Dear U Park family,
I’m writing the day after the election, and so like many of us I’ve been thinking about the state of our country.
As I hope you’ve noticed, I make it a policy not to embrace any kind of political partisanship in preaching or worship. The church is not my personal political platform, nor should it be. At the same time, as Gandhi once wrote, the person who believes that religion and politics have nothing to do with one another does not understand religion or politics. I fervently hope that our votes and political involvement will be rooted in our faith. But while I always want people to take their faith into the voting booth, I don’t tell anyone how to vote.
I think this approach fits well into the Methodist tradition. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, said that Methodists “think and let think.” While he had strong opinions, he believed that apart from such blatant evils as slavery Methodists could have a range of positions on theology and Christian life. Here at U Park, I’m proud of the fact that we hold a range of political positions, convictions, and alliances, and that we even manage (at least every now and then) to have thoughtful conversations about them.
This Sunday I’ll be reflecting on the responsibilities of the Body of Christ to the Body Politic. If you’re worried about this topic, I hope I can put your mind at ease: I won’t be telling people how we should have voted, or celebrating or grieving the outcome of any candidate or ballot issue. I think the question is bigger than that. What’s our role as what the 5th century theologian Augustine called citizens of “the City of God?” I hope you’ll join us for worship at 9:00 in Wasser Chapel or 11:00 in our Sanctuary. If you can’t be there in person, you can always watch our Facebook livestream at 11:00 or catch the edited version on YouTube in the early evening.
At 10:00 this Sunday, Bethany Hader Crabbs, our Children’s Ministry and Congregational Care Director, will lead our quarterly Family Sunday School in East Fellowship Hall. This is a great way for people of all ages to have fun together and get to know each other; everyone is invited. I know that one of the best things about my childhood church experience was the adults of the church who knew me and took an interest in me. Family Sunday School is an important way to give our church’s children the same experience.
Thanks to everyone who contributed $25 gift cards to our Youth group’s “Food For All” food drive event! Your generosity allowed the youth to exceed their goal of 20 cards – they got 21 as of last Sunday. Collection of canned cranberry sauce continues, with the goal of amassing 300 cans by November 17. On that Sunday, our youth group will gather at Highlands UMC with other United Methodist youth groups from around the city to assemble Thanksgiving Food baskets for distribution to families in need. If you’d like to contribute cans of cranberry sauce we can put them on the youth table in the lobby (it’s the one with lots of canned cranberry sauce on it).
Our Interfaith Service of Thanksgiving is approaching fast. At 10:00 Thanksgiving morning, we’ll gather in our Sanctuary with as many as 400 people for a one hour worship service. Representatives of five or six different faith traditions will be here, and together we’ll be a witness to the way that even in this divided world we can find peace and unity and mutual support with others whose backgrounds are very different than our own. I hope you can join us, and if you would like to volunteer as an usher or greeter, we’d be grateful to have you! Just let me know and I’ll connect you with those in charge of our various volunteer opportunities.
Advent starts December 1, and this year both adult Sunday School classes will be offering an Advent study by Amy-Jill Levine, “Light of the World: A Beginner’s Guide to Advent.” The title is a bit misleading – it’s not a beginner’s guide in the strict sense. Levine is a Jewish Bible scholar, and her approach to the Christmas story helps us see the richness and beauty of its Jewish roots in new ways. I’ll also be leading a group in the same study, Wednesday evenings during Advent from 5:30 – 6:30. Anyone who’d like to join Sunday mornings or Wednesday evenings is welcome. The Journeys in Faith Sunday School will offer this study Sunday mornings from November 24 – December 15. The Cornerstone 2 class will be reading the book December 1, 8, 15, and 22. Books are available at the church for $11 each, but if payment is a problem don’t worry – the church can cover your book.
Around the church, things start to speed up about the first week of September. With the staff, I can feel the holiday vortex drawing us in. I hope it’s not speeding your life up too much, so you can remember to breathe deeply and enjoy these shorter, snowy days. I look forward to seeing you at the church!
Grace and Peace,
Andy