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Dear Friends,
As I was watching live coverage of the Congress’s debate over the electoral vote on the PBS Newshour, the coverage broke away to a gathering of aggressive, potentially violent crowds that had broken through police barriers and were approaching the Capital. As disturbing as that is, I find that I was more unsettled by the debate, which centered on the election results in my former home state of Arizona. I shared with many of you that my last act as a resident of Arizona was to vote. It was a significant act for me and I am deeply invested in seeing it honored.
But...I take a deep breath. It is tempting to personalize this week’s events. Even though what is happening in our country is very serious, taking offense and reacting in anger will not dispel the toxins that afflict us. It is wiser to stay calm and clear in the face of the insanity. Clear boundaries that hold firmly to principles is what is needed at this moment, otherwise the structures that hold the union together will collapse like the flimsy wooden barriers that stood between a mob stoked by rhetoric and the halls of our government.
This week our scripture passage from Isaiah (60:1-7) will illuminate another vision, one that counters what we are witnessing in real time. On the one hand it offers hope, and yet as we meditate on it, it also delivers clear direction to those who would choose the purifying force of holiness to the poisonous draught of anger.
May this be our way and no other!
Pastor Jen
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