Post-Election Pastoral Letter to Emmanuel United Church of Christ

Dear Beloved Community, Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and example.

Last night/this morning we witnessed a historic event, an election that created a whirlpool of emotions for everyone.  The reactions are numerous and diverse.  There are those filled with great hope; there are those filled with great fear.  There are those that feel fully alive; there are those that feel utterly numb.

After going to sleep at 2:30 a.m., I awoke 4 hours later, feeling as if the world has changed.  But then I went to my front window, and saw my yard filled with birds at the feeder, doing what they have always done- signing, flying, eating. 

And this was a sign, for me, that the world continues; life does go on.  As the birds of the air continue, so do we all, as a nation, as a community, as the people of God.

My request today is that no matter how we voted, no matter where we stand or where we rest on the results, that we, as a church, as members of Emmanuel United Church of Christ, stay united.  That we honor and respect one another; that we honor and respect one another's voices, opinions, thoughts.

I also continue to hold true to what I have come to know about Emmanuel UCC-that we are a congregation full of loving, welcoming folk, with a superb spirit of hospitality and inclusion, always growing, always moving ahead, always becoming the people in Christ we were called to be.

We live.  We worship.  We fellowship.  We give thanks and honor to God.  We follow the way of Christ.  We are guided by the Holy Spirit.

We live. 

One way we do that is to continue.  For example, we continue with our plans and preparations for our Cottin' Pickin' Chicken Pickin' Night tomorrow, starting at 6:30 pm.  We continue with our Annual Meeting taking place on Sunday after worship.  We continue with our Harvest Home Festival on November 19.  We continue reaching out to the community with our Shepherd's Pantry on November 21.

No  matter how we feel about the election, no matter who we voted are, no matter where we are on the political spectrum, we are Emmanuel UCC, we are united in Christ, we are part of the family of God.

As thus we are still called to do justice, to love kindness, and to continue humbly walking with our Lord.

--
Peace, Rev. George Miller
Emmanuel United Church of Christ