Letter from Amy: Nov 4, 2026

Photo by Weber Ivy, taken in our neighborhood

Dear friends and fellow saints,

This morning I am writing under dappled sunlight and falling leaves in my backyard; haven’t we had the most glorious fall?! Every year I marvel that God chose to make this season of dying and dormancy so beautiful. These dried leaves will nourish and protect the soil all winter, and next spring, we’ll get another kind of beauty — tender green shoots, budding flowers, flitting pollinators, new life bursting forth everywhere.

Politics runs in seasons, too. Last night was our midterm election and a historic “blue wave” that feels like death to some, like tender shoots to others. But I suspect that in two years, four years, and for many years beyond, this wave will continue to shift in strength and color. Many who were elected with such hope in this wave or that one will almost certainly break promises, make concessions to power, and disappoint their constituencies.

None of this is to say that our votes don’t matter, that politics is unimportant, or that we shouldn’t care deeply about justice, truth, integrity, the wellbeing of our neighbor, or the common good. We should! Every part of our creaturely life is of great importance to God. Every image-bearer is of immeasurable worth to God. And so it is right to live, and vote, and love our neighbors as best we know how, in accordance with all Jesus has taught us.

But we must do so with a healthy dose of humility about our human condition. We are finite and fearful; we see and understand so little; our capacity to perceive the good, much less to do it, is so limited.

And so we also must learn again and again to entrust our political lives to the God who is infinitely “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” across every wave and every administration. We must trust the God who is working — often invisibly — to bring about the tender green shoots of the New Creation deep within the seemingly dead soil of the old. 

And we know how the story ends! We heard it on Sunday:

“Therefore they are before the throne of God,

    and serve him day and night in his temple;

    and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;

    the sun shall not strike them,

    nor any scorching heat.For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,

    and he will guide them to springs of living water,

and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Rev 7:15-17)

I preached about this apocalyptic vision, midterms, wrath, sainthood, and more (totally mild topics!) in Sunday’s sermon if you’d like to listen.

***

On Sunday night at our church plant, Holy Comforter, Katie Hamlin announced that she will be taking a month-long leave of absence in order to rest. Incarnation will be covering for Holy Comforter over the next four weeks. 

As a result, our staff team will be reworking some things internally in order to protect our own rest as we approach the busy Advent season. In particular, I will likely need to schedule pastoral appointments (non-emergencies) further out than usual, and I appreciate your patience with me!

I am so grateful that Holy Comforter has a pastor who recognizes her limits and takes wise steps to yield, rest, and seek God’s restorative care. Katie capably covered my sabbatical last summer, and it is a privilege to offer the same kind of coverage to her in return. Our congregations’ ongoing friendship is a gift as we continue to support one another.

Let me know if you have any questions about any of this. And please pray for Katie and her family to enjoy rest and connectivity and to come back refreshed for the work of ministry. Please also pray for Holy Comforter to experience the rest, encouragement, and the loving care of the Comforter in her absence. If you'd like to encourage these dear friends, consider joining for worship in Hyattsville on an upcoming Sunday (as Will suggested in our parish meeting)!

It is such a gift to be counted among you saints, and I’m looking forward to being together Sunday (if not sooner!).

With love,

Amy