PILGRIM NOTES

Communion reminds us God's deepest desire has always been to dwell with his people. We leave the Table not merely having remembered Christ, but carrying his presence into the world. God no longer asks people to come to sacred space. He makes his people the sacred space. What does this mean? It means God's purpose has never changed. From Genesis onward, God has desired to dwell with humanity and accomplish his work through humanity.

Looking back, I realize my civic conscience—love for God, love for neighbor, and gratitude for the privilege of living in a free society—was being developed at home, at school, and at church. Long before I had the right to vote, I had the freedom to ask questions, debate ideas, and discover that citizenship requires participation, not merely observation. I'm deeply thankful for the people who taught me that.

When fear searches for an explanation, simple stories become attractive. Some point to immigration, religious pluralism, ethnic groups, or political opponents. Whether these explanations contain elements of truth or not, they often reduce a complicated cultural transformation to a single villain. Fear rarely tolerates complexity. It searches for someone to blame. And once fear has identified an enemy, taking back political control begins to look like the obvious solution.