Χ: How Then Shall We Live?

Beloved in Christ,

As October begins and the November election draws near, I find myself returning to one of the oldest symbols of our faith: the Chi Rho, ΧP. Formed from the first two Greek letters of Christos, it has marked Christian tombs, walls, and altars for more than sixteen centuries. It makes one simple proclamation – Christ. And it infers a simple confession: Jesus is Lord.  And displaying it revealed the hope of early followers to keep Christ at the center of their lives.

I am thinking about the Chi Rho as we move toward midterm elections, and I have been engaging practices that ground and remind me to center myself on Christ. Election season is a time when we see the dehumanization of people elevated – I do not want to succumb to that temptation. I don’t want that for me, and I don’t want that for you.

To be clear, I am not writing to tell you how to vote or for whom. I am writing because in every season, election seasons included, we are called to bear witness to Jesus Christ. How we speak, how we listen, and how we treat those with whom we disagree all testify to the One we follow. As your bishop, I feel deeply called to offer guiding direction and formation to support you in this season

Therefore, throughout October, I will offer four letters of formation and encouragement. My hope is that we will be formed together into beloved community, belonging to Christ and to one another across every line that has the potential to divide us. Jesus named the shape of that life in the Great Commandment: love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:29–31). The four letters follow that fourfold love:

ConneΧion (heart): How then shall we belong?

PolitiΧ (soul): How then shall we seek the good of our neighbors?

RefleΧion (mind): How then shall we discern?

PraΧis (strength): How then shall we live?

Notice the Χ in each word. Chi is the first letter of Christos, and I want it to interrupt our seeing, reminding us each time that Christ is at the center. I do not mean Christ recruited to our party or our preferred candidate. I mean Christ forming and reforming us.

These letters will be released from my office each Wednesday of October.

As you have received the Christ—and as you seek to keep the teachings of Jesus central to your daily living - may you be rooted in eternal love, built up in holy wisdom, and established in a discerning faith, overflowing with thanksgiving.

Alongside you on the journey,

Bishop Lanette
Resident Bishop, Dakotas-Minnesota Episcopal Area 
The United Methodist Church