It Doesn't Have to Be This Way // M-Note 10.5.24

Like many of you, I watched the vice-presidential debate this past week. Even if you only saw clips on TikTok or Instagram, you likely heard or saw that the tone was different. On several occasions, the opposing candidates talked to each other, agreed with one another, and even offered the other candidate words of kindness. While some people cynically warned not to overstate the seemingly kind tone, it was a rare debate that seemed plucked from a different era.  Regardless, a vast majority of Americans on all sides of the aisle seemed relieved and encouraged that perhaps politics doesn’t have to be as vitriolic, divisive, and destructive as it has become.
 
As I heard recently: differences are a given, but division is a choice. It is rooted in the way we see and handle the differences among us. But it isn’t as easy as it sounds. How do we work passionately for the causes and values we believe in? What do we do with people whose beliefs are a threat to those very values? Does our faith preclude us from politics or should it fuel our political activity? Most importantly, how does Jesus shape the way we engage with politics and the people we disagree with?
 
This weekend, I will begin a series called Hold These Truths: Centering Jesus in a Divisive Political Season. I know that as some of you read this, you are thinking, “Nooooooo! Don’t bring politics into the church!” Others of you may be thinking, “it’s about time we talk about this!” Let me ease some of the suspense by telling you what I won’t do. I won’t tell you who to vote for, which party to support, or what policies and platforms you must believe in. Instead, we will be asking the question, “How does my faith in Jesus shape the way I see and respond to the divisive politics all around us?”
 
This is an important conversation for us to have at church and a critical one for our culture. I hope that you will plan to be there and most importantly, invite someone new to check out our church. This series will be relevant to so many of our friends and colleagues who are struggling with our national politics, and it is a great time to invite them to join you at church.
 
I am grateful to be the pastor of a church where we can have these kinds of conversations, and I am looking forward to the next few weeks. I hope you get outside today, and I can’t wait to see you tomorrow in worship.
 
Peace,
Matt
 
P.S. Don’t forget that you can watch or share the worship online here. While there, please subscribe to The Gathering’s YouTube Channel. It helps us spread the word about our church!