Dear Siblings, 

I’ve been thinking a lot about the relationship, if any, between the American experiment and the Protestant reformations. I think there’s something really important there. In the past few weeks, I’ve been exploring Mercerberg Theology, one of the cornerstones of the Evangelical & Reformed Church that is now part of the UCC, and some of their earliest theologians offer the notion that the Protestant reformations were an inevitable consequence of the process of becoming. Put another way, reformations weren’t a one time event or separation, but rather the continuation of the work of more fully living into God’s call for creation.

I think this is similar to the becoming project of this republic. The preamble of our constitution is actually very clear… “in order to form a more perfect union.” There’s an acknowledgement that this experiment isn’t a “one-and-done” endeavor, but rather a constantly unfolding, emerging and reemerging project of becoming something that more fully realizes the highest ideals, visions, and aspirations of who we could be. 

Indeed, in the long history of this republic, there is much to celebrate and much to lament. And through it all, we are here. 250 years old. On Sunday, we’ll sit with text from Zechariah and Matthew, which both also form an understanding of “becoming.” If you wanna know a bit about what’s informed some of my thoughts for Sunday, check out the Sermon Sandbox!

Please remember that we’ll have a special Sunday School class on Sunday: America 250: The Words We Remember! This group will gather in Room 206 at 9:45 AM. You can learn more about it below!

See you Sunday (and be safe this weekend),

Thomas