to talk to strangers requires the same kind of oomph that performance art does! And I had a whole list of things I could use to excuse myself from participating. But then a friend invited me to door knock as a spiritual practice. It turns out that to leave the house, dressed in a campaign t-shirt with multiple buttons and holding more flyers than fit comfortably in my hand, to knock on someone’s door whom I don't know and ask them what they really care about is one of the most faithful things I have done. I perform my concerned neighbor part, I humble myself as a stranger, and I risk rejection and annoyance and bigotry in order to actually practice being a neighbor who listens to and connects with other neighbors–you and I both live here, how are we going to live here together?

Tags: politics, Faith in action

Readers Respond to Last Week's Question: Crisis or Opportunity?

I've heard from many of you in response to my post last week, and I have shared some of those responses (with permission) with the parish through our weekly email.

What did we discover?

We are not a politically uniform congregation. While some of us are deeply distressed by the moves of the current administration, others see necessary reforms. The Episcopal Church holds dear the notion that we don't all have to agree with each other on politics nor on the finer points of theology. The Episcopal Church also holds dear the notion that religion is political; our faith should impact the way we speak, live, and act in the world. So we don't all have to agree; in a deeply divided nation, seeing and hearing each other's hopes and fears is itself an act of faith in the God whose dream of Beloved Community continues to inspire us.

My pastoral goals in sharing these writings are:

To help us see ourselves: How are people feeling and responding to political circumstances? Know each other is part of the work of Christian community; it's essential to compassion and care and accompanying each other as we practice the way of Jesus.

To raise each other's voices as pastoral care for each other. There will likely be something below that resonates with you. In the midst of change, connection is one way to break isolation and build our faith and courage.

To build our capacity for curiosity when we disagree. Perhaps there was something I reported in my email that doesn't resonate with you. How might you honor the dignity of every human being by bringing curiosity to viewpoints you disagree with?

Tags: politics, Division, compassion, curiosity, Rev Susan

Friends,

Last weekend, the Rev. Larry Bussey preached for us. “When our love and our trust get pointed in the wrong direction, we pay a price.” Larry invited us to hear the blessings and the woes we read from the Gospel of Luke as if Jesus were speaking directly to us, and to claim “the triumph of love in the face of the lust for power and control.” You can watch the sermon here. Larry's sermon laid out the bewilderment many of us are feeling in these days.

Our Pastoral Care team discussed it this morning—it feels like a mass spiritual crisis for many of us.

My hunch—grasping in the dark here—is that many folks, especially white moderates and progressives, are feeling disoriented by the seeming loss of something we've taken for granted: stable, multicultural democracy. Those of us who feel like the kingdom of God aligns best with the Democratic Party platform are stuck: how do we live faithfully now? We feel responsible to do something. But there's too much to do, too many fronts to act on, and we aren't sure how to determine what our 'lane' is. Powerlessness and despair can ensue. That's my hunch.

Does that 'spiritual crisis' language resonate with you?

I'd love to hear from you about it. Email me: Does this moment in our homes, cities, workplaces and country feel like a spiritual crisis? How so? Is there spiritual opportunity here? What might the Holy Spirit be up to in the midst of all this? What happens when you pray about it? What kind of prayer practices are helping you see your way (or God's way?) through?

As you ponder these questions: Remember that you are deeply, unendingly loved by the God who triumphs over evil, death, and despair.

In the name of Jesus,
Susan+

Tags: spiritual crisis, politics, Rev Susan