November 7, 2024

Pondering after an Election
The Feast of All Saints is one of the four Baptismal feasts of the church year. This past Sunday, as we gave thanks for the great cloud of witnesses who surround us, we renewed our baptismal vows. As we reaffirmed our belief in the God who creates, redeems, and sanctifies, we once again offered the solemn vows that mark us as Christ’s own forever.
We promised to continue – to continue in fellowship with the Apostles and one another, to continue to share in the Bread that is Christ, and to continue in the prayers that make us who are as followers of the Way.
We promised to persevere, to resist, to repent and return – recognizing that the struggle against evil is long and difficult and that the Way back into grace is always open.
We promised to proclaim – not hiding in fear but sharing our hope and our Way in the light of day and shouting it aloud from the roof tops.
We promised to seek and to serve – looking for Christ in all persons, not only those who look like us or think like us or love like us or vote like us.
We promised to strive and to respect – struggling for the full freedom and dignity of each and every image of God.
No election can change any of this. We will continue to persevere, to resist, repent, return, proclaim, seek, serve, strive, and respect. We will gather as community, we will pray and break Bread, we will resist evil and when we fall we will get back up. We will share our hope by sharing with the poor and oppressed. We will see Christ at work in the world and in every person we encounter and we will serve the Christ we meet. We will never stop fighting for justice, struggling for peace, or loving each and every child of God.
Your marriage will always be recognized here. Your gender will be affirmed. Your wealth, power, poverty, skin, language, immigration status, education level, success, failure, or ability will not separate you from the love of God that is expressed through the Church of the Resurrection. That is the Way we follow and will always follow regardless of worldly rule.
Believe. Continue. Persevere. Resist. Repent. Return. Proclaim. Seek. Serve. Strive. Respect. 
We will, with God’s help.