Imagine what we can each create with expansive, contagious thoughts of Love.
Beloved Community:
Like many of you, I have been in a state of shock as I have tried to make sense of what has happened in our country in the last two days. I watched as insurgents stormed our capitol building, intent on inflicting harm on one of the most sacred places in America, our very seat of government. I have vacillated between anger and pain…denial and disbelief.
In the end, all I knew to do was pray and hold the High Watch as the horrific events unfolded on the computer screen. Yet, Democracy held, and Congress has fulfilled their duty to a waiting and exhausted nation. Our new President has been officially named and we must now move forward.
But how? I believe that only love and forgiveness can truly heal our country and “bind up the wounds” that divide us. It won't be easy. But there is no other way. I share these words written by my friend Ed Munter last week, (before the uprising at the Capitol):
“When we look back at this time in our history, we will not credit one man (Donald Trump) for the loss of our dreams, the diminishing of our morality, the erosion of our compassion, and the decay of our humanity. Hopefully, we will each be honest enough to see our collusion in the confluence of the chaos. If so, we can forgive ourselves and others and with that forgiveness, we can begin again.
Perhaps we will come to see COVID as something more than a pandemic. Maybe we will come to embrace it as an intense test of our humanity, allowing ourselves to remember that all life is precious and that we are only as strong as the weakest among us.
As we move forward, we can close this chapter of our evolution and call it the end of an error. For a moment, we forgot who we are. We forgot the power we find in our dreams, the strength we find in our morality, the connection we find in our compassion, and the hope we find in our humanity.
When we return to our true sense of power, we begin to see a world of untapped potential and unlimited possibility. If one man could stir up that much chaos and division with little contracting thoughts of hate, just imagine what we could each create with expansive contagious thoughts of Love.
The scope and magnitude of your power are beyond what you can even imagine. Only your Love knows how truly powerful you are.”
Despite the events of Jan. 6, 2021, I truly believe something new and better is emerging for our country and the world. I have deeply searched my heart and I know that things must change in me for a new world to manifest through my life. I invite you to join me and be a part of creating a new country and a new paradigm for our world. It is not about one politician over another. It is about our collective evolution… about being willing to look in the mirror and honestly acknowledge the ways we are contributing to this division. It is about asking ourselves how we can contribute to building mutual respect, tolerance for different opinions and dignity for all people. How can we develop compassion and loving kindness, even for our so-called “enemies”? How can we, together, move forward with love?
We have a great deal of work to do as a nation. It won’t be easy. But I believe that together we can create a new way of being, of expressing, of holding each other. Religious Science teaches that all great work begins with our thoughts, beliefs and prayers. I invite you to join the ministers and practitioners of the CSLBoise daily as we hold the High Watch and pray for the great potential that is the United States of America!
Rev. Jackie Holland
Senior Minister/Spiritual Director
