My Goal Is to Serve All
Hello Friends,
I received a random text from an old pal in Queens this morning (11/5) that read, “New York is in deep crap,” (Although he used a different four-letter word). I assumed he was talking about the election of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. I did not share in his anxiety.
“I doubt it. Fear is an effective strategy on both sides of the aisle,” I replied.
After a bit of back-and-forth on text, I was left with these lingering thoughts. Thoughts about fear, and tribalism, and of course politics.
Jay Jones is the commonwealth’s first African-American to be elected as Attorney General; however, I am not in a celebratory mood about it. Jones sent some rather violent text messages to a colleague about his political rivals.
I by no means want to get into the weeds about how folks voted, nor do I want to come across as judgmental towards Jones. Rather, I want to point out how easy it is for us to look past the faults of politicians we favor, while being anxious towards politicians from the opposing party, who espouse similar rhetoric or actions.
In this week’s second reading Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica, “We beg you, brothers and sisters, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here. Let no one deceive you in any way…” (2 Thess. 2: 1-3). Paul is trying to calm those Christians who thought the end of the world was going to happen soon. And who was driving this fear? Other Christians.
Likewise, corruption and the rhetoric of fearmongering is not a Right or Left, red or blue issue, it is a human issue, that often takes place in echo chambers.
On a high note, Virginians also elected our first female Governor-elect, Abigail Spanberger, who won by a wide margin. Unlike Jones, her political history is less controversial and can perhaps bring about some common ground or at least lessen the flames of radicalism.
Spanberger declared, “And for those Virginians who did not vote for me … my goal and intent is to serve all Virginians." Let us hope in a divided (and increasingly more dangerous) nation that her campaign rhetoric carries over to her political decisions as well.
In Christ,
Anthony+
P.S. A ‘thank you’ to everyone for your prayers and kind words regarding my father, who was recently discharged from VCU hospital and is doing much better. I am so very grateful and appreciative of everyone’s support.
