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Dear San Marco Community: As we approach the midterm elections, I think everyone is tired of hearing political rhetoric and advertising. Trying to follow it all is exhausting. Yet the privilege of voting is important for us all, and this privilege is worth doing our best to become fully informed about candidates and issues. I hope that if you have not already voted, you will study the ballot and vote based upon your best understanding and godly discernment. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, had a famous quote about elections. He said, "I met those of our society who had votes in the ensuing election, and advised them: 1. To vote, without fee or reward, for the person they judged most worthy, 2. To speak no evil of the person they voted against, and 3. To take care their spirits were not sharpened against those that voted on the other side." It sounds quite idealistic and even quaint in today's world. But Wesley's advice may offer the peace that we all seek in the midst of political turmoil. May we never forget that even our worst political enemies are made in the image of God and are loved unconditionally by a God whose very nature is love. So even as we lament the state of the world, our faith teaches us that God is at work even when we cannot see or understand. The gospel is, after all, good news for the whole world. This good news outweighs the political chaos everywhere. This coming Sunday, November 1, is All Saints Sunday. We will remember those among us who have died in the past year even as we celebrate their heavenly homecoming. The scripture for Sunday is Matthew 23: 1-12 and I will be sharing a message entitled "Do as They Say, Not as They Do." Thank you for your ongoing prayers and support of San Marco Church. I look forward to seeing you and serving you communion this Sunday. Blessings,
Steve Hart
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