
Post Election Interfaith Gathering at UCW
Dear church,
I want to share with you a small portion of how I opened our interfaith post-election gathering, as we prepare to gather in community together this Sunday for worship and the congregational meeting.
“I do not know what every one of you is feeling; what I am certain of is that each one of us is feeling something different right now, has reacted differently this week based on each of our beliefs and faith, based on our fears and anxieties, based on our identities and priorities, based on our past experiences and hopes for the future. And yet, every single one of us has made the choice to be here tonight. To be in community, across those and many other differences. Made a choice to resist isolation and instead to strengthen ourselves, together. And I believe, informed by my faith, that this choice matters. That each time we reach out to one another, open ourselves up and listen deeply, it matters.
This election has made clearer than ever the deep division and isolation in our country and our society. There are ‘sides,’ and people on all sides feel themselves threatened by the future others dream of. Tonight, we hope to build a little sanctuary of space and time in which we can dream of a future where there are no sides, where all people can thrive, where, in the words of the prophet Amos, justice rolls down like water and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”
It matters, too, that we will be in community together on Sunday. As members of the Body of Christ, we are stronger, more grounded in our faith, more filled with compassion and hope, when we connect with and support one another. Let us join together in a space and time of sanctuary on Sunday morning.
Peace,
Megan
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