Teresa’s Note: November 8, 2024

Dear friends and members of University UMC: It’s been a big news week. For many in our community, it has been a heart-breaking news week. How are you doing today? Are you remembering to breathe and then push? In a note I shared Wednesday morning, I referenced Valerie Kaur’s use of the midwife metaphor: “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.” My experience is that the work of birthing the beloved community takes far longer than we’d like. And, my faith teaches me that whatever the worst news is, resurrection is on the other side. Resurrection comes not because of how good we are or because of how hard we work. Resurrection is God’s doing and comes as a surprise. It is a life-affirming gift in the midst of a seemingly hopeless situation. As you “breathe and push”, remember to look for signs of resurrection. God is with us. And we have the gift of one another. We are not alone! Thanks be to God! Today I am thinking of a couple of stories that came out of the recent election. Stories of “firsts” that give me hope. Andy Kim has been elected as Senator from New Jersey, and he will serve as the first Korean American Senator. Sarah McBride was elected in Delaware, becoming the first transgender person elected to Congress. As I read about these two individuals, I was struck by their integrity and commitment to building bridges. I’ll pause here to say that the work of building bridges is fraught with complexity to me. On the one hand, I claim bridge building as central to who Jesus calls us to be. And yet, reaching out to those who are different from me is sometimes a challenge. When it comes to being in relationship with those who hold radically different political views, it can be more than a challenge. I join many who believe this recent Presidential election reflects two very different visions for the country. Such differences seem impossible to overcome. Tuesday morning, my daughter Clare and I drove to the church for the “Election Connection” events taking place that day. As we made our way north on I-35 she said, “Mom, look. Do you see that flag?” I looked up. We were both silent as we took in this image of an American Flag waving in the air. It was ripped right down the middle. Both of us were silent in the face of what this image seemed to represent. With such a poignant metaphor of division held in my mind, what can be said about bridge building? Back to the stories of newly elected Senator Kim and Representative McBride and the lessons they are already teaching us. In recent years, Kim has been known to gather with those who voted for Trump to listen to them. “In 2020 I was one of 7 dems that won a district that Trump won”, he said on Instagram, “so I held a series of listening sessions with people who voted for Trump and voted for me to understand their actions.” And newly elected to the Congress, McBride said in an interview with NPR, “It’s much harder to hate up close. I've seen the power of those interpersonal relationships that you have when you are present as a peer and as a colleague — I've seen them transform people's approach, people's minds, people's hearts in Delaware.” So today I’m still sad and angry because it seems as if the arc of the moral universe is bending away from the work of justice. And yet, I’m still committed to the work. And I’m pondering how bridge building is a part of that work. Judy Chicago shares a poem that begins, “And then all that has divided us will merge; And then compassion will be wedded to power.” This is my prayer. You can find the full poem below. I’m also including a prayer from the General Board of Church and Society following election day and a favorite quote from Toni Morisson’s book “Beloved.”  There are many reasons any number of us might feel brokenhearted. The news of this week. A grief journey. A season of loss or sorrow. This Sunday in worship we continue our sermon series on Grief and Loss. We will gather and be fed by the gift of one another’s presence and the gift of Holy Communion. And we will remind one another that we are loved. That we are here for one another. Given all that so many in our community hold and carry, I also leave a writing by Jan Richardson entitled, “Blessing for the Brokenhearted.” It begins with a quote by Henry David Thoreau, “There is no remedy for love but to love more.” And yes, yes - this Sunday and every day may we say “yes!” to the call to love more. What a joy to be your pastor! Teresa A Prayer Poem And then all that has divided us will merge And then compassion will be wedded to power And then softness will come to a world that is harsh and unkind And then both men and women will be gentle And then both women and men will be strong And then no person will be subject to another's will And then all will be rich and free and varied And then the greed of some will give way to the needs of many And then all will share equally in the Earth's abundance And then all will care for the sick and the weak and the old And then all will nourish the young And then all will cherish life's creatures And then all will live in harmony with each other and the Earth And then everywhere will be called Eden once again. -Judy Chicago, one of TIME Magazine’s 2018 “100 Most Influential People in the World” Prayer After Election Day Spirit of the living God, guide us in the way of peace, keep us on the path of justice and the way of love for the whole of the human family. We pray for those who weep today as our elections reveal winners and losers. Our hope for a more inclusive and unified country remains our prayer, and that the Gospel and the church bring healing and help to those most in need. Amen. – GBCS Board President, Rev. Allison Mark and Bishop Julius C. Trimble, GBCS General Secretary “We just won our Senate race! As a son of immigrants, a public school kid, I never could’ve imagined I’d get to serve as a US Senator. I’m deeply humbled and grateful to NJ and for everyone who got us here. I promise I’ll serve with honor and integrity as a public servant for all.” - Andy Kim, newly elected Senator from New Jersey “In times of great struggle, when it seems that everything is falling apart, we must remember that there is a power greater than the forces of division. The struggle for justice, for dignity, for equality, is not a fleeting moment but a long, hard process, and in that process, we must learn to lean on each other. The community, our shared humanity, is what gives us the strength to keep going. The world may seem broken, but it is in the healing, in the building, where hope is found. And we must keep building, together”. - Toni Morrison, from Beloved Blessing for the Brokenhearted There is no remedy for love but to love more. – Henry David Thoreau Let us agree for now that we will not say the breaking makes us stronger or that it is better to have this pain than to have done without this love. Let us promise we will not tell ourselves time will heal the wound, when every day our waking opens it anew. Perhaps for now it can be enough to simply marvel at the mystery of how a heart so broken can go on beating, as if it were made for precisely this— as if it knows the only cure for love is more of it, as if it sees the heart’s sole remedy for breaking is to love still, as if it trusts that its own persistent pulse is the rhythm of a blessing we cannot begin to fathom but will save us nonetheless. — Jan Richardson 2409 Guadalupe Street Austin, Texas 78705 512-478-9387 Want to change how you receive emails from us? Click here to update your preferences or unsubscribe or unsubscribe from this list