Make a plan for love — love is an action

love, we must give love, we must do love, we must be love ourselves. Our calling is to see something, and, seeing it, to call it out and do everything we know is good and just and vital to heal our souls and the world." — "Fierce Love"

Hi, Love,

I'm just back from vacation. My love tanks have been filled to bursting by time with family, beauty with Mama Earth, and quiet moments all to myself. I've been working on some new writing projects I can't wait to share with you, but I've also found time to stop doing and be. One thing that never ceases to amaze me is how — in a moment of breath — we are struck, again and again, by our interconnectedness. As much as my body found refuge in time away, my heart is still with you, tethered to the work of building a beloved community. We cannot escape the way our lives are intertwined, because ; it is simply the truth about who and whose we are.

When God promises, "I will never leave you or forsake you," that promise is not only to the individual. It is God's commitment to the whole of humanity — an eternal investment in love that nurtures collective flourishing. Again and again, that is the biblical story. From God leading the Israelites through the desert with pillars of fire and smoke to appearing to Daniel in the middle of the lion's den, or the very mystery of the resurrection itself — life where there should be death, these stories remind us that we are personally treasured by God, but we are also part of a movement; a river headed toward freedom.

There are times to step out of that justice river and lie upon the banks, and there are times to paddle with every ounce of strength. Beloved, we are in that second period. Regardless of what happens in the September 11 debate, the stakes of this presidential election are already crystal-clear. There was a moment last week that again brought home this staggering gravity. When asked about more dead kids in Georgia, J.D. Vance called school shootings "a fact of life." This is the man who Donald Trump wants to put a heartbeat away from the Oval Office.

Sadly, some folks in the Republican Party have made peace with unspeakable evil. It pains me to paint the picture that starkly, but love demands we tell the truth. Faced with devastating problems, including deep and growing violence, this ticket either denies reality or shrugs shoulders and declares the circumstances beyond solving.

Good people of moral courage will not — — tolerate school shootings as "a fact of life." When people are dying because they lack abortion access, we cannot look away. When systemic racism kills, again and again, no one should be "colorblind." When millions live in poverty in the wealthiest nation on Earth, offering tax cuts to the rich is a lethal betrayal to the common good. We cannot abide "leaders" who look at this horror and lack the moral courage to do anything about it.

But let's be clear: It is not enough to be horrified. It is insufficient to condemn how this violates our beliefs on our self-righteous soapbox. As the Book of James puts it bluntly: "Without works, faith is dead."

I invite you to join me in making an action plan in these next two months. Call your friends and family. Share this piece and others like it. Tell them what is on the line in this election and remind them to vote. Help defeat Project 2025 by Voting Just Love and organizing with Write op-eds for your local paper. Volunteer to knock on doors or make phone calls to support the candidates of your choice.

Draw your circle wider; remember that all the people are your kin. Reach out with the fiercest love and settle for nothing less. Public suffering is a policy choice, not "a fact of life." Let's choose differently this November. Let's vote "just love" on every ballot, every time!

Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis is senior minister and public theologian at Middle Church in New York. Celebrated internationally for her preaching and commitment to building a just society with fierce love, Lewis champions racial, economic, and gender/sexuality justice. The author of several books, including " Fierce Love " and the "Just Love Story Bible," her work has been featured on and NPR and in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Ebony and Essence magazines.