Ten Ways to Tuesday and Beyond - Crossroads Soul Resources

Ten Ways to Tuesday and Beyond!

Who hates group projects? Did you realize that this Election is a group project?

Someone said,

“Waiting for the election results is like waiting for your grade on a group project. I know I did my part right, but I’m worried the rest of you screwed it up.”

Did you laugh about that? Let’s begin our conversation with a bit of humor because laughing is a trauma-informed strategy to regulate your nervous system in tense times. We’ve all been sad and mad so let’s take time for laughter.

Jim Gaffigan spoke at a fundraiser hosted by Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York; Gaffigan turned to the Cardinal and said: “The pope did say that this election is a choice between the lesser of two evils. And so, two questions: One, do you agree? And two, who’s more evil?”

Did you laugh? Do you have an answer to those questions?

My only answer is that nobody is perfect, but I finally decided which imperfect person I will vote for. In the previous election, I voted for Condeleeza Rice, and she didn’t win, so I needed to find another candidate. I’ve decided to vote for myself because the rest of you still need to do your homework. Just kidding, that is not the job I want or am qualified for, and I have family stories the press would love to exploit. 😂

But as far as who is more evil, I defer to Ephesians 6:12: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Flesh and blood are not who I am going to wrestle with.

You can’t cast out the devil with the devil. Spiritual Warfare is not a battle of flesh and blood. And when campaigns are run on hate, disrespect, and fear, we are not following in the way of Jesus. Our becoming like Christ, which is our spiritual formation, is an intentional becoming and letting go of all that is not like Christ.

What is the Way of Jesus?

When I first set out to study the Scriptures, I was in a denominational Bible College that had a distinct way of seeing things and sometimes outed others from other perspectives. For my Masters Thesis and the Final oral interview, I (and they) welcomed ways of interpreting the Scriptures with competent hermeneutics and lenses that saw the Scriptures as a prism that gave a multi-view of God within and far beyond our view.

So, with so many ways to see, how do we know if something or someone correctly represents the capital “W” Word who is Christ (John 1:1)? You know it in your bones: people full of the Holy Spirit, and who discern the scriptures well, do so with awe, curiosity, humility, and love. By God’s design, your body knows if you are psychologically safe, held competently, and connected by love.

We may see things differently, but if we seek to practice the way of Jesus in the Spirit of Jesus, we will have a prismatic view of the One who can be seen and is beyond what we see.

Yesterday, the prismatic faith community came together on the Sunday before the election. We celebrated in song, baptism, communion, and sharing the scriptures, let go of what separates us, and gathered around what unites us—the Cross of Christ. The Cross invites us to transcend partisan divides and encourage one another that our vote can be a prayer and an interpretation of how we see Christ as the One who loved us and gave himself up for us and how we want to follow the way of Jesus—voting as an act of faithful followership and honoring our values of humility, mercy, justice and the responsibility to love our neighbors in our civic engagement.

Jesus, on the Cross, embodies the “more excellent way” by responding to violence with forgiveness and love. He didn’t seek to defeat his “enemies” politically but instead offered them redemption. This action goes beyond all political strategies or ideals.

So, how will we approach Tuesday from Sunday? This past Sunday I taught —A More Excellent Way:Ten Ways to Tuesday and Beyond! Here are some of my notes.

Ten Ways to Tuesday and Beyond!

1. Ground ourselves in the Gospels.

How happy are we that Mark 12:28-34 Lectionary passage the Sunday before the US Presidential Election? So happy!

“One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?”Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’

The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him, there is no other’; and ‘to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself’ –this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that, no one dared to ask him any question.”

Mr. Rogers said it this way, “When we love a person, we accept him or her exactly as is: the lovely with the unlovely, the strong with the fearful, the true mixed in with the façade, and of course, the only way we can do it is by accepting ourselves that way.”

But I have a question, 🙋‍♀️
Dear Jesus and Mister Rogers; what if you think your neighbor is a dang idiot?

Richard Rohr reminds us, “If we’re walking around all day thinking, “What idiots!” we’re living out of death, not life. If that’s what we think and feel, that’s what we will be – death energy instead of life force. We can not afford even inner disconnection from love. How we live in our hearts is our real and deepest truth.” Richard Rohr

So, I choose love and life in my speech.

2. Consider the word of the Prophet Micah.

Remember the prophets and their admonition to us in times of upheaval:

Micah 6:8: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”

This verse is an excellent reminder of God’s priorities for His people, especially as they engage in public life.Westmont College describes Micah’s cultural condition as God’s prophet: “Much of Micah’s prophecy is judgment addressed to the capital cities of Judah and Israel, Jerusalem, and Samaria, respectively. Their leaders practiced and tolerated false doctrine that has led to a false understanding of the character of God, and, as a result, injustice towards the lowly, mistreatment of women and children, unjust business practices, and exploitation of the poor, many of whom were rural dwellers, like Micah. The rich were living in luxury while the marginalized suffered to pay for extravagances for those in power.”

We all might say some things never change.

