Anticipating the Election, and Our New Sermon Series

October 29, 2020

Hi, Friends,

There’s an election next week, have you heard? I’m kidding. It would be hard to miss the collective anxiety and tension so many of us are experiencing. If you’re able to vote and haven’t, please do so. A doctor I know told me about physicians that have prescribed voting to their patients because using our own agency and voice are good for us. There are real stakes in the election too, as you know. I’ve voted already, and I am praying for outcomes that move us toward healthier, more just futures. I am also praying for you, Reservoir community, that you will know God’s peace and strength for you as we move together through all this year brings. 

As we wait, I am trying to pray into the faith the writer of Psalm 146 has, remembering that none of our political leaders merit too much of our trust. So many of their plans – for good or for harm – perish. The psalm remembers that God can be our hope in all circumstances. People have lived and loved and persevered – even when they have suffered – through all manner of political times. And regardless of the will or power of our government, God will remain determined to “set the prisoners free,” “open the eyes of the blind,” “lift up those who are bowed down,” “watch over the foreigners,” and uphold the most vulnerable. May it be, God. May it be. 

If you’d like places to gather together next week, in addition to our Sunday services and your community group, we have two offerings available. Our pastor Ivy will be hosting online a time of listening and prayer on Wednesday evening, November 4th. (Details emailed out that day.) And I’m part of a team with Greater Boston Interfaith Organization that is planning a citywide interfaith gathering online on Thursday, November 5th, to remember our shared commitments to human dignity and fair democratic process. (Register for the citywide gathering HERE.) We’d love to have you at either or both gatherings if that would serve you.

This month, we also pivot on Sundays into a short four-week series called Salt of the Earth, in which we’ll look at some ways our faith can be healthy and useful in the times we live in. We’ll be inviting you to remember what it means to belong to Reservoir Church during this time and if you’re not already, to consider becoming a member. 

A  short warning that in my sermon about God this week, I’ll say a few words about Holocaust theology, including how there were children burned alive by the Nazis during the Holocaust. I won’t linger over the details for long, but I will mention the reality of horrendous human evil in our world – this example being just one of many – and what it means to have faith in God in the face of such evil. 

Friends, I wish I could look you in the eye today and shake your hand or give you a hug and whatnot. I’m missing you all in this season of physical distance, even as I am so grateful that we are still spiritually together. As Beth from the TV Show “This is US” pastored us all who were listening last night: “This pain is not forever.” 

Peace, Love, Courage be yours today,

Steve