Author Archives: jledmiston

I’m a lifelong People Pleaser. Through the years, though, I’ve learned that it’s foolish to be more afraid of my congregation than God.

When I was a 20-something pastor in a small rural congregation, our church was preparing for a garage sale-type fundraiser. People had donated gently used clothing, including boots and coats, and the church ladies took the whole week to set everything up for the big sale on Saturday.

Around midnight on Friday, I got a call from the Volunteer Fire Chief asking for help. There had been a fire in one of the rental homes in our community and the family inside had escaped with only the clothes they were wearing. Two adults and two young children were wearing their pjs in the middle of winter, and the fire chief said that he knew our church was selling used clothes the next day. Would it be possible for the Mom to come in a grab a change of clothes for her children? “Of course,” I said.

I met Mom in the church basement while the kids and Mom’s boyfriend waited in the car. I helped her pick out a couple of outfits including cold weather clothes for both children and both adults. Items were to be sold on Saturday for $1 – $2 per piece. I didn’t charge her because that would be evil. She had just lost everything and we’re talking about less than $15.

The next morning – Saturday – word had gotten around that I – the pastor – had let this family get “all the best clothes” and had not even charged them. And they were not a deserving family. The Mom was unemployed and the man at her home that night was not her husband, nor was he the father of the two children.

The ladies were not happy with me even after I offered to put $15 in the coffers. Fun fact: the proceeds from this fundraiser were “going to mission.”

For the first time in my professional ministry – but not the last – I rewrote my sermon early Sunday morning after a sleepless night. I’m not one to spew anger from the pulpit even when I’m angry, but I was firm with a Southern accent.

What about grace had we missed? (i.e. None of us deserves it. That’s what makes it grace.)

What had we missed about helping those in need? (Especially when it costs so little.)

How did we miss that handing clothes directly to people with no clothes is mission just like collecting money and then giving it away to strangers?

Please don’t get the wrong idea: I am still more afraid of my congregation than God sometimes. I’m mindful of the variety of political perspectives in congregations. What might be an obvious Word to one side of the aisle could sound “too liberal” to the other side of the aisle. I so I try to be careful. Sometimes carefulness feels like being “lukewarm” though.

A pastor asked me today, “What can we do to resist what some of us consider to be cruel government policies that especially hurt “the least of these“? Is there a denomination statement? Is there some training on resistance in our Presbytery?”

Denominational statements are often hollow. And while training can be helpful, the best thing we can do as preachers is Preach the Honest Word of God – even if it makes people uncomfortable. Grapple with the Scripture. Don’t equivocate. Remember who God is and who we are.

Also remember: Jesus was executed after he stepped on the toes of the politically powerful. Being “political” in the pulpit doesn’t mean being “partisan.” The Bible is an equal opportunity offender in terms of political parties. But some people will not like it. Some will accuse us of meddling.

Nevertheless we must preach the Gospel with courage and steadfast faith.

It’s what we signed up for and – as we can read in the Scriptures – God’s Truth changes lives. (But first it might make us miserable.)

Image source. In my second church outside Our Nation’s Capital, we had members who moved to Addis to serve USAID in Ethiopia. From the U.S. AID webpage: “For 120 years, the United States and Ethiopia have partnered in health and education, agriculture and food security, science and the environment, and many other areas to improve the lives of all Ethiopians.” To cut humanitarian aid to those in need is the opposite of the Gospel of Jesus.

I am obsessed with this article by Ross Douthat. It’s part of his new book Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious. Douthat is a Christian with whom I have disagreed often. But he’s on to something in this hot mess of a world – becoming hotter and messier by the day – and it resonates.

A 2024 Pew study suggests that “the rise of the nones” – those with no religious affiliation – has leveled off. We now have a secularized cohort of human beings “for whom the religious quest can feel a bit like entering a store where every faith has its wares on display.” (Douthat) If a person with little to no experience in organized religion seeks some spiritual anchor in these days, where do they begin?

