Six New Things – Week of 11.04.24

Horrified. Terrified. Mortified. Weary. Frantic. Overwhelmed.

I’ve read and written these descriptors repeatedly in the past 10 hours.

Powerful emotions are hitting all of us in waves.

Some of us may be experiencing existential angst or spiritual disconnect. I’m in this number, too.

This cannot be a typical Six New Things, but maybe it can be helpful.

ONE

My inbox is bizarrely quiet this morning. I think many leaders are in a state of shock, unable to express the barrage of concerns and emotions each of us is feeling, individually, and many of us are feeling, communally.

Diana Butler Bass’s Midnight in America…and morning is a long way off… (The Cottage) – which I read at about midnight last night – invites us to ‘Go slow’ today; to ‘pay attention to some small beautiful thing in your life’; to ‘Breathe. Read a poem. Pray for someone who truly lives on the margins and who is even more at risk now.’

And she offers encouragement, writing, ‘We will rise. In time… Somehow, midnight will give way.’

I encourage folx to read the comments and leave a comment as well: sending words into the world helps.

TWO

Richard Rohr also offered words of wisdom and consolation – and an invitation to active prayer – Prayer, Politics, and God’s Love (Daily Meditations), expanding on the idea that, ‘To pray is to practice that posture of radical trust in God’s grace – and to participate in perhaps the most radical movement of all, which is the movement of God’s Love.’

THREE

If words and prayer are not enough, Lutheran Advocacy – MN shared Lutherans Ask One Simple Question: Is the Neighbor Being Served? on November 5. It therefore includes the act of voting, but the remainder moves us beyond Election Day into Graceful Conversations and concerted efforts to repair broken communities.

 

 

FOUR

Progressive Christianity’s Faith & Democracy: Confronting White Christian Nationalism Panel Discussion asks, ‘What does a Christianity look like that is not deeply tied to racial injustice and White Christian nationalism? How might Christians live into a richer narrative that underscores the nonviolent legacy of Jesus? …Those committed to democracy, peace, and social justice’ may appreciate sharing this video to explore concrete ways to engage the Christian Nationalist narrative that just won the nation’s imagination.

FIVE

Find collegiality and mutual support with ISAIAH clergy & faith leaders from faith communities all across MN who together will process what happened in the election and what it means for the work we do in 2025 to keep advancing our vision of a multiracial democracy, caring economy, and just climate future.

Mills Church 13215 Minnetonka Dr, Hopkins, MN 55305

Sign up link: https://secure.everyaction.com/dLuEJCApy0Shs2kUNSuRQQ2

Tuesday, November 19, 2024  //  1:00-4:00 PM

SIX

I felt extremely alone – until I started reaching out beyond my echo chamber and online network. In preparing this post, I realized: I have colleagues and friends who are already doing amazing work to mitigate the repercussions of this election. I can join with powerful organizations to enact change that may directly affect the well-being of my neighbors and the planet.

If you or someone you know are feeling alone, struggling to catch your breath, or discovering a new level of overwhelm, please engage any of the above opportunities and/or phone, email, or text a friend, a judicatory leader, a colleague, a therapist, or one of these 24/7 free resource spaces:

  • 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call, text, or chat 988 for 24/7 support for mental health and substance use.
  • NAMI HelpLine: Call 800-950-6264 or text ‘helpline’ to 62640 for support, education, and advocacy.
  • Crisis Support Services: Call 800-273-8255 for crisis support.

You are not alone. We are the Body of Christ – and we are in this death-and-rebirth journey together.

SEVEN

Just as I was about to post this, a friend sent me this from Rebecca Solnit:

‘They want you to feel powerless and to surrender and to let them trample everything and you are not going to let them. You are not giving up, and neither am I. The fact that we cannot save everything does not mean we cannot save anything and everything we can save is worth saving. You may need to grieve or scream or take time off, but you have a role no matter what, and right now good friends and good principles are worth gathering in. Remember what you love. Remember what loves you. Remember in this tide of hate what love is. You can be heartbroken or furious or both at once; you can scream in your car or on a cliff; you can also get up tomorrow and water the flowerpots and call someone who’s upset and check your equipment for going onward. A lot of us are going to come under direct attack, and a lot of us are going to resist by building solidarity and sanctuary. Gather up your resources, the metaphysical ones that are heart and soul and care, as well as the practical ones. People kept the faith in the dictatorships of South America in the 1970s and 1980s, in the East Bloc countries and the USSR, women are protesting right now in Iran and people there are writing poetry. There is no alternative to persevering, and that does not require you to feel good. You can keep walking whether it’s sunny or raining. Take care of yourself and remember that taking care of something else is an important part of taking care of yourself, because you are interwoven with the ten trillion things in this single garment of destiny that has been stained and torn, but is still being woven and mended and washed.’


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You are in my prayers, Beloved Children of God.