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*This message was shared with the Spirit of Life community on November 8, 2024, following the national election on November 5, 2024.
Dear Beloveds of Spirit of Life, Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. - John 14:27 Jesus spoke these words to his followers as he was preparing them for the tragedy and trauma of his crucifixion. We read them aloud during our election prayer vigil on Sunday, and they are more powerful today than ever. The peace of Christ which passes all understanding be with you all as we process individually and collectively the results of the national election on Tuesday. No matter how we feel about the election’s outcome, it seems most of us have reacted deeply. This has been one of the most difficult and contentious seasons in our life as a modern country. And as we move through the coming weeks and months toward what will likely be great change, I invite you to remember our fall worship series, I’ve Been Meaning to Ask. The questions of this series opened us to ourselves, to God and to each other. We asked: Where does it hurt? What do you need? Where are you from? And where do we go from here? In Conversation Church you were vulnerable in your sharing and learned that we have more in common than we think, and that we are more alike than we realize. Lean into the community building spirit of this faith community. Lean into your own longing to be part of something beyond yourself. Lean into the Holy Spirit that calls us over and over to God and to each other. We have been divided. We have been fragmented. Some people have been targeted. There are people among us and around us who fear for their safety, their relationships and their lives. If you feel called to do so, pay particular attention to them in this fragile moment. Beloveds, we are called to follow the way of Christ and draw toward Christ in the waters of baptism and the abundance of the communion table. Get curious. Lead with compassion and empathy. Practice humility and gentleness. God bless all of us as we walk this path into God’s future together. Peace, Pastor Marietta  By Karen Whistler On Friday, Pastor Marietta shared a helpful resource (click here) for supporting kids through the tension and stress they may be absorbing from the election. It included a book list and I instantly felt a strong connection This was just what I needed. We have been struggling as a family to explain the current political reality to our kids. Tuesday night we watched the election coverage and our daughter got out her Kamala Harris book and was waving it in the air to show her vote . We tried to keep things at the highest, most kid-appropriate level. As a family we talk a lot about kindness. So we mostly focused on the tone of each candidate in our discussions and used this as an opportunity to talk about how US government works in general. On Wednesday, as a family we had conversations around the outcome of the election. It was not easy. From the perspective of kindheartedness, we struggled to understand why the candidate that we observed as someone who focused often on kindness and lifting people up lost to the candidate who we observed as saying unkind things and sometimes putting people down. All people are imperfect, but from the perspective of kindheartedness this was our focus. When Pastor Marietta sent the list, I found myself diving full energy into getting these books ... some way to channel my own tension into ‘something’ as a coping strategy. I went through the list and checked to see which books are available in the Kitsap Library system. Then I put ones they have on hold. Turns out you can have 40 active holds, and check out 100 books. Go Library! I soon realized that I was hoarding all these great resources and wanted to find a way to share the collection. My neighborhood and our church immediately came to mind. Lightbulb! Kindness Book Corner was born. The shift to focus on kindness and compassion in my own heart was a helpful one for me. I spent some time reading each book, absorbing the message and taking in beautiful illustrations. Something shifted in me. I can be the kindness I want to see in the world. I can breathe right here and simply be. Grounding to my current place and moment. It is helpful for me to live from this place instead of over-indexing on the larger scale and ambiguous future. This past Sunday I had about half the library books and another dozen or so books we own. I will bring the full set for the next Sunday or two. We will make sure they are available before and after church. You can take one for the week if you’d like, just write down the book title and your name on the provided sheet. I invite everyone to slowly spend time in a book or two as a mindfulness moment. Some of these books are breathtakingly gorgeous. I am the Lord your God who brought you out the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me - Exodus 20:1-3
This is the ancient and timeless promise that God makes. In our story from scripture it is to the people of Israel - the ancestors of our modern faith. And these words speak across time and space to us today. For we are people who live under the specter of captivity too. And the gods of modern life are plentiful. Trauma of yesterday and today can trap us in mistrust and cynicism. Judging and being judged produces anxiety, no matter what side of that equation we experience. We are captive to financial situations, family dynamics, the demands of our jobs, the falsehoods of social media. Our gods become busyness, striving, and keeping up with what we think is the “good life.” How can we rest? How can we become a people of God’s enough? Our stewardship series this fall began on October 13 and has been focusing on the promises that God made to the ancient Israelites - promises of food and resources and rest and freedom. We have heard the stories of God’s provision. We have considered how they speak into our own lives. This stewardship season, I invite you to pray over how God’s provision for you might flow into the community of Spirit of Life. This faith community means so much to so many. What does it mean to you? And how can you invest the enough that God provides for you - in time, talent and tithe - in Spirit of Life? As we move toward the end of our stewardship season in mid-November, you will receive in the mail a letter and some forms asking for your response on how you will share your gifts with Spirit of Life in 2025. We will receive these forms from you during worship on Consecration Sunday, November 17. If you have questions or would like more conversation about stewardship season, these biblical stories, the inner-workings of Spirit of Life, please let me know. I would love to chat with you. Reach out to [email protected] or call the church office 360 876 5094. Peace Pastor Marietta |
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