Hope and Uncertainty at Election Time
This week we welcomed about 150 CMSD Students to Trinity for Greater Cleveland Congregation’s Steppin’ and Rollin’ to the Polls, where they celebrated and then marched to the Board of Elections to vote for the very first time.
It was one of the most exciting things I’ve seen happen in a church. It is a particular honor as a Dean to stand at the front door of the cathedral and welcome visiting dignitaries – think public officials or presiding bishops. This time I felt especially blessed to stand at the Euclid and welcome students – first-time-voters – into a cathedral that was a part of the history of this city, and a sacred place for them as well.
Their joy and hope for the future made the cathedral sacred.
Friends, we are nearing the closing days of an election season. We know that it may be but one chapter in this election, that it may take weeks to reach a final decision. We also do not know what the outcome of the election will be, and that our feelings of hope and anxiety are woven together in a time of great uncertainty.
The students’ joy was exactly what I needed to carry me through. They too felt the uncertainty of the moment…but they also knew that they could finally step up and add their voice, to cast their own vote to help build our democracy.
As you line up to vote, or as you simply watch the returns come in, remember to hold our nation and our community in your prayers. Continue to pray and work for the dignity of every human being, and to love your neighbor as yourself. Do not forget that God is with you in times of uncertainty just as in times of hope.
Almighty God, to whom we must account for all our powers and privileges: Guide the people of the United States in the election of officials and representatives; that, by faithful administration and wise laws, the rights of all may be protected and our nation be enabled to fulfill your purposes; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. BCP, p. 822

The Very Rev. Bernard J. Owens