I am informed by a couple personal insights/observations:

• What many secular people “know” about Christianity preached by ubiquitous leaders conflating nationalism with The Word of God is erroneous and often the opposite of the message conveyed by Holy Scripture. Many who purport to be Christian are Biblically illiterate, unable to identify the Ten Commandments much less The Sermon on the Mount.
• In light of what feels like a constant barrage of disasters, we usually cling to the simplest (but incomplete) convictions. It’s easier but it’s also lazier. In an article about the tragic loss of figure skater Cory Haynos in the recent American Airlines crash into the Potomac, it’s noted that he cited John 3:36 on his Instagram profile. Yes, the Gospel of John says that “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God’s wrath.” And the Gospel of John also says “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” I’m fine with God figuring this out.
• In my and HH’s own family, we have two who were raised Muslim and no longer practice but maintain some cultural rituals, one raised Hindu who practices her faith while incorporating monotheistic practices, two raised Protestant who no longer practice their faith regularly, and three PKs who can recite the Aaronic blessing and countless hymn lyrics and Bible stories. Each of them in their own way are spiritual seekers and/or believers trying to sort things out in these anxious days. We have been told that our current grandchildren “will choose their own religion” which will be difficult with nothing and everything to choose from. Again, when one’s upbringing has been wholly secular: “the religious quest can feel a bit like entering a store where every faith has its wares on display.”

And so what is the role for those of us in organized religion? First of all, we are usually not all that organized. Secondly, we are obligated to be lifelong learners in a world where most Christians have a sadly low level of Biblical/theological/historical literacy. We Christians would benefit from learning about other world religions, preferably from adherents. We will teach about our faith more from our actions than our words. We need to be confident enough and brave enough to refute false doctrines.

Example:

Church Person Who’s Been Taught that Homosexuality is a Sin: The Bible clearly says that homosexuality is an abomination. Look at Leviticus 20:13.

Pastor Who Can Read Ancient Hebrew or Parishioner Who Attends Bible Study Lead by Someone Who Can Read Ancient Hebrew: So, if you look at that verse in Hebrew there are two different words for “man” – ‘ish and zakar. This passage is not about two men together; it’s about one free man and one enslaved man. In other words, don’t assault your slave.

CPWBTTHAS: Well, that can’t be right. I’m just going to keep on believing what I believe.

PWCRAHOPWABSLBSWCRAH: Well you can look it up here if you really want to wrestle with the Bible seriously.

The bottom line is that faith is complicated and the world is complicated and it takes effort to grapple with the things of faith and life. (Where have I heard that before?) We in historic religious traditions have an amazing opportunity to exemplify the faith that gives us hope and peace. Sometimes things feel hopeless and tumultuous. But I for one believe in a God who has shown us a better way in Jesus Christ.

Like many of you, I’m discerning how to pray for people who are hurting other people I love.

I spend too much time trying to figure out our current President and I’ve wondered this: Has he ever experienced unconditional love? It helps me try to make sense out of what I consider to be cruel words and actions. I wonder if he’s ever been in relationship with anyone who doesn’t “love him” for his money or his power. This is my prayer for the 47th President – that his heart would be melted by unconditional love from someone. Anyone. Maybe he needs a sweet dog, although I’m not sure it would help.

We can count ourselves utterly blessed if even one person in this world loves us without qualifiers or requirements. If there is more than one, we are drenched in cosmic favor. If we’ve been unconditionally loved by an animal – that counts.

Years ago, the Call to Worship on a random Sunday in my church was from Psalm 36:

Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
   your judgements are like the great deep;
   you save humans and animals alike, O Lord.

Unbeknownst to me, there was a guest sitting in the pews that day who was so bereft that morning that she decided to find a church. Her dog had died the day before. Her best friend for 14 years. Her family.

She sat among strangers feeling overcome with grief when she heard the liturgist recite Psalm 36. Her ears perked up when she heard these words: “You save humans and animals alike, O Lord.“ It felt like they were chosen especially for her. Maybe they were.

I know all this because she approached me after worship and told me about her dog and the comfort she received from that Call to Worship. Simple words remembering that it’s God who first loves us unconditionally even – and especially – in times of grief.

This morning we learned that the dog we’ve loved for over ten years whom we found on August 2, 2014 on a highway in Onslow County, N.C. had a fast-growing tumor which was causing the pain that had incapacitated him over the weekend. We said good-bye later this afternoon.

His name was Spense, so named because he was very expensive for a free dog. After taking him to a shelter near where we found him with no identification, it was discovered that he had all the worms and he had not been neutered. Of course we adopted him, signed off on surgery and bought the meds. And it wasn’t cheap.

