Churches Offer Vigils, Prayer Services and Open Communion During Election Process

The Wired Word for the Week of November 13, 2016

In the News

During this election week, many churches around the country offered prayer services, some including open communion, aimed at starting a healing process among a fractured electorate following the ugliest presidential race in the memory of anyone alive today. Other congregations opened their sanctuaries for prayer during voting hours. Still other churches, in their services this weekend, will be praying for healing of the national divide.

For example, on election day eve in Seattle, Washington, Saint Mark's Episcopal Cathedral hosted a nonpartisan, interfaith vigil where Jewish, Muslim and Christian leaders led prayers "for those in elective office, for those with whom we disagree, and for healing in our nation," according to Saint Mark's website.

A spokesperson for Saint Mark's said the event was scheduled because the pastors were aware that people were especially anxious and concerned about the election.

Some churches held open communion services on election day. In Decatur, Georgia, the Lutheran Church of the Messiah took part in election day communion with six other area congregations. Rev. Nathan D. Hilkert, pastor of that Lutheran congregation, said, "I do struggle to understand people who are equally strong for the opposite candidate," and that's where sharing communion helps.

McLean Baptist Church in Northern Virginia, scheduled their service for the day after the election, noting that the presidential campaign had "exposed deep fault lines over race, religion, class and gender." Katie Morgan, minister of spiritual formation and outreach at the church, said, "The goal is to remind ourselves that God is One. The scriptures that will be read have to do with God and God's people being one and being united."

Not everyone agrees that attending a church service with prayer and communion will help to bring people together. In a post before the 2012 presidential race, blogger Fred Clark, responding to the announcement of a communion service for that election day, said, that while he appreciated the idea of election day communion, "it risks trivializing the enormous stakes today for many millions of people by treating all political disagreements as little more than angry looks exchanged between neighbors with different yard signs."

Jason Boone, a Mennonite lay leader who organized election day communion for his denomination this year, said he understands why those who feel most intensely about the election might be leery of a shared communion service. He admires their devotion to causes but he also thinks such persons could benefit the most from election day services. "There's a perspective and a grounding that can only happen through the church," he said.

More on this story can be found at these links:

Feeling Gross This Election? Churches Offering Healing Vigils. Seattle WeeklyPost-Election Church Services Aim to Reconcile Christian Voters. Religion News Service

Applying the News Story

Many Americans can testify to how bitter and wounding the campaign has been on a personal level. A number have seen political discussions in which they've participated devolve into angry diatribes or personal attacks. Some, in hope of not damaging relationships with family members and long-time friends, have found it necessary to refuse to discuss politics altogether. Others have avoided Internet news and opinion sites just to maintain peace of mind.

A week before the election, Deena Winter, a freelance journalist, wrote in a blog post that differences of opinion between her and family members about the candidates had led to her blocking her uncle on Facebook. She and her mother also clashed in Facebook posts.

If you're still seething from the campaign, we suggest you avoid reading the post, because it is clearly against one of the candidates (but if you do wish to read it, you can view it here.) We cite it not to continue the pre-election debate but only to illustrate how deeply the presidential race impacted even family members who love each other, and we are quoting enough of Winter's post here to convey the tone without referring to those in the presidential race.

Winters described her family members, including herself, as "die-hard Christians," but she wrote, "I don't want to go home for Thanksgiving this year -- for the first time in my life. We are not a family that dreads Thanksgiving. We are not a family who fights. We're a family who loves each other truly, madly, deeply."

Winter continued, "But I know my father won't be able to restrain himself from talking politics, no matter who wins the election, and a battle will ensue. This election has exposed a huge divide between us .... And I don't think we can turn back the clock .... Not in my family, and not in America."

The Big Questions

1. To what degree, if any, did you find the electoral season to be bruising? (Answer without rehashing arguments from the campaign.) Were any personal relationships affected? How did you deal with that?

2. Are there any personal relationships damaged by election disagreements that you need to repair? What steps are you planning to initiate in that regard? Are there any that you believe not to be worth the effort to repair? If so, why?

3. Has your outlook on the democratic process changed in anyway, and if so, how? (Answer without discussing the individuals in the race and assuming that the balloting was properly conducted.)

4. How do you expect prayer to affect your ongoing relationships and your interactions with other Americans? What do you receive from communion that might be of benefit?

5. In what ongoing healing ways should churches be involved in the national conversation? In what ongoing healing ways can you personally be involved? In what way can organizations of Christians be involved?

Confronting the News With Scripture and HopeHere are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:

2 Chronicles 7:14
... if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (For context, read 7:12-18.)
1 Timothy 2:8
I desire, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument ... (No context needed.)

These two verses -- one from each testament -- are calls for prayer based on the belief that prayer does indeed change things. The 2 Chronicles text is part of God's response to Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple. Note that God says both forgiveness and healing can be the result of humble prayer.

The 1 Timothy verse is from the apostle Paul, and calls for prayer that is without anger or argument. That is, not prayer against someone but prayer that faithfully seeks God's will and petitions God for what we need as a people.

Questions: Why do you think Paul urges prayer to be universally practiced by Christians? What is the relationship between godliness, healing and prayer? Why do we need it now?

Matthew 5:23-24
So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. (For context, read 5:21-26.)

These words from Jesus remind us that any ritual -- such as communion or worship liturgy -- can be empty and meaningless if there is not an accompanying effort to be reconciled with those with whom we are at odds.

Questions: What different approach is Jesus urging here from how we might otherwise behave? In what ways can you seek reconciliation with people in your circle where the relationship has been negatively affected by political differences?

