There is a large elephant (no pun intended) in the room…Election Day is here. I know that this might be shocking to you, but November will be an interesting month. Though I have not lived through it yet, I am expecting it to be strange. Thanksgiving gatherings will look different this year. The pain of not being with loved ones and feeling of isolation will be present at our tables. Travel might be just something you do to the store for groceries or from the living room to your bedroom. Politics and the nature of taking sides attempts to overwhelm us. The narrative that division is necessary runs rampant. However, people have strong feelings and for good reason. What is important is that we maintain a Spirit of unity and disagree with respect.  Remember that the church in Rome was located where the military power and governmental leaders were. They sought to understand how to relate to each other, and Paul wrote to them these words:

⁹ Love others well, and don’t hide behind a mask; love authentically. Despise evil; pursue what is good as if your life depends on it. ¹⁰ Live in true devotion to one another, loving each other as sisters and brothers. Be first to honor others by putting them first. ¹¹ Do not slack in your faithfulness and hard work. Let your spirit be on fire, bubbling up and boiling over, as you serve the Lord. ¹² Do not forget to rejoice, for hope is always just around the corner. Hold up through the hard times that are coming, and devote yourselves to prayer. ¹³ Share what you have with the saints, so they lack nothing; take every opportunity to open your life and home to others. Romans 12:1-3 (The Voice)

Paul was never shy when speaking the truth of who Jesus was and who Jesus called us to be. The congregation in Rome was experiencing real persecution and frustration. This is the longest letter that Paul writes. The church was made up of Jews and Gentiles alike causing many divisions within the congregation (sound familiar?).  These words are to remind Jews and Gentiles (insert REPUBLICANS and DEMOCRATS) that the Gospel of Jesus is unifying, and they must commit themselves to love. Let us love deeply by sharing our gifts with one another. Let us love deeply by relying on the Spirit’s intervention. Let us love deeply by rejoicing that Christ is our KING and our true citizenship is in Christ’s Kingdom. Let us love deeply by praying. Let us love deeply by caring for the outcast, the marginalized, the poor, the hurting, those struggling with addiction, those that are having mental health challenges, and the orphan. This election will be what it will be but do not lose sight of the Kingdom of God or Kingdom ethics. Do not gaslight (to manipulate (someone) by  psychological means into questioning their own sanity). Be quick to love and listen so much so that you can hear others and most importantly Christ’s words: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”

If we in fact owe one another love, then we owe one another justice, which includes repairing the damages done, individually and collectively, in community. – Rev. Dr. Valerie Bridgeman