outrageous modesty

With all the fervor about where our allegiances stand, who to vote for, whether to vote at all, I was reminded today by this simple postcard from MCC I have hanging at my desk not to be lured into the mess of it all, while Jesus is calling me to be in the middle of the mess of it all with him (He's not on the outside looking in you know). I try not to get wrapped up in all the hype, but I'm not apathetic either. I am happening, because Jesus is doing things, and I am next to him doing them too. I am flawed in so many ways. Im staying away (best as I can) from all the fervor and nationalist emotion that the 'little christs' get caught up in so easily. Im trying to go forward to the next things Jesus is calling me to, out of Egypt day by day. Proactively making peace for me lately has meant so much more than where "my" vote goes. It means making peace with me, with God, and then with friends around me, with family, with people i meet throughout the day....all the time, every day, day in and day out ('pray unceasingly'). Most of that means having some healthy conflict, bringing up the hard questions ans sitting with them and living into them for years at a time. Living in the midst of all of the compelling dialogue about what to do and how much we all matter can be so invigorating and tiresome at the same time. We are not pawns in this game, and we are more than the sum of our cleverness and gathered resources. We're the living stones, the body, the Church. Keep acting like it, lest we forget why we're even here. I dont want to miss out on that kind of life. Working it all out day by day, every day, day in and day out, is what makes us a peculiar little people, not making the right decisions every time and winning. God have mercy on the Christians this season.