Dcn Tom Lindell

My brothers and sisters,

We have just been through the conjunction of Halloween deemed “thin or liminal space” by Celtic pagans who celebrated the beginning of death in nature, All Saints and All Souls where we honor those who have gone before us. All Saints celebrates everyday “saints” who will never be canonized, but they are the ones we remember and choose to emulate in our own lives. “We are reminded that our ancestors are still in us and work with us and through us.” (Rohr)

Tomorrow marks the secular ingathering of voters to make their choices of who will lead us until the next election. It is amazing how long the election “season” is in America as compared to those in other countries. Are we given too much time to ponder our choices? Does it invite others with nefarious intent additional opportunities to meddle via disinformation and misinformation via social media that plays into the indecisive among us? Think also of the huge amount of money that has been spent in these campaigns, yet few complain.

We are observing election workers wearing bullet-proof vests, barbed wire barriers, snipers on roofs, and families moving into hiding to protect them from violence. Ballot collection boxes for early voters are being bombed and set on fire to destroy ballots. These actions are fodder for those around the world to look upon what is happening to the “model of democracy.”

How should Christians respond to this election season when various Christian denominations are taking different partisan sides? It is an invitation into chaos and anarchy. Reading letters to the editor offers a glimpse into words that will always offend someone. It is becoming more and more difficult to “love your neighbor as yourself.” What has happened to the Golden Rule which teaches us to treat others as we hope to also be treated?

Christians live in communities that are characterized by attention to each other and especially the marginalized. How do we keep our heads above water in light of the harsh rhetoric that is being spewed about under the banner of Christianity? Given this polarization, even Christianity will struggle to survive.

Yet, we have been raised to have hope. We follow Jesus of Nazareth who also lived in an oppressive political era. We continue to model our lives after Jesus for 2,000 years without losing hope. Remember that you are loved and accepted without question, and our hopeful responsibility is to share that love with those whom we meet on our path.

—Dcn Tom