Ponderings

Last Sunday night I had the most amazing experience. I had invited half a dozen EUCC members to come together and talk so that I could listen and learn. I had invited men and women of differing ages but whose alleged political allegiances and/or assumptions are different from my own. Undeniably I was politically incorrect in the assumptiveness of my invitation and also the naming of the group, “the purple team”.

Despite all the truly legitimate reasons to ignore such an invitation, still six of us gathered last Sunday evening in the Fireside Room and covenanted to listen and respect. What transpired was nothing short of grace. Not surprisingly there were no two similar views of the elephant called politics. Each of us see from a distinct, and I daresay unique, vantage. But as each of the views was held respectfully, the elephant to come into clearer focus.

I acknowledge that I am an old school liberal, born 100 years too late for the social gospel that I am inclined to espouse. (Liberation or feminist theologies were my generation’s response.) Although I have a personal (and perhaps too often public!) perspective, our congregation is neither conservative nor liberal. We have members and friends of every conceivable perspective; card carrying Democrats, Reagan-crats, W’ fans, Socialists, Libertarians, and a whole bunch of independents! What draws us together isn’t a particular political flavor but rather our commitment to respect the still speaking voice of God in each one gathered. Respecting that God is speaking through each of us means that we must make safe spaces for one another to speak and to be heard. And we must make time and space to listen.

Some of what I heard last Sunday night left me feeling challenged and in that tension I realize the liability of being EUCC. If we dare to respect the still speaking voice of God, it might change us. Typically in life we manage to surround ourselves with voices and values similar enough to our own to avoid significant challenge. At EUCC we have dared to draw the circle wide and we find ourselves rubbing shoulders that may be shaped different than our own, indeed that will inevitably shape our own. To be a part of a community like ours ends up changing us.

And this week, at least, I find that to be extremely good news.