by Ariel Miller
Trinity, Columbus draws parishioners from forty different zip codes to pray for God’s guidance and recharge for their ministries throughout the week. Its sanctuary doors open directly towards the Ohio Statehouse. The parish will open for prayer throughout Election Day as a haven for anyone seeking respite from our bitter political divisions. The welcome will also be a powerful call to recognize and serve God in every other human being.
“Our unique geography, our placement across from the statehouse begs our involvement,” says associate rector, the Rev. Iva Joyce-Miesse. “It predisposes our folks to understand what it means to be a politically-involved Christian at this time.”
The light of our faith’s call to love will not be hiding under any bushels.
“Trinity Episcopal Church is a House of Prayer for All People,” states the very first paragraph of the worship book for Noonday Mass. “We believe every person is a child of God, worthy of God’s love and called to full participation and inclusion. Christ calls us to build Beloved Community, inclusive of every sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, economic status, citizenship status, race, ethnicity, language and nationality. In a world that often seeks to divide us, we find our unity with one another in Christ.” Our bishop, the Rt. Rev. Kristin Uffelman White, steward of the unity of our faith, will serve as celebrant.
“This will be a fortifying day,” says Trinity’s rector, the Rev. Jed Dearing. “It is transcendent when the people gather in God’s presence. On Nov. 5, we will pray for a just and fair election, that each person will have peace. Our work as a church will continue on Nov. 6.” Among the many challenges ahead, he lists stopping the violence in Gaza and protecting the rights and mental health of LGBTQ+ Ohioans.
Clergy and laypeople from Columbus-area Episcopal churches and other faith communities will be present throughout the day to offer listening and prayer support to anyone coming in. They will take turns leading prayer at the start of each hour. “We will create a little bit of space that is quiet, safe, and welcoming,” says Joyce-Miesse.
“There are lots of theories about why Episcopal churches have red doors. This is the one I ascribe to: once you cross the threshold of the church, you are in a safe space,” she adds. The color telegraphs the meaning. “Think of the Red Cross, the Red Crescent,” she explains. “You are violating the Geneva Convention if you fire on people, transport, or facilities with these logos. It means much more than that the mortgage is paid off. Leave emnity at the door when you cross the threshold.”
The parish will offer Morning Prayer at 8 am, Noonday Eucharist with Bishop White celebrating at noon, and a service of Night Prayer at 6:30 pm. Trinity’s clergy chose scripture readings and prayers that spell out the spiritual roots of our denomination’s year-round quest to put neighbor-love into action. That includes both our own behavior and striving for public policy that embodies Beloved Community.
“Help us to see how our faith informs our principles and actions,” says the Call to Worship for Morning Prayer, followed by this reading from Ephesians 4:31-32: “Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as the Creator has forgiven you.” In the noonday Gospel from Mark, (12:28-34) Jesus welcomes and listens to the scribe, and affirms the absolute priority of the commandments to love God and neighbor.
Intercessions throughout the day address our fears and explain our accountability in concrete, 21st Century examples:
Guide us through this election as a nation, state, and community as we vote for people to do work on our behalf and on the behalf of our cities. Help us to vote for people and ballot initiatives that will better our community and our world so it may reflect the values taught us.
Our creator, Guide us in truth and love.
Help us create communities that will protect the poor, stand up for the vulnerable, advocate for those who are not seen and heard, and listen to everyone’s voice.
Our creator, Guide us in truth and love.
We pray for our local, state and national leaders. We pray for the Ohio elections —for honesty and civility in campaigns. We pray against corruption and for integrity at polling stations across the state. Declare justice and righteousness will be the foundation of our cities, Ohio and our nation.
Our Creator, Guide us in truth and love.
We pray for this nation that is so deeply divided. May we come together for the common good and do as you have called us to do – to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you.
Our Creator, Guide us in truth and love.
Right now it feels like there is so much at stake, and there is a lot of anxiety about the upcoming election. People are worried. We ask that you provide peace and comfort to the worried hearts of this country; relieve their anxiety. Please diffuse the spirit of anxiety across the nation, bringing understanding between all people. Help us act out of love, mercy and justice rather than out of arrogance or fear.
Our Creator, Guide us in truth and love.
In the evening, worshippers will see their path through darkness lit by these words from Isaiah 58:6-11: “Is this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house; when you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?”
And the entire day will be infused with trust in God, our lighthouse as we navigate the angry seas of fears for the survival of America’s secular political institutions. “Trinity’s theme for the fall comes from Hebrews: “Let us hold fast to the Kingdom that is unshakable,” says Dearing. And he adds this word of hope and affection for our fellow citizens:
“One of my favorite things that I have heard through Ohio’s political battles over the past year came from the Rev. Kaitlin Hansen from the Church For All People in Columbus: ‘Once we’re inside that voting booth a miracle happens, we are all equal and every vote counts the same. In that moment we each embody… the image of God…each with our own unique opinions, and autonomy and vote. Each of us has sacred value, each of us has sacred worth, each of us has a voice.'”