But it was so worth it. We loved him so much but – honestly – he loved us even more. Unconditionally. Sometimes I admit that I couldn’t rub his stomach for a minute longer. I dreaded early morning walks in sub-freezing weather. He had a delicate stomach that required special attention. Still we loved him.

But Spense loved us more. Even this past weekend when he was in terrible discomfort, he wagged his tail when he saw me coming down the hall. He was always happy to see us.

Everybody deserves unconditional love . I wish this for everyone. And I thank God for all those who love me and have loved me, including sweet Spense.

Image of Spense Edmiston Lyon, Kid of Kids, Hound of Hounds (~2013-2025)

“We are people, not parts of people.” Mark S.

The second season of Severance – the Apple TV series – is finally available after a three year wait post- Season One. The premise is that the fictional Lumon Industries has developed a surgical procedure that severs a human being’s personal/home life from their professional/work life. Every day “severed employees” leave their homes (they are called “Outies” – like the belly button) and drive to work where they enter an elevator taking them to their offices. During the elevator ride, they become their severed “Innies” – or Lumon workers who have no recollection of their home/personal lives.

Reasons why people would subject themselves to this:

• Focus. When you are home, you can focus 100% on your family or your laundry without concerns about work deadlines, colleague conflicts, or job dissatisfaction. When you are at work, you can focus on your assigned task without concerns about your child’s ear infection or the leak in your condo. This seems good?
• Avoidance. One character (Mark) became a young widower in his personal life and he sought out the severance procedure because his grief was unbearable. He lost his job as a professor because his personal agony was impacting his professional life. As a Severed Person, at least he could be productive from 9 to 5. This seems understandable?
• Coolness. How cool to be a part of an up and coming technology? Early adopter heaven?

In theology – Christian and all the other theologies – this severance looks like dualism gone awry. For most Christians, we believe that a person is both body and soul and those two parts are inseparable until death – when the body dies but the spirit lives on. And the resurrection of the body happens later.

But for the Severed Employees of Lumon, their bodies and souls have not separated. At work, their bodies sit at desks and spend tedious hours doing “microdata refinement.” Occasionally they are rewarded with random perks like melon bars and waffle parties. Sometimes they are sent to the break room which is more about punishment than coffee. It’s soul-sucking every day. Melons don’t particularly fill one’s soul.

At home, their bodies return to book groups and dinner parties and their souls experience all the usual things: sometimes uplifted, sometimes broken, sometimes longing, sometimes, joyful.

I’m most fascinated by the theological insights sparked by Severance. My takeaways from the first episode of Season 2:

• Authentic Truth is elusive. Is Lumon creating a glorious future as they tell the world? Or is the truth that they are evil manipulators?
• The world offers ridiculous rewards. Please do not give me a plaque when I retire. I recently went to a retirement party where the honoree received 12 plaques/trophies and while they were all presented by the various church committees and organizations with authentic love, I’m guessing the retiree would have appreciated something more useful like a gift card to his favorite restaurant or a trip to Disney World. I know someone who was given 12 place settings of china from the church kitchen with a drawing of the building on every plate and teacup. It looked like someone had cleaned out the pantry and thought, “I bet the pastor would love to look at the sanctuary while eating their cereal.” It feels like a melon bar. People get watches for their service – which is a lovely gesture. And it’s an easy gift that takes little thought. I’m guessing most people would have appreciated the cost of the watch in a love gift. Worst employee gift ever? I once worked on a staff that all received cross statues to put on our desks. The Personnel Committee didn’t realize that two of the staff members were Jewish. Merry Christmas. Best gifts? A thoughtful letter.
• Work should never feel like torture. One of the severed people – in a moment of freedom in the Outie World- yelled, “They torture us down there!” In our chosen profession/calling/vocation/job there are moments we might dread, but it’s so meaningful to feel like we are making a difference. I know a woman who cleans homes for a living and she loves creating order for her clients. It is creative work for her. Sometimes people tell me they could “never do my job” and the truth is that – for all the challenging moments – I get to see the hand of God in people’s lives every day. It fills me with delight.

We live in a world where too many lies are told, where rewards do not make us feel truly valued or known, where daily drudgery surpasses daily joy. I believe this happens when we live a severed spiritual life.

When we seek what is true about ourselves, when we recognize that we are ineffably valuable simply because we were each created in God’s Image, when we realize that all work – from doing laundry to negotiating world peace – is ministry – then our lives are spiritually whole.

