In all the excitement of an election week very few noticed that Mathilda had quietly slipped from this life to the next. No, you didn't know her, but her life represents the rush of history to me.

Mathilda was my mother's first cousin and she was the last of her generation to walk this earth, since she was 98 when she died. I write about her because in that almost-a-century of living she was part of more changes than most people experience.

Born in 1910 she lived through 17 presidencies and died as a history-making 18th was elected. She was born into a home lit by gas and died at a time when outer space exploration is taken for granted. She came into a world where women could not vote and died as a black man readies himself to move into a White House built by slaves.

In times both “normal” and stressful, and I think this current economic climate qualifies as stressful, to put it mildly, it’s important to pay attention to the rhythms that we are moving to, consciously and unconsciously.

A word from the natural world makes this clear: “Entrainment.” It refers to the tendency in nature for beings to gradually start to move together… whether it’s crickets making sounds at the same time, women in college dorms whose monthly cycles start to align, clocks whose pendulums start to match swings. The point is, according to Sue Monk Kidd in her classic book “When the Heart Waits, “we tend to align ourselves with the rhythm and pace around us.”

So if the people around you, if the climate around you, are frantic, well… it’s only natural for you to catch a whiff of that and become frantic yourself. I fall into this so easily; it takes a diet of only one beloved Paul Krugman NYTimes editorial on current economics and I start to go up the walls, perhaps rightfully so.

In the last year there much has been written about the crisis in food for hungry people in the United States. Because of a decrease in farm subsidies by the government, there is less overage from farmers and food producers to end up in the food pantries. (remember “government cheese”?) That means that, at a time of economic straits, poor people have an even harder time feeding themselves and their families.

It is the essence of Christian discipleship to respond with compassion to poor, hungry and thirsty people—just as Jesus the Christ did. This is what our congregation will attempt as we officially launch an ongoing food drive this Sunday. The food drive has the simple and directive name of Marble Fights Hunger.

The name is also the intention. The goal of Marble Fights Hunger is that each of us will bring non-perishables to church each time we come. Throw a couple of cans or boxes of food into your briefcase or backpack. Bring several containers of baby food for a hungry New York City family. Pick up an extra canned ham when you are doing your Thanksgiving shopping. It is pretty simple.

I had a wonderful experience two weeks ago. Our son and daughter-in-law, Scott and Joleen, belong to a small struggling Episcopal Church in Franklin, Mass. Currently their minister is a Sunday supply who comes for the day. I offered to help out from time to time which needed approval by the Bishop in their system. Two weeks ago I helped out. I was the preacher for what was essentially a family service. For the sermon, about 30 kids gathered around at the chancel steps with proud beaming parents in the pews.

But the proud and beaming was even more so me. Our son Scott was the usher; granddaughter Morgan was the reader; grandson Corey was the acolyte; and 5 year old grandson Brandon was one of those thirty faces. And and our daughter in law Joleen, with the help of my wife Judy, coordinated the coffee hour. Judy and I went home feeling a powerful sense of family. I was proud of what each one did, but that is not the point. Our being together and worshipping together was empowering, fulfilling, and spiritually rich.

Family is so important especially at this time of year. My friend Todd who is 45 and single just lost his 82 year old aunt... the last of that generation. He feels alone. He is currently reaching out to two friends who have taken him in especially during the holidays. He plays ping pong with them, enjoys their kids, and feels connected. There is a real sense of family.

Eight or nine years ago, at a noontime Bible study, when a member of the group has just lost his job, the group began talking about all the words we use to express that fact. Since then I have stored up more terminology. Here's some of it.

In this failing economy, when the "reduction notifications" are given out, is it because the worker's position has been "eliminated" or is the firm "downsizing" as it "outsources" certain departments?

Workers used to be simply "fired," "laid off," or "dismissed." Not any longer. Now they "part company" as the firm "regroups" or "merges."

Amidst so many amazing feelings after the election, I am still struck by one unexpected one: a strong sense of light and space, a weight lifted.

Until the election happened, I was not fully aware of how much psychic space was taken up by the day-to-day iterations, the ups and downs, the attacks, the talking heads. This nervous and nerve-wracking anticipation, while par for the course, provokes anxiety and  leaves us with little space or energy for anything else.

And now. Amidst all that has shifted, all the ways God has said, “Behold, I am doing a new thing, do you not perceive it?” I feel a new space and energy to take up work, life, relationships... all in a new way. I don’t know what this will look like yet, but the invitation is palpable.

And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. - II Corinthians 8:1-3

In the wake of astounding displays of generosity—such as the millions of dollars given to President-elect Obama’s campaign, Warren Buffet’s staggering $44 billion donation to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Oprah’s leadership school for girls built in South Africa—could it be that we are witnessing a renewed era of great generosity? With all the problems we are now facing in these challenging economic times, is it even conceivable that people would be willing to give beyond their abilities?