How do we live and love in a political climate of fear and hate? My Bible says that PERFECT LOVE casts out fear and that we are commanded by Jesus to LOVE our neighbors and to LOVE OUR ENEMIES TOO! That’s been the hardest verse to live out in the last few years! I was talking to one of my neighbors this week and she and I both feel like we’ve become more angry and hate filled than we used to be. We truly feel the weight of the political climate here in America and we are realizing that it is hurting our souls! It’s honestly why I think about moving to Scotland on a regular basis!
And this week, on Tuesday night, we had a presidential debate. Tuesday night is also when our house church Thinplace meets via zoom. We have people from all over the country and from Canada who have been gathering together since the pandemic of 2020. We practice Lectio Divina and listen to scripture and allow the Holy Spirit to be our teacher. We allow Jesus to speak to us for this day and ask “What do I notice? What do I wonder about? What is the Spirit speaking to me about today? We usually follow the Lectionary and you may have noticed if you follow freerangefriday that we try to be a week or two ahead so people can hear it again on Sunday if they go to a liturgical church, or if they preach or teach through the lectionary they might see something new. On Tuesday night, we just prayed the psalm for this Sunday and it seemed to be a great introduction and a nice way to ground ourselves before watching the debate and as we go deeper into this election season.
I found these two quotes by Parker Palmer in Diana Butler Bass”s post on the Cottage so we began our time with them….What resonates with you in these quotes?
When all of our talk about politics is either technical or strategic, to say nothing of partisan and polarizing, we loosen or sever the human connections on which empathy, accountability, and democracy itself depend.
If we cannot talk about politics in the language of the heart — if we cannot be publicly heartbroken, for example, that the wealthiest nation on earth is unable to summon the political will to end childhood hunger at home — how can we create a politics worthy of the human spirit, one that has a chance to serve the common good― Parker J. Palmer, “Healing the Heart of Democracy”“Rightly understood, politics is no game at all. It is the ancient and honorable human endeavor of creating a community in which the weak as well as the strong can flourish, love and power can collaborate, and justice and mercy can have their day.” Parker Palmer
READ the Psalm three times or you can listen to it here.
What word or phrase stands out for you today?
Notice all the action verbs in this psalm. What are the actions that God is doing?
1 I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.
2 Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The cords of death entangled me,
the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: “Lord, save me!”
5 The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.
6 The Lord protects the unwary;
when I was brought low, he saved me.
7 Return to your rest, my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.
8 For you, Lord, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling,
9 that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
10 I trusted in the Lord when I said, “I am greatly afflicted”;
11 in my alarm I said, “Everyone is a liar.”
12 What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.
14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his faithful servants.
16 Truly I am your servant, Lord;
I serve you just as my mother did; you have freed me from my chains.
17 I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord.
18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the Lord— in your midst, Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord! AMEN
What are the cords of death that entangle you right now? What is keeping you bound and not free? Perhaps the cords of fatigue, exhaustion, anger, or despair over the state of our world, or perhaps it’s something more personal. Talk to Jesus about the things that are entangling you. Allow Jesus to remove these cords of death for you and set you free!
What vows have I made to the Lord? What do I need to go back to in following Jesus that maybe I committed to once upon a time?
What would a Thank Offering look like for you? If you were going to create something as a Thank Offering to God, what would you create, do, cook/bake, write?
How does this Psalm help you as you seek to live out love in the midst of an election year?
How does this Psalm help you have peace in the midst of all the uncertainty of our world right now?
An EVERY DAY WAY TO PRAY Prayer Practice:
I Pray for America each morning as I wash my berries for breakfast! I usually just have blueberries and I have often felt like a blueberry in a red state! So I pray for America as I wash my blueberries each morning. But this morning I had blueberries and raspberries, and I realized that I needed to be praying a different way! For all people to work together! Those with red and blue beliefs. I prayed for people in America to be people of compassion, mercy and love despite our differences… in belief, color, thinking, etc!
And this morning as I ran my facet and the water over the red and blue berries, I noticed that we really need the Living Water’s help to make this a place of love and grace and mercy! That love your neighbor, love your enemies command is so hard to live out these days BUT IT IS so needed and it is truly what being a FOLLOWER of Jesus is all about!
Join me in praying for America and for your own nation…as you wash your fruit in the morning or throughout the day, allow the Living Water to flow over you and pray for the Living Water of Jesus to flow over your country and fill each person with love and peace and hope today.
©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com