And this is also true when we see these the truth, the value, and the contributions of others.

This is my goal and my stronghold for life.

How are we feeling?

As the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King will soon be celebrated on – ironically – the same day of the Inauguration of the next President of the United States, there are those of us who are:

• Tuning out the tsunami of personal, natural, and political disasters brewing everywhere.
• Half-listening to the news. (Is there a fire happening in California right now?“)
• Feeling overwhelmed by the tsunami of personal, natural, and political disasters brewing everywhere.

The young man who believed that Hillary Clinton was involved in child trafficking in Comet Ping Pong Pizza in DC has died after being shot during a traffic stop just down the road from where I live. He served four years in prison for shooting an assault weapon in the restaurant and threatening their employees.

There was a NYT article in November 2016 announcing that – in light of the misinformation that led one young man to drive all the way from NC to a DC pizza restaurant to address fictitious stories about kidnapping and molesting children – Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg promised “to work on technology tools to slow the gusher of false digital information.” But this week, Zuckerberg announced that he would end efforts to fact check Facebook and Instagram after giving $1 million to celebrate the inauguration of the next President on MLK’s official birthday.

See what I mean? The world spins and it’s often chaotic and painful.

How are we feeling?

As I type this, the same President who will ostensibly swear to uphold the Constitution of the United States in less than two weeks has been sentenced without prison time on 34 felonies. According to the Associated Press, the judge could have sentenced him to four years in prison – the same sentence that Edgar Welch served for shooting up the pizza restaurant because he believed in utterly false conspiracy theories. Those conspiracy theories were created by supporters of the former and future President.

Breathe.

Between all this and the ordinary realities of life – beloved old dogs who are slowing down, and elderly loved ones who are slowing down, and church conflicts that are breaking God’s heart and our hearts, and ongoing recovery efforts after wars and flooding and random shootings – I still cling to the God who separated the waters at Creation and the waters of the Exodus. I still believe in the God who weeps with us, particularly in the Person of Jesus whose presence continues to be among us. I still believe that there is a Spirit that moves people like Jimmy Carter, who could have rested on his laurels after serving as President, but instead focussed on serving the poor and vulnerable. The Holy Spirit did that.

Do we trust in God or do we not?

Sometimes it’s all we can do. But I deeply believe that the God who is paying attention (and miraculously has not obliterated this foolish planet) calls us to pay attention too.

I get it: it would be easy to tune out and maybe we need to do that for a bit. But as long as the LORD is still present in this world, we are called to be present. Breathe. Tend to the hurting. Try to listen to our enemies. Try to love even the unlovable. Breathe some more.

In a healthy world we learn from our mistakes. We make them. We course correct. We move forward . . . unless we don’t course correct but – instead – learn nothing, rinse and repeat.

Here are the top mistakes I’ve made myself and/or noticed others making in 2024 in Church World:

• We were so tired of seeking a new pastor (for denominations without bishops) that we overlooked any possible signs that this was not a good match. We didn’t dare ask hard questions in the interview process for fear we’d learn something we didn’t want to hear and therefore further slow down our search.
• We were so tired of seeking a new call that we overlooked any possible signs that this was not a good match. We didn’t dare ask hard questions in the interview process for fear we’d learn something we didn’t want to hear and therefore further slow down our search.
• We didn’t read the room before launching off into a diatribe that started an unnecessary conflict.
• We entered into a situation with an “I alone can fix you” mentality rather than listening to people, learning to love them and then leading them.
• We ignored professional advice – especially if that advice came from Presbytery leaders who love you and have done this before.
• We believed we would be saved by a) a young pastor, b) someone dying and leaving us all their money, c) getting rid of the pastor we have, c) all the above.
• We confused God’s will with our own.

It takes wisdom and humility to learn from our mistakes. And mistakes can be expensive. And also, we are people saved by grace with the call to offer grace to others. And also we will make new mistakes in 2025.

Nevertheless, let’s try to avoid the perennial ones.

Image source.

Love Actually is your basic unrealistic but fun holiday movie. I love this scene when English-speaking Jamie shows up in Portugal at the restaurant where Portuguese-speaking Aurelia is working. With their imperfect attempts to communicate Jamie proposes to Aurelia (with an audience) and Aurelia answers the proposal in English – which she has been studying “just in case” Jamie returns to Portugal to find her.

