The Times We Were Made For

It is easy to assume we are living in extraordinary times. And in many ways, we are. Institutions and ideas that we’ve long taken for granted as foundational are cracking. We are assaulted with an overwhelming stream of (mis)information. Our planet faces existential threat. I would go on, but I can feel my blood pressure rising, and I bet yours is too. And anyway, you know this already, all too well. Because at Mayflower, we refuse to look away from the cross – at the things that are threatening Life and Love. And there is a whole lot on that cross right now.

But, perhaps more importantly, we also refuse to be paralyzed by these challenges. Or at least, we try not to be. But neither of these tasks: looking clear-eyed at the challenges and the suffering around us in our community and world, and taking courageous action to mitigate them—is particularly easy… especially when there are still bills to pay, or Netflix to stream, or sick parents to care for, or our own sick bodies to tend, or the demons of depression to battle. The fact that this work is hard is precisely why it is the work of faith, which is not for the cowardly, and it’s not something that can be done alone. Ever.

But here’s the thing: as extraordinary as these times we’re living in might feel to us, the fact is that they aren’t entirely. Our ancestors faced similar extraordinary times and they bequeathed to their descendants a treasure trove of resources to help guide us: religious stories, contemplative practices, values, symbols, community organizing practices, rituals. We are rich with inheritance that has already been forming us as Christians our whole lives—grounding us in a transofmative sacred story of a man who lived in extraordinary times, under occupation, and who resisted imperial power and religion (including his fellow Jewish siblings who too often acted as what Rev. William Barber would call “chaplains of empire”), inculcating us with foundational values, granting us spiritual practices to ground us so that we might go out into a tumultuous and polarized world and remain rooted in compassion and hope, not succumbing to hate, cynicism, or violence.

Mayflower, these are the times our ancestors were preparing us for. These are precisely the times circumstances and our God—who is Love—created us to live in and through. And we have all that we need at our disposal to respond precisely as these times call for, I’m certain.

This fall, as our country faces a critical election, we have the opportunity to draw from ancestral wisdom to help guide us in thinking about how we, as people of faith, will defend Love and Life. How will we ensure we are acting prophetically without fueling polarization or binary thinking that demonizes? What will we do to defend our values, democracy, and the most vulnerable among us in our city, our country, and our world? Who is God calling us to be in those times? We will have opportunities to engage questions like these in our adult education hour between worship services, to hear from invited guests about the threats to election integrity in our state and how we can respond, to develop skills. In worship, we will tap into the stories that orient our ethical lives and engage rituals that activate our spirit. We will engage in contemplative practices to ground us in God. And, there will be plenty of opportunities to show up beyond Sunday for this work. Stay tuned.

Beloved, these are precisely the times our spiritual community was made for. Let us rise to meet them.