Luke 6:27But I [Jesus] say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you ... (For context read 6:27-36)

A discussion of "enemies" might seem strange in a lesson concerning healing of political disagreements. But it might help in preventing a false let's-all-hold-hands-and-sing-kum-ba-yah feeling from dominating.

Jesus says to love your enemies.

That implies that you will have enemies. And, by definition, politics is one place enemies -- or at least "opponents who strongly resist our views and support laws to make us act according to their views" -- are likely to arise. Some are enemies because they use devious means, nasty tactics and dishonest claims to cause their side to prevail.

Still, Jesus tells us to love our enemies. The trouble is, it's not all that clear-cut how we are to do that. Some things are straightforward: Do good to them, pray for them, bless them. Sometimes it even involves letting our opponents have their way.

But there is another point Jesus makes: "As you wish that others would do to you, do so to them." A logically equivalent wording is, "don't do to others what you don't want them to do to you."

That seems to imply that one way to "love our enemies" is to make fewer people our enemies.

Not very easy. We sinners like to think of ourselves as better than others. Consequently, we can come to think that we have the right -- or even the duty -- to tell them what to do and how to act. When we seek to use force -- government -- to make them act the way we want, then we have made them into enemies.

At times that might be justified. More likely, given our sinful tendencies, it unjustly makes people our enemies. Not an easy choice.

Questions: What are some actions done by the candidate you opposed -- or his or her supporters -- that have made them your enemies? What are some ways you have responded or might respond? What actions done by the candidate you supported -- or your fellow supporters -- that have made other people your enemies? What are some ways you might seek reconciliation with them?

Ephesians 4:1-3
I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (For context, read 4:1-6.)

Questions: Reading between the lines, what sorts of problems do you think Paul was aiming at with the words above? How well do you think these words describe how you attempt to live?

John 13:35
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (For context, read 13:31-35.)

Although we sometimes interpret these words to mean "love everybody," Jesus was referring to his disciples, which today includes all those who profess his name -- fellow members of the Christian body. It was to be a mark of believers that they love one another. In fact, if we can't manage even that, how can we possibly extend love to the world at large?

Questions: How do you define what Jesus means here by "love"? Why is love the best evidence that we are followers of Jesus?

For Further Discussion

1. Discuss Deena Winter's situation, described in the "Applying the News Story" section above. What counsel would you give her? How do you respond to her final comment about her family and America?

2. Respond to Jason Boone's comment (from the "In the News" section above) that "There's a perspective and a grounding that can only happen through the church."

3. Comment on this, from TWW consultant James Gruetzner: "This past weekend I was having a discussion with a hunting partner on politics. To say we disagreed would be an understatement: Not only did we each think the other's candidate was a horrible choice, but we each thought the other's first choice in the primaries was abysmal (neither of our primary candidates got the nomination). 
            "Yet, we were able to discuss and argue both civilly and passionately, without degrading, demeaning, or threatening the other. No, it wasn't because we were both armed, nor because we were both Christian (he is a radical atheist). I think it was more that we were each interested in finding out the why and the whence of our disagreements, but for different reasons. On my side, Krauthammer's Fundamental Law ('Conservatives think liberals are stupid. Liberals think conservatives are evil.') applied somewhat. On his side, he did not believe in any absolutes of right or wrong, and was quite accepting of different views. It didn't hurt that we each had fairly thick skins and weren't seeking to claim victimhood via 'triggering' or 'microaggressions.'
            "Anyway, we remain on friendly terms with each other despite vast disagreement, and are even planning a rabbit-hunting outing with our wives once the freeze sets in good and hard. Not because we are 'reconciled' in our differences, but because we are able to disagree and enjoy each other's company whenever the difference can be set aside."

4 . TWW team member Joanna Loucky-Ramsey comments, "Communion and even prayer can reveal divisions among us. I confess to feeling somewhat ambivalent and even tepid about certain calls to prayer for America and this election from some corners of Christendom, since those calls were coming from people or organizations who have demonized certain candidates while idolizing others, using apocalyptic language predicting doom if the vote doesn't go the way they think it should.
            "If we can pray with real soul liberty according to the way our consciences guide us, I'm happy to pray even with those with whom I have the strongest disagreements politically. But if those calling us to prayer or to the Lord's table subtly suggest or openly pressure participants to adopt their particular party line, I find it much harder to overcome the divide that exists within the church as well as in our nation."
            How would you structure a prayer service so as not to feed the "divide"?

5. Discuss your church's public prayers in light of this comment from a TWW team member: "We can be quite myopic and small-minded in prayer, which often degenerates to requests for personal material blessings without much thought for the rest of the world or for deeper spiritual/character needs. I appreciate that every week in my church, we pray for both individuals and concerns much larger than ourselves."

6. Comment on this: One TWW commentator recollects that, during the divisiveness of the Vietnam War, there was a conservative seminary professor who would always seek to attend a communion service at a prominent left-leaning congregation when he visited that area of the country. He stated he did that to show how salvation through Jesus was more important than the political questions -- although they were of life, death and liberty -- that divided them.

Responding to the News

The election is over. Let us now pray for our elected leaders, whether they are those we voted for or not, that God may work through them for the common good.

Read Steven Curtis Chapman's Facebook post and watch the accompanying video.

Discuss with your fellow church members what your congregation can do in an ongoing way to promote civil discourse.

Prayer (England, 20th Century, altered)

Teach us, God of every nation, to see every question of national policy in the light of our faith, that we may check in ourselves and others every passion that makes for war, all ungenerous judgment, all prompting of self-assurance, all presumptuous claims. Remove our suspicions and misunderstandings, that we may honor one another in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Be with our new leaders and those continuing in office that together they will work for the good of all. In Jesus' name. Amen.