Dear Friends and Members of University UMC:
It’s early morning, and I’m sitting here with God, holding a cup of good coffee and thinking of all of you. Dear ones, please be gentle with yourselves today. Do what you need to do to take care of your hearts and minds and bodies.
I’ve been a pastor through many different presidential elections. I know the dance of remembering there are votes cast in a variety of directions - even within faith communities that assume they are for the most part aligned. And yet, I am not alone in lamenting that the news we awakened to this morning represents an affront to our core values here at University UMC.
Here are a few things I want to share with you today:
God is with us. And God can hold all we feel and experience. If you are feeling angry or exhausted, sad or numb, it is all okay and acceptable in God’s holy presence. Psalms of Lament in the Bible testify to this and model for us a way of crying out to God in times of despair and distress. (A few examples include Psalms 13 and 22.)
Be mindful of the young people in your life. They are watching us. Children and youth are experiencing feelings like anxiety. And they are taking in how we act and respond. It is more than okay to be honest with them about how you are doing and what you are feeling. Important even. But it is most important to remind them that they are loved.
The work of birthing the beloved community among us continues. Activist Valerie Kaur reminds us we learn from midwives who tell us “Breathe. And push.” So breathe - take care of yourselves, honor your emotions, guard the inner peace within that the world cannot give. And then push - keep showing up for your community, keep believing the work of justice can and does make a difference.
Sunday morning we will gather for worship and celebrate Holy Communion. It will be so good to be together and to show up for one another. To remind one another “You are loved.” To remind one another - Breathe. And then let’s keep pushing for the beloved community to be born among us.
What a joy to be your pastor!
Teresa
