A Stressful Season // M-Note 9.28.24

When I am stressed, I usually don’t show up as the best version of myself. I can be irritable, on edge, and not always treat people the way that I intend.  We can all probably identify with this feeling. I was thinking about this because collectively, our country is “stressed.” We have a major presidential election coming in November. No matter where you fall politically, many of us are passionate about our hopes for our future and concerned about the prospects of what might happen. 

We know from our recent past that in our passion and concern, people do not always show up as their best selves. In social media posts, conversations with friends, and relationships with family, we can be short, impatient, judgmental, dismissive, and mean-spirited. During an election season, where there are winners and losers, we can justify almost anything to win. 

Next weekend (October 6th), The Gathering will begin a new series called Hold These Truths: Centering Jesus in a Divisive Political Season. I am not going to tell you who to vote for, how to think, or what party you should support, but I am going to challenge us to center Jesus and who he calls us to be. We will talk about how faith shapes our politics, particularly how we work for what we believe in while still prioritizing how Jesus calls us to relate to those that we deeply disagree with. 

As we approach an incredibly important season in our country, I hope that you will plan to make worship part of the way that you prepare for the upcoming election. I suspect you also know someone else that may need to hear these messages or be interested in the way faith can address politics. So, it’s a perfect time to invite them and practice the invitational spirit that we have been talking so much about! 

As a reminder, don’t forget to download The Gathering’s app, follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Those simple acts really help The Gathering to continue to establish an online presence and welcome new people to check us out.

Have a great weekend, and I look forward to worship on Sunday. 

Peace,

Matt

P.S. This Sunday, we’ll wrap up our series, Worth Sharing, about invitation, which is the newest of Our Shared Practices - the six spiritual practices we commit to here at The Gathering to help us pursue a deeper relationship with Jesus. I’m so excited that Charity Goodwin, The Gathering’s Pastor of Spiritual Formation and Groups, is doing something brand new this year and offering a class about each one of the Practices. The first one is Saturday, October 19, on Growing in Groups. I will be sharing historical and biblical information about the role of small groups in our denomination and what that means for us today. Whether you're questioning, curious, or committed to Jesus or the church, these classes are for you. Join me in October, or at one of the others coming up over the next several months.