September 18, 2024
A Note from Pastor Jon
Dear Friends,
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, it’s hard to miss that election season is in full swing. We are just over six weeks away from the votes being counted in both federal and local elections.
If there’s a season that I’m not too fond of, it’s this one. The divisive rhetoric, half-truths, and blatant fear-mongering for votes are not just disturbing — they’re often detestable.
Personal attacks and sharp words overshadow meaningful discussions about policies and plans, creating a spectacle that leaves little room for healing or the hope of a better future together.
The Call to Love
As a Christian, I am deeply committed to the call of Jesus in Matthew 22, where we are instructed to love God and love our neighbor.
Yet, it seems that love — for both God and neighbor — is glaringly absent in today’s politics.
Each political cycle intensifies the destructive rhetoric, harming not just candidates but entire communities.
Recently, we’ve witnessed a troubling escalation of hostility when a U.S. presidential candidate has been the target of assassination attempts, bringing into sharp focus the dangerous environment created by unchecked political hatred. This is no longer just about words but about lives being endangered. These acts of violence are rooted in the kind of fear, anger, and hatred that is often stoked by reckless rhetoric.
Closer to home, in our neighboring community of Springfield, we’ve heard outright lies about Haitian immigrants — rumors, spread as fact, that immigrants, many of whom have lived in this country for decades, are stealing pets and eating them.
This harmful rhetoric has led to bomb threats against schools and city hall, and the cancellation of community gatherings and celebrations. Many are even discouraged from worshiping together out of fear of violence.
This stoking of fear for selfish ambition creates an environment of deep anger and distrust, with far-reaching consequences. When fear and hate-fueled rhetoric dominate, they contribute to the very systems of oppression we are called to resist, rather than fostering justice for those fleeing unimaginable hardships in search of a better life.
Our nation — and increasingly our local communities — are growing more divided in the wake of these harmful words. While political rhetoric has never been perfect, there was a time when, after the dust of campaigns settled, leaders sought to forge a way forward together, finding common ground to work for the betterment of all, not just a select few.
In a time when our nation was literally divided, Abraham Lincoln appealed to our shared humanity in his inaugural address, saying:
We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.
Lincoln’s words remind us that we are not doomed to the bitterness of division. We have the capacity to appeal to “the better angels of our nature,” and as Christians, we are especially called to choose unity over conflict, love over hate.
Promoting the flourishing of all people
As people of faith, we must be the ones to lead this charge. Grounded in Jesus’s command to love God and neighbor, we must demand more from our political leaders — and from ourselves.
Love doesn’t mean avoiding difficult conversations; rather, it means speaking truth and seeking justice with compassion. It means using our influence and our votes to support leaders and policies that promote the flourishing of all people.
As we journey through The Great Story and approach the end of our time in 1 Corinthians, we find in chapter 13 that Paul offers a vision for a different kind of engagement, one marked by patience, kindness, and truth.
Fostering trust, empathy, and hope
Imagine if our political rhetoric and leadership reflected these values. Instead of fear and division, we could foster trust, empathy, and hope.
Love isn’t passive; it is an active force for good, one that challenges us to be better and to build something better together.
This Sunday at Hilliard UMC
I’m excited to share that this Sunday, in all our services, we’ll be joined by a friend and colleague, the Rev. Nancy Day-Achauer. Nancy is currently on a leave of absence from the West Ohio Annual Conference, serving as a recently elected member of the Columbus City Council. She will bring us a unique perspective, as both a pastor and a politician, on what it means to embody our call to Christian love in the world of politics and policy.
I hope you’ll plan to join us, either in person or online, for this engaging conversation at one of our three unique worship services: 9am Traditional, 10:30am Family (both in the Sanctuary), and 11:15am Nontraditional in Warehouse 839.
Friends, as citizens of this nation, we should engage in the political process from the local to the federal level, but we must do so in a way that appeals to our better angels and follows a more excellent way — one where love is always at the center. If we choose this path and model it in word, deed, and at the ballot box, we can shape a future where justice, truth, and compassion guide not only our leaders but our communities toward a more perfect union.
With love,
Pastor Jon
The Rev. Jon Osmundson
Associate Pastor
