Dear St. John's Community,
I went to one of the early voting centers in DC this morning. It was impressive to see the thoughtfulness put into facilitating the vote while protecting people from exposure to the virus. It was yet another once-in-a-lifetime experience this year.
I spoke yesterday in my
sermon about the role of imagination in faith as well as in civic life. It takes imagination to pray and trust that you truly are dwelling in God's presence, just like it takes imagination to cast a vote knowing that your action will make a difference. When we lose the ability to imagine, we are stuck with the world as it is. With imagination, we can dwell in hope, and we can envision ways to make our dreams—and God's dreams for us—become reality.
Also, on the eve of the election I know that people are wondering about what we expect to see around the church this week. There is a wide range of possibilities. We have taken precautions to secure our buildings, and we have pre-recorded the music and prayers for the service this upcoming weekend. I'll add my sermon to it later this week, possibly recording it from home.
If you would like to join members of St. John's for prayer tomorrow evening, we have planned a Compline service at 8pm. You may join us online at this
link.
Please pray for our country, for an election that will strengthen and not diminish our faith in the electrical process, and that will also, I pray, strengthen our faith in one another. Let's imagine at this critical moment how we as individuals and as a church community will make Christ's love manifest.
God's peace,
Rob+
