"The Work God Gives Us To Do"

“The Work God Gives Us To Do”

On Tuesday night, an unpleasant sense of déjà vu prevented me from drifting peacefully into sleep. I tossed and turned, grappling with the reality of yet another close election, one likely to be disputed for weeks. I grieved the gaping divisions in our society. We don’t just disagree about politics and policies but seem to live in wildly different realities. I finally managed to doze off, but I woke up in the middle of the night and stupidly checked my phone, hoping in vain for some clarity on the election and our future. 

Although feeling far less than refreshed in the morning, I was determined to make the best of it. On Facebook, I posted a prayer that I found on the website of a Roman Catholic Church. It’s called A Prayer for the Common Good:

God of compassion and love, show us how to care for each other and live in the world.

Beyond all limits, difficulties or failings, give us a passion to hold all people in respect and dignity.

Together, O God, may we create a world of freedom, justice and peace.

Amen.

And then, at just before 7:30, fortified by only one cup of coffee, I dialed into Morning Prayer. It was reassuring and comforting to hear familiar and much-loved voices as we offered greetings and checked in with each other. Many of us were tired from a long night of election watching and worrying, but we were there to hear God’s Word, to pray, and to support one another. The appointed reading was from Ecclesiasticus included this beautiful description of God:

We could say more but could never say enough;

   let the final word be: ‘He is the all.’

Like congregations across the Episcopal Church, last week we began “Nine Days of Prayer for an Election,” a practice that helped to remind us of our common humanity and our dependence on God. These daily prayers prepared us for good discernment and called us to an even deeper commitment to the common good. On Wednesday, the last day of our “novena,” we prayed this collect:

Almighty God our heavenly Father, you declare your glory and show forth your handiwork in the heavens and in the earth: Deliver us in our various occupations from the service of self alone, that we may do the work you give us to do in truth and beauty and for the common good; for the sake of him who came among us as one who serves, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

- The Book of Common Prayer, pg. 261

By the end of Morning Prayer on Wednesday, I won’t say that I was chipper and optimistic, but I had regained some peace and perspective. It soon seemed like the various strands from the last few hours were being woven into a way forward. I thought back to our Election Night service, where we heard some powerful Scripture, including Paul’s call to the Philippians - “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice” - and the story of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples, providing a radically different vision from what passes as leadership in the world. I kept hearing Mark Miller’s beautiful anthem, “Draw the Circle Wide.” And I kept thinking that God “who is all” has given us work to do – the work of building a world of freedom, justice, and peace – the work of building God’s kingdom – work that must not be, cannot be, stopped or even slowed by our anxieties and the results (or non-results) of an election.

Sure enough, as the day after Election Day progressed, Catherine Marcial shared with me her plans for “Stone Soup To Go,” the takeout version of our long-running community supper, coming up on Thursday at 6:00. A couple of parishioners stopped by to drop off donations for the coat drive at Triangle Park. I drove those coats down to our community center, along with five giant boxes of warm socks – socks collected and donated by the amazing sons of Evelyn Donato (one of my former students and sister of our parishioner Karol Candelario). Meanwhile, planning continues for distributing Communion to parishioners on Sunday, and for restarting the Lighthouse in its new home. We are drawing the circle ever wider.

This election has exposed gaping divisions in our society - injustices, prejudices, and fundamental disagreements that maybe we used to ignore or pretend weren’t such a big deal. No more. It’s clear for the whole world to see that our country is an angry mess, frustrated by an antique and unfair electoral system, inflamed by rage, and poisoned by conspiracy theories. I doubt this election’s outcome will be much help for what ails us. But, God “who is all” continues to give us our work to do, weaving prayer, scripture, and community into a way forward, a way that looks and sounds like sleepy and anxious people gathered on the phone early in the morning, hungry for some Good News. It’s a way forward that looks like rejoicing no matter what, like a leader washing feet, and like a meal with the best food, where everyone is welcome. It’s a way forward that looks like two boys collecting many thousands of socks for people in need. It’s a way forward that looks like the Body of Christ shared with us all. It’s a way forward to a world of justice, freedom, and peace. It’s the way of Jesus, the way to the Kingdom of God.

So, even in our time of trouble - especially in our time of trouble - thank you, God, for the work you give us to do.