Dear MLC Community…
I think a lot. It’s part of the job. Between preparing my sermon for the upcoming Sunday or developing the curriculum for the next class that I’m teaching for education hour, a significant amount of my time is spent in my own head, pondering ideas both big and small, new and old. Having the dogs is a real blessing in this regard, as our daily long walks gives me ample opportunity to “be quiet and know,” as Psalm 46 puts it. Lately, however, my thinking time has been invaded by the anxieties of our current national news cycles. I find myself trying to silence the intrusive voices of fear, worry, and frustration. Largely, I’m successful, but I know that many struggle to find that quiet place in the middle of the whirlwind.
As someone who grew up in the late 80s and early 90s, I remember being bombarded then by anti-drug abuse information. It was the era of DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) and between television PSAs (“This is your brain on drugs!”) and school rallies (“Just say no!”), I often wondered if the barrage of propaganda intended to prevent drug use by teenagers was perhaps making us think too much about drug use. In the midst of all of that, I remember one poster series that actually seemed effective, at least for me. It was a simple design with an image representing one of the many activities that 90s teenagers might find themselves drawn to (baseball, skateboarding, music, etc.), punctuated with the question: What is your anti-drug? It stuck with me, because even in the throes of the hormonal hurricane that is puberty, it occurred to me that resisting unhealthy behaviors is more complicated than just not doing them, it’s about finding healthy things that fill that space.
What are the healthy things that you use to fill the spaces that today’s anxiety and fear try to take up within you? My wife and my dogs are certainly valuable teammates in the defense against stress. Long walks, great meals, and cuddles on the couch, while watching whatever streaming service we’re currently paying for, are fantastic ways to occupy the mind on things other than clickbait news headlines. But when I step back and look at the bigger picture that my family and my friends fit into, I realize that my anti-drug (or anxiety) is community. And MLC is a big part of that. When I was 29 and freshly ordained, I recall being convinced that the purpose of the church was to save the world. I still think that, but I believe now that one of the most important things that we have to contribute to our fearful and wonderful world is functioning community.
During one of my recent aforementioned bouts of thinking, I had an epiphany; which is that our church experience is increasingly unique. I don’t just mean that less people are going to church. I mean that spaces where people can gather together and be together and sing together and talk together and not shout their differences at each other—these spaces are rare. What we are as a faith community is remarkably anti-anxious. I don’t know about you, but when I step into our education hour on Sunday mornings and hear all of you sharing your thoughts, ideas, and yes, sometimes your anxieties, I find my heart rate lowering (it spikes about an hour later, but that’s just because I pace so much while I preach) and my breathing relaxing. I truly believe that part of the Gospel that we proclaim is the good news of intentional community.
And so, Milwaukie Lutherans, I want to thank you for continuing to support this faith community, especially in an era when physical community is so often being replaced by asocial media. Your continued generosity, of both resources and time, is absolutely astonishing. We continue to exceed expectations of giving, and yet save on expenses. We continue to grow in regular worship attendance, both in person and via our streaming platform. We are revitalizing those parts of our life together that withered during Covid, creating new social groups and book studies and community outreach efforts. There are so many examples of how the contributions of you all have persisted in defying the trends that we have been constantly warned about, and I want to make sure that you know how much I appreciate you. You are my anti-anxiety.
Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. (Acts 2:46-47)
May we continue to live into and through the blessings that God has gifted upon us, and may we grow in community and in hope.
Blessings upon you all,
Pastor Jesse Christopherson