I think one of the reasons that the message of our FCC is resonating with so many people these days is because people are hungry for belonging. People are starved for unity and a sense of community where differences are celebrated and unity is found in a shared belief in a loving, empowering God.

I worry for unity. The political divide is so great these days that party politics rarely, if ever, overlap to accomplish something helpful. When tragedy strikes, we run to our social media echo chambers to learn how we are supposed to feel about things. What were once objective truths have somehow become subjective.

No one seems to be championing the things that have held us together since the battle of Lexington and Concord. Those things that unify still exist, though. Love of country. Love of democracy. Love of self-determination. It would certainly be helpful if national leadership lifted high these time-honored values, dialed down the partisan rhetoric, and made re-discovering our common life the outcome of this tragic polarization.

It’s this backdrop that causes our church to stand out. I guess on one level it’s a bit ridiculous: that a church where positivity, possibility, generosity, and compassion should be such an exception, such an oasis in the desert. But here we are. And honestly, I am thrilled to be part of building this lighthouse of faith in a storm where so many are losing their way.

If you know someone who is struggling these days, I hope you will invite them to worship here on some Sunday morning. This is a good place. A needed place. A place where goodness and kindness still matter and are foundational. A place that makes a lasting difference because it manifests in a different way. A way marked by the restoration of God’s people and God’s good creation.

See you in church,
–Rev. Dominic