Clergy from left, Deacon Amy Schmuck, The Rev. Lynn Finnegan, The Rev. Mary Ann Hill, Pastor Nicolé Raddu Ferry and Deacon Cynthia Biddlecomb, retired. Photo by Nate Limback/ladailypost.com
By Pastor Nicolé Raddu Ferry
Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church
“Jesus was political. Jesus was not partisan.” I so appreciate this understanding of who Jesus was the in world. How many of us function with the “rule” that you are not supposed to discuss politics, religion or sex in “polite” society?
Our faith community has been dealing with what is “polite” verses what is “civil” as we read and discus Alexandra Hudson’s book: The Soul of Civility. This is not a “religious” book in its orientation and yet you will find gems of how we can live together following the way Jesus led his life.
Hudson sheds light on how civility can help bridge our political divide. From classical philosophers like Epictetus, to great twentieth-century thinkers like Martin Luther King Jr., to her own experience working in the federal government during one of the most politically fraught eras in our nation’s history, Hudson examines how civility—a respect for the personhood and dignity of others—transcends political disagreements. I recommend this book to you dear community of Los Alamos “for such a time as this.”
For those who may find the first sentence of this article new or surprising please think about how Jesus questioned those in authority, how he invited his disciples and the community to address those in need: the widows, those in prison, making sure that everyone was cared for. Jesus questioned both religious and political practices and traditions, when policies were harming those do did not have power. Jesus was political. Jesus was not partisan.
We are invited in the New Testament to:
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” 1 Timothy 2:1-2
“But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.” Titus 3:9
This picture is from the sticker I received when I voted early a week ago. Thank you Los Alamos County for making our voting process here so easy. I could have walked to the municipal building if I needed to. I could have asked for and received an absentee ballot if I was traveling. I was given access from the League of Women Voters voters guide to help us all make informed decisions.
And so I ask us all: Please vote. We live in a democratic country that has been trying to work out this “democracy experiment” for 228 + years, depending on your official definition of its beginning, and it must have our involvement. It matters that we show up and consider what people, what policies, what programs are best for everyone.
“I believe our positive individual actions, our small acts of kindness, reverberate through the world in ways we will never know. I guess what I am saying is – we mean something. Our actions mean something. We are of value. I think there is more going on than we can see or understand, and we need to find a way to lean into the mystery of things.” –Nick Cave author of Faith, Hope and Carnage
May we keep rejoicing in possibility. May we live civilly with one another. May we see miracles around us. Amen.
Editor’s note: ‘All Shall Be Well’ is a column written by local women clergy including ELCA Deacon Cynthia Biddlecomb, M.Div., retired (czoebidd@gmail.com); Pastor Nicolé Ferry, Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church (pastornicole@bethluth.com); The Rev. Lynn Finnegan, Associate Rector, The Episcopal Church of the Holy Faith, Santa Fe (rev.lynn@holyfaithchurchsf.org) and The Rev. Mary Ann Hill, Rector, Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church (momaryannhill@gmail.com) and Deacon Amy Schmuck, Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church (deaconamy@bethluth.com).
