Dear Friends in Christ at Holy Spirit, St. Helen’s, and St. Mary’s,

As I write this letter to you it is Election Day. This is the day that we Americans (no matter where our ancestors originated) are given the privilege to exercise the freedom to vote. It is a special honor and hard fought right that has been won for us. I truly hope we respect that honor and treat it with the dignity it deserves.

Just as in the day of Jesus so too today there are those who flaunt their wealth, their illusions to power and their desire to seek their own rights and responsibilities. I am not speaking of anyone or any particular group but to the realities observable in our world today.

The lesson back then, ” the woman and her small coin,” is equally true today. In the kingdom of God, it is the meek who are blessed. It is the single hearted, a.k.a. one whose heart is fixed on the heart of the Father in Heaven, that will see God and live in his eternal mansion.

Jesus came in humility and simplicity to announce the coming of God’s Kingdom. It is the Kingdom of his Father. It is the reality where everyone is respected, loved, cherished, and beloved. Speaking of that Kingdom, just last Sunday we were reminded that when we love God with everything and express that love by extending it to others/our neighbor, we are not far from the Kingdom of God.

Actually, it is already here. Jesus established the Kingdom of his Father on the cross. His sacrifice to self to the Father at the hands of cruel, power hungry, overly religious people set in motion the final act that brought that kingdom into our existence.

Just like voting is an essential element of democracy, the rule of the people, loving others and imitating Christ’s sacrificial love for us is essential to benefit from the kingdom of God in our midst. The story of the woman and her small coin is a reminder that it is participation that matters. The amount is not important. Her status of “power” in the community is immaterial. Oh, by the way, a widow in the days of Jesus had zero standing, zero power in her community yet she is the example of how we are to live in the Kingdom of God.

Our world becomes a better place when we emulate Jesus’ actions of love. Even those who don’t practice the faith the we Christians do can still benefit from loving, respect, kindness, and merciful living. When all these things are practiced then we realize the beauty, benefit, gift, and treasure the Kingdom of God truly is.

Fr. Tom