“There are so many ways the coming years may fill us with dismay, but they cannot change the intention at the core of God’s creation. That intention is justice, sustenance, freedom, enlightenment, hospitality and care of the vulnerable. It is the call of Jesus and the work of the church to take up that intention and live it out in the world, no matter what politicians have what power where. Our call remains the same…”

“This practice of loving, one by one, face to face starts with seeing and it continues with attending to the other person’s words; by asking questions rather than assuming we know who they are already, which is so easy to do in a culture where we label each other out of fear. We often assume we can intuit another person’s perspectives by the bumper stickers on the car, by the way they dress, by their zip code, but you can’t always. We have to ask. We have to ask how do you see life, what are you experiencing right now. And then we have to attend to the conversation, we have to pay attention as the conversation unfolds. This is true with our most well-known and beloved ones, and it’s true with our neighbors; it’s true when we are wanting to stand as allies with people in the fight for justice. We love best, when we listen best; when we listen for how the other person is experiencing the world instead of assuming we already know…

“And of course I’ve been thinking about this, about what it means to love people during this painful election season. I have to work hard not to assume the worst motives for people whose political positions I find abhorrent.”

“In this tired season when fear is dogging our steps and dread of the future is acting like an undertow, take heart. Get up. Jesus is calling you. Let your faith make you whole enough to follow Jesus on the way.

“If this frightening election does not end with results that protect America from sliding from oligarchy to autocracy, Jesus will still be calling us. Spirit will still be present. We can keep going, keep loving, and working, and resting. It was never America that was going to keep us safe or save us; it is staying rooted in God’s love no matter what.”

“…Whatever is in our heart, whether it is joy or rage, resentment or mercy, fear or love, meanness or loveliness; whatever is in there will spill out on to others. No matter how we try to disguise it, our hearts will make themselves known. Which leads me to the question: what are you doing to take care of your heart? How is your heart? How are you caring for it? For our hearts to be whole, they must be tended… In order for good to come out of our hearts, our hearts must be grounded, our hearts must be whole.”

“The story of Easter reassures us that hope is stronger than despair, love is stronger that hate, life is stronger than death, and that with God nothing is impossible. God is with us in every human moment. Our fear and wonder can coexist with our joy. The story has not ended and it is always starting anew in us.”

“The promise of Easter is that love is stronger than death; that the realm of God is present, even now…”