Stop, listen, learn from one another
As I was walking and processing the events of last week and the many different responses I have read from Trump and Hillary supporters ... all of a sudden Old Turtle by Douglas Wood ... her voice, Old Turtle interrupted my thoughts with “Stop!”
What is clear to me is that we, as a nation we are divided.
And, the heart of that division is that we truly do not understand each other. We think we have each other pegged, but for the majority ... until we stop blaming and shaming each other and take the risky step of listening to each other’s story. Really try to understand what each of us has at stake, things are not going to get better.
Some of us are happy, relieved. Some are grieving. Many are wondering what our future holds. Others are angry. Some, scared for their safety. Yet others are saying, “I told you so.” Or maybe, like me, you are tired and heavy-hearted. Heavy-hearted, because I don’t hear many voices rising above the sarcasm and pointing of fingers, fueling this ever-widening divide.
I am including both political parties, Christians and non-Christians alike in this.
In the Bible, times like these usually stirred up a prophet to speak. A bit like Old Turtle, “This voice rumbled loudly, like thunder. And, it whispered softly, like butterfly sneezes.” … “Stop!” Prophets bringing a word of warning or hope, depending upon what the people needed.
Today, God continues to challenge and give hope to the church through the Holy Spirit. A church called and made to be the body of Christ for the sake of the world. A people so impacted by the gift of grace through Jesus Christ that we can be nothing less than reflections of this gift.
Is this what the world sees? Reflections of light and grace? Voices of prayer, reconciliation, and healing?
Yes, sisters and brothers in Christ, we have work to do. But, we can only do it if our focus is on Jesus and the life he lived among us.
A life lived for others.
A life lived to bring faith, hope, and love.
A life which did not point fingers of blame and shame or fear.
But, a life of invitation to live so confident in God’s presence that everyone has a place at his table … and everyone can share their story.
I challenged my congregation — including myself — to pray for the guidance, courage, and strength to listen to someone they least understand. Not to argue with or fix or even agree with, but to see them as God sees them … and maybe discover we have more in common than we think. It’s risky, but risky is the road Jesus takes. And, as it says in Galatians and Thessalonians, “We cannot grow weary of doing what is right.”
Lori C. Morton is pastor of First Lutheran Church in Sandpoint. She can be reached at First Lutheran Church, 526 S. Olive Ave.; by phone at 208-263-2048; or online at, firstlutheransandpoint.org.