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Neighborhood Signs This October
Our nightly walk in the neighborhood grows livelier as Halloween approaches and decorations animate our neighbors’ lawns. Well-lit and some as tall as the houses behind them, the giant ghosts and skeletons alternate with a benign Mickey Mouse or friendly smiling pumpkins. They add a little fun, a little insight, and a little conversation if we chance upon seeing the families who built them.
I sometimes wish Martin Luther was among them, or maybe Julian of Norwich or St. Francis. Fluttering larger than life, they could offer reminders of the faithful-yet-imperfect-departed as All Saints Day approaches. I want to remember those witnesses of God’s love and presence who offered guidance for our lives of faith.
"All is well and all will be well," reminded Julian of Norwich.
"Everything that is done in the world, is done by hope," said Luther.
"While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it more fully in your heart," suggested St. Francis.
In her compassionate presentation "When We Wake Up on Wednesday,” Lutheran Pastor Ann Helmke speaks to the other yard art dominating neighborhoods right now—election signs. In a swiftly moving conversation with participants, she offered practices for staying grounded during this final month of intense political positioning.
“We need to surround ourselves with the people who ground us,” she told us during her presentation Sept. 26.
We practiced her compassion model for community conversation: “How are you feeling about this upcoming election, especially the day after? What do you sense or know that your community (congregation, organization, neighborhood, etc.) is feeling?” Anxious, mixed emotions, excited, ready to dance, were some of the responses.
Next, she asked us to anticipate what we will need on the day after the election, and a clear action on how to take that next step. Some common needs included: validation, quiet time to process, friend time to process, prayer time to hear what God can say through this. The action steps participants mentioned included planning a gathering with specific friends for support; yoga; cleaning a park; planning any service project to physically move through big emotions.
“We’ll keep working for peace and compassion in this community,” said Pastor Helmke. “Election results won’t change that.” The goal is to work to accept the results of the election with compassion and curiosity.
Our community of saints from the past also abided intense political and religious times.
Their comforting and challenging words are not meant to help us avoid working through hard issues and thereby stifling our growth, but to orient us to the One who accompanies us.
Pastor Helmke serves as the Faith-Based Liaison for the City of San Antonio. To prepare for the results of the November election, her Zoom presentation is scheduled to appear online.
Future issues of this e-newsletter will curate stories about churches' effective efforts to study and address neighborhood needs through "holy curiosity." Send your ideas to info@swtsynod.org.
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