Election Thoughts and Prayers

Dear Friends,

I write this reflection on Sunday evening, two nights before the 2024 election. I have heard your anxiety, fear, exhaustion, and STRESS related to this election cycle. And I am aware of my own reaction to this upcoming national event.

This year it is as if the rhetoric was dialed up to the stratosphere. I’ve heard things that left me sickened and angered to my core, and saw things that I can’t unsee. And I know that many of you have expressed similar experiences. If the polls are to be believed, no matter who wins the presidential election, almost half of the country will feel unheard and possibly disenfranchised. And that fracture is happening along many lines, including gender. Violence has been threatened. In the face of uncertainty and fear, it is normal to go into protection mode and/or gear up for war.

But just because a reaction is normal does not mean we have to act on it. We can take a step back, breathe, and remember that the world Jesus lived in was also seriously polarized and threatening. It was into that reality that Jesus embodied a way of responding that addressed fear and injustice through healing and transformation. His response has been time tested and proven effective in our own age by contemporary saints like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

And the heart of that response is love.

I was chatting with my son tonight and he said that he heard a phrase that captured the current moment well: Nauseatingly hopeful. I laughed at the
bizarre combination of words, but as I thought about, it made sense! My stomach churns every time I watch the news. I will write about the horrors playing out in the Middle East, Ukraine, and Sudan another time (as well as the tragic destruction and loss of life from natural disasters enhanced by our climate crisis). But on top of all the awful things happening in the world, we have politicians using lies at the expense of vulnerable people and who demonize their opponents so that they can claim power – behavior that turns my stomach. So the “nauseatingly” part is accurate!

But so is the “hopeful” part. As in-your-face and as ugly as our current political circumstances are, what underlies them is not new. What is new for us is that the ugliness (that was previously hidden behind closed doors) is being said out loud and before cameras, without any apologies. The silver lining in this shift is that you can’t change what you do not see; the dark cloud is that this behavior has become normalized and accepted – or ignored. Or excused away. And that allows the behavior to grow.

The potential for this kind of rhetorical wildfire is possible whenever power in service of self, not in service of others, is the political prize. Tell them whom to blame or whom they should fear and offer to be their savior is not a new leadership strategy. We can find examples throughout history, within and outside of America. Jesus experienced it in his day, and confronted it with love, truth, and integrity. David Farina Turnbloom reminds us that when Jesus made his final journey to Jerusalem, he refused to let threats of what might happen to him in Jerusalem stop him from being less than who he was – they did not keep him from loving Jerusalem and from being true to himself:

His way of life has been to love all sinners as children of God, calling them to conversion. When he is threatened and harmed, he refuses to pick up swords and shields, because the truth is that his attackers are beloved children of God in desperate need of conversion. So, he prays for their forgiveness, not their destruction.

Instead of being consumed “by the fear that leads to hostility,” he chose love, the only choice powerful enough to lead to transformation. In addition to love, Turnbloom reminds us to use righteousness, truth, and peace (which are known in Ephesians as part of the “armor of God”) in this work of healing and transformation. This is a good use of “armor.”

Fear, blame, hatred, punishment, and elimination may seem much easier (and may even feel justified) in the short term. But they do not lead to healing. And they never lead to transformation. And every part of Jesus’ life teaches that God is in the healing and transformation business – God plays the long game to bring everyone home.

And so can we, even though we’re tired. Let us not embody what sickens us. If we are horrified by the “othering” and injustice that has gone on in this election cycle, then we must not engage in our own righteous version of it. If we are sickened by lies, especially as they pertain to vulnerable people, then we must be meticulous with the truth and speak the truth clearly and with love! And we must use our power to empower others and not for our own selfish gains.

To return to the words of David Farina Turnbloom: “To love as Christ loved means that we are called to look beyond threats and fear to find the holiness that often lies hidden beneath.” To find what hides beneath and within takes time and patience and relationship, and is only accomplished with love. This work is not easy and may sometimes be unpleasant. And it may involve learning new skills. It is the work of bridge building. It is work rooted in integrity. It is holy work! It is love embodied.

So where do I find hope? I find hope in remembering that we are partners with God in bringing healing and transformation to this world – NOW. And we are all works in progress, even as we engage in this holy work. I find hope in remembering that love wins – that love is stronger than death, and that the light is not overcome by the darkness (scripture and tenets of our faith that I take to the bank). And I celebrate the fact that we do not do this alone, but are in partnership with God (and backed up by the Communion of Saints who love us and pray for us). As we become God’s hands and feet – and eyes – and heart, in this world, we are steeped in love, which is God’s essence. The more we allow ourselves to be infused with that love, the more love we have to share! And love brings healing and transformation, first for ourselves, and then for the world around us. It always has, and it always will.

Now for some practical advice: Take some antacid or ginger tea for the nausea, tylenol for the headache (if permitted by your doctor), and please take it easy on the alcohol and pharmaceuticals (Note: 70% dark chocolate is an acquirable taste – I can make recommendations). Moderate your news consumption, and stick to sources with journalistic integrity (Facebook and X are NOT reliable news sources). The Serenity Prayer and the Prayer of St. Francis can be helpful, as is the simple one word prayer of HELP, prayed as often as needed. Hugs help, as does community. Acts of compassion and kindness (especially when done anonymously) are like soul rocket fuel! And breathe (outdoors and in the beauty of nature whenever possible).

We’ve got this, and God’s got us and this whole big, messy, broken, and beautiful world. We’re not alone, and we’ve got work to do - today, tomorrow, and the following day and every day after that – as we live as disciples of Jesus, the human face of the God of love. Let’s get to work!

With love, prayers and hope,
Kim