The day after the elections, I walked into my elevator, and a big, tall young man the age of my daughter said, “It’s gonna be tough.” I looked at him and replied, “We’re gonna watch out for each other.” He gave me a smile, a soft “Yeah,” and a friendly punch on the shoulder. Without a spoken word about the election, without a word of who we voted for, we related meaningfully. What will it take for you to relate meaningfully to your neighbor?
Reactions to the elections are still trickling in. Whoever you voted for, it’s easy to feel pitted against one another, whether you are among family, friends, neighbors, organizations or fellow believers.
Yes, even the church is divided. . . but divided we fall.
The message for the church is both that the pains of humanity are more evident than ever and the need for love, peace and hope is needed more than ever.
Many have asked for our thoughts as a Christian group that seeks to empower women.
In obedience to God’s word, members of WOW!’s Intercessory Team prayed together on Election Day, and we continue to pray regularly for our government leaders (1 Tim 2:2-3).
In response to the issue of maligning all kinds of marginalized groups, during the campaign, we are asking ourselves how Jesus responded to the vulnerable in society. In particular, we feel the need to stand up for women who are abused, violated and treated unjustly. As a result, some of us will participate in the Women’s March in DC on January 21, 2017.
In order promote the gospel of equality, which Jesus taught and modelled, we want to encourage a posture of listening and being mindful and respectful of people whose views differ from ours; at the same time, we want to promote greater engagement with the systems we live in, “the rulers and authorities” in Ephesians 6:12.
How will you pray? How will you relate meaningfully with your neighbors? What will you ask of your church and government?
In our respective spaces, let’s step out in faith and work for reconciliation and equality.