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Pastor Nancy Switzler

Newsletter Thoughts November 23,2024

Dear Friends,


Happy Thanksgiving week!

Here are a few things for which I am grateful:


This week with the youth group we had a Thanksgiving Dinner. We then tried to gather around the table to share our own traditions and gratitude. The food was great! The gathering around the table didn’t work so well. But we tried. I share this because it’s a great illustration that things don’t always happen the way we envision. But even when plans go awry, we still have much to be grateful for. I’m grateful for the ability to work with youth, even the ones that are a bit unruly.


In the same way I’m grateful for my family, even the ones who tend to drive me crazy. I’m especially grateful to have a grandson (Bennett) and another to be born in January.


I am grateful that I have wonderful friends in my local running community. Even when we are not out running together we are able to be supportive of one another.


And finally, I am thankful for all of you. It’s been a pleasure to be your interim pastor these past months.


What are you grateful for this Thanksgiving? I’d love to hear from you.


Peace in Christ,

Pastor Nancy

 

PS. We are sending you Bishop Brenda’s pastoral letter in response to the election. It’s a good letter and I hope it generates some thoughts/ideas for you.


Bishop’s Message Regarding United States Elections


Dear ones,


I am writing in response to our nation’s elections more than two weeks after the votes were cast. I am confused, exhausted, unsure how to lead. And then it occurred to me: this “not knowing” is exactly the place God invites us to. II Corinthians 9 tells us God promised, “My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness” and later Paul admits, “When I am weak, then I am strong,” (II Corinthians 9). It seems to me the problem in American politics is we can never talk about weakness, except when mocking opponents. The world is filled with terrible strife and need, and each candidate must promise to have the answers in order to get elected. Of course people vote for that promise, in whatever package it is presented.


What the 2024 election clarified for me is we simply cannot convince each other about anything. People on “the other side” think I’m crazy and dangerous, and the truth is, I often feel the same about people who vote for a different party than I do.


I also think we struggle, as individuals and as the church, to know what our place in society is.


Can one pastoral letter change Congress’ vote? No.

Can I fret enough to sway an election? Clearly not.


This does not mean I can advocate from being a religious leader; but it helps to know what my “lane” is.


Bishop Dave Nagler of the Pacifica Synod says the nation is in spiritual crisis.

I agree.


We are not calling for the United States to become a Christian nation – I believe that is part of the problem – believing one religion has all the answers.


But the soul of our country, our compassion, our generosity, our hope, hang in the balance. How shall we respond? Jesus drew us a picture of what the kin-dom of heaven looks like, filled with reversals of fortune and surprise endings and power being used in confounding ways. Why do we expect things to make sense when Jesus promised they wouldn’t?


What is the church’s role today? The same it always was: care for the widow and orphan, feed the hungry, heal the sick.

Visit those in prison, welcome the stranger.

I’m not being political, I’m quoting scripture.


The Bible never said, “Secure your borders, increase productivity and make sure you hoard wealth.” And look, I’m writing to the liberals as well as the conservatives here: we all hoard wealth, we all struggle with scarcity models, we are all afraid to lose too much. We all want power, and the church should be engaged in critiquing power and its use.


Intolerance, both on the left and on the right, is the devil’s work.


As soon as we decide our enemies are not really human, are sub-standard and impossible, we have lost any ability to move forward together.


Putting up walls against enemies is the easy answer. The most vulnerable do need protection. I am not asking them to enter into the fray. But those of us with privilege and safety must engage deeper conversations to make life possible for those who do not have those rights. This is nuanced, complicated work. Jesus knew something about that, and I believe the Holy Spirit is poised to inspire us.


Cruelty is unacceptable, in every situation. If President-elect Trump’s agenda moves forward, we will personally know people who are deported, or lose their marriage rights, or lose reproductive options. Our public lands will lose federal protections, our borders will be managed differently, international war and peace will shift. We need to be ready to respond, and most importantly, we need to be ready to care for those whose lives will be damaged or destroyed.


We need to listen deeply to people who say they are suffering, even if we do not see it ourselves.


Let’s listen when people complain about high prices and lost wages. Let’s listen when people worry about losing their marriage rights and risk deportation. Imagine that, listening and caring for all people, rather than just the ones we like. This is what it is to follow Jesus’ commandments.


And here’s the really bold idea: let’s pray for our enemies.


This is not weak – this is invoking the Holy Spirit to help us navigate our way forward. I know churches who prayed weekly for the president, until Kennedy was elected, or Nixon, or Clinton, or Trump. We seem to have missed the point: we are to pray for leaders, even if, maybe especially when, we consider them an enemy. We need divine help to heal our differences and stop hate. I’m not abdicating my responsibility to bring about change; I’m admitting we are going to need a spiritual revolution to get this done, and I for one have no idea how to do that, without spending enormous amounts of time in prayer and conversation.


We need to stand in the midst of the chaos and understand it better. We also need to call out evil when we see it. But we must be willing to see evil in ourselves, beg God’s forgiveness, and be healed.


I believe God will give us answers, if we ask the harder questions. Let’s not rush to feel better. Let’s sit in this difficult place of unrest and confusion, realize the Kin-dom of heaven is being birthed, and acknowledge this is exactly the place where God abides. Jesus told his disciples he was sending them out among wolves and commanded us to be crafty as serpents and innocent as doves. (Matthew 10:16) I think it’s time to take this commandment, along with love our neighbors as ourselves, very, very seriously. I will, and I ask God to help me.


Bishop Brenda Bos

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