Dear friends,

Are you tired of political advertisements? As we prepare to go to the polls in November and as this midterm election cycle comes to an end, we have once again been reminded about the best and worst parts of our civic lives. Throughout this campaign season, you undoubtedly have seen examples of the “good” and the “bad.” You’ve probably heard some positive messages, of people speaking up for needs in their community, and of people who are pledging to serve their neighbors. At the same time, in every campaign season, the negative ads, the insults, the slurs, and the dissension, often drown out the good. Just turn on any TV, wait for those commercial breaks, and check out how the ads speak about the various candidates, and about their values.

Like many “competitions,” political campaigns are divisive. They pit two sides of people against each other. We all want what’s best for our nation. That’s why we disagree about important issues, but too often, we humans let those divisions turn into anger and conflict with our neighbors. Too often, our political choices turn into litmus tests for who we want to be friends with, who we want to sit next to, and who we want in our church pews. Too often, the conflict and tough competition outside the church seeps into the sanctuary, and it becomes an underlying liability to our sense of community and togetherness. But it doesn’t have to be that way!

In walking through the doors of the church, we as Christians are called to recognize that, while we are all citizens of America, Minnesota, and Le Center, in the sanctuary, we become first and foremost citizens of the Kingdom of God. In our church community, we grow to recognize that we have something that transcends politics that unites us, and that gives us the courage to care for one another, despite our differences in the secular world. In our congregation, we are first and foremost children of God, not Republicans, Democrats, or independents. And, as we close this intense season of campaigning and voting, I invite us to remember that and to hold onto that knowledge, regardless of what comes next.

Following that verse from Hebrews (see above), I would challenge all of us in this season to think about how we might be able to “provoke one another to love and good deeds” in this time. There are a lot of things that provoke us to anger, fear, sadness, and despair. How can we lift one another up, regardless of whose sign was posted in each other’s yard?

Pastor Heath