Dear Friends,
As Election Day approaches, the bishops of both dioceses in Massachusetts have invited all Episcopalians to participate in a 48 hour prayer vigil, beginning on Sunday November 6 at noon and concluding on Election Day, Tuesday November 8, at noon.You can read their full statement here. Some parishes are already planning services or vigil periods in their churches during that time, and information will be forthcoming about how our parish will be participating.
Time and again as we approach presidential elections, we are told that the particular election before us is the most decisive election in a generation. The prospect of momentous change can fill us with anticipation, and also with fear. I know this is not the first election in which some people feel anxious and uncertain about the outcome, and it will not be the last. Our bishops are calling for us as communities of faith to ensure that all we do, and the choices we make, are rooted in prayer.
I am a great admirer of Marilynne Robinson, a writer whose fiction and nonfiction works are imbued with her deep Christian faith. Last year In an article entitled “Fear” in The New York Review of Books, she commented on the palpable anxieties present in our national life:
“First, contemporary America is full of fear. And second, fear is not a Christian habit of mind. As children we learn to say, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.” We learn that, after his resurrection, Jesus told his disciples, “Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” Christ is a gracious, abiding presence in all reality, and in him history will finally be resolved.”
“Fear is not a Christian habit of mind.” Those words have come to me again and again when I find myself growing anxious or fearful. Fear is not a Christian habit of mind, because, as Robinson writes, “Christ is a gracious, abiding presence in all reality.”
I encourage us to keep those words in our minds and hearts as we move through these next few weeks, as well as in the days after the election. Whatever the outcome, some of us will be disappointed and some of us will be excited. We will seek ways to work for the common good, and we will do so as a community of faith, knowing that Christ is present in all reality – in both our fear, and in our faith.
Faithfully,
Tom
Note: The article “Fear,” by Marilynne Robinson, is from the September 24, 2015 issue of The New York Review of Books, and can be found here.
When we hear of natural disasters, we sometimes wonder how we can help. Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) is the agency of our church that provides direct and immediate relief in the aftermath of disasters such as Hurricane Matthew. If you hear the Spirit calling you support recovery efforts in Haiti and the southeastern United States, you can do so by visiting the ERD website here.
In addition to providing disaster relief, Episcopal Relief and Development supports the ongoing mission work of the Episcopal Church throughout this country and around the world. Their “Gifts for Life” program provides persons and communities with an opportunity to provide for others at Christmas and other times of the year with mission gifts. Last year, the Episcopal Church Women helped us purchase goats for families through this program. You can find out more about Gifts for Life here. There is also a catalog with a listing of gifts available at church.