3. Listen to the Letter from Paul from a Philippian jail.

This passage helps frame voting and political involvement as acts of love and humility rather than self-interest.” “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

Whose interests are most important to you? 🤷🏽 Nuff said =)

BUT- Don’t forget Scott has already spoken to us and challenged our political idolotry and tribalism. Speak to the tendency to put too much trust in political leaders or parties. Encourage people to evaluate candidates and policies in light of God’s values rather than simply aligning with political labels. It’s important to remind everyone that God’s vision is broader than any human agenda. (You can watch all our LEADING WITH SOUL messages leading up to election on Youtube or the Crossroads Church and Ministries website. ccmonline.org )

4. Pray.

Pray for us to love our neighbor as ourselves and that our voting would reflect the nature of Christ, who loved us and gave himself up for us. Pray that we can vote in ways that love the most vulnerable and marginalized. Pray for wisdom and guidance for each person as they vote and for all elected leaders to seek God’s justice and mercy in their words and work for all people. Pray for the healing of our nation and world that God so loves. As we pray, listen. Listen. And then listen some more.

5. Read Jesus’ BIG sermon.

Read the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12) present values that neither side in politics fully embodies. For instance, “Blessed are the peacemakers” could challenge both sides, encouraging us to bridge divides instead of reinforcing them. Jesus preached a sermon that met their grief and longing for justice. In classic Jesus style, he made the last first and the first last first.

6. Read Letter from a Birmingham Jail and let’s repent together.

Rev. Dr, Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail is a modern-day epistle about love and justice, written to the Clergy and the responsibility to the congregations served with a message of repentance and reconciliation.

“Was not Jesus an extremist for love: ‘Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you.’… So the question is not whether we will be extremists but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or love?”

MLK’s admonitions are not about “extremism” of divisive zeal but about profoundly committed love. Me too. Let us confess, repent, and turn in another direction because our zeal leads us away from love.

7. Notice constructive tension as a path to growth: Stay in the conversation. ( Rev. Dr. MLK wisdom continued)

Dr King admonishes us, “I must confess that I am not afraid of the word ‘tension.’ I have earnestly worked and preached against violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth.”

Dr. King distinguishes between destructive conflict and constructive tension, where confrontation can lead to deeper understanding and reconciliation. This tension reflects Christ’s way of challenging sin and hypocrisy in a spirit of redemptive love.

He disturbs us beautifully with these words,“In the midst of blatant injustices inflicted upon the Negro, I have watched white churches stand on the sideline and merely mouth pious irrelevancies and sanctimonious trivialities.”

Here, Rev. King expresses sorrow over the church’s reluctance to take a stand for justice. He challenges clergy to embody Christ’s courage and compassion, standing against oppression as an act of Christian love.

Let’s be willing to have someone confront our positions and take a listening posture of humility. Let the tension have its perfect work. Tension takes us out of our echo chambers. Stay in the conversation and learn what you can’t know unless you ask someone what it is like to be them and how they came to that conclusion. My first draft of this article hit the trash because I requested my daring and divergent friends to give me feedback! “🎶I get by with a little help from my friends!🎶” (btw singing is a trauma-informed strategy as well!)

8. Develop a Consistent, Christlike Love and Life Ethic.

Ask yourself if your Life and Love Ethic is consistent from the womb to the tomb: in your words, actions, in the classroom, at the borders, in the urban and rural communities, in prison, in marriage, at Walmart, or on Wall Street, in race, gender, guns, war, and care for the earth that is holding it all. A Consistent Love and Life Ethic can serve as a framework, inviting a compassionate and holistic understanding of the human experience rooted in loving God and one’s neighbor as you love yourself. So ask your neighbor their story and how they came to see things differently than you do. Stevie Wonder sings it like this, “🎶 ‘Cause if we listen to different thoughts and points of views all my brothers and sisters, we don’t have to lose humanity, we’re family.🎶 (not just singing but add dancing, and you’re nervous system will thank you! 🕺💃🏻)

9. Follow a more excellent way.

Love is “a more excellent Way.” Paul writes the polarized Corinthians and says,

“And yet I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. …Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.”

Jesus, on the Cross, embodies the “more excellent way” by responding to violence with forgiveness and love. He didn’t seek to defeat his “enemies” politically but offered them an example of love without retaliation, forbidding his followers to start a civil war. This action goes beyond all political strategies or ideals. May it be true of us as followers of Christ on Tuesday and beyond. ❤️

And FINALLY 😉 I have to stop somewhere.

10. Pray Breath Prayers regularly at the ballot box and as the results come in. (See FREEBIE E-Style Breath prayers at the end of email)

A Breath Prayer is a loving way to open to God’s presence and resist the temptation to play God. Practicing will regulate your nervous system and make you a safer presence for others. Also, did you know that one of the names for the Holy Spirits found throughout our Sacred text is breath? So take a moment and to breathe.

Breathing in – You are God.

Breathing out – I am not.

Breathing in – I could be wrong.

Breathing out – Help me not be a jerk.

Breathing in – I want to love God, and you

Breathing out – like I love myself <3

As I submit my thoughts as a person in love and service to God and people, I begin and end with Breath Prayer. I regulate my nervous system by breathing slowly and rhythmically. Your vote will be imperfect. You are deciding how to love God, neighbor, and self intentionally but imperfectly. Consider Ten Ways to Tuesday and Beyond. and see what else opens up for you!

With faith, hope, and especially love in the coming days,

Clare

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