Making Sense of a Changed World

Politically, we are a purplish church. There’s a mix of red and blue here. I don’t know the shade of purple exactly. I don’t monitor how you vote. I don’t look for red and blue. I look at the Jesus in you. Whatever the makeup, Democrats, Republicans, independents unite in Christ here. This to me is a beautiful thing. 

That said, for some this Sunday after the election Tuesday is not so beautiful. For some, this election was especially difficult.

Some are heartbroken. Really heartbroken. 

However, others are heartened. And some are somewhere in between.

Knowing this, how would you as a pastor here approach this meditation? How do I speak to these rather different groups of Christians at Plainville Congregational? It’s not so easy.

Well, the idea that makes the most sense to me this morning is to do just that, speak both to those feeling heartbroken and to those feeling heartened. 

To the heartbroken – your pain is real and difficult. I have no easy answers to give. I have my thoughts as a wannabe political scientist, but I won’t share them as your pastor. The big turn in our politics hurts many of our souls. Many are wading through the quicksand at this point. We won’t sink forever and into oblivion, that I’m sure of. This too shall pass. The quicksand is temporary. But it feels endless.

One thing is for sure – All is in flux. Nothing this side of heaven stays the same. Empires fall. Worlds change. 

We lose. We face loss. And loss is hard, so hard. 

What to do? How about engaging in things that are healing for you? Music. Walks in the wood. A good TV comedy or K-Drama. Time with family or friends. Enjoy being in Community. Turn off the TV news and social media and come to church! How about that? Come to church and get involved!

More than anything though - pray! Prayer is the exercise of the muscles of wisdom, compassion, and peace. These muscles need to be strong! 

Alright, let me speak to those who are heartened by the results on November 5th. The plea to pray also applies to you, too. Pray for those who are hurting and deeply worried. And pray with your presence, leaving politics aside and living the way of empathy. Be present with understanding and compassion to those who voted differently than you did. 

But maybe my biggest words of pastoral advice to the heartened – be humble. Choose humility. Why? Humility allows the heartened to more easily see the pain of the heartbroken, those who hurt and struggle with this changed world before us.

Humility is also important because in 2, 4, 6, 8 years the result will likely be completely different, and the shoe will be on the other foot. The shoe will always be on the other foot eventually.

These words, this pastoral petition to healing, empathy, and prayer, they are for the heartbroken and the heartened. They apply to all of us. Life is a sojourn through valleys of heartbrokenness, up mountains of heartened spirits, and through all the plains in between.

We all suffer. We all lose. We all face loss. And loss is hard, so hard for all of us.

So, find what eases your weary souls and walk with God!

Pray without ceasing for others.

And live the way of humility. Be down to earth and closer to the lowly – that is good pastoral advice for the joyful and the sorrowful alike.

One final point. It is the most important point to take with you this morning. To help me make this point, I begin with a couple memories related to political elections. Yes, I’ll be giving away my political sensibilities in the process. But I imagine it won’t be too surprising. It is important, though.

In 2008, I was all in on Barack Obama. It was the first time I campaigned for a candidate. When Corey was a baby, Holly and I put him in his stroller and we went out knocking on doors in Zephyrhills, Florida. Nothing like a cute baby to avert getting sworn at or doors slammed in our faces! 

As you know, Obama won, and we were exuberant! 

I’ll never forget driving to work the morning after the election. I was so, so stoked! The first Black president in a landslide! History made! Hope. Change. Yes, we did!

There was a neighbor up the road who was all in on John McCain. He had multiple yard signs, one rather large and loud. As I drove past that neighbor's yard, I saw those yard signs and gave a big, braggadocios yelp, face contorted and all. I didn’t notice that the neighbor, a man in his 60’s I’d say, was in his yard weeding. Seeing his drawn and downcast face, I immediately regretted my spiking of the ball right in front of him.

Fast forward 8 years and north to Western Massachusetts. I was some 3 years into my first pastorate and was excited about a presidential candidate just north of us in Vermont. He was running in the Democratic primary and there was a lot of excitement about him. Obama was a bit of a disappointment for me. I preferred he’d been more focused on the working class. Yes, I’m talking about Bernie Sanders. I volunteered for his campaign very briefly. My volunteering wasn’t as involved as it was in 2008, but I really, really wanted him to win the nomination. I thought he was the only one who could win in 2016. He lost in the primaries. And I was heartbroken as well as angry. 

I felt a little like that Florida man in his front yard weeding to hide his hurt.

The moral of the story - Worlds change. Our politics prove that time and time again. There’s a time for every season. A season of your political preference winning. A season for losing.

If we put our stock in the realm of politics, if we place our faith in a fallen world, if we place our assurance in a president to save us or if we remain in the worried state of the president will ruin us, we will never know peace. 

Politics is not God. Politics is not faith. Politics is not the church.

Only God’s love endures, his steadfast love lasting forever. 

Only our faith endures, giving way to eternity.

Only Christ’s church endures, living here, now and always.

Choose love. Choose faith. Choose Christ and his Church. 

Choose eternal things. There’s peace therein. 

My mom used to sing this song to me as a child. Jesus, there’s something about that name. There’s a line from that song that came to mind Wednesday. 

"Kings and kingdoms will all pass away, but there's something about that name." 

Insert the name Jesus. Insert the name Lord God. Insert the name Divine Love. The principle is the same.

Placing our faith in what endures - that's the best we can do in this ever-changing world.