A Pastoral Message from Bishop Aebischer about the Election
It’s been quite a week; quite a season, really! Emotions are running high and bubbling over! We have waited days for the results of this election! The final results tell us that we have a great deal of work to do as a nation in healing the divides between neighbors, and even between family members.
Celebrations rise up today for President-Elect Joe Biden and for Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris for their election victory. This is certainly a historic moment and my tears of hope for this nation continue to well up with the lump in my throat for what it all means! (I get very sentimental about the democratic process and I am heartened by the voter turn out and the faithful service of our fellow citizens who managed the polls and counted the ballots. Thankful to each of you who served so faithfully!)
Prayers are ascending for the challenges our leaders face. They do not face those challenges alone and cannot make a difference alone. The success in healing our polarizations rests with each of us and our desire to listen to one another and our determination to respect each other in the ways we characterize one another in our speech.
Lately I’ve been dwelling in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, which we all know was a divided church. Paul’s reminder to the church that, in all things, we belong to Christ, has been a compass for me through this election season. My faith is in Jesus who died on the Cross for all of God’s beloved children.
I am reminded by the scriptures that we are complex humans with different perspectives and we experience great creativity in God’s creation. Our diversity, even our diversity of opinions, makes us more beautiful in my opinion. I’m also reminded by the scriptures that our call as followers of Jesus has always been, and is now, to work for justice and to love one another!
My deepest prayer today is that as we move forward we will find a way to act with justice, love kindness and walk humbly with our God.
The Rev. Ginny Aebischer
Bishop
South Carolina Synod
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