What if it had never been necessary? What if Jamie never returned? What if she learned English for nothing?

Well, Jamie did return and Aurelia was prepared. And it was Christmas and everybody lived happily ever after.

A colleague who serves an English-speaking congregation with a significant Swahili-speaking population shared with me today that at the Sunday afternoon Swahili service, everything is translated into English as well just in case the English speakers from the 11 am service want to worship with their Congolese siblings and get to know them.

My friends, this is what lavish hospitality looks like:

• Our church – which has no children – has someone at the ready to staff the nursery just in case guests show up with children.
• All the communion bread is gluten-free just in case someone happens to be gluten intolerant.
• Bibles are available for the Bible study just in case someone forgets to bring theirs.
• Umbrellas are available just in case a storm breaks when it’s time to leave the building.
• Handrails are added to the outside steps just in case someone needs them.
• Easy-to-share snacks are kept in the church kitchen just in case a hungry person comes by looking for something to eat.
• Personal health supplies are kept in the women’s bathroom just in case they’re needed.
• Diapers and wipes are available in all the church bathrooms just in case there’s an emergency.

We can’t prepare for every possible need that might arise, but we can anticipate common needs that are probable in our church buildings, depending on where we are and who graces our buildings.

Here’s what I’m not talking about:

• “Let’s sell a piece of property and put all that money in the cemetery fund just in case our church closes and money’s needed for perpetual care.” No.
• “Let’s hire paid singers just in case our little church has no one to sing tenor.” No.
• “Let’s call a young pastor just in case young families are looking for that in a church.”* No.

*File this one under “myths some church people still believe.”

Just-in-case ministry is about making people feel safe and welcomed. It’s about doing something that takes effort in order to make someone else comfortable.

I remember a colleague who always wore a t-shirt and jeans to worship because there was a homeless man in the congregation who dressed like that, while most everyone else word collared shirts and nice slacks or suits. When challenged by a suit-wearing member (“Couldn’t you dress up just one day a week?”) he said, “As long as C. dresses in a t-shirt and jeans, I will dress this way. If everyone dressed like C. I would probably wear a suit just in case someone joined us that week wearing a suit.“

Healthy churches remember that serving God is about welcoming the stranger, the vulnerable, the uncomfortable. It’s not about storing up treasurers on earth.

Happy Advent 3.

I don’t do them.

I don’t want to make a recycling bin out of melted aluminum cans. I don’t want to make an automatic plant watering system from plastic bottles. I don’t want to make a Christmas wreath out of feathers.

I marvel at the Renaissance People in my life. You know who you are. (Her crafts make excellent gifts.)

I remember hearing a sermon preached by a seminary professor called “Craft Me a People” based on Ephesians 4:11-13 – the passage on equipping people for ministry and “building the body of Christ.” Obviously this is not a Do-It-Yourself endeavor. Equipping God’s people to serve is a team effort guided by the Spirit. DIY Pastors are tired/ridiculous leaders. Not one of us can do it all by ourselves.

(Note to pastors who solely preach, teach, visit, vacuum, unlock, set the heat/AC, and answer the phone: you are killing your church. And congregations allowing you to do this are choosing to die.)

So . . . how do we craft God’s people for these days? It has nothing to do with yarn or clay. It’s about equipping faith leaders instead of managers, pray-ers instead of complainers, and people who see possibilities instead of dead ends. We need more visionaries and adventurers in the name of Jesus.

It’s almost officer training time for new leaders. Imagine teaching them how to pray out loud (I know! Shocking) or how to share their faith story to the congregation or how to visit someone’s bedside not merely as a friend but as a sibling in Christ. If this sounds too churchy for you, let’s remember that we are spiritual communities, not secular clubs.

If crafting is your gift, go for it. On this week when I remember my sister Cindy Bolbach who passed away 12 years ago Thursday, I cling to our hilarious conversations about being allergic to glitter and glue guns. We didn’t do crafts. But she taught me a lot about crafting God’s people.

Now get out there and be the Church.

Image source.

Perhaps you’ve heard about The Resistance.

After the most recent election, some say that they are leaving the country for their own safety. (This is no joke for people whose very existence is at risk.) I understand this completely.

Others want to organize politically. I get this too.

