At Tuesday night’s Chapter Meeting (on Zoom) many of us shared that we were somewhat distracted by the mid-term election results which at that point were starting to trickle in. We managed to put those distractions aside and went about our business which included an update from the Call Committee, an update from the committee exploring options for how to respond should ICE agents come to the Cathedral (more on that in coming weeks), and of course the Stewardship Campaign, which is now well underway.
While I cannot speak for other Chapter members, I certainly tuned in to the election results after the meeting was over as it became increasingly clear there were definite power shifts in our country. Upon waking up the following morning and reading the Democratic party now had majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, I confess my thoughts were, “okay, now what . . .”
Regardless of whether you are happy with the outcomes or not, the question of “now what?” remains very much on my mind. The impulses to gloat if you are happy or despair if you are not, are completely understandable and I imagine we have all experienced them to some degree.
And at the same time there is much work before us to respond in ways that are faithful, compassionate and do not further the divides between us unnecessarily. Obviously that does not mean overlooking bad, cruel, or ill-conceived behavior but at the same time not contributing to behavior or rhetoric that is demeaning or meant to hurt others who disagree with us. It does not matter what “they” do or have done, we are called to show a better way of being.
In my sermon last week, I offered a quote from Peter Wehner, a former speechwriter for Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush from The Atlantic Monthly that caught my attention because it encapsulated what we as Christians need to pay attention to. He wrote:
Why don’t these three issues—saving the lives of the worlds poorest children, offering refuge to those fleeing war and persecution, and advancing the research that brings healing to the sick—occupy more attention of politically active Christians? After all, these are not peripheral concerns; they go to the essence of what mattered to Jesus.
He provided a corrective:
There remains, for those of Christian faith, the true Jesus—himself a God of wounds, a person of incomprehensive moral beauty . . . If Christians are going to be active in public life, we would all do well to choose for our master identity Jesus over the gods of this world . . . [i]
So here we are on the border of possibilities. Choosing Jesus as our master identity can very well help us with the blessings and challenges of what is ahead. As always I remain grateful to navigate this time with all of you.
Allisyn
[i] Peter Wehner, “The Issues Christian Voters are Neglecting,” The Atlantic (October 27, 2026)
