Daily Grace and Its Opposite

Each day during Lent, I’ve been intentional about paying attention to moments of grace in each day. When I find one, I take a moment to say, “Aha! That’s just the right amount of grace to get me through this day.” (Check out 2^nd Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is a sufficient for you. . . “)

Yesterday was a challenge, as I encountered two people who provided the opposite of grace. (Neither encounter, by the way, was with a person in my church.) One person had been very hurt and wounded by an event with someone else which, in reality, did not happen in the way in which they thought they had. Their hurt was real, but the event itself was not. No amount of explanation could help them see that what they thought was reality wasn’t, and I realized they were too invested in their hurt feelings to be able to accept the truth.

The other encounter was later in the day, related to this political thing that I’m doing. Someone sought me out to sit next to me at a meeting, only to spend the meeting whispering unkind things to me. His parting shot when I was finally able to leave was to call me “kiddo;” not in the “hey, we’re just pals” sense of the word, but in the denigrating “your little mind certainly can’t comprehend the big things we’ve been talking about” sense of the word. I almost responded with, “Hey, buddy, that’s ‘Reverend Doctor Kiddo’ to you,” but discretion prevailed and I left.

Sheesh. Some days, and people, are like that. 

In the middle of these grace-less events, I went on Facebook for my once daily check-in. (Another Lenten discipline is to do Facebook only once daily. I’ve missed some posts, I’m sure, but I feel a lot freer from the obsessive checking on who’s doing what, and who’s liking what I’m doing.) While on Facebook, I saw a campaign by one of our teachers in the public schools. Jaime Guthrie is seeking reading books for kids in her class who are reading at below grade level. Since they’re below grade level, her standard classroom books are not at the right level. (Go to DonorsChoose.org and look for her classroom for more info or to donate.) And I remembered the honorarium I had received for doing a funeral recently, and I remembered the man, Harry Helgason, and how much he loved children.

On the spur of the moment, I donated that honorarium to that project. Now, children will have books to read, and Harry’s family will receive classroom thank you notes for this gift in his memory. It makes me smile to think about it, and I hope it makes them smile when they hear about it. 

It was just the right amount of grace to get me through the day.

Every other day during Lent, I’ve been watching for the grace done to me. Yesterday, I discovered that the grace sufficient for the day might sometimes come from me instead of being done to me. It doesn’t matter the source of the grace. Grace is always grace, and it’s always enough.

The Person in the Pew Next to You

 Pew Research Center just released a poll of what percentage members of each denomination belong to which political party. The closest to the “middle” are the American Baptists, who are 41% Republican, 42% Democrat, and 16% Independent. 

What are our United Methodist numbers?

(Quick, before you keep reading, what do you think our numbers are? Okay, now you can keep reading.) 

We are 54% Republican, 35% Democrat, and 11% Independent.

Do you find those numbers surprising? My hunch is that you’re not surprised if you’re a Republican, because you assume everyone is like you. My hunch is also that you’re surprised if you’re a Democrat, because you assume that everyone is like you. Independents probably aren’t surprised at much of anything related to politics.

It is natural to assume that people that we like would vote like us. After all, if you’re cool enough to be friends, then you’re cool enough to vote the same way, right?

Not so much, particularly in church. In fact, if you’re sitting in a United Methodist church, then you’re likely to be sitting next to someone who fills in a different oval on Election Day, statistically speaking. Just because we pray together doesn’t mean we vote together.

Keep this info in mind in the coming months. Just today, I received a very partisan mass email from a church member, and I took the time to reply, asking not to get future political emails. I’ve made that request to others before, and I’m sure I will do it again.  Just because we pray together doesn’t mean we vote together. (Or maybe we do. Just don't send me mass emails about it.)

Instead, I focus on the reverse: Just because we don’t vote together doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pray together. In fact, in this era, we need to pray together more than ever. Whatever flavor church you choose, whatever candidate you support, let’s pray together. Beyond any candidates or any political parties, we find our unity and our hope when we pray. Together.

Secular Politics

For the first time ever, I have thrown my hat in the ring for an elected position. No, I’m not talking about the presidential campaign. I’m running for the Board of the Prairie Township Fire Protection District.

Really.

Suddenly, and smack dab in the middle of Lent, I find myself forming an election committee, creating a website, getting a bank account, and all of the other minutiae of a political campaign. There is fundraising that needs to be done, in addition to door-to-door visits. Not only that, but there will be yard signs with my name on it that will pop up before the election.

This is way beyond my comfort zone. Trust me. There is not an introvert in the world that looks forward to seeing their name stuck in people’s yards and on the local highway.

Why am I doing this crazy thing? (Did I mention that it is during Lent, which is Busy Season in my world?)

Even though it may sound like it’s a fairly minor position, it comes with some pretty important issues attached. I’ve seen two houses burn on my block, and I know now the importance of quality fire protection. Before then, I had only seen a house fire on the evening news. It is so much more real when you smell the smoke, hear the crackle of flames, and know the family who is watching their house burn. 

If the mission of any fire department is to preserve and protect life and property, then I want to do anything I can to help my fire department live out that mission in the best way possible for everyone within their boundaries. Running for this board seems like an important thing that I can do for my neighbors and my community.

It’s a contested election with some strong feelings on both sides. Therefore, I’ll be campaigning. Thankfully, I won’t have to travel to Iowa or New Hampshire, but I will be doing as much I can to communicate with the good voters of the Prairie Township Fire Department.

I was talking with my 84-year old mother last week about this campaign. She said, “Sally, you ought to be able to tie in being a preacher with running for fire board!” “Umm, Mom, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.” “Just a minute, let me think, let me think . . .” And what did my 84-year-old mother come up with? “Vote for Sally. . . or you’ll burn!”

Ack! No. I love my mother dearly and usually try to do what she tells me to, but no. She makes a much better mother than she does slogan-writer.

The election will be on April 5. Until then, I’ll be both busy pastor and busy candidate. I’m not sure exactly how, but I will trust that everything that needs to get done will get done in both worlds.

In the meantime, I’m still searching for that perfect slogan.