But I suggest that we resist in Jesus’ name. Our King (today is Christ the King Sunday) and the Incarnate Word (next week we begin Advent) is Jesus. And Jesus has many things to say about loving our neighbors, sharing our wealth, tending to “the least of these” and standing up to tyrants.

(Note to all who don’t want politics in the pulpit: Jesus was crucified for his loving response to the politics of his time. The pastoral is 100% political.)

Yesterday, the Presbytery of Charlotte held an Affordable Housing Symposium to introduce/share/teach about the need for more affordable housing in this area. The stats are overwhelming all across the country: there are not enough homes for low and middle income people: service workers, teachers, police officers, childcare providers. All I can say about this event is that my cup overflows. God is doing some very cool things via church people/disciples of Jesus who are open to being moved by the Spirit.

A couple folks recommended this book by the great Joan Gray. (We exhaust ourselves rowing the boat for years and years without getting very far. Let’s try a sail boat and let the Spirit move us.) Read it. Invite your friends to read it.

At least in my denomination, we are builders. We have not only built church facilities over the past 300 years in this country. We have built colleges and universities (4 in my Presbytery alone) and hospitals and camps and schools.

What will God move us to built next? That depends on where we live. What breaks God’s heart where you live? Build something to address that in the name of Jesus.

This is what Resistance in the Name of Jesus looks like:

• The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. The Gospel of Matthew 11:5
•  I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. (What serving “the least of these” looks like) The Gospel of Matthew 25:35-36.
• In everything do to others as you would have them do to you. The Gospel of Matthew 7:12

I could go on but you get the gist. Yes, this is a time to resist those who do not hold abusers accountable. This is the time to resist cruelty. This is the time to resist greed. This is the time to resist those who make life unbearable for the poor. This is the time to resist those who say “Lord, Lord” but they only serve themselves. We resist in the name of Jesus. God is doing amazing things. And resisting will be hard.

Image of the Housing Huddle Team at the end of yesterday’s symposium. Thanks be to God.

Optimistic means “things will get better.” Hopeful means “things could get better.” Liz Clasen-Kelly, Executive Director of Roof Above in Charlotte

I heard Liz say those words at a fundraiser last week and they inspire me post-election. I am inherently an optimist with every privilege making that possible:

• “Things” have always gotten better for me after bad news, trauma, disappointments.
• I have multiple safety nets.
• My Scarlett O’Hara vibe is strong: Tara! Home. I’ll go home. And I’ll think of some way to get him back. After all… tomorrow is another day.

Again, privilege.

Today I believe that things could get better on this amazing, glorious, hot mess of a planet. Things could get better, but only if . . .

• We notice our neighbors in distress
• We serve in ways that address that distress
• We shift from focussing on me to focussing on we
• We understand that “we” includes all of God’s children.

I’ve tried to avoid analysis of the recent election for the sake of my wellbeing. But I heard one interview about voting in general that explained some of my questions last week.

People On The Street were asked why they vote and all of them – except one – said something like this:

“I vote for the candidates who will help improve my life.”

The one different answer was from a young man who said:

“I vote for the candidates who will offer the greater good to everyone.”

Two very different perspectives. And yes, it’s easy for that young man and any of us who agree with him to feel self-righteous. But also – this is who we are as Americans today. We are individualistic to the point of not caring nearly enough – if at all – for our neighbors especially the neighbors who don’t look or live like us.

We have an excellent opportunity as followers of Jesus to shift this perspective based on the Gospel. Imagine if – in each of our congregations – we worked towards shifting our church culture from serving ourselves first to serving our neighbors first. This would change the world.

Why do I ask that question in light of the fact that we Christians are supposed to be doing that already? Because we aren’t doing that already. We don’t love our neighbors as ourselves. We consider our own wellbeing before considering what’s good for the whole.

But I am hopeful.

Do yourselves a favor and listen to this sermon preached by the Rev. Jerrod Lowry on Sunday, November 17th starting at 48.7 on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 called “So What Time Is It?” Newsflash: it’s time to be the Church so that all God’s children are treasured and safe especially in light of the recent election results. Trans people, pregnant people, newborn people, immigrating people, poor people, sick people, unhoused people, broken people. All of us are God’s children.

I am hopeful. Because of the Church of Jesus Christ, things could get better for all God’s Children. We just have to be that Church.