Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Ephesians 4:31-5:2 (ESV)

I was driving to our Healthy Living Group Monday morning and I took Middle Road from Route 9 and was treated to a number of lawn signs.

If you live in Southborough, you already know what they say. Half of them said, “No New Neary!” And the other half said, “YES to New Neary!” Or words to that effect. We had a vigorous and yes, ahem, healthy discussion that morning about where people stood and how they planned to vote.

I learned a little more about Southborough in the process…something I’ve been doing for the last five years since I arrived. And when I say five years, I mean EXACTLY five years, since May 8th will mark my Fifth Anniversary serving as your pastor!

Can you believe it? Five years, just like that.

Five years full of life, full of song, full of…well, frankly, pandemic woes, at the beginning. It’s been a fascinating tenure, but it’s also had its controversies and its conflicts. That’s life, of course.

After every controversial decision we make as a church (just like decisions that we make as a town) we then must live with the results. Nothing is inconsequential. There is always a cost, and sometimes we even lose people. And we are judged. By those we live with, and by those we live without.

I know there’s an important town meeting coming up, and as a local member of the clergy, you’re not getting my opinion on how to vote! Down in Franklin, we have a budget override to decide on June 3rd, and yes, you can bet the “YES” and the “NO” signs are popping up everywhere. The arguments sound exactly like the ones I’m hearing in Southborough. And it’s complicated.

But there is a simple fact to the process

At the end of all of it, we will live together, if we choose to. And we cannot be all things to all people. I have been reading online comments from each side, and I see some members of Pilgrim represented there as well. Ultimately, my wish is the same as it always is: that we treat each other with kindness.

That we don’t assume those who disagree with us are “missing something” or “complete idiots.” That we recognize that every other person in a town meeting has an agenda, and it’s as valid as ours. That we accept that the truth of the situation is often relative to our own needs and preferences.

Is it as simple as yes or no? Almost never. I hope and pray for the best possible resolution, and I hold you all in my heart as you decide. Take good care